Walked through the old machine shop at the county fairgrounds

They had a 1950s Bridgeport on display, still with the original hand wheels and no DRO. Made me think about how much time we used to spend just on setup and math. Anyone still run manual machines for certain jobs?

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4 Comments

kimmurphy6mo ago

My buddy still uses his old lathe for small runs, says the feel is better.

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aaron3056mo ago

What exactly does he mean by the feel?

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miles_hall6mo ago

Yeah, it's that direct feedback through your hands. Like @kimmurphy's buddy says, you can feel the cut happening, not just watch a screen.

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ryan_shah384mo ago

Have you ever run a manual machine with a really worn lead screw? Because that "feel" people talk about can also mean fighting backlash on every pass, which isn't always great. Still, for one-off parts where you're chasing a tenth by ear, nothing beats an old South Bend.

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