Metalworking Course

Lesson 1 • Introduction to Metals and Alloys

Covers ferrous and non-ferrous metals, their properties, and common industrial uses. Builds the material literacy needed for all subsequent fabrication decisions.

Lesson 2 • Shop Safety and Personal Protection

Teaches hazard identification, PPE selection, and emergency procedures specific to metal shops. Ensures students can assess and mitigate risk before touching any equipment.

Lesson 3 • Measurement and Layout Fundamentals

Covers rules, calipers, squares, and scribers for accurate metal layout. Precision measurement underpins every cutting and forming operation in later sections.

Lesson 4 • Workplace Organisation and Ergonomics

Addresses bench height, tool placement, and fatigue reduction in a metal shop. Proper ergonomics prevents injury and sustains productivity across long work sessions.

Lesson 1 • Plasma Arc Cutting Basics

Covers plasma cutter setup, consumable selection, and technique for clean cuts on various metals. Contrasts plasma with oxy-fuel to guide process selection.

Lesson 2 • Oxy-Fuel Cutting Fundamentals

Explains gas pressures, tip selection, and torch technique for cutting mild steel. Students connect flame chemistry to cut quality and kerf control.

Lesson 3 • Hacksaw and Band Saw Operations

Teaches blade selection, tension, and feed rate for straight and contour cuts. Connects accurate sawing to reduced finishing time in downstream operations.

Lesson 4 • Shearing and Nibbling Sheet Metal

Covers bench shears, foot-operated shears, and nibblers for sheet stock. Students learn to produce straight and curved cuts without distorting thin material.

Lesson 1 • Drill Press Setup and Operation

Covers speed selection, work-holding, and feed pressure for drilling metal accurately. Proper setup prevents drill walk, breakage, and workpiece spin.

Lesson 2 • Die Threading External Fasteners

Explains die selection, stock chamfering, and technique for cutting external threads. Connects thread class to fit requirements in assembled components.

Lesson 3 • Twist Drill Geometry and Selection

Explains point angles, helix angles, and coatings for drilling different metals. Correct drill selection directly affects hole quality and tool life.

Lesson 4 • Hand Tapping Internal Threads

Covers tap drill sizing, tap sequence, and technique for cutting clean internal threads. Students learn to recover from tap breakage and inspect thread quality.

Lesson 1 • Vise Work and Bench Clamping

Covers jaw selection, soft jaw use, and clamping strategies for bench operations. Secure work-holding is the prerequisite for all accurate bench forming tasks.

Lesson 2 • Riveting and Mechanical Fastening

Teaches solid and blind rivet installation, hole preparation, and joint inspection. Riveted joints are compared to welded and bolted alternatives for application guidance.

Lesson 3 • Filing to Dimension and Finish

Teaches draw filing, cross filing, and checking flatness to achieve dimensional accuracy. Filing skill directly supports fit-up quality in welding and assembly.

Lesson 4 • Straightening Warped Metal

Covers identifying warp, using a surface plate, and controlled hammer blows to restore flatness. Straightening is essential before layout and precision machining.

Lesson 1 • Welding Safety and Equipment Setup

Covers arc flash protection, fume extraction, and machine setup for welding operations. Safety compliance is established before any arc is struck.

Lesson 2 • MIG Welding Setup and Technique

Explains wire feed speed, voltage, and shielding gas selection for MIG welding. Students weld butt, lap, and T-joints on mild steel and thin sheet.

Lesson 3 • Weld Inspection and Quality Control

Teaches visual inspection criteria, distortion measurement, and basic destructive testing. Students connect weld quality to structural integrity and rework cost.

Lesson 4 • Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW)

Teaches electrode selection, amperage setting, and bead technique for stick welding. SMAW is practised on flat and horizontal joints before progressing to other positions.

Lesson 1 • Lathe Threading Operations

Covers gear train setup, compound rest angle, and half-nut engagement for cutting threads. Students cut both external and internal threads to specified pitch and class.

Lesson 2 • Taper Turning and Boring

Explains compound rest, tailstock offset, and taper attachment methods for taper turning. Boring bar technique is introduced for enlarging and finishing internal diameters.

Lesson 3 • Work-Holding on the Lathe

Covers three-jaw chucks, four-jaw chucks, faceplates, and between-centres mounting. Correct work-holding prevents runout and ensures concentricity in turned parts.

Lesson 4 • Turning, Facing, and Parting

Teaches roughing and finishing cuts, facing to length, and parting off stock. Students calculate cutting speed and feed for different metals and tool materials.

Lesson 1 • Indexing and Angular Milling

Covers direct, simple, and differential indexing with a dividing head for equally spaced features. Students mill flats, hexagons, and gear tooth spaces using indexing.

Lesson 2 • Work-Holding and Fixturing for Milling

Covers milling vises, strap clamps, and angle plates for securing workpieces. Rigid fixturing prevents chatter and maintains dimensional accuracy during cutting.

Lesson 3 • End Milling and Face Milling

Teaches cutter selection, depth of cut, and feed direction for end and face milling. Climb vs. conventional milling is explained in relation to surface finish and tool life.

Lesson 4 • Slot Milling and Keyway Cutting

Explains slot drill selection, plunge entry, and feed strategy for cutting slots and keyways. Accurate slot dimensions are critical for shaft and hub assembly fits.

Lesson 1 • Surface Grinding Operations

Explains magnetic chuck use, wheel selection, and infeed for precision surface grinding. Students grind flat surfaces to tight parallelism and surface finish requirements.

Lesson 2 • Bench and Pedestal Grinding

Teaches wheel dressing, tool rest adjustment, and grinding technique for sharpening and shaping. Wheel condition and work rest gap are enforced as critical safety parameters.

Lesson 3 • Dimensional Inspection and Reporting

Teaches micrometer, height gauge, and CMM use for verifying finished part dimensions. Inspection data is recorded and interpreted against engineering drawing tolerances.

Lesson 4 • Abrasive Finishing and Polishing

Covers progressive grit sanding, lapping, and buffing to achieve specified surface roughness. Surface finish is linked to functional requirements such as sealing and corrosion resistance.