Cathead's visit to JD Machine Tech

[Cathead_Fred]

A few weeks ago, Cathead and the wife made a 3 hour long jaunt to San Diego. This visit was initiated by a previous visit to the Costa Mesa Gun Show. A friend of Catheads mentioned that the place to to get AR Lowers was JD Machine Tech. Actually, he never mentioned the company's name. He just said, "I know a guy".

At the show we met several people at the booth. Their names escape me but they were all quite helpful. One booth jockey said, after I purchased my lowers, "Hey, why don't you come down for a visit?" He looked like a UFC Body Builder and could have easily crushed my head with the pinkie and thumb of his left hand. An offer like that, I knew, must have been legit.

The area around JD Machine Tech, as best as I can describe it, is the light industrial section of the city. We pulled up in front the nondescript building and noticed that the lights were not on inside. My heart sank. I thought to myself there will be heated talk. And the promise of much jewelry to the wife for bringing her all the way down here for nothing.

I put those thoughts aside while I opened my wife's passenger side door and said cheerily, "We're here darling! Let's take a look around." As we walked down the side of the building ,trying to find a door, we noticed a crudely written sign that said JD Machine Tech with an arrow pointing to the left.

We followed the sign to the other side of the building. The back part of the building looked like any other independent mechanics or machine shop. It was open! We walked though the loading bay door and I asked the first person there, "Is this the place?" He said, "go to the front office".



So, we went to the front office. The little office was filled with animal trophies from all over the world. The owner is a big game hunter who appears to have harvested a significant portion of the worlds wild beasts.

We met the owner's wife Jodie. She was happy to see us and gave us a thorough tour of the office itself. She would travel with her husband on some of his hunts. She regaled us with stories about unique issues that the inhabitants of Namibia have while showing us the stuffed Kudu's head.

While in the states one has to worry about getting in an accident with another car. In Namibia one can get in a one car accident with a Kudu. The unique thing about a Kudu is that when you crash into one of these guys their head will hit the windshield and their horns will impale the occupants. There are million ways to die in this world. This is probably one of the more embarrassing.

After the animal tour it was off to the shop floor itself. Jodie showed us how the machines were able to carve out the metal pieces with exceptional tolerances.






She explained to us that the machines that created such precision cuts were designed and manufactured in Japan. The U.S. cannot make machines anything like this. The ironies that are presented in this shop are many.

Some of them are: the machines that are made to create the AR parts are made in a country where one cannot own a gun. The rifle parts that they are making are considered to be evil in California even though the AR-15 was initially invented here!

After the tour Jodie boxed up our parts and saw us off.

If you get a chance to visit JD Machine Tech I highly recommend it.

Give them your business too.

Cathead_Fred

[TKM]

Some people just know how to tell a story...

[Dave A]

Haas is about the only CNC mfg left in the US as far as I know. They are not generally considered to be on a par with some of the CNC stuff mfg in Japan, although they are less expensive. Having said that, unless I am going blind, the photos you posted of the machines in the background indicate they are Haas and should be mfg here in the US??

[Synergy]

Originally Posted by Dave A

Haas is about the only CNC mfg left in the US as far as I know. They are not generally considered to be on a par with some of the CNC stuff mfg in Japan, although they are less expensive. Having said that, unless I am going blind, the photos you posted of the machines in the background indicate they are Haas and should be mfg here in the US??

I see one of these:

[isplice]

JD Machine have two Matsuura H-300 machines that cut the lower receiver blanks. To the OP- the guy you met at the show was Eric. I can tell by the description!

[zman]

Great post! Thanks for sharing

[chim-chim7]

[QUOTE She explained to us that the machines that created such precision cuts were designed and manufactured in Japan. The U.S. cannot make machines anything like this. The ironies that are presented in this shop are many.

Some of them are: the machines that are made to create the AR parts are made in a country where one cannot own a gun. The rifle parts that they are making are considered to be evil in California even though the AR-15 was initially invented here!

After the tour Jodie boxed up our parts and saw us off.

If you get a chance to visit JD Machine Tech I highly recommend it.

Give them your business too.

Cathead_Fred[/QUOTE]



Sorry but you have been clearly misinformed. Machines made in Japan? One pic. clearly shows two HAAS VMC 3 axis machines. HAAS are made in California. How about Cincinatti machines. The second largest machine company in the world, right behind MAZAK. The US actully builds the largest and best machines in the world. Now that Cincinatti is using Semens controllers instead of FANUC they are even better.

I myself run a 5 axis Cincinatti horizontal profiler with a 12'x8' interchangable pallet system. I make the cockpit bulkheads for the JSF fighter and many truss ribs and airframe parts for CH-47's. Plus they really don't design machines to run a certain kind of part. You pick a machine with the style and size that suits your needs. Then all you need to do is design the tooling fixtures.

I kinda expect that kind of talk from them though, seeing how they are not very smart and the owner is facing prison time for taking bribes from Navy officals, he is also a tax cheat. I will never support those jokers because my company works hard to get our military contracts the legal way. I hope a $250,000 fine will straighten them out. Here is a link from earlier this year. Not sure what the final out come was on that. Guilty is guilty.
http://www.fbi.gov/sandiego/press-re.../sd051611a.htm

[shooterfpga]

dont care, doesnt matter to me. every single time ive been down to jd machine's shop, it was always courteous and they shot the bs with me for a LONG time. it was like being in a buddies shop and you were treated like old friends. i dont care if you fire bomb your neighbors house, if you treat me good ill come back, lol.

[Cathead_Fred]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions, comments, and corrections. They were very nice to us and showed us everything we wanted to see in their shop.