Machining taught me to stop trusting a setup too early

When I first got on a machine, I wanted to prove I could run parts fast. That is usually when you miss something small and spend the next hour chasing it. I check the first piece slower now. Tool stick-out, clamp pressure, coolant, the boring stuff. If the first part is off, I would rather catch it there than find out after a tray is already bad. The older machinists I worked with were not slow…