by Phil Kerner | Mar 31, 2012 | Members Only: The Tool Room, Real Manufacturing Experiences, Tool and Die Making History
My Uncle Eddie had a very successful tool and die shop back in the 40's,50's and 60's. Their motto was "Precision is our practice, Production is the Result." Hmm. What exactly does that mean? Because tool and die makers build molds, fixtures, and dies that pound out...
by Phil Kerner | Sep 4, 2011 | Members Only: The Tool Room, Real Manufacturing Experiences, The Basics - Workholding
For most of my career, most of my work in the moldmaking industry consisted of machining one part at a time as almost everything I worked on was a one-of-a-kind part. As I became more involved in some small production runs, I realized that I couldn't build a fixture...
by Phil Kerner | Aug 30, 2011 | Members Only: The Tool Room, Milling, Real Manufacturing Experiences, The Basics - Milling
From Michael in Australia: "Hi Phil , Do you use normal style HSS or Carbide endmills on aluminum? Are the different helix angles on the flutes of dedicated aluminum endmills worth the extra cost?" Great question. Most folks see "aluminum" and their mouths start to...
by Phil Kerner | May 15, 2011 | Members Only: The Tool Room, Real Manufacturing Experiences, The Basics - CNC Machining, The Basics - Drilling
In this video, I explain how to put holes exactly where you want them vs. hoping that your machine and readout will do the trick. Remember, drills are great for clearance holes and also for removing stock, but they never put a hole perfectly into position (unless you...
by Phil Kerner | Apr 25, 2011 | Members Only: The Tool Room, Real Manufacturing Experiences
This 100 lb. blocks ended up coming my way today. Too heavy to pick up by hand, and because they're stainless steel, I couldn't use a magnet. While I could have slid a nylon strap under each one, that still requires a lot of man-handling. Then, I remembered a trick we...
