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A new guy in the shop asked me why I always touch the tool before I load it
I was setting up a job on our old Haas VF-2 last Thursday, and the new hire, Jake, was watching. He pointed at my hand and said, 'You always do that little tap on the collet nut with your finger. Is that a good luck thing?' I told him no, it's to feel for any heat from a bad cut on the last run. He just nodded and said, 'Oh, so it's like checking a horse's leg.' It was such a simple, dumb comparison, but it made me realize I've been doing this job for fifteen years mostly on feel and habit. Anyone else have a weird little ritual that actually has a hidden purpose?
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grace_patel2mo ago
Blowing on a bit just puts moisture on it.
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the_drew1mo ago
60% of the time I see people blow on bits and the moisture makes the sawdust stick to the metal instead of falling off. I switched to using a shop vac nozzle right next to the bit for a second before drilling and it works way better. The guy who cleared dust was on the right track, but dry air is the real trick.
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