Prepping for the modern dark ages P4

For a little background, look at part 1, part 2, and part 3 of this series.  They will explain why I think building skills like this is as important or more important than just ‘having preps.’

So we’ve covered garage type skills and home ec. skills.  What else can a person learn?

Machine shop skills

This is a set of skills that is near and dear to my heart because I see it dwindling in our workforce as more and more machinists are relegated to monitoring CNC systems.  I don’t know how much it’s actually impacting productivity in industry, but I know that we’re currently experiencing a vicious cycle in which more automation is introduced to compensate for a lack of skill in the workplace while skills in the workplace atrophy because of automation.  That worries me.

Why? Because the ability to consistently make well machined objects is what lifted much of the world out of poverty.  The lathe is actually ancient technology, but it was the first generation of all metal lathes that enabled us to bore steam engine cylinders, turn driveshafts, and mass manufacture the bearings and pulleys that powered the industrial revolution.  The very robots that build our high precision electronics would not exist were it not for the ability to bore precise holes and turn shafts.

Several years ago I started teaching myself basic machine shop skills so that I could improve the way I designed parts.  I won’t claim to be very good, but there are lots of things I can do that would be out of reach otherwise.  Need a hole in something flat?  Use a drill press.  Multiple holes that match another part? Get out the transfer punches.  Need something cut square or slotted?  Use the milling machine.  Is something round too big? Is a bore too small?  Fire up the lathe. 

I’ve used my shop to work on model trains, custom computer equipment, plumbing fittings, light fixture parts, broken power tools, custom fasteners for home repairs, adapters and fittings for small engines and car repair, and even a few fixtures and jigs for work.  And the amazing thing is that I didn’t walk into a showroom and take out a second mortgage on all of this stuff.  I used Craigslist, classifieds, ebay, estate sales, and my own social circle to find second (or third, or fourth) hand machine shop equipment for a fraction of what new equipment would cost.  Most of my equipment is ‘vintage’ which is to say that if you’re older than any of this equipment, you’ve probably been drawing social security for a more than a few years.  It is well maintained though, and with a little bit of (very simple) care and maintenance, most of it will be perfectly functional when I’m not able to turn the knobs anymore.

The bad news is there are no digital readouts our CNC controls to make it easy on you.  You have to turn the knobs yourself and you have to do the math and geometry to figure out how much to turn the knobs, how fast, and for how long.  In other words, you have to know how the machine operates and not depend on some program you downloaded from the internet.  The upside is that you don’t need complicated systems to power old machines.  Most run on belts and pulleys that can be powered by small motors.  So a generator or (used sparingly) a solar powered battery bank can let you make chips even if your power gets knocked out.  In a real pinch, an old belt powered lathe can even do light work by having an ‘assistant’ power your lathe.  (Hey, maybe this is good prepping for TEOTWAWKI!) 

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There are lots of good videos out there to show both basic and advanced machining operations. Once you’re done watching those, go dig through some of the older editions of Popular Mechanics where they describe both how to use machine tools and what projects you can complete with them.  And then, because, the internet might not always be as free as it is now, go print out copies of old lathe and mill manuals as well as any designs that you find useful.  Start your own reference library with free info from the net and any second hand books and manuals you can find.  You may not need it right away, but if you read through it well enough to know what you have in your library, you’ll be able to look it up later when you really need it.

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So what do you need?  I say start with a lathe.  I’m partial to old cone-head South Bends but anything heavy and rigid is good.  Bigger is usually better because not being able to hold something in your chuck is a real hole in the head.  A 3 jaw and 4 jaw chuck are usually necessary as well as a dial indicator, calipers, tool holders and inserts, boring bars, and a couple of live or and dead centers and center drills.  It sounds like a lot, but when shopping for used equipment you would be surprised how easily you can find it. 

Don't borrow people's tools...for various reasons.

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If you don’t already have a bench grinder and drill press, get those.  Then if you really want to you can get a milling machine.  A bandsaw or some such means to cut raw stock is handy too. Files, transfer punches, center punches, radius and angle gauges, depth micrometers, squares, parallels, clamps, and drill bits/end mills should all be things you collect over time for your shop.  Watch estate sales and garage sales for old machinist toolboxes, they frequently have good finds in them.

Now what?

Practice.  File something until its flat.  File something flat so its round.  Learn to make accurate cuts with a hand-saw and ‘true up’ your work with a lathe and mill.  Learn to ‘lay out’ your workpiece and accurately locate holes.  Transfer hole centers from one piece to another.  Drill and tap holes without burning up/wearing out tools.  Pick up some random part and figure out how to copy it.

 SHARPEN!  Sharp tools are essential whether they are drill bits, lathe inserts, chisels, saws, you name it.  Sharpening used to even be a common specialty business.  If carbide tools become expensive because supplies slow to a trickle, it might well come back. 

With a basic shop there are lots of things you can learn to make or fix.  You can even learn to make and fix your own guns. (yes, we’re talking about prepping, so you knew it would come up.)  I don’t mean just punching holes in 80% receivers either, if you learn about heat treating and metal properties you can make nearly anything you like.  I personally like to tinker with old guns and frequently that means there simply are no replacement parts. That doesn’t matter when you can make your own.  Have something in an obscure cartridge?  You can even make your own reloading dies or bullet molds with enough effort and research. 

And of course, talk to your friends and family.  Show your buddy your shop and I bet he’ll ask you to make/modify/fix something for you sooner or later.  You can bankroll the favor or bargain for something in return.  Everyone needs something fixed at some point.  If people know you can fix/repair/replace parts you might find you make a lot of friends and some extra cash. 

Design for advanced machinists only.

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These are just my views; make of them what you will.  The big picture though is that while it feels reassuring to prep for some big specific event, there’s an equal or even greater possibility that something less than cataclysmic but still bad will happen and it may last a lot longer than any stockpile you can easily afford.  If you have the knowledge and skills to do things that make your life and others’ lives better, YOU become valuable rather than just being someone who has valuable supplies.

Naturally this all comes at a cost.  If you have a demanding job and a family to take care of, the time you have available is probably minimal.  That doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.  I like reading about hobbyist machine shop projects and watching various machining and gunsmithing videos on my lunchbreak.  It’s a break from work and yet I’m actually getting a benefit out of it by learning.

 If you have kids, you can involve them in your projects.  If they’re old enough to be helpful that’s actually a twofer because you not only learn to do something, but your kid does too so they’re more likely to know how to do useful things in the future.  As far as I’m concerned you’ll do all of us a favor if you skip the little league/soccer/basketball/swimming, etc and go build a garden shed with your kid.  The chances of your kid getting s sportsball scholarship and pro career aren’t nearly as good as the chances they’ll be able to use skills like finding plumb and level, toenailing a board, or wiring a light switch and fixture. 

I suppose the irony in of this is that if more people actually spent time developing the skills I’ve outlined here, the chances of major long term economic decline would drop dramatically because more people would have more skill sets, making them more employable regardless of what turns the economy/government takes.  So get off this blog and go learn something useful.  You may need to know it sooner than you think.