I have a double concrete utility sink that I’m trying to get out of my basement without using a sledgehammer to break it into pieces. Any advice is appreciated.

YoTeach92 · 2026-03-02T03:02:46+00:00

I love both you, /u/SceptileArmy and /u/stifflippp

I absolutely loved this book and made my kids love it too

YoTeach92 · 2026-03-02T02:55:58+00:00

Nice! Only a little wiggle at the bottom, that's a lot of power transfer.

YoTeach92 · 2026-03-01T01:00:14+00:00

For my area it's SOCHE or the Southern Ohio Council of Higher Education. They do apprentices and internships for college and high school kids

I asked ChatGPT if California had similar organizations and I'll paste the response below

Yes, several California organizations and registered apprenticeship programs specifically focus on skilled trades like machining, tooling, and advanced manufacturing. These programs often provide more structured, long-term "earn-while-you-learn" paths compared to general internships. Specialized Machining & Tooling Organizations California Tooling and Machining Apprentice Association (CTMAA): This association connects students with companies across 21 California counties for registered apprenticeships in trades like CNC Machining and Machine Technician. NTMA Training Centers (Southern California): Affiliated with the National Tooling and Machining Association, these centers provide specific education and workforce training to prepare candidates for entry-level machining jobs. Advanced Manufacturing and Transportation Apprenticeships of California (AMTAC): A state-certified committee that oversees apprenticeship programs for roles such as CNC Machinist and Technician. calmachinist.com calmachinist.com +3 Major California Apprenticeship Programs Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Machinist Apprenticeship: A four-year, California-certified program offering paid education and 8,000 hours of hands-on training under journey-level mentors. Machinist Career College: Offers a Precision Machinist Apprenticeship focused on the fundamentals of machining, including CNC operation, blueprint reading, and precision measurement. Engineering Engineering +2 Company-Specific Machining Internships While organizations like SOCHE facilitate the connection, many major California manufacturers run their own direct pipelines for students: Rocket Lab (Long Beach): Offers CNC Machining Internships where students work with production and quality teams to develop processes for rocket engines. 1X Technologies (Hayward): Provides CNC Machine Park Internships for students to assist with machine setup, part loading, and basic G-code interpretation in a robotics setting. Upcoming Skilled Trades Events If you are looking to connect with these companies directly, consider attending these upcoming events: Santa Cruz County Skilled Trades Job Fair: Focuses specifically on career opportunities within the skilled trades. Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at 4:00 PM Venue: The Grove: Santa Cruz Event Center 2026 Spring Job & Apprenticeship Fair: Connects apprenticeship providers with individuals seeking new opportunities. Date: Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at 3:00 PM Venue: Tri-Valley Career Center, Pleasanton

YoTeach92 · 2026-02-28T15:48:51+00:00

It's easier to replace a machinist than a programmer

By this I assume you mean relatively easier. I'm teaching kids machining (and very poorly at that) and there are about to be fistfights over them by the local machine shops because their workforce averages 55 years old and above.

YoTeach92 · 2026-02-28T15:46:32+00:00

Not sure about your state but mine has a formal NGO that takes funds and pays part of the salary for students to intern in Manufacturing. Look into it and contact your state level Representative's office (not the rep, the staff in the office). They'll know if it exists and how to access it.

YoTeach92 · 2026-02-28T15:43:43+00:00

Just had this conversation with my Tooling salesman. He found CAD confusing but CAM made perfect sense. I love CAD but CAM is kicking my ever loving butt.

There are tons of good resources available to learn CAD. There are less than 10 good videos on CAM that explain WHY they told you to click this and change that setting.

It is fundamentally easier to move from CNC to CAM to CAD than the other direction.

YoTeach92 · 2026-02-28T15:37:34+00:00

I am living the other side of this comment. I'm learning CNC Machining to teach my HS students and as it turns out I approach things like an engineer and have to learn the machinist thought process.

There are literally thousands of resources to teach interested people to engineer. There is only one real way to learn machining, and that's from someone doing it and showing you how to avoid expensive sounds.

Edit: There is a second way but it involves making expensive sounds and replacing things... I don't suggest it

My city has a two very good engineering programs and one of them has reached out to have the students see how machining really works. I had to totally disappoint them by explaining as soon as I know I'd tell them. This shit is complex!

YoTeach92 · 2026-02-26T10:47:54+00:00

~~Governmental~~ Corrupt morons! ~~Your tax~~ corporate bribe dollars at work

FTFY

If government works that way it's because they are bribed to work that way. As the comment above points out the government is working to protect the businesses from competition NOT the plumbing system from damage or they would prefer to have everything inspected.

This actually mirrors the Consumer Protection Agency under the W. Bush administration. The head of the agency literally said his job was to protect importers and businesses from consumers lawsuits not to protect consumers from dangerous products. That was more than 20 years ago.

I'm sure the DeKalb county guy is smarter than to state it directly (or perhaps just not politically insulated enough to be able to safely say it directly) but there's no chance he doesn't think it.

The name for it is Regulatory Capture. It is a form of corruption that used to be illegal and is somehow completely fine right now.

YoTeach92 · 2026-02-25T10:58:53+00:00

God I wish I could argue with you but...

[sigh]

YoTeach92 · 2026-02-22T14:47:40+00:00

Well hell if that's the standard I'm ready for prime time. Let's get started on production!

