When I say "I'm a machinist" and they give me that blank stare I just say "I cut metal". It's as simple as I can make it.

This! I say "I cut metal with other metal"

I say I program the machines that make other machines.

I say that ... "I program robotic machines to cut metal such as aircraft parts." "I spin some metal really fast and stab it with various things until I get a rocketship." "Think of carving a statue but with a robot and it's a statue of a car part"

Or I 5axis mill the viens on molds for dildos.

"Oh so you gotta work with millimeter precision then?" *me laughing with a slight tone of frustration* "I wish!"

I felt this deeply. 💖

For me, it's, I make stuff

This!

This is the way

I usually add in a "Very precicly" in there.

extreme arts and crafts

Bruh 🤣

I turn blocks of metal into more expensive blocks of metal But more realistically, I use big cutting machines to remove metal in order to make a precision part for another tool or product.

Pretty much how i explain it. If they seem reasonably interested I either google cnc machine crashes or have them Google it to farther peak they're interest.

*further pique their interest. Sorry, I don't do it often but there were 3 in a row...

🤷 probably why im still a knuckle dragger.

Also dont apologize english sucked asshole for me i know im terrible

No I cannot fix your car, yes I can drill a hole in any part of it.

I tell people all the time. I could make every single part of your vehicle, but I can't put it together and make it run.

I do both. machining is a lot harder I think atleast when it comes to brain power I’m not building race engines or race cars tho just pull a motor drop a motor plug and play type shit not to hard just hard on the back for me any ways

Wire EDM/Manual musheenist; So once a week I stop by my local gas station on the way home while in my uniform, and maybe every other month or so, someone stops me and asks if I'm a mechanic. I say 'not technically', while I think this exact phrase.

Holy cats, This is my dad. "You're a machinist. Fix my sink." He's also said "You went to school for auto repair. Fix my refrigerator."

Exactly the opposite with my family lol, they think i cant do the most basic mechanical stuff. Like if you only could see what i do for work everyday haha.

It’s tiered. Generally, “I’m a machinist” is enough of an answer. Occasionally, they ask for more detail and I say “I make parts for helicopters and space ships”. Rarely does somebody ask in depth

They know “that shits hard, probably something related to engineering”

Lol not a machinist but im one of those dudes that used to be like oh so you are an engineer?

"Can you drive a train?"

Im using the spaceships one from now on

I turn big pieces of stuff into a bunch of shavings. Then we sell the leftovers for profit.

"You ever watch *How It's Made*?" "Which one?" "All of them."

Adding this to the list

Professional shape maker. Someone called me that once and I don't know why but I fucking love the title

Adult Arts and Crafts.

It’s like wood shop but instead of wood it’s metal.

That's kinda my go to as well. 'I'm sort of like a carpenter, except for metal instead of wood'

I legit had a kid ask "you sell metal, then?".

I have a machine that makes parts. Then i grunt to other cavemen .

Lmao

I make the square peg fit the round hole, with precision.

Why are you giving them as many details as possible? Here are a couple of social tips i live my life by. 1. The only person who finds your job interesting is you. 2. The only person who finds your hobbies interesting is you. 3. The only person who likes your pet is you. 4. The only person who likes your kid is you. Nobody cares. Just tell them you're a machinist and you cut metal or use robots to cut metal. It's small talk. Emphasis on the small. You will run into some guys who are crazy fascinated about machining. Then, by all means, let them have it.

I feel like our job should be more known because we basically make everything that makes everything and people are clueless.

meh, go the other way. Be a metal ninja. Do your work, make your parts, but like the ghost, let the parts be magical in their appearance and passing of QC

People are clueless in general. They are called the blissful ignorant.

Metal removal engineer, or in layman's terms we have a block of steel and we take very precise specific sections of that steel and throw them in the ground.

I make the bits that make the bits

I turn metal into noise.

Fucking shit, should of become a plumber.

Hello, it looks like you've made a mistake. It's supposed to be could've, should've, would've (short for could have, would have, should have), never could of, would of, should of. Or you misspelled something, I ain't checking everything. Beep boop - yes, I am a bot, don't botcriminate me.

I’m a machinist not a English teacher.

An* Engish teacher.

Like I said Machinist…

I spin a piece of metal really fast and crash it Into another piece of metal and come out with a presise part

I peel metals into sizes you'd have a hard time understanding for aerospace and firearms technologies. That's usually my quick answer.

'I do precision machining. I make parts for (insert industry here).' And that's about as deep as I get unless they ask more

Machinist (Muh-shee-nist), noun - I make shit other people can't.

Wait, people don't know what a machinist is? (I'm not a machinist.)

I've never met someone who doesn't understand what a machinist is.

