How long does it take you to make stuff?

[Robin GrahamParticipant @robingraham42208]

I made this thing to attach bike lights to an NHS wheelchair. The client asked me how long it took to make, and I realised that I didn't really know. I sort of mumbled 'a few hours I expect- I just put in an hour or so when I can'. However, I suspect that it probably took more than an 8-hour working day using manual machine tools. If so, am I terribly slow? I don't make models myself, but once saw an article showing a Cherry Hill loco with over 1800 (I think) individually machined parts – that would take me a couple of lifetimes at the rate I work!

Robin.

PS – ext job is to fix the key next to M on my 'puter!

Edited By Robin Graham on 10/11/2017 23:54:36

[Robin GrahamParticipant @robingraham42208]

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

I do what I can when I can.

Some weeks I'm a whirling dervish followed by two weeks mulling over drilling an awkward hole

Like most things in life it's different strokes for different folks

[Peter KroghParticipant @peterkrogh76576]

Being in my shop is like going fishing. Sometimes it can be a darned nuisance to catch fish!

Pete

[Paul LousickParticipant @paullousick59116]

"How long does it take to make stuff". (how long is a piece of string). Depends on what you are making.

Non machinists often have no idea how long it takes to machine something and as a non-professional operator it takes me longer. I have been building my model traction engine for 4 1/2 years and still not finished.

Paul.

[Brian HParticipant @brianh50089]

My first traction engine (actually a road roller) too 12 years, the second took 3 1/2 years and the present one has taken 15 years so far.

A lot depends on what comes along to keep you away from modelling. It would be better to keep a log of hours.

Brian

[Mick B1Participant @mickb1]

It took me over 4 months to make the cannon in my photo album, and I was putting every spare moment into it. Nearly a year to make the Stuart Beam Engine.

It's really hard to quantify, and I've been a Time Study engineer at one period in my career. You can really only get to grips with repetitive operations, and I strongly suspect most model engineers would find it as tedious to make large batches of anything as I would!

There's a variant of the Rolls-Royce putoff here: "If you need to ask, ya don't really got the time…"

 

 

Edited By Mick B1 on 11/11/2017 08:08:33

[Alan Waddington 2Participant @alanwaddington2]

First one is normally pretty quick………but the first right one usually takes a bit longer

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

I spent over twenty years to finish a balsa wood ASRL, but Southam loco took about five months IIRC.

I tend to find projects get held up by lack of a particular part/material OR indecision about how to proceed or reluctance to tackle a challenging job.

Ironically, when I do tackle that difficult task I can end up making various prototypes very quickly to get it right. I made a small governor and it took a good five tries to get the geometry but the machining took much less time than the thinking…

So I think I worry too much!

Neil

[mechman48Participant @mechman48]

I started to log the hours on my model work time, plus making ref notes; & includes… converting sizes, correcting fubars's, repainting crap top coats, making jigs, ruminating, cogitating etc, it often works out that setting the job up takes longer than actually machining… so far…

Stuart S10V… 1st model… 125 hrs.

​Start progress oscillaring horizontal … 45 hrs.

Stuart S50 Stationary … 73 hrs.

​Vertical single cross… in progress, so far… 85hrs

​That doesn't include other oscillators etc. prior to starting log, so if you want to cost it out, at a conservative £10 ph. you can work the figures out… not including material, electricity etc. … so how long IS that 'piece of string'

George.

 

Edited By mechman48 on 11/11/2017 09:52:26

[Phil PParticipant @philp]

Most model engineers never finish anything, so the question becomes irrelevant.

As years pass by, this applies to me for sure.

Phil

[Andrew TinsleyParticipant @andrewtinsley63637]

It takes me forever to do things! My worst trait, is when faced with an operation that looks awkward. I spend hours working out what could go wrong and how to avoid those problems. I usually find that once started, the operation goes quickly and smoothly. Then I wonder why I took so long thinking (and avoiding!) doing the job.

If you enjoy what you are doing, then who cares how long it takes. I have multiple projects on the go and I shall never finish half of them, having a very limited lifetime left! But the enjoyment is in the travelling, not getting to the destination.

Andrew.

[mechman48Participant @mechman48]

Posted by Andrew Tinsley on 11/11/2017 10:22:49:

It takes me forever to do things! My worst trait, is when faced with an operation that looks awkward. I spend hours working out what could go wrong and how to avoid those problems. I usually find that once started, the operation goes quickly and smoothly. Then I wonder why I took so long thinking (and avoiding!) doing the job.

If you enjoy what you are doing, then who cares how long it takes. I have multiple projects on the go and I shall never finish half of them, having a very limited lifetime left! But the enjoyment is in the travelling, not getting to the destination.

Andrew.

Snap!…

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Here's advice to many of you who will have stalled projects.

Make a big mug of tea, coffee and sit in your workshop.

Contemplate which of your many projects will bring you the most pleasure from completing them.

Think about what is actually stopping you from making progress.

It can be as daft as a part you know isn't good enough but you can't quite bring yourself to throw it away, so the project stalls.

It might be a lack of skill or confidence, that can be addressed just by asking for help or advice.

It can be hacksawing a chunk off that 2" bar. You'd get it done in a week if you spent a minute or two at the task every time you went in or past the workshop.

Perhaps it's how on earth the machine that lumpy casting that really needs a custom clamp and a perhaps a lot of thought and effort to get it safely set up for machining.

If it's cost, difficult to get materials or an genuinely intractable problem, move on to thinking about the next project.

