tool and die

[drwxr]

is anyone from this forum doing tool and die trade ?

i would like to know more about this trade, some say its good, some say not. how is it anyway ?

Edited September 5, 2007 by drwxr

[Corey]

Have a look at some want ads... lotsa of machining jobs out there. I have done computer work for at least 3 machine shops in the last year and they are all actively looking for people. Make sure you are good with manual mills and other machines before fully taking on CNC. You have to understand everything before CNC if you really want to be proficient.

 

cd.

[OhioFisherman]

My son is going to school for it here now, precision machining. Lots of jobs in the papers here for it, don`t know how high you can get on the pay scale before they move the jobs to China or overseas.

[Gerritt]

http://www.ofncommunity.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3447

 

Talk to Goran, He is a great guy and has first hand knowledge of the industry.

 

Good luck!

 

Gerritt.

[drwxr]

i started school for tool and die today,will fisnish in may, and might go for 2nd year to become designer.

but what got me little paranoid, i found some article yesterday, basicly it was saying that alot of shops close because of competition from china, salaries are going down too, and the worst thing it said that in us these jobs are disapearing at all, so i figured its gonna be not to long to wait until it hits canada. on the other hand you guys are right, i do see a lot of adds, and the paychecks are pretty good too. just dont want to hit the dead end in couple of years.

[douG]

We will all hit that dead end, but when and where it hits is up to us.

 

Make yourself adaptable and helpful, but not necessary. Figger out what your boss needs and do it. I manage 25 engineers and technologists, and I have the same carp to deal with that my team does, and what DrWxr deals with too. Nobody can demand anything, you need to add value, or someone else will.

 

Tough day here, too.

[drwxr]

well you are right douG, we all do, but what i meant was more regarding to this trade, do you think it will disapear any time soon? and also i would like to know, how hard is to get apprentice, how much can i expect on paycheck while im doing it, and where can i advance in the future? thanks for responses guys.

[pikehunter]

Have a look at the Ontario Job Futures. Not always that accurate but at least it has some information to help you.

 

Ont. job futures here

[charlied]

I have been working in a tool and die shop for a week now as a labourer, what they do here in the Niagara area is try and hire as many temp labourers from temp agency's at a very low cost to do alot of the work. Niagara region is going down hill for good paying jobs....don't look here. More and more temp agencies taking away decent paying jobs and turning them into $8-10 an hour jobs...really sad to see. Thats a hard income to live on. Might be alot different in the bigger cities thou so keep chugging away at it.

[duber]

Heh drwxr,

 

I am a machinist at a shop here in Belleville.You really can't go wrong with any trade right now.If a licenesed machinist walks in our plant and says he wants a job they ask him if he can start tomorrow (unless he is a axe murderer or something).It is very hard to find good tradesmen these days.A aprentership can be tough to find but once you get your ticket the jobs are out there if you want them.Do what you have to to get your ticket then you will have choice of jobs.Pay varies from shop to shop.We are unionized so the pay is very good for our area.Stay away from the automotive sweat shops if you can.They pay a crap wage and you really get crap training because some shops do the same part for years.The shop I work in do parts for the oil industry,power generation,minning and forestry.Check out some high profile companies like , Husky,Bombardjay(spelling like it sounds),Pratt and Whitney,General Electric etc. They usually have job opertunities posted on their websites.You may have to relocate to get one of these jobs but the pay and job security would be worth it.Hope this helps.Good luck.

 

 

Wes

[Canuck2fan]

is anyone from this forum doing tool and die trade ?

i would like to know more about this trade, some say its good, some say not. how is it anyway ?

 

Any trade qualification is a good asset to have. Even if the worse case scenario happens and 90% of the tool and die jobs wind up going offshore. So what? If you take an apprenticeship you get paid the whole way through and your time at school is even paid for. How can you lose on that type of arrangement. When you are done your apprenticeship you will be able get your licence for the trade if you get a high enough mark you will have a red seal that will let you practice your trade in any province. Or that is how it used to be way back in the 80's. NO ONE will ever be able to take that away from you!!! Once you have that first ticket, it might lead into other opportunites in the same type of fields. You could wind up a manager or working for a parts supplier that sort of thing.

 

The best thing with taking a trade is that at the end of it all you will be "qualified with experience" and debt free. If you go to university you will have a piece of paper just a million other grads, absolutely ZERO real world experience and a whooping HUGH debt in all likelyhood. Which looks like the better plan to you?

 

As for how long there will be jobs because of globalization or how much you will be able to make no one can answer that truthfully but the same thing applies to all those university grads too..... Just because they going to be trying to sell a service it doesn't mean there will anybody who can afford to buy it especially if the manufacturing jobs and the middle class are all gone. Eventually, businesses here and the politicans will figure this out and start to insist on fair trade just not free trade. When that happens someone who can use their hands to actually create something will be invaluable.

[Tybo]

Their a saying in my trade for machinist.

 

If you want it done right you get a German to do it.

 

If you want it done right and this week you get a CANADIAN.

[addict]

u cant go wrong with a trade u become a person with skills therfore u will always have work.u can make a decent living being a tool maker.i did the pre apprenticeship course for maching then two years working.worked in a fixture shop then a die shop.this kind of work is not for everyone its not for me i can assure u that.long hours 10-12 a day plus most shops want sat. work.very noisy,filthyand i hope u like metal slivers and burns from metal chips its not glamourus work.on the plus side u will always have a job,its also challenging so u have to use your brain u dont become bored.theres satisfaction from turning a raw block or cylinder of steel into something useful.more than half the things in your home come from moulds and dies.i wish i had finished my apprenticeship even if u dont like the trade it can open up many doors and will always be something to fall back on.

[Uncle Buck]

PM sent

[Jeff R]

As veryone else has said, a trade is a greta thing to have....With so many people and students getting into compter realted fields, tradespeople are a hard to come by....The hours may be long, and a bit of a dirty job, but your paycheck at the end of the week is ALWAYS clean. With tool and die, and millwrights, that ticket can pave the way for other opportunities in the future. We have had a lot of tool and dies, and millwrights come into the elvator industry. There has been more than one occasion, when their experience has been invaluable. Especially when the parts they send you don't match the drawings you're supposed to be installing them in. If a company shows you the back, say thanks, because there will be a front door waiting for you when get out....Good Luck

 

Jeff

[drwxr]

basicly like charlied said there are alot of placament agencies that offer tool and die related help positions, and usualy the start is very low. same happened with industry i was in, i already have a diploma in fire protection, but while i was working as a fire techncian, i met alot of people from other companies, and they said its very hard to make a living from fire protection, could be true, but maybe there are some other jobs in the field that i just dont know that pay well

but basicly i chose tool and die cause i dont want to worry what wil i eat tomorow, and from what i heard its a very decent pay. im good in math, physics and 3d drawings, so tool and die is very interesting for me.

today i drove from school and wanted to quit school, because of layoofs posibility, but like you guys said maybe this trade is not bad after all. thanks guys for your responses, i will stay in school .