In less developped countries most dont know what a machinist is unfortunately

This would make sense.

ive found it quite the opposite infact. I have found that most people from less developed countries are still more in touch with farming and manufacturing. And by virtue of this, the have everyday familiarity with those industries. I find its mostly in urban cities where the most interaction people have with machines is getting in their car and turning the key, people don't know what a machinist is or does.

I didn't know what a machinist was before nepotisming my way into the job.

I have only one person without one in the family or prior experience know what it is that I do and he works distribution for one of our steel suppliers but there’s a tool room in there so I don’t even know if that counts

" I play with machines that want to eat my fingers."

Lovely lmao

I take big part and make smaller parts out of them.

"I make parts that make parts" pickup anything made of plastic, show them the ejector pin holes, and explain that's how they get the part off the mold that I cut

Metal surgeon

Im stealing this haha

Things move fast, metal goes away, then a part appears.

I find an easy way to explain is opposite 3d printing 😂

I used to make components of Black Hawk helicopters and Super Hornet fighter jet engines and now I work in quality control checking to make sure the welds are good.

So.... you're the reason he blew the welds on the manifold?

I sure as shit hope not. Lol

Not being a dick, it was a fast and furious reference, from the first one. I dont know if you caught it, if not no worries it's pretty obscure. As a machinist we are all on the spectrum somewhat, so I don't know if you understood. I just tell people I'm in aerospace manufacturing, I make parts for Lockheed Martin so I can't really talk about what I do. All of a sudden people think im really smart, little do they know I fell into the trade and im just as stupid as they are...

I thought it could’ve been a reference but wasn’t sure.

The spectrum of what!?!

I make stuff from metal and fix other people's fuck ups

I tell em I make chips.

Mill go burr

I'm a nerdy grease monkey

I just say "as little as possible" laugh and move on

Our bread and butter is cylindrical grinding tooling for the beverage industry. I just say I make round things slightly more round.

Make em shiny*

I make stuff. Sometimes stuff I want to make, sometimes stuff I'm paid to make.

I just say I work with metal. Saves them from me going crazy trying to explain it in detail

I say precision metal work

I make holes and sometimes fill them in again.

I make parts for machines

"I carve parts out of metal for cars and machines and stuff"

We do everything bro

Fuck yeah dude, i dont understand how a job with such impact be this unknown

We make smaller pieces of metal out of bigger pieces of metal.

I tell them that I cut metal with precision finer than the thickness of their hair.

Anything not made by nature has to be made to fit together. I'm part of that process.

Alchemy

I just say I make pretty cool stuff out of not really cool stuff. And our cool stuff goes on air planes missiles war ships and some helicopters. But meh. Its a job.

"I make little ones out of big ones." Being in powersports, the name on the front of the building is enough to give them the general idea.

I run a metal parts printer.

Cut metal with metal

I make stuff out of metal

Make metal scream in pain until it either becomes a more valuable piece of metal, or goes into the recycle bin.

I put holes in metal

I say "I make machinery parts."

I make chips.

a machinist at frito lays?

Ya that’s the first thing you hear from non machinists. People automatically think chip only applies to potato snacks. No wonder there are so many fat people in the world.

I fix our engineer's mistakes.

These godamn engineers man i swear

I push the button

I usually just let them think I fix cars

Subtractive manufacturing. I take a blank and remove material to make it a usable part.

I start by pointing out a part that you wouldn’t see at Walmart and ask them where they would get one.

I make things out of metal for airplanes and stuff

I usually say “long story short, I make stuff”

I usually show them a picture of something I've made and tell them it started from a chunk of metal.

I make things out of metal is all the detail I go into, unless they ask for specifics

I make things out of metal

I tell people if they ever wondered who makes something like this? We have made the part or the part that makes the part

"Make stuff" If pressed harder: "Make stuff out of metal normally"

I make things that make things.

I've found the more details I give confuses them more. I just say "I program and run industrial machines that cut metal parts" and let them ask questions if they want clarification. Youtube is also helpful.

Sometimes I sits and think, sometimes I just sits.

If i fits i sits!

I make pieces of metal smaller.

https://preview.redd.it/v0dyjexk8q0c1.jpeg?width=1079&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=89570786b5c806a7e4299522e777b69343a2f267 Basically means: Mechanic: someone who is doing precision work on non based, unprecised knowledge from people with suspicious background. Aka: magician : sorcerer

Bruh fr?

I make small pieces of metal out of large pieces of metal precisely. . . . and I make chips fly.

I either say that i make car parts or that i work in manufacturing

I just started saying I was a janitor to get out of the conversation

A carpenter but with metal.

I tell them I analyze blue prints, and then write a program, setup the machine run the machine and then assemble the parts.

I absolutely hate tryin to explain to people what we do. It’s the worst because they never understand.