At the end of this there will probably be a list of three or four barriers to moving on that really will only take a it of gritted teeth, patience and a few days hard work. Almost all the tasks holding you up can be broken down into smaller and more easily tackled tasks.

Working through one or two of those tasks, and be rewarded as things start to move again

I recently tackled one – turning a challenging crankshaft – and threw away at least four failures plus the original 'not good enough one', but got there in the end. The project had been stalled for years.

My next challenge is the 10" gear that is also an etched and milled upper plate for the Jovilabe, by far the most challenging thing I have ever contemplated, so I keep putting it off.

Super Adept fans may be surprised that the barrier to progress there is that my tumbler reverse lever keep jumping out of mesh. I have to face up to a proper redesign that has enough meat to take a bigger locking pin.

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

I found that work on my projects, yes there are more than one and my wife continually chastises me for not finishing any, was slowed down because I shied away from components which required multiple tool use on the lathe; recently fitted a quick change toolpost, it is now a simple task of only seconds to change tools, I find that I am now eager to tackle some of the components that I steered clear of. Next problem to solve is that of cutting large pieces of stock material, a hacksaw on 3 inch sections of steel is not a pleasurable task when right side paralysis is compromising my activities. Will have to bite the bullet and obtain a bandsaw or machine hacksaw to assist in that area. Problem is avoiding scrutiny by finance control when making large purchases, we both share the same email address so I have to utilise the archive facility on the emails, she never looks in there so purchases can be hidden until the day the delivery arrives on the doorstop by which time it is fait acompli. So how long does it take to complete projects, will let you know when I finish one, but don't hold your breath.

Dave

[larry PhelanParticipant @larryphelan54019]

Too long !

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

I'm a bit like Andrew and mechman. Getting the right order of operations and making things over-engineered for safety or longevity is likely a stumbling block.

With the OP's item. It may be better to think along the lines of how long it would take to make a second similar one. Certainly not as long as the first! It is a bit different making one-offs with instructions compaered to sorting out the best design from scratch.

With that item, minimum weight would be one target, so tube and 3-D printing might be the best way to go with that, from scratch – unless the wheelchair is powered by other means than the occupier!

[colin hawesParticipant @colinhawes85982]

How long does a job take?. Twice as long as a careful estimate. Colin

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

It takes me half an hour to boil a 3 minute egg.

[larry PhelanParticipant @larryphelan54019]

I HATE THREE MINUTE EGGS !!!!!!!!!!

[Johnboy25Participant @johnboy25]

I’m generally slow in producing anything mainly I believe it’s due to most of my maching either lathe or milling work is self taught as I’ve been in the electronic and electrical profession all my working life, (now retired! 😋) But I do find my jobs always take longer when my friends or neighbors pop in to see if I could do this ‘five minute’ job for them or have I got a ‘one of these’ as theirs too short, too long or it’s just broken!🤔

Edited By Johnboy25 on 11/11/2017 20:16:19

[Martin DowingParticipant @martindowing58466]

Next year I will have proper milling machine (something weighing approx 1 ton is planned).

Now all of my milling operations are done on vertical slide of my ML7.

This is an *awful* waste of time (and also of milling cutters), I know it, my wife also knows it (what is quite annoying for me – she complains that machine is really not up to the task if it takes so long time to complete something what looks trivial) and even family dog knows it.

As per finishing projects – I do have discipline to push them to the end. They can take long but are done at the end. OK, I have never attempted loco or a Quorn, but before milling machine is in shop I won't.

Regarding hacksawing: Got rid of 95% of it. Bought hand held circular metal cutting saw with carbide teeth – it goes through 3 inch bar in a minute and will handle even 5 inch bar (you need 2 passes and turn it 180deg after first one. It will also cut easily 1 inch steel plate. Angle grinder comes second and anything up to 2 inches is often parted in my ML7 if only can fit between chuck and tail – otherwise one of previous methods is used.

Martin

Edited By Martin Dowing on 11/11/2017 20:39:05

[richardandtracyParticipant @richardandtracy]

I find that when making kit pens it takes me the same 3 hrs per pen it did 10 years ago. The fit & finish is better, though. That's after 300+ pens practice.

For the custom fountain pens, its a minimum of 10 hrs a pen, up to 20. Tooling extra.

Regards

Richard.

Edited By richardandtracy on 11/11/2017 20:44:34

[Mark RandParticipant @markrand96270]

Took me 4 years to rebuild a Hardinge HLV (no -H) lathe. Also took 4 years to rebuild a Beaver milling machine. I'm hoping the surface grinder will go a lot quicker because there's only a thou or so to scrape off the ways instead of the 10-20 thou on the other machines. But before that, I've got to re-lap the surface table so it's accurate enough to measure the surface grinder parts.

Making things? Never done any of that…

[Robin GrahamParticipant @robingraham42208]

Thanks for replies, all very interesting and reassuring! It seems I'm not alone in finding things sometimes go much slooooower than planned for one reason or another. I've recently realised (belatedly) that tedious though it is to me, it's actually quicker to make a proper scale drawing of what I want to make and work out the machining sequence before putting tool to metal. I have a lamentable tendency to just go at it and cut metal – put the tricky bits to the back of the mind, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. And when I get there and figure it out it would have been so much easier I'd not cut off that bit which could have gone in the chuck… Planning machining sequence is hard for me, though I imagine it must be almost instinctive to experienced engineers.

Ta, Robin

 

Edited By Robin Graham on 12/11/2017 00:08:12

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