Crash that cost me a shift and a cutter

I was running a job in Milwaukee last spring, a stainless steel part for a medical device. The spindle loaded up wrong on a 3/8 end mill and I didn't catch the chatter in time. It snapped the tool and ruined the part, had to stop everything and re-zero. Has anyone else had a crash that just threw off your whole day like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

thompson.finley12d ago

A crash that costs you a shift is definitely a rough day, but doesn't it also teach you something you won't forget? I'd argue those moments when everything goes wrong are what really sharpen your ear for chatter and your timing. You could have caught it earlier, sure, but now you'll probably hear that noise in your sleep before it ever breaks another tool. Nothing wrong with a crash that knocks you back a step, it keeps you from getting too comfortable on the machine.

anthony_wells12d ago

Do you remember that old study about machinists and memory I read somewhere? It said people who had a crash remembered the sound and feel way longer than someone who just read about it in a manual. That stuck with me because it's true. You can't get that kind of learning from a book or a video, you have to feel it in your hands. Your comment about hearing it in your sleep is exactly right. It's like your brain finally connects the dots after you've broken something.