Great float on the Big Piney.

Yesterday, 5-29-10 Tim and Susan from Beebe and I floated from Heltons Farm to Longpool. I must say it was a magnificent time. I can't find the words to describe the wonderment of the bluffs, all the areas where the water is running down the face of rocks with thriving plant life. The creek was getting a bit low but we didn't have to drag the boats at all.

At the Standing Wave rapid I was able to get my big old canoe riding the hydraulics which is alway fun to do. At the "Cascades of Extinction" (the Mother) I didn't see anyway to canoe the whole rapid due to the low water. As I was looking at the Mother rock I noticed something blue under water, I dove into the swiftly moving water and got to the other side. I swam up to the back side of the Mother. I thought maybe it is a raft. But as I got closer I saw it was a Kayak. I started moving it every which way, didn't seem to get free. At one point I held on the rope at front of the boat and I floated out in the the current, it was like body surfing. Still wouldn't come free. I wasn't going to leave till I freed it which I did. Then trying to get it to the other side wasn't easy. We managed to get it ashore. Tim and I pushed out the bend with our feet. Then I found a 20 pound rock in it. Not sure how that got in there.

We arrived at Longpool, our take out. It was a great day with great company. Moore Outdoors knows who owns the boat I found and I'm waiting to hear from him.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cosmicdude1/

Thanks to Moore Outdoors

Race day at the Big Piney. I arrived an hour or so early. Talked with several canoers and then I met Minna and Donna. The three of us sat in the shade and I enjoyed their company. Then we heard, "ALL BOATS IN THE WATER!". The excitement was building.

We are now floating around waiting to speed off. Myself I'm in a 17ft Coleman "Barge" and I know there is no way I'm going to paddle 5 miles at top speed. The day before I floated from Heltons Farm to Longpool and I'm sure that played a part in my energy levels.

I"m next, seconds are ticking away, I've told a few that I am going to give it my best till I pass all the crowds. So here I go, can't run over any swimmers now. Into the fist rapid as the pool empties, it is tricky little rapid that many people just aren't ready for it. As I shot through it their were cheers, pictures being taken, ...invigorating.

Very quickly I came up to a upturned kayaker. He said he was ok so I sped on. There were many people on the banks along the way and I sure enjoyed their loud encouragement. In one neat little chute, as I went through it a guy in the water told me I had the best approach into it as anybody, cool. Two rather young guys pass me and they were really into it, in to a rhythm of switching sides. Just ahead of me they got hung up and were using their paddles as pry bars, they got off that and then the canoe upturned to the rushing water side, hit a rock and started to bend (alum canoe). I turned around to help them but they manage to rotate it off. Shorty after that they passed me again and said they managed to get the bend mostly out.

I got to the finish line at 1 hour 9 minutes. I was happy with that. I came in 3rd in my division. I then bummed a ride back to Longpool to retrieve my truck. Back at Moore Outdoors Campground they had the awards ceremony, some hooting and hollering going on. Then I enjoyed fellowship with many people. A great day indeed.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cosmicdude1/

Today, after the scrap episode of yesterday(wrote of it on facebook), a new replacement part was waiting on me when I got to work. Now I had to bore that part to size. The tolerance is +(plus) or -(minus) .0003 of an inch. Your hair may be .003 thousands of an inch thick. So to get to the size I had to hold it to you would have to divide your hair 5 times to get to the total tolerance I had for that bore. Anyways the stress was biting into my neck and back. Each part I ran I checked, rechecked and then checked again and then said a prayer when I hit the green button. I got them done. Now I wait till the company who needs them uses them, will they press in as they are suppose to, or will they fall in(thats bad)? If they are lose or tight, is it my fault or did the engineer screw up? All in a days work.

