Stories Of my Life By Pete Saunders

Stories of my life By Peter Saunders part 4

 230 No schooling, but we did engineering?

I have to tell you once again. I was in that place for not going to school yet there I was now not going to school as one would have expect. No I was working in boiler houses and also going to work in a machine shop. Mind you I did not mind at the time I used to love it. I think I have told you at Greenway school back in dear old Southmead there had been machine shops. A wood work shop and mettle work shop with lathes and everything else. Well now to find myself working in that approved school in a mettle and machine shop was nothing new to me. I had never mugged off school on a day when we were to have mettle work or woodwork. This mettle work and machine shop that I had to work in was around the back by Wellums boiler house. Wellum was not on the machine shop list of workers. I think he spent nearly all his time in his boiler house. I told you his boilers were a lot more of a hand full than mine. I believe he also worked on the school farm but if in the day he had to come in to do any work on his boilers it was to far for him to keep going backward and forward to the farm. I seem to remember him telling me once he would only go to the farm in the morning so as about eleven o'clock each day he could have the walk back outside on his own. I remember I envied him and that walk.

Well this workshop was fantastic. It was great when I first saw it let alone after we had received and fitted four new machines. I remember the day that they came and took our old ones away. We had to get them out of the workshop using block and tackle. We then left them in the yard outside the workshop. The lorry came the next day and took them away. Then on the day that followed the new machines arrived.

Now if you have ever seen the really old machines you will know what colour I mean when I say those old machines had been dark, dark blue. Therefore that morning when the new one were uncovered on that wagon boy did they look great. There they were in that new bright green blue. They were brand spanking new. They were placed down on the floor by the crane on the lorry and by us gently letting them down planks off the back of the lorry. They were to heavy for the crane to just lift. We have been told that these new machine ware not to be held in place with bolts like the old ones had been. No they are to be glued to the floor. We all thought that was going to be one mother strong glue. I think at that time this was something new that was being done. It did not take us long to get those new machines into place in the workshop. I must add that manpower was there a plenty. Most of the jobs in that place were labour intensive. Once the machines were in place all that was left to do was jack them up at each place they hit the floor to place a piece of felt type stuff under with this resin and level her and it was job done. Then we were told we had to wait I think it was three days before we could use them. Well, the school and us were very proud of that workshop. I can still remember the first visit I had from my parents I had to take them on a tour of the shop. Because Dad worked up Rolls Royce the head master made a point of being there when I took Dad around there.

231 That block of steal.

When you were sent to work in that machine shop for the first time you would be taught from the bottom up.

"Knowing how to use the file properly, is one of the basic skills that you must master to go on in this industry."

I heard these words over and over. That first day in that shop I am told to get a length of three quarter bar off the rack to cut off a piece two inches in length. I did as I was told. I cut a piece off of a hot rolled bar. I hope you know what I mean as it had been hot rolled it was oxidised on the outside. Once you worked on it it would turn shinny. I am told then that I am to get a file and file one side of this bar till it is perfectly flat. I think at first I was quite happy filing away at that bar. It was not till after I found out that when told perfectly flat, that was what they meant. I did not just have to file it till one side looked great had I to be able to hold a rule along it and see no light. I persevered most of that first morning until I find out off the other boys that once I have a flat side I will then have to make another side perfectly true to it. I had that first side in that vice for an age. I eventually decided to take it out of the vice and instead of rubbing the file over the block I rubbed the block over the file. In doing this it was not long before I got that first edge true. Once our instructor had inspected this side I was then told to get one of the sides true to it. Now I had my work cut out, not only did this other side have to be perfectly flat as that first side it also had to be true to that first side. Well bare in mind had I not cheated with that first side by the time I got to this stage I would have had a lot more practice with that file. I had done myself no favours by cheating. Mind you the thought did cross my mind that if I did the same again with this other side there was a one in ten thousand chance that it would come out level as well as flat. You can bet your bottom dollar I did try. I eventually wore that first block down so small that I could not get it to stay in the vice. I think I got to use about five blocks before I got it done to perfection. I will tell you to get a block of steal and file it on all side so as each side is in true with all other sides is one hell of a feat. I was so proud of that block when I had done it.