Machine shops are wonderful; bring in raw materials, whether it be metal, plastic, wood, or Play-Doh, and the shop will most likely have all the gadgets you need to make anything you wish. (For that last material, using the shop may not be entirely advisable, as it’s morally opposed to the idea.) Working in a mechanical research group this summer, I spent a lot of time lately in a machine shop, specifically the Edgerton Student Shop, which is available for use by all MIT students free of charge. I have learned much, and I now impart to all of you my advice on how to properly use a machine shop, in case any of you wish to employ a shop’s services. If you don’t, then I at least hope you have been properly entertained.

1. You will get dirty. Changing moving parts and lubricating contact points will get fingers and palms greasy. Not only that, but all sorts of nasty solid stuff such as metal shavings and plastic dust will stick to bare skin, and especially to the aforementioned grease. Wearing that new Abercrombie is not recommended. Showering afterward is.
2. Ask for help. Other shop users (the most numerous of the shop dwellers) may know the very answer you seek. In addition, every machine shop has mysterious entities known universally as the “shop guys.” Legend has it that they are the sacred keepers of the shop since the dawn of time, and as such have mastered all that exists within their domain. Their kindness is also legendary, while their personalities are generally…not exactly legendary, but merely varied and interesting. One will do well to heed their advice, and respect their lunch hour.
3. Count on spending a lot of time looking for things. Drawers filled with exactly the tools you need are often helpfully, blissfully free of distinguishing labels; prepare to scavenge. In addition, you, in your infinite omniscience, may misplace things. If you see something useful or even simply interesting, make a quick mental (or even written) note of it, in case you might need it in the future. Also, regular cleanup is not confined to the kindergarten classroom. Don’t forget that others may know where things are — see previous.
4. No sudden movements. The machine shop is full of stuff that can be dangerous: lathes, mills, band saws, drill presses, sharp things, heavy things, disgruntled graduate students. Move slowly and carefully, and you won’t die. That was sort of a joke. But not really.
5. Check and double check your setup. I accidentally left a steel square key tool in a slot on a lathe’s chuck (the part that spins — really fast). I turned on the machine, and the tool flung off the chuck and past my head with all the force a 3-horsepower electric motor could muster. Death averted, lesson learned.
6. Bring drawings. They reduce mistakes, help in communication, and save time. Also, they’re pretty and make you look important. Colors optional.
7. Once material is machined, it’s machined forever. Machining is a paradoxically destructive act of creation. Everything in the shop does something tortuous to the raw material, whether it be removing stuff, cutting stuff, or otherwise submitting the material to your ironclad will. Once you do something, it is done, forever and ever and ever.
8. Changing noises are NOT okay. As I was machining a chunk of plastic the other day, a high-pitched, screeching sound began to emit from my workpiece’s cutting blade, growing louder and louder. I unwisely ignored it. Suddenly I was treated to a mighty SNAP as my hardened steel machining blade broke. Yes, the metal broke. Thus, it is very important to know what your machines are supposed to sound like.

Go forth and create…er, machine some things! Hehe.