Appreciation post: My cousin's wild guess about CNC work made my day

At a family cookout, my cousin asked what I do for work. When I said CNC operator, he thought it meant I fix printers or something. I had to explain it's about making metal parts with computer code. He got so into it that I showed him a quick video of a mill cutting aluminum. It was a cool moment sharing our trade with someone new.

3 comments

3 Comments

hayes.parker1mo ago

Yeah, a buddy of mine had his aunt ask if he fixed printers too (shoutout to @laura_hill for that robot wars line, that's perfect). He showed her a video of a lathe and now she tells everyone he "carves metal statues with robots," which is pretty much the same thing.

laura_hill1mo ago

Yeah everyone thinks it's about printers lol. Should start telling people I fight robot wars in a machine shop.

grace_hill1mo ago

My uncle asked me the same thing last year... he was sure I worked with copy machines. What I do now is keep a short video on my phone, just like you did. It saves so much time instead of trying to explain G-code to someone who's never seen a mill. I always start by saying it's like a robot carving metal from a block... that usually clicks for people. Those moments when family gets interested are honestly the best part of the job. It reminds you why you got into it in the first place.

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