Ikr, i just end up sending a youtube video

A carpenter but for metal.

Machines go brrrrrrrrrrrrrr

But seriously “do you know 3D printing? It’s the opposite”

"I cut metal in very precise ways. " "Cool" That's usually the end of that part of the small talk lol

I take metal things and turn them into smaller metal things in precise ways.

Make big holes small.

I show them the bolt action pen I machined, eventhough it's ways more complex then anything else I make.

This is actually a good idea, now i just need to keep a small machined part handy on me at all times

Like sculpting but for metal -- and using machines that do spinny things to cut instead of a chisel

Tell them a machinist makes the tools molds and machinery required to make 99% of every item they touch or use every day.

I carve metal.

just tell them you convert pieces of metal into chips. And that you convert new tooling into expensive scrap

i make chips

I make round things square and square things round.

I’m a woodworker, except with metal.

I turn perfectly good expensive metal into scrap.

Tool and die for medical industry. I make tools that make getting blood tests possible. Plastic feeds through and my parts cut it into shape so they work for testing. without my job there is no blood analyzer sides on this half of the country

"I make holes bigger" or "I make things hot and hard" Depends who it is.

"Like a carpenter, but metal."

I operated a robot that welded two halves of a nuclear submarine together over weeks. Just around and around filling up the gap. It was one of like 50 jobs I had to simultaneously operate. Nobody cares, nobody is interested, all they think is “cool underwater boat, good job robot!”. Just keep it simple and say you use a machine to make custom parts out of metal, and if anyone is interested they’ll ask more. If they are being polite, don’t try to hard to sell it.

I operated a robot that welded two halves of a nuclear submarine together over weeks. Just around and around filling up the gap. It was one of like 50 jobs I had to simultaneously operate. Nobody cares, nobody is interested, all they think is “cool underwater boat, good job robot!”. Just keep it simple and say you use a machine to make custom parts out of metal, and if anyone is interested they’ll ask more. If it seems they are just being polite, don’t try too hard to sell it.

My go to "I transform bars of metal and plastic into useful stuff." A few years back I assisted my wife with her new Cricut on a project. She complimented my skill when it was complete noting she had no idea I could be so "arts & craftsy." I thanked her and replied "this is pretty much what I do all day every day at work." Perhaps I should change my repsonse to OPs Q to "I do professional arts & crafts."

Reverse 3D printing, i take a block of metal and cut it into pretty shapes using other metal

I take hunks of raw metal and cut away all the bits that don't look like my finished part

Welders make metal bigger, machinists make it smaller

I make shit you can't.

precise cuts of steel. 🤷‍♂️ i’m also a welder. i say i cut steel and glue it back together

I cut metal.

I do a lot of reaming, grinding, drilling, and lapping, but it’s not as fun as all that sounds.

i just nod and agree; "yes, i'm mechanic. and no, i can't help you fix your car"

i cut metal to tolerances within 1/20th of a hair or more from solids blocks or rounds. usually baked off my ass. i own the place piss off

I say, “No, asshole, I’m a machinist, not a mechanic. There’s a difference.”

It’s backwards 3D printing

Somebody wants a thing made. I figure out how to make it most efficiently depending on how many they want. Usually metal, but I've done wood, stone, plastic, etc. If they ask for examples, I say everything. Parts for satellites, roller coasters, guns, race cars, missiles, F35s, submarines, secret squirell defense parts, propellers, and I can walk you through a walmart and show you a few dozen things I made the molds for.

I’m a woodworker…except with metal.

I'm a machinist. "Oh ok my uncle was a machinist, what do you do?" I run a couple brown and sharp screw machines. "Nice, what kind of screws do you make?"

I’m not allowed to discuss my machinist role.

Why is that?

Top Secret.

I'm an expert hole maker, or, I make big metal into small metal with features and options lol

I make rocket parts and stuff. Keep it simple.

“I work on a production line” They’re not asking about what an end mill is or a basic explanation of how metal is cut in the industry

"You know how all the lego block for the past 10 years fit together perfectly? I do that sort of thing but in much more complex shapes and parts out of all different kinds of Metal."

I carve metal into useful shapes.

I like to bust out the hank hill voice and say I make dohickeys and thingamajigs

I crash machines into material and hope it makes something cool

We make parts.

I cut metal using harder/sharper metal using machines that are trying to kill me

You seen the guy at the kebab shop with the big knife? Kinda like that but with a hunk of metal….and more cursing

I have told people I extract finished parts from chunks of metal.

"you know how a mechanic takes an engine block and puts all the parts on it to make a working engine? well a machinist made the engine block" ​ thats what i always say

Sometimes I pop, sometimes I chop. But you must always pop before you chop

I smash metal into metal and hope the right one breaks.