5 Machining Tips For Beginners

A while back, some of the American Rotary team headed back to Indiana to visit Dusty Hicks at his machine shop, where we first met with him a couple of months earlier to get to know him and his work.

Dusty is a hobbyist and machinist who enjoys building (and shooting) cannons and working on other projects around the shop. He was kind enough to take a few moments to share with us his top five tips for those who are looking to get into machining and we are glad to show them with you here.

If a beginner came to you, what tips would you offer them? Do you know somebody that would find this video helpful? Share it with them!

Recap: 5 Machining Tips and Tricks For Beginners:

1. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Mistakes are going to happen. It’s how you learn.

2. Don’t be afraid to get big equipment. You can outgrow small equipment and you can still make small and intricate pieces on large equipment such as a large lathe.

3. Use your resources. The internet is a goldmine of information for anything you want to learn. One of Dusty’s favorites to learn from on YouTube was Tubal Cain.

4. Be creative. Everyone’s different and has a unique perspective to offer.

5. Have fun. It doesn’t always have to be work.

We hope you enjoyed these tips and find ways to apply them to your work. Starting out in any trade is exciting and you may even discover some things on your own over time that you feel others might like to know as well. By sharing insights with others we can all help each other by paying it forward as those did who helped us.