JOSIAH McCALL'S 2020 HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR LEVEL WINNING PROJECT
MAKING A MICROMETER STAND:
Travers Tool is thrilled to announce the high school senior level winner of our 2020 Travers Tool For Schools Scholarship is Josiah McCall, a student at Enoree Career Center in South Carolina. Josiah's project demonstrated a variety of machining applications, as well as perseverance when the application didn't quite go as planned. Josiah stuck with it, solved the problem and made it work (just like any good machinist!).
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
I TOOK THE FOLLOWING STEPS TO COMPLETE THE PROJECT:
- Cut the aluminum base.
- Used a lathe to machine the brass knobs and attachments.
- Put the parts together and made adjustments as required to allow the stand to work as intended.
I worked on a project called a micrometer stand with the base as steel, center block as aluminum, and attachments/knobs as brass. The base was the most complex with all the cutting but I figured out in the end how to cut it. First, I cut it down to size with a .5 milling bit then cut the .25 back section with a .25 milling bit on the milling machine. Second, I cut a 45 degree angle on the front top with a certain size, and both the right and left sides are the same size with the a .5 milling bit. Then, I cut the last section in the center of the block so one of the parts could fit in there. One of the machines messed up to where it made me cut too much when I was cutting into the .part with a .5 milling bit, going down more than needed.
Next, the two brass parts were made on the lathe. They were the easiest to cut since they are brass, but first I cut them down to size with a lathe cutting tool, and then drilled a hole with a .201 drill bit, then tapped it with a 1/4-20. Another hole was drilled so that it can fit a 1/4-20 threaded piece. I also threaded the outside part where I threaded the inside with a lathe tool that can fit in the gage.
The last part was the aluminum block that was the perfect size – I cut the task angles with a .5 milling bit. The trouble came where I was putting together the parts since the angles were so tight to where they can hardly fit. They just didn't want to go together, so I had to cut some pieces down a little so they could fit to allow it to work correctly. I will say that was the most frustrating part I worked on since it needed so many adjustments.
PERSONAL ESSAY:
I am Josiah McCall. I am interested in applying for the Travers Tool Scholarship. Getting this scholarship would be beneficial to me because it would give me the tools I need to pursue my interest in CNC programming as I plan to go to Greenville Technical College after high school. It would also give me the tools I need after I complete the program. School life has always been ok for me, but Enoree Career has been the most exciting for me. I have always been a shy kid and never really hung out around other people much. I usually stick to myself but as I got into high school I finally started to make some friends who I'm still friends with till this day. They are really good friends. They helped me to open up more and more to where I was able to open up to people more and be able to communicate better with others. I work a part time job, and it has also helped me with my communication skills even more since I have to talk to all kinds of people. The last job I had also helped me deal with different types of people. It was called Roller Sports. I had to deal with people every second. It was a stressful job, but on some days, it was boring to me, so that is why I switched. I have to work and go to school to help earn extra money for myself. I am the only male in my family with three sisters and just a mom. We also have three wiener dogs in our house as well.
Coming to Machine Tool classes at Enoree Career Center and learning about the job, gives me an opportunity to have a future career. In school, I take all of the classes that I am assigned to and in the afternoons, I go to Enoree Career Center where I've learned about Machine Tools. At Enoree, we work on many projects where we learn how to operate and use a lathe and a milling machine. This all occurs during the first year. The second year we use the mill and lathe machine again as a refresher. After Christmas, we will start to use the CNC machine. In machine tool, we work on numerous projects. One of the projects I worked on is a small aluminum bat. This is where we first had to cut down the aluminum to the biggest size then we turned the lathe machine to 2.5 so we can cut the angle on the bat. Then we cut the bottom handle to its size and trimmed it up a bit. At the top is where we round it to give it it's final touches.
In conclusion, the reason I want to go into machine tools is mainly because I like to work with my hands and with the computer as well and invest my time into something working on something new. Machine tools give me a calm feeling and the feeling of knowing what I'm doing. I can't wait to start the CNC programming at Enoree after Christmas, since it really piqued my interest. As I also get out of school and into machining more, I don't have to worry about being lost about how things work and that I will be comfortable working in a job after I finish school. I will also be happy going into a field I love as well as working in the mornings. I am definitely a morning person. This is why I would really appreciate the scholarship and the opportunity to gain the needed tools and to be able to use them in a technical school program, and in life after college.