Originally Posted by
BPTactical
Respectfully disagree. I have dealt with quite a few "Certified" 'Smith's that while they could perform some machining operations related to firearms, were far from Machinists.
Machining as taught by 'Smithing schools is very narrow in scope, confined to specific tasks.
A true Machinist has a broad scope of machining knowledge, they may have been machining surgical instruments one day and rebuilding the steer axle on a forklift the next.
Most machining operations are fairly simple when reduced to basics, it is the setup, workholding and order of operations that approach "Black Art".
That black art is a scarce commodity.
Most "Machinist's" now are more machine operators, they punch the buttons on a CNC that a programmer set up, that a Setup man figured out workholding and fixturing.
I know a guy that runs the floor of a multi million dollar CNC facility, he can run CAD/CAM and punch code like nobodies business.
He couldn't single point a thread or tram in a Bridgeport to save his ass.
You can make a Gunsmith out of a Machinist, but you cant always make a Machinist out of a Gunsmith.
