Machining Showcase

As the capstone project for earning my certified machining degree, I built a full arbor press from scratch using only traditional manual machine tools, no CNCs involved. Although I didn’t design the press, the project was a deep dive into interpreting and executing someone else’s technical drawings with high precision. I used the lathe to fabricate the lever and gear components, the horizontal mill to cut the rack and gear teeth, and the vertical mill for detailed contours. I finished the build by surface grinding the mating faces to achieve a clean finish and keep all tolerances dialed in—an excellent exercise in high-accuracy manual craftsmanship.