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A chat with an old timer about tool offsets made me slow down
I was running a big batch of 4140 parts on our VF-2 last week, just cranking them out. Our shop's old head, Jerry, who's been doing this since the 80s, was watching me. He said, 'You know, I used to think touching off tools was a waste of time. I'd just use the numbers from the last job.' He told me he scrapped a whole pallet of aluminum once because he was in a hurry and didn't check his endmill length after a change. He said now he touches off every tool, every time, even if it adds a minute to setup. It hit different because I'm always trying to shave seconds, but his story about that pallet of scrap made me think. I've started doing the same thing this week, and my finish passes are way more consistent. How many of you actually touch off every tool for every new job, or do you trust your offsets?
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jade2405mo ago
Jerry's right, that minute is cheap insurance. I got cocky once and trusted an old drill offset. Drilled right through the vise jaw and into the table. Boss was not happy. Now my first move is always that tool setter.
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tessa8685mo ago
Listen to Jerry, he's seen the cost of skipping it. I set my tools fresh for every new part number, no question. That old offset might be close, but close gets expensive fast when you're running material that costs more than your time. What's the worst scrap you've seen from a bad offset?
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leelewis4mo ago
Has anyone tested if the tool setter itself drifts over time with temperature changes?
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