As the title really, you see some blasksmithing courses/ days advertised but would anyone want to spend a day learning basic cnc programming and making their own seat clamp?

Cost? How much would be suitable
Length? One day (or two if own design with a day playing on CAD)

Mainly talking out loud, what do you think?

The problem is, blacksmithing, or frame building, is a hands on craft. Whereas punching numbers into a computer is too much like a day job.

If you were local, I’d consider paying for a course that would then allow me to book time on your equipment to make future stuff rather than specifically for a seat clamp.

Spend all day making a £5 seat clamp that’ll look like any other £5 seat clamp? And end up paying £100 for the privilege?

Nope.

Would have to cost no more than about £30 and include anodising of the part for me.

Seatclamps are just too cheap an item.

Not unless I had a frame that required a particularly obscure size of seat clamp.

No.

It’s a skill you’ll learn but never be able to apply again without spend many £10000’s on kit. So no, not something I’d pay for.

Given the value of the day is learning how to use the machine rather than the seatclamp itself, the issue is going to be that noone will have a machine to subsequently use their newly aquired skills on

Mountain bikers are generally petty tight so I’m not sure they are the perfect target. You could probably make more by making more general stuff and opening it up to all. Bottle opener, jewellery, etc. I’m sure there will be customers. My neighbour does brewing courses and you make your own beer. The local glassware place does glass blowing and you make your own Christmas bauble. I’ve done a gin making one. Loads of that sort of thing out there. Good xmas present too if you do a voucher. I’m sure most if the people that do this type of activity don’t have the equipment at home so I wouldn’t worry too much about that. Its a day out learning a skill and you come away with something you can talk about with mates.

I reckon it would be a fun way to spend a day. I’d be interested if it was a nice 5 axis Haas but I can already do basic programing and have a 3 axis machine 🙂

The problem is, blacksmithing, or frame building, is a hands on craft. Whereas punching numbers into a computer is too much like a day job

Bang on.
I would like to learn CNC but tbh the key bit for me would be the machining process not the CNC part. I would be more interested in the manual machining. Yes transfering that to CNC would be less of a challenge and less interesting.

Learning how to use a lathe would be better as they are more accessible to buy for home use and you can make lots of useful things with them.

I’m not sure too many places would be interested in letting you have a go on their machine. Much more lucrative ways to make money.

Most places I work with try to have them running as close to 24 hours a day on real work.

Me personally yes id be up for it.

Head badge and top cap added all personalised for say £100

Just a thought as have some machine time most half terms, there’s not much chance of being allowed in the manual machine shop even though it’s empty.

The problem is, blacksmithing, or frame building, is a hands on craft. Whereas punching numbers into a computer is too much like a day job.

Well it did use to be the day job (and still is some days) but theres a bit more to it than chucking a few kb of text at a CPU and the hands on bit it is try to stop the program in time before a student crashes 70k of
Machine.

Nickjb: yep got one of those well a vf2 with a trunion table.