Posted: Wed May 08, 2013 10:54 pm
Ha! I just KNEW you were a fellow EE, before I actually knew it! That must be because you are invariably accurate and correct!JPG40504 wrote:When I was freshman, all engineering students were required to take 'machine shop practice'. We learned how to make things with a file and drill press(after laying the part out etc.). We operated lathes, milling machines, ram shaper(:eek:), made screws on the lathe, made a usable reamer that involved heat treating, and grinding a morse taper to spec. We also made a spur gear from a CI blank using lathe and of all things a gear shaper. In addition class work introduced us to the world of machining accessories and quality control tools. All that in spite of being a EE major. One of the most useful classes I ever took!!!
Today's engineers have never seen a machine shop nor understand what is involved in 'making' something.
We have lost the concept of training an engineer first, and a specialty second. Back then most engineers had a working knowledge of other each other's specialty.
I could go on about the 'egg heads' that were always theoretically correct but practically just plain stupid. But I have ranted long enough already!:rolleyes:
To establish my personal bonafides, I can attest that my fledging company did indeed have a "ram" shaper in our machine shop in the early 1980's. It originally served on a WWI battleship, and many decades later we rescued it from the Ohio State University scrap heap.
Regarding women engineers, in my personal experience the sample size is too small to draw broad generalizations. (Whoa, that pun truly WAS inadvertent!). I was in engineering school with just a very few young women. In my own experience they were better than most guys at analysis, but not as good as most guys at synthesis. Someone could probably test that theory by doing a statistical analysis of patent filings and awards. No way I'm gonna tackle that one .. all I ask is a brief mention in the research-paper acknowledgements.
Anyway, I have been sensing a tremendous amount of engineer vibes on this forum. I know that we have a lot of military vets, and many of them seem to be technical guys as well. I've been contemplating initiating a poll to find out just how many professional technicians, engineers, etc, we have as active members. But I don't know all the forum ropes yet, and I think you would be the perfect guy to lead this research. What say you?
There would be a practical element to this research. Much has been said and advised here about SS's marketing strategies, budgets, etc. I have a hypothesis. It appears to me that SS equipment is highly popular with guys that like big-boy's erector sets. You know, the ones that grew up to be technicians and engineers. Count me in. If we can test and confirm this hypothesis, then SS could precisely focus their limited marketing budget on exactly the right (and reasonably affluent) target market niche.