Machine shops disappearing, anyone else noticed

[TWFAUST at aol.com]

In a message dated 5/9/2005 9:51:50 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
kneale at coslink.net writes:

> There used to be five or six local independant parts places in our
> community, three of which had associated machine shops.  We're now down to
> two independant shops (and five or six franchise outfits), and only one of
> the parts places has its own machine shop.  A lot of repair shops have
> presses, however, and there are quite a few of those.
> 
> At 09:07 AM 5/9/2005 -0400, Kent McLean wrote:
> 
> >The local independent auto parts places usually have a machine
> >shop attached to them (in the back room), for turning brake and
> >pressing bushings.  Are these disappearing, too?
> 
> 

I think there is one local semi-independent parts place left here, for which 
I am very grateful. Their first question is not "What's the application".  
They are associated with an auto machine shop. Unfortunately, I have declined 
that shops prices several times and am not welcome there. I understand that NAPA 
stores are regularly associated with a machine shop.  I may get to know them.

I suppose that now that Harbor Freight has hydraulic presses for less than 
$150.00, it is time to get one.

"turning brakes" I am told by my local parts supplier that rotors are no 
longer turned. In fact, the manufacturers are making them too thin to turn. This 
is in response to there being turned undersize too often. Also, rotors have 
gotten too cheap to make turning worth while. I mentioned in a previous post that 
I picked up a brake lathe for cartage because it was unused and taking up 
space.

I guess my original post was to bemoan the passage of a local machine shop. 
They had done everything for me from filling and redrilling elongated lug holes 
in alloy wheels to filling and reboring my worn oar locks. (I know, everyone 
has plastic oar locks now). My local auto machine shop wouldn't touch stuff 
like that. For instance, I once tried to get one to drill the shaft out of a 
power steering pump pulley. They had more excuses than a car thief going to jail 
about why they couldn't do it.

Tom Faust