Eons postings

Fired, Downsized or Layed off Group, eons.com

My Update

Sorry I have been away from this site for a while. I did get a job at a Machine Shop across the Arkansas River, a 15-minute drive. I had worked at this shop maybe 12 years ago for a very short time. I had gone there after being laid off and let the owner know I was out of work. It is a small shop with a total of six people, which includes the owner and his daughter. He also had to let people go. The reason he needed me is the guy running the CNC Lathe moved out of state. It is a very challenging job which for the most part is fine with me...Wish all of you the best...Phil

Posted by cosmicdude

2 replies - last reply 96 days ago

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well..........

I must say I have enjoyed my 8 weeks off but now it is time to go back to the grind...Friday a local machine shop called me and offered me a job, it's a Programmer- CNC set-man- all around machinist job. That is just my line of work. I will start on Tuesday with a smile on my face. The guy I'm replacing is moving out of the area and I was told he was a sourpuss, cranky, moody and all that. So the boss who has known me for several years knows I'll be a welcome addition cause I love life. Y'all take care and I keep in my prayers all the people who have lost their jobs...Hopefully the shop I'm going to work in will stay in business or else I may be back posting to you all...

Posted by cosmicdude

3 replies - last reply 187 days ago

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Machinist-LPN-RN

Something I always thought I'd like to do is be a Nurse. At a College about 30 miles down the interstate they have a LPN course that would take 4 semesters which I could maybe get done in a little over a year. Through the State Employment Security Department I hope to get money for school. I have also applied for a Pell grant. I've sent a few messages to a few of my eons friends who happen to be Nurses but I would like to hear from Y'all. This is something I could do. If you have good things to say or most important is negative comments I would like to hear your replies. Thank you all and Have a Fantastic Holiday weekend...

Posted by cosmicdude

2 replies - last reply 140 days ago

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Little Rock

Tomorrow I'm driving my father-in-law to Little Rock to install a Air Conditioner in his son's house. That is about 70 miles. His son is disabled and this will be a good thing. It's like maybe I should have lost my job so I could get things done. I'm not blowing my own horn, I'm just taking it one day at a time and things are falling into place...I'm hoping to go camping this weekend, is anybody out there close enough to go camping with me?

Posted by cosmicdude

234 days ago

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Yo, I mowed that lawn

The house across the street has been an eyesore for a year or maybe more. Since I've been laid off for 8 weeks now I've had time to notice things. To spare a long story I learned the girl who owned the house was going thru a breakup and he is gone. She offered me $50:00 to do her lawn. So I jumped on it. It took me two days but I got it done. The ragweed was about 2 feet high and the grass was about the same. I also cleaned and put in the trash many things. So what once was an eyesore is now blending in. What is the point of this post, I don't know, it's just what I've been doing. Oh, by the way I became a friend to her two dogs...

Posted by cosmicdude

2 replies - last reply 234 days ago

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Maybe or maybe not?

Yesterday I got a call from a Machine Shop I worked at about 12 years ago, I worked there maybe 2 months or so. He (John) wanted to talk to me, so today I went across the river and met with him. Well he has I think 6 employees and one of them who programs and sets up a CNC Lathe, well John thinks he may be leaving. Doesn't know for sure and doesn't know if he does leave when it would be. But it could be a job. I do not really want to work there but with no other leads right now I told him give me a call if I'm needed. In the mean while I'm just going to stay busy and not worry about it...

Posted by cosmicdude

2 replies - last reply 239 days ago

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frirckin

Well I called again my last employer and they did say I would be considered for rehire, whoop de do. That could be in 2011 or so...don't really care at the moment. All I know right now is I'm going camping this weekend, who needs a job?

Posted by cosmicdude

2 replies - last reply 240 days ago

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Temps

Well I have my resume with all 5 temp services in our town. I know they are all tying their best. For one thing if they find me a job they can make better money due to me being a machinist for 34 years. But there are only so many machine shops in this town and they all would be a downgrade from what I'm used to. But I am keeping an open mind and I would consider changing my profession if the money is there. One temp service has a Finish Carpenter job, she is contacting the boss man about me. I know I could do the job so we will see what happens...later....

