Introduction to the Machine Shop (MS101)

This class is designed for people with little or no machine shop experience. It will prepare students to get started in the making of relatively simple metal parts, covering the operation of the drill press, the metal cutting bandsaw, the arbor press, pedestal grinder and bench vise. Students will be given a brief tour of the shop showing them where the various machines are located, and where various tools may be found.

Bench vise, Band Saw, Drill Press, Arbor Press, and Pedestal Grinder.

The beginning section of the class will address:

• General shop safety
• Shop etiquette
• Shop layout

The middle section of the class will address:

• Using the bench vise in cutting and shaping material
• Cutting stock on the bandsaw; feeding the work
• Using the drill press; holding the work, speeds, lubrication
• Shaping metal on the grinder; ventilation, holding the work, cooling the work
• Forcing parts together with the arbor press; guiding the process, accessories

Each of the above operations will be first demonstrated by the instructor, then executed by each student under the instructor’s guidance and supervision.

The final section of the class will include:

• Opportunity for review and further instruction as needed to ensure that all the students feel comfortable working on their own
• As time allows, further exploration of shop capabilities
• Students will graduate from the class equipped with the knowledge and confidence to begin working independently on their own projects in the Machine Shop.

Machine Shop beginners and folks who are curious about Artisans Asylum's Machine Shop. Students who are 18 years or older.

• Aluminum plate 1/4” x 2” x 4”
• Steel rod 1/4” x 3”
• Steel bar 3/8” x 3/8” x 3”
• Access to A2's Machine Shop for the duration of the session.

Jeff Zimmer is a mechanical engineer who collects and repairs antique clocks and watches and is currently engaged at the Asylum building a a residential pipe organ. His earliest machine shop experience occurred in graduate school where he designed and built a scale model of a nuclear power plant steam valve to analyze an acoustical instability. He loves everything mechanical, antique and or musical.