smokeywolf
Well-Known Member
The only reason I have the lathe, mill and tooling I have, is a bit of luck and a lot of just plain not knowing when to give up. Those two things made me the last man out of the Sony Pictures (formerly MGM) Studios Metal Shops.
When the work ran out and I announced to the studio brass that I was laying myself off, they came to me and asked me to liquidate all the assets in my building. I had a 6,000 sq. ft. shop. After reaching a tentative agreement on a time frame they asked how much I wanted to do the job. My price was, the best toolmaker's mill (aka knee mill) and the most rigid and versitile lathe in the shop. Plus, and these were my exact words, "all the tooling I can carry". Their response was immediate; one word, "done".
If I'd had more space I'd have taken a surface and cylindrical grinder, a bigger granite surface plate, a flat leather belt drive drill press, a cup wheel tool grinder with coarse and fine diamond wheels, a heat treating oven and 15 gallon stainless quenching tank and a Rockwell hardness tester that did both "C" and "B" scales. The Sheet Metal Shop which was also part of my domain had a real nice old finger brake that would have been nice to have.
In addition to the tooling I got several hunded of each, fasteners, bearings and springs.
While putting in about 25 hours a week clearing out the Sony Machine Shop I was working nearly 50 hours a week in the Universal Studios Machine Shop.
I worked hard for my machinery, but I was bloody lucky to get what I got and I know it.
Now all I have to do is get myself a little spread where I can have a 900 sq. ft. give/take shop.
I need to make a new sear for this...
When the work ran out and I announced to the studio brass that I was laying myself off, they came to me and asked me to liquidate all the assets in my building. I had a 6,000 sq. ft. shop. After reaching a tentative agreement on a time frame they asked how much I wanted to do the job. My price was, the best toolmaker's mill (aka knee mill) and the most rigid and versitile lathe in the shop. Plus, and these were my exact words, "all the tooling I can carry". Their response was immediate; one word, "done".
If I'd had more space I'd have taken a surface and cylindrical grinder, a bigger granite surface plate, a flat leather belt drive drill press, a cup wheel tool grinder with coarse and fine diamond wheels, a heat treating oven and 15 gallon stainless quenching tank and a Rockwell hardness tester that did both "C" and "B" scales. The Sheet Metal Shop which was also part of my domain had a real nice old finger brake that would have been nice to have.
In addition to the tooling I got several hunded of each, fasteners, bearings and springs.
While putting in about 25 hours a week clearing out the Sony Machine Shop I was working nearly 50 hours a week in the Universal Studios Machine Shop.
I worked hard for my machinery, but I was bloody lucky to get what I got and I know it.
Now all I have to do is get myself a little spread where I can have a 900 sq. ft. give/take shop.
I need to make a new sear for this...