Posted by cosmicdude

5 replies - last reply 165 days ago

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Thanks for the replies to Yo y'all

Getting laid off as bad as it is, it couldn't of come at a better time. My father-in-law wanted to build a wood shop in my back yard we both could use. So on the 3rd I took delivery of a truckload of building material. Today I completed 99.9% of shingling the roof. The building is 10'x 16'. 34 years ago I did carpentry in boom town Houston Tx. Well it all came back to me and it went up quite fast to my Father-in-law amazement. We still have trim work, like a door and two windows. Then staining, but it's coming along. I've been able to put the worrying aside for now. Its nice waking up and thinking I don't have anything I have to do today. BUT! I know soon I have to face reality. As far as applying as a machinist, well I know of two shops that may hire me just because of my experience but both shops would be a or many steps down from what I had. There isn't another type of job that would be able to come even close to what I'm used to making. I've thought of the medical field but with retraining I would still have to start at the bottom. I don't know what the answer is...

Posted by cosmicdude

269 days ago

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Yo y'all

Laid off!!! Another Machinist bites the dust...I've been working as a Machinist for 33 years in Houston, Tampa, Hot Springs Arkansas and Russellville Arkansas. Now I join the ranks of the 5,ooo,ooo people who have lost their jobs. This will be my first extended vacation since 1973. As of right now I look foreword to the time off. I'm in the process of building a 10' x 16' workshop in my back yard, which my father-in-law is paying for. I am very blessed in that. But as I am enjoying myself with building and all, There is still an underlying feeling of fear. I have faith...

International Plant is down!!!

Great balls of fire, driving to work this morning every light I came to turned red. That was a first. Things like that do not bother me, in fact I was laughing after the last light was red.

I got to work on time. As soon as I walked in I noticed the boss (owner) was in the back of the shop with the large door open and his truck & trailer backed in. From that point 7:30, till 10:15 it was working in overdrive. What had happened was a large company in the area, the whole plant was shut down due to a large shaft was messed up. We're talking $1000's a minute were being lost due to this main shaft.

The shaft was 19 feet long, and the diameter was a little over 9 inches. On each end of it are smaller dia. ends. Think of a rolling pin, if you remember those. On these smaller ends are where the bearing are. These large bearing and the housing they are in allow the shaft to be attached to a stationary place while the shaft can turn in the bearings. One of the ends on this shaft was all messed up. Maybe when it was running in got hot and the bearing failed or maybe the bearing just wore out. In any case it messed up the bearing surface on the shaft.

To fix it we got this large thing in our large engine lathe. We indicated it in several places to assure it was running "true". Now my boss started turning the messed up area to a smaller size which he told me he would tell me later. I started making a sleeve that the inside diameter will end up being .003 (thousands of an inch) smaller then the part the boss is turning. The outside of this sleeve I'm making, the outside dia. will be larger than the finished size for the bearing fit. Have I lost you yet?

Now you may think, if the sleeve I'm making is smaller then the shaft I need to put it on, how is that going to work? Well, now comes the fun part. We have both spent time getting to this point, about 2 hours. The people from the plant kept calling in a panic mode. So what we do is: light a cutting torch and start heating up the sleeve. This is done with care to insure the part heats up uniformly. Back to 8th grade science class, what happens when you heat something? I'm sure you know, it expands. So this very hot, but not red hot, this hot sleeve is very quickly slid onto the shaft and you hope and pray it is going to go all the way on. In this case it slipped right into place. Now you wait...

What happens when this metal cools down. That's right, it shrinks. Since it was made smaller then the shaft its on, once its cool there isn't anyway it will come off unless you cut it off. Now once it is cool it can be turned to the correct size it originally was (80mm) and its good to go. It was then driven to the plant around 10:30 and I'm sure they were very glad.

One more note, sometimes the dang heated up sleeve doesn't slide all the way and that is just a bummer cause I need to cut it off, make another one and repeat the process. We are talking seconds to get it in place.

The rest of the day was spent by me making a couple of smaller shafts for a local chicken company, you may be able to guess their name. Its a short week, maybe there won't be any more surprises but you know what? I don't mind a few surprises. It is also a good feeling to "get her done" and help in a rather big way I must say, it kept a company from maybe having to send people home or any number of things...

