Planing.—Planers; slotters; shapers; gear planers.
Milling.—Hand-feed millers; plain and universal milling machines; planer type millers; special milling and hobbing machines.
Drilling and boring.—Sensitive drills; vertical drilling machines; radial drills; multiple drills; horizontal and vertical boring machines, and boring mills.
Grinding.—Rough, wet, and dry grinders; tool grinders; cylindrical and special shaping grinders; planer type grinders; disk grinders.
Machines for special operations.—Bolt and nut machines; automatic screw machines; broaching machines; cutting-off saws; profiling machines; chasing and engraving machines; rifling machines.
Shop Conditions
The machinist and machine operator work sometimes in a room crowded with machines, and frequently under artificial light, but usually in a room with plenty of air properly heated. Most of the machines are safeguarded, but there is always danger of accident from moving trucks, flying particles of metal, and sometimes from unprotected belts, gears, and shafting. State laws and inspection may be counted on to reduce this danger materially. Most well-organized shops have announced safety rules to promote the health of the men and to reduce the number of accidents.
Hours of labor average from eight to nine a day. There is a tendency toward a standard eight-hour day, which is already established in Government work. There is usually an increase in the hourly rate for overtime work. Many shops pay according to a piecework rate or premium plan. The trade is fairly well organized, especially in job and railroad shops.
Equipment of The Worker
It is common practice for a machinist to provide himself with a kit of tools useful in his work. This outfit usually includes steel scales, inside and outside calipers, hammer, surface gauge, punches, and an indefinite collection of other tools of less importance. All classes of workmen, in fact, depend more or less on the shop tool room, and men beginning their employment often have nothing but a steel scale.