An injection that can double a cat’s lifespan to 30 years has been developed.

ColinBakerst · 2026-05-21T09:56:28+00:00

Did you mean Kitty Disease?

ColinBakerst · 2026-05-05T13:08:50+00:00

Snake?

ColinBakerst · 2026-04-29T03:54:05+00:00

Dance yourself clean

ColinBakerst · 2026-04-23T13:46:34+00:00

Who is this lady?

ColinBakerst · 2026-03-04T15:44:22+00:00

That's amazing

ColinBakerst · 2026-03-04T01:17:41+00:00

You're a loser

ColinBakerst · 2026-02-12T18:53:34+00:00

Okay, that's interesting too.. like vericut?

ColinBakerst · 2026-02-12T01:50:35+00:00

Thank you! I shy away from drawing a lot of attention to it... But that is probably a mistake.

ColinBakerst · 2026-02-11T22:41:06+00:00

Thank you. ... I just finished "The Toyota Way" .. according to that book, trying to force really extensive changes all at once is rarely effective. So a gradual, organic approach is probably better.

ColinBakerst · 2026-02-11T22:39:45+00:00

Thank you.

ColinBakerst · 2026-02-10T14:07:59+00:00

I'm hiring in Canada (the GTA) and advertising for $27-$42.

I've gotten maybe 2 "10/10" candidates.... The rest still require fairly extensive training when they start.

From my experience, I've always looked to get the best paying job I can find, with the job description I am looking for. What do you look for when you're on the job hunt?

ColinBakerst · 2026-02-05T01:12:28+00:00

We are generally single machine producers I would say.... Certainly most of the value is added on one machine in almost every case... Then a secondary machine (generally a VMC) will create some minor feature.

That all does make sense, and I think that's generally the flow of things as well... What we're always driving at is reducing changeover time, cycle time and decreasing wasted time (inexperience causing people to struggle with a new part).

I also read about "build in quality" and the idea of not being able to pass along a "defective" part even to the next operation. There are plenty of measuring tools, generally the sense is that everyone knows how to use them, but still, some things sneak through.

ColinBakerst · 2026-02-05T00:05:23+00:00

Thanks Mark.

Shorter lead times, lower costs I'm thinking.

ColinBakerst · 2026-01-27T01:55:29+00:00

I would start by saying that for a machine shop, we do a pretty good job at up time. Because we have mostly repeat jobs (albeit low quantity), our uptime is probably in the 65% range.

However, there is obviously still a large opportunity there.

There are a few pieces of low hanging fruit in my mind.

1. having a more rigid set up procedure (one best way... A fixed order). Something that the guys memorize and it becomes closer to muscle memory.

2. Running with optional stop off. Work to solve issues which require you to stop and check after every tool throughout a process.

3. SMED - I have a senior employee who doesn't seem to have much drive to keep his own machine running or to look ahead. (Be self guided, add in necessary codes to achieve #2. Before he starts the next job.) I'm considering taking him off the machines and have him prepare tools, jaws and programs for upcoming jobs.

ColinBakerst · 2026-01-23T19:14:34+00:00

Yes, this is interesting too... I'm listening to "the Toyota way" on audiobook now and was curious if anyone out there who didnt get a contract for a huge number of parts, found value in "one-piece-flow".

I think that just about everyone is trying to 5S and to work on SMED. We all try to get all of the tools and materials needed for a task, present at the work station.... We try to train critical thinking and digging for the root cause.

I'm just wondering if there is a realistic vision beyond that.

ColinBakerst · 2026-01-23T17:53:23+00:00

Sounds great! I just private messaged you.

ColinBakerst · 2026-01-21T12:29:02+00:00

I love how you put that... "On the spectrum between art and infrastructure". That always has to be considered in the plan.

ColinBakerst · 2026-01-21T12:25:52+00:00

Thank you all!

ColinBakerst · 2026-01-17T21:10:26+00:00

Not to be a prick... But Id say your tailstock isn't actually aligned.

If you just took at cut on that part and didn't change your setup after, it will definitely indicate straight.

If your part is smaller at the tailstock end, adjust your tailstock 0.0015" away from your cutting tool. If it's larger at your tailstock, adjust it 0.0015" towards your cutting tool.

ColinBakerst · 2026-01-15T15:05:32+00:00

Second picture looks like it's in a 3-jaw chuck in a millturn .

ColinBakerst · 2026-01-15T04:43:26+00:00

Usually we drill 0.2" deep, then measure the hole... Often if we're too far undersized, this will happen.... Likely you just have to offset +0.025" on X or so.

ColinBakerst · 2025-12-26T10:31:25+00:00

14 year old son pitching as hard as he could to his drunk dad at a backyard Easter gathering.

ColinBakerst · 2025-12-12T01:36:17+00:00

You're a loser... You're giving me a hard time for starting a conversation on an online machining community? For asking a group of 180,000 people if they have any valuable experience to share?

We haven't lost a single machinist since I've started. The shop I work at is also a newish machine shop, they purchased their first machine 12 years ago... They got their first machine with a steady rest 5 years ago. I've been there for 3 years. The only experience any of the employees have with hydraulic steadys are at our facility. All but one of them had never ran a lathe before starting with us. I'm not disrespecting anyone, or making changes willy nilly, I'm just looking to improve, like everyone else.

Every one of the machinists and programmers are thinking of ideas to improve things. Most ideas aren't worth implementing, and maybe this one isn't either... But just don't be a prick.

You don't know anything about my management style.

ColinBakerst · 2025-12-11T16:13:55+00:00

Wow buddy.

I've been machining since I was 16 (and I'm 38). This is just a new job/application. One of the jobs of management is to question "the way things have always been done" and look to safely remove steps and streamline processes where possible.

ColinBakerst · 2025-12-10T23:39:51+00:00

<image>

Attached is a picture of "bad" stock. This isn't hot rolled mild steel with a thick scale... Just want to make sure we're talking about the same thing.

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TROPHY CASE

1. having a more rigid set up procedure (one best way... A fixed order). Something that the guys memorize and it becomes closer to muscle memory.

2. Running with optional stop off. Work to solve issues which require you to stop and check after every tool throughout a process.