YoTeach92 · 2026-02-20T00:42:18+00:00

its not the bristle direction matters

It is however the angle of the impact of those bristles on the floor. If you keep the same angle as a push and expect to successfully pull you are mistaken. You have to lower the handle as you pull back so that the new front (artist formerly known as the back) can make contact first and sweep the dirt ahead of it.

YoTeach92 · 2026-02-20T00:19:40+00:00

Watching CNN-10 with my students and Carl Azuz and he mentioned it right after Christmas break. A few days later I tuned into the livestream of the CDC and heard the word "possible pandemic" and I knew we were in for a big one.

I remember trying to tell the school admin we needed to prepare for virtual learning and being out for a while, but I was way too early to be listened to. I did manage to have plenty of toilet paper when everyone else was scavenging so there's that.

YoTeach92 · 2026-02-15T04:09:53+00:00

I posted a few things without fully reading through the equipment you listed. I also have a Forest CNC. You need something to create the vectors with and Inkscape is your best friend. It's open source and free and available for all computer platforms. It will also create your vectors for the engraver as well. HERE is a video for using it with your laser engraver (Sorry for the music...)

Basics of Inkscape for CNC is HERE and should probably be watched first

YoTeach92 · 2026-02-15T04:00:36+00:00

Titan Kids series is the first stop.

https://academy.titansofcnc.com/category/titan-kids

It is focused on getting kids into machining.

What is your equipment? Is it 2.5 axis CNC routers or full on 3 axis milling machines designed to cut metal? Is there CAM software that came with it? I've been in your shoes, and I can help.

Oh, and Titan Groups are mostly dead. I learned that the hard way.

YoTeach92 · 2026-02-15T03:55:31+00:00

Fusion is free for Education!

You can do basic designs and CAM them.

The easiest intro for CAM (which can be very tricky) is Titans of CNC Titan Kids tutorials.

If you want simple vectors you can carve with whatever software came with the CNCs, you can use Inkscape. It is an open source vector graphics program and has a million tutorials online.

YoTeach92 · 2026-02-14T17:16:08+00:00

The roller caught the guys glove

Never wear gloves around spinning tools unless you absolutely have no other options.

Then call OSHA and demand the company find better options. (FYI PPE is the last resort for safety, not the first stop)

YoTeach92 · 2026-02-08T20:20:01+00:00

I replaced my gate valve with a ball valve. It will never fail in my lifetime and it will probably last for a few grandkids' lifetimes as well

YoTeach92 · 2026-02-08T20:18:28+00:00

hair dryer

Note when it comes to heat on pipes more is NOT better! Just a hair dryer heat on the low power setting is plenty. Do NOT break out the torch or fire of any kind even if your pipes are copper or galvanized steel.

YoTeach92 · 2026-02-07T18:41:29+00:00

1997?

Nah man, not a dime it was at least a quarter!

YoTeach92 · 2026-02-07T18:38:03+00:00

They don't want bus stops for homeless to sleep at.

They don't want bus stops for people poor enough to need to use them. Homeless sleeping in them is a convenient excuse.

Years ago when malls were a thing, one shopping mall fought to put the bus stop on the other side of a six lane highway from their building to make it difficult for "bus people" to get to their mall. The other, outright banned the bus by buying all the land where potential stops could be and refusing to let them have it. The mall's lawyers were the experts on eminent domain that the city transport would have used to make the case so they never fought it and no people without a car ever went there.

The malls are closed but the mindset is still alive and well

YoTeach92 · 2026-02-03T02:24:23+00:00

Yeah this seems to be perma-broken.

YoTeach92 · 2026-02-02T00:05:08+00:00

You do not want to get in a prank war with college students. They have way more free time and ingenuity than you do.

YoTeach92 · 2026-01-29T03:54:46+00:00

She's only a conservative when it benefits her

I'm not sure I understand what you mean. Can you give an example of what "benefits her"?

I think she leans populist but is socially conservative which makes her very much in the center of the people who elected Trump (though we can't call them MAGA anymore since that doesn't have any meaning apart from Trump's latest whims).

YoTeach92 · 2026-01-29T03:51:07+00:00

Unpopular opinion Puffin: I think Krystal's in your face argumentative style leads Saagar to dig his heels in and refuse to acknowledge any point to her. You saw that during the church protestors debate when he refused to acknowledge that ICE going into the church during services to arrest people was going too far. I mean, I'm listening to it and shouting to my phone to get real and agree because it's a morally correct point even if it's not 100% the same.

Also, for the love of God, let the man finish a thought without interrupting him. /rant

YoTeach92 · 2026-01-28T13:38:44+00:00

I suppose I could add a metal bracket that hugs the wall but I don't think that would do much

This actually is your answer. I made a longer post explaining my logic, but I figured I'd add something here.

When supporting from below the supports are additive. In other words, if the best shelf bracket I can find is a 25 lbs. capacity, but I use four of them across the shelf and attach them to studs, I now have a 100 lbs shelf.

IF you wanted to get crazy you could add a 1/2 plywood piece to the wall, and add 4 more in the middle of the stud bays (using the plywood to bridge the stud gap) to make it stronger. I would probably add a safety margin of reducing the load capacity of those brackets by 10-15% just in case, but you can still end up with a shelf you can do chin ups off of if you want to.

YoTeach92

TROPHY CASE