I’ve been trolling the web looking for free resources for training manufacturing concepts. I’ve found a lot of really good stuff, more than I expected really. There are a number of “YouTube machinists” out there taking their time and energy to pass on their hard earned tips which is a really great thing and very useful for people who have the time and inclination to watch and learn. I’ve also found a some videos prepared at various schools. You can see what I’ve come up with in the links table below. Seems most of these videos hover around the 30+ minute mark for a few reasons.

• They cover a wide variety of topics, including viewer feedback, tool reviews and commentary.
• They show lengthy segments of chips being made
• The video is of a class lecture which, due to the environment, must be paced so that they entire class can keep up in the lecture environment, with many pauses to allow student’s to process the material

I have absolutely no problem with any of these formats and they all have their place. I myself have learned a lot from the likes of Abom79, Joe Pi and others. I enjoy their personalities and banter. What I’m trying to do with Ironpunk, however, is different. I’d like to keep the topics focused so that the videos can be short and to the point. Arbitrarily, I’ve set the limit at 10-13 minutes as a feasible amount of time. Rather than make the videos slow paced or repeat concepts to reinforce a point, I’ll rely on the viewer to pause the video as necessary and/or replay the video to understand the concepts or techniques. A good example of the format I like is the Hass Tip of the Day.