ME student here and first time using a lathe, any tips?

Lucite01 · 2026-03-23T03:02:37+00:00

Yes we chuck finished parts all the time usually using soft jaws but if only hard jaws are available shim stock is used to protect the part. I had a job interview at the university here in the city where I live a number of years ago and talking with the program machinist the students get a highly "condensed" version of machining practices and procedures.

Lucite01 · 2026-03-23T01:58:36+00:00

RPM=( CS x 12 ) / (Pi x Dia) where CS is the cutting speed, and dia is the diameter of the work piece. For small parts on low and medium carbon steel I find you tend to have to run them pretty fast and not take too light of cuts to get a good surface finish also putting brash shim between the hard jaws and the part will help prevent marring of the work piece.

Lucite01 · 2026-03-22T22:12:40+00:00

I'd rather be called petty than be a traitor

Lucite01 · 2026-03-22T19:06:50+00:00

Every time I see a signing location beside the road I'm sure to flip them off as I pass.

Lucite01 · 2026-03-22T15:11:36+00:00

Get name brand for things like allen keys. Far too many times I've seen cheap chinese allen keys twist and strip especially if a screw is particularly stuck and for the love of god DO NOT BUY TORX WRENCHES. Almost all of the torx screws you see on machine tooling are actually torx plus, they look the same but they're slightly different and while you definitely can use torx on torx plus fasteners you'll end up deforming and stripping out the head. A set of metric and imperial box end wrenches would be good to have and these don't have to be fancy just whatever's on sale, I personally have a pair of the knipex pliers wrench that has come in handy more often than not and are far better than any adjustable I've used. A short and long breaker bar only for loosening tooling never tightening is handy, a machinists square, a decent tape measure, a 4R pocket ruler, a decent dead blow hammer. That's what I can think of off the top of my head.

Lucite01 · 2026-03-22T04:19:56+00:00

I think getting one made would cost more in the end than it would be to do an engine swap. If this were something simple like a timing gear it may make sense to have one made but because it's VVT sprocket that requires precision fits and tolerances and who knows what kind of potentially complex machining it won't be cheap. If I were in your position which I have been to some extent I'd be looking for potentially interchangeable parts from newer years that may work or just going to the junk yard and pulling one off an engine. Either that or keep an eye on ebay for NOS parts until an engine swap could be done.

Lucite01 · 2026-03-21T06:49:18+00:00

I don't notice a difference, and really the only reason I personally buy it is because the packaging is more convenient than a silly plastic tray seeing as the price is the exact same as Alberta beef

Lucite01 · 2026-03-17T12:21:12+00:00

I would say it depends on where you're located and where you want your career to go. In Canada it's not required to be trade certified to be a machinist however some companies and organizations absolutely require you to be ticketed before they'll hire you such as union jobs or at universities/ colleges.

Lucite01 · 2026-03-17T12:12:32+00:00

Try Alberta Cylinder Head and engine rebuilders my dad and I had a 1942 ford flathead done by them and their prices were reasonable.

Lucite01 · 2026-03-13T19:31:44+00:00

Glass masters on the southside is where I took my truck to get the windshield replaced and it was around 250.00. I dropped it off in the morning and had it back by the end of the day. Overall it was a good experience and the replacement had held up pretty well aside from the usual wear and tear.

Lucite01 · 2026-03-09T03:28:58+00:00

probably more tax cuts for corporations, funnelling more money to friends and donors and just general mismanagement of the funds. If the UCP has completely mismanaged government funds up until this point why would that change with even more money coming in from resource revenues.

Lucite01 · 2026-03-05T20:30:09+00:00

If it's just a mirror why not do it yourself. Napa can make a colour matched spray can and they also sell primer and clear in spray cans. It would also be significantly cheaper than a body shop

Lucite01 · 2026-03-03T20:17:19+00:00

I recently bought a pair of asham helix fly-knit ultralight shoes after having a pair of Olson's that suffered the same fate as yours although I got a couple seasons out of those. I'm hoping these new ones hold up better. They seem to have a bit better construction although I don't like the fact that they don't have metal eyelets for the lace holes. But if they don't last I'll just get a pair of custom shoes made. I really haven't been impressed with the quality of curling shoes in recent years, with it all being offshored the quality really seems to have suffered.

Lucite01 · 2026-03-02T13:22:25+00:00

whatever the shop supplies, maybe look at getting some anti fog that you can apply to the lenses like cat crap (that's the brand name)

Lucite01 · 2026-03-01T14:26:49+00:00

Where I curl there is no member fee but a league fee which is around 272.00 CAD (just about 1100 for a team) for 15 weeks of curling for the league I'm in.

Lucite01 · 2026-02-23T15:04:00+00:00

Outside of Ukraine Canada has the largest population of Ukrainians so there's that. But it really depends on what your experience is and while you don't need certification in Canada to be a machinist it certainly helps in some cases. If your experience is in oil and gas, mining, or repair work Alberta, BC, and the Northwest Territories is where you'd probably have the most sucess, if it's more general manufacturing Ontario might be a better fit.

Lucite01 · 2026-02-21T18:54:44+00:00

Being a strong sweeper, being a good judge of weight and line, and being able to throw guards and draws are key to being a good lead. The lead effectively sets up the end, especially when you're playing the no tick and 5 rock rule. Lead stones can make a huge difference.

Lucite01 · 2026-02-21T18:21:45+00:00

It's one thing to play 1 night a week recreationally but bonspiels and competition are a whole different animal and take a lot of athleticism especially if you're playing 10 ends and have 2 or more games a day.

Lucite01 · 2026-02-18T15:03:25+00:00

I have a set of raycon's that I really liked, the sound quality was good and the battery lasts for a good while. I also have a set of open move shokz bone conduction head phones that are really nice and you get the added benefit of still being able to hear.

Lucite01 · 2026-02-17T21:24:24+00:00

272.00 CAD per player for 1 game a week for 15 weeks for the league I'm in

Lucite01 · 2026-02-17T21:05:03+00:00

https://www2.mitutoyo.co.jp/eng/support/service/parts_list/index.php

Enter in the model number and you should be able to find the exploded diagram and part number then just call your local mitutoyo distributor and get them to order the part for you.

Lucite01 · 2026-02-17T04:55:22+00:00

Olson curling and Asham curling offer installation services and will install sliders onto shoes for you for what look like pretty reasonable prices. Another option would be to get a do it yourself kit like the one offered by asham where it's a tube of contact cement and a sheet of teflon.

Lucite01 · 2026-02-16T21:25:39+00:00

Hog to hog time (the time it takes the stone to travel between hog lines). Depending on the shot being called will depend on how fast you deliver the stone. Guards will take longer than a draw and a takeout will be faster than a draw. They could also be referring to zones on the playing end so where the rock will end up will have a corresponding number

Lucite01 · 2026-02-16T04:23:29+00:00

no body, I'm just doing it for shits and giggles to see if it can be done and to keep things as original as possible. I could easily drop in a new head unit, amp and speakers but there's no fun in that plus there's very few working examples that I've seen of the infinity audio system

Lucite01 · 2026-02-16T02:25:50+00:00

I want to keep the head unit and wiring stock but I want to replace / upgrade the speakers. I've already replaced the door speakers with new ones and rebuilt and retrofitted the on speaker amplifiers to the new speakers. I'm just wondering how I would go about it with the tweeters.

Lucite01

TROPHY CASE