Tool & Die Maker | Grainger Everyday Heroes

[@ks-mh2gi]

Nice introductory video. I started in the trade 34 years ago, this week. We need to see these trades come back. Vital skills for rebuilding manufacturing in the US!

[@lindsaythomas2283]

I did this work for 46 yrs at 13 different shops. The trade was good to me. I'm retired now, still have a bridgeport and south bend in the garage.

[@scottrackley4457]

I've been a Tool & Die Maker for 25 years, and design for 15. From hand me a print to I design, make, assemble and deliver to a tool that will make however many you want to make. It's fascinating, but sadly dying due to lack of new apprentices.

[@smartereveryday]

Sweet Video. I'm learning some of this stuff myself and I really enjoyed this.

[@niceguydmm]

I was a tool maker back in the 90's working for Talon the zipper company. Learned from a lot of tool makers from Meadville, PA. Made dies, repaired molds with a TIG welder and EDM and spent 30 hours a week surface grinding an some milling. Made all my tools from vices to 1 2 3 blocks. NAFT killed the trade. Talon sold and moved to Mexico only to fail. I went back to college at 32 and learned to be a Computer Network Engineer. As a tool maker I made 17.95 and hour in the 90's. I went from mid 30K a year to now 130K a year as Senior Network Engineer. I hate working with computer. I hate office. The computer career gave me terrible social anxiety. I am retiring at 58 from it setting up a small CNC plasma and fab/welding shop in my garage. Those skill I learned as a tool maker have served me well. I can fix anything and never pay others to fix my things. I am returning to what I loved and leaving a terrible office job.

[@kevinkelly262]

Love the story. When you're doing what you were born to do, you can feel it. Life starts feeling less like a disjointed, exhausting mess and more like an integral whole.

[@b.vonschnauser207]

I love to see American manufacturing like this.

[@richardjones1022]

I really enjoyed this video and I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that this was made in a shop Elgin IL, cause I am A full time tool and die maker at Marengo Tool And Die works only 35 minutes away in Marengo IL. Keep up the great work. 👍🤘