Turning, Turning, Turning: Class week 2 of February

    Our instructor, the venerable Arthur Lutz, introduced the class to the workings of the lathe, the work horse of any machine shop.   That simple, elegant device that is used universally to manufacture most anything made of metal, be it steel, aluminum, titanium, magnesium, etc.   With wheels, cranks, chucks, gears, and gauges, to the uninitiated, it looks complicated and a bit dangerous, especially when turned on and spinning at 500-/+ rpm's.
       But, with Arthur's help, his clear and concise instruction, we novices were off and -spinning.   Our task is to create a die holder- a simple tool of aluminum stock, 1 1/4" in dia. by 6".   We were given a list of steps to follow that would produce the required result needed by the student to continue making progress on in-class projects.
      After a couple of hours of slow, steady effort, the tool began to take shape.   Class time ended and the project was put on hold until the next class period.   Cleaning up the shavings and trimmings underscored the effort to turn the solid piece into something useful.  The ever present Arthur, a paragon of patience, is always available to the confused newbie, stumped during a process at some point.   However, Arthur's teaching technique- minimum lecture, maximum 'doing' is perfect for the goals of the class:  to impart a working knowledge of machine tools.
    Next week: completion of the die holding tool.   Another step on the mayor's path to a new career.