by Phil Kerner | Mar 17, 2013 | Members Only: The Tool Room, The Basics - Workholding
After 35 years, I still look for ways every single day to remain "the man." I like being "the man," and everyone at work knows I'm "the man." But being "the man" means I have to back it up every day. Of course my Polish background automatically insures that I'll still...
by Phil Kerner | Mar 5, 2013 | Members Only: The Tool Room, Milling, The Basics - Milling, The Basics - Workholding
Every once in a while, I get a part that really tests my skills, and my patience. This is one of those parts. Here's how I gave some much-needed stability to a very flimsy part:
by Phil Kerner | Feb 24, 2013 | Members Only: The Tool Room, The Basics - Milling, The Basics - Workholding
One of my patented "shortcuts" in machining has been to always use a vise if possible: no studs, step-blocks, or toe-clamps needed. Of course the drawback to using a vise is that most of them are only 6 inches wide, which is great when you're working on small parts....
by Phil Kerner | Feb 15, 2013 | Members Only: The Tool Room, Shortcuts and Time Savers, The Basics - Milling, The Basics - Workholding
Occasionally, I have to work on parts that are just way to long to hod in one Kurt vise. While I try to avoid setting up two vises as much as possible by using jacks under long parts that hang way out on both ends, sometimes there's no getting around it. Here's a tip...
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 | Jan 4, 2011 | Members Only: The Tool Room, The Basics - Workholding
One of the first problems that every new machinist encounters is the need to elevate their work above whatever happens to be holding it...in other words, you have to "lift" your work in order to be able to make sure that you can perform your machining task without...