Large Bolts

This week at work I made 7 rather large bolts. I started with 3.25 diameter 22 inches long, round shaft material. It was 415 type steel. First in a large manual engine lathe I faced and turned one end of the shaft back about 1.5 inches to a finished Dia. to 2.812. Next I turned the shaft around and faced the other end to finished length and center drilled it. I did this to all 7 parts and they are a bit heavy.

Now they are ready for the CNC Lathe. In this lathe I clamp in the chuck on the turned 2.812 dia. I type in M23 and push start and the tailstock moves into position. So now the center of the tailstock is inserted into the centerdrilled hole I drilled earlier. It is ready to machine into a Bolt.

I had run these before so the program was already done, all I did was reload it to the machine control. I rough turned the part, it is always exciting to watch through the window the metal just being peeled away by the carbide cutter. The specs of cutting it: 439 SFM, feed rate .017 ipr, depth of cut .15 .

After roughing I used another tool to finish turn it. Next I needed to put on the threads. For that I use a threading carbide insert. It is shaped like a V with the tip doing the cutting. It takes many passes to get to the finished size of the thread. The thread is metric, 15m x 1.5. I have a nut to screw on to make sure the threads are good.

I deburr the part and it is done. I cut alot of metal on this job which I like...I'll post photo's on my Facebook page...

Needed Shoes

Needed shoes
This is a short story just about how things sometimes work. Saturday morning I went to Wal-Mart to get antifreeze and some oil. At the check out, I had gotten some novelty Halloween gifts for my wife, I told the cashier I was getting these for my wife as her birthday in on Halloween. She told me her daughter’s birthday is also Halloween. I said something like, wow that is cool. We talked a little more, as I left she called out, "tell you wife, happy birthday from me.

Then I went on to Top Shoes but they weren’t open yet. To kill time I browsed through Hastings, looking at books. I thought even though I was enjoying myself I don’t know why I came here, I could have gone to AutoZone to get the Heater Core. This struck me cause on "This American Life" which airs on NPR Fridays at 7:00 PM. They were talking about how sometimes we do things without knowing why, it was an interesting show. You can hear the broadcasts on their web page 1 week after it airs.

So I drove down to AutoZone. I was the only customer and the guys were joking around which of course I stepped right in with their joking. I told the guy what I needed, he looked it up, as he read the part number off the screen I could tell by his expression something was up. He bent down and pulled the very part I needed with out having to move his feet. We were all astonished, I mean what were the odds, I said you must have 6000 parts in this store. He said just a minute before a woman returned this. wow… I went on to tell them the Wal-Mart story that just happened. Then he told me about his friend who he by my reckoning is obsessed with the number 11. He said when he looks at his watch or whatever the number 11 comes up. He went on a little long with his story. Then as we were walking towards the counter he added, I once had a dog that was born on Halloween. So I kind of just bopped out of the store feeling a kind of wonderment (one must enjoy the little things thrown our way).

I went on to the shoe store, this store has the various widths, like EEE or 3E or Wide depending on the manufacture’s system. When first walking in the store I held the door for this guy who seems to be hobbling along. In the store the salesman asked me what did I needed today. I told him and I made a comment that their store is only place to go as the Wal-Marts of the world just carry 1 width of very uncomfortable shoes, cheap, but not for me. The other customer, who hobbled said, "you got that right". These are work shoes I’m talking about, steel toes and all. The Right shoes are very important for a machinist, believe me, I felt a little bad for the dude with the problem.

That is about it for this story except one more thing, I jotted down some note to myself on all what had happened because my wife loves to here about things like that. I kind of forgot about it until she spotted my notes on the desk kind of late last night, she asked me what is this? Well I went on to tell her the grand story. We were cracking up, at one point I said when talking abut the man in the store with the foot problem I said, "that guys problem is much worse then mine, but wait a minute, I ain’t got no problem…end

I plan on finishing the machining blog soon, this writing thing takes time that I seem to not have a lot of.