https://wolfmachinenv.com/blog/Posts from a Reno machine shop on sending a job to the shop, machining, repair and welding, and the numbers behind industrial work in Northern Nevada.en-usMon, 19 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0700 https://wolfmachinenv.com/blog/tric-growth-and-repair-work/https://wolfmachinenv.com/blog/tric-growth-and-repair-work/Sun, 18 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0700Northern Nevada industryStorey County, home of the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center, went from 870 private manufacturing jobs in 2015 to 15,168 in 2025, and the Reno-Sparks metro area went from 20,500 manufacturing jobs in August 2017 to 32,000 in August 2026. More people making things means more machines running, and every machine eventually needs a part made or a worn one repaired. Government statistics rarely mention machine shops, but they say a lot about the places machine shops serve. Two series from the Bureau of Labor Statistics tell the story of Northern Nevada manufacturing over the last decade, and the story is worth reading before you plan maintenance for a plant that is growing. https://wolfmachinenv.com/blog/osha-rules-behind-stainless-welding/https://wolfmachinenv.com/blog/osha-rules-behind-stainless-welding/Sun, 18 Oct 2026 07:59:00 -0700Welding and fabricationTwo federal rules shape how stainless steel is welded: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.252, the general rule for welding, cutting and brazing, and 29 CFR 1910.1026, the rule on hexavalent chromium. They cover fire safety, ventilation and fume exposure, and as a buyer you have nothing to do for them. If you ask about a stainless welding job, you may hear a shop mention ventilation or fume control. Those words come from real federal rules. Here is what they cover in plain terms. https://wolfmachinenv.com/blog/nevada-sales-tax-repair-vs-fabrication/https://wolfmachinenv.com/blog/nevada-sales-tax-repair-vs-fabrication/Sun, 18 Oct 2026 07:58:00 -0700Northern Nevada industryAccording to the Nevada Department of Taxation, repair labor is a service and generally is not subject to sales tax when it is billed separately from parts, while parts and materials are taxable. Fabrication labor that makes a new item is treated differently: it is generally part of the taxable selling price. This is general information, not tax advice. Ask your tax adviser. Buyers of machine work often ask why one invoice shows sales tax on some lines and not others. The Nevada Department of Taxation publishes guidance called Repairs and Reconditioning that answers part of it. This post reads that guidance in plain language. It describes the state's rule, not how any shop invoices, and it does not replace the guidance itself. https://wolfmachinenv.com/blog/making-a-part-that-no-longer-exists/https://wolfmachinenv.com/blog/making-a-part-that-no-longer-exists/Sun, 18 Oct 2026 07:57:00 -0700MachiningA part that is no longer made can be made again by measuring the original, choosing the material, drawing it up and machining one. Keep the drawing so the next one does not start from scratch. Equipment lasts longer than the catalogs behind it. A pulley, a bushing or a shaft goes out of production, and the machine sits idle. A machine shop can make the part again, and the work follows the same few steps. https://wolfmachinenv.com/blog/photograph-and-measure-a-broken-part/https://wolfmachinenv.com/blog/photograph-and-measure-a-broken-part/Sun, 18 Oct 2026 07:56:00 -0700Sending a job to the shopPhotograph the part on a plain surface in bright light with a ruler or tape measure in every shot, cover every face, and add close-ups of the wear or break. Then measure the key diameters and lengths with calipers or a tape and write them on the photo or in your message. When a machine goes down, the part on the bench is often the only drawing you have. A few minutes spent on pictures and sizes before you call turns that part into something a machinist can read. It also means the shop can ask better questions on the first call, instead of the tenth. https://wolfmachinenv.com/blog/prototype-to-production-run/https://wolfmachinenv.com/blog/prototype-to-production-run/Sun, 18 Oct 2026 07:55:00 -0700MachiningA prototype is made to learn whether a part works, and a production run is made once the design is settled. The steps in between are locking the drawing, building fixtures, checking a first part against the print and then ordering in batches. Wolf Machine makes both. Prototypes and production runs are both on the shop's services list, and many jobs start as one part that turns into twenty, then two hundred. Planning for the second stage from the first drawing saves rework later. https://wolfmachinenv.com/guides/signs-you-need-align-boring/https://wolfmachinenv.com/guides/signs-you-need-align-boring/Mon, 19 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0700MachiningA machine probably needs align boring when pins bind, bushings wear out far faster than they should, bores have gone oval, or a pin that used to slide through now will not. These are signs that bores which should share one centerline have drifted apart. Align boring is the repair for bores that no longer line up. The symptoms show up in the machine well before anyone measures a bore, so knowing what to watch for can save a lot of wear. This guide lists the signs, explains how bores are checked, and shows what the repair does. https://wolfmachinenv.com/guides/repair-or-replace/https://wolfmachinenv.com/guides/repair-or-replace/Mon, 19 Oct 2026 07:59:00 -0700Repair and rebuildRepair when the part is sound, the wear is in one place and the original size can be put back. Replace when the damage runs through the part, when a crack cannot be removed, or when the failure will simply repeat. Every maintenance manager gets to this question with a broken part on the bench. A new part has a price and a wait. A repair has a price, a wait and a risk. The way to decide is to ask five plain questions, in order, before anything is ordered or cut. https://wolfmachinenv.com/guides/metal-spray-sleeve-or-weld/https://wolfmachinenv.com/guides/metal-spray-sleeve-or-weld/Mon, 19 Oct 2026 07:58:00 -0700Repair and rebuildMetal spray suits bearing and seal surfaces where you want little heat in the part, a sleeve suits a surface that needs a fresh hard face, and weld build-up suits parts that need strength across the repair. The right choice depends on the part, the load and how much metal is gone. A worn journal or bore can be put back to size in three common ways. We offer all three: metal spray, sleeve repair and welding. This guide sets out how each works, where it fits and what to tell a shop so the right one gets chosen. https://wolfmachinenv.com/guides/preparing-for-field-line-boring/https://wolfmachinenv.com/guides/preparing-for-field-line-boring/Mon, 19 Oct 2026 07:57:00 -0700Repair and rebuildBefore a portable line boring visit, make the bores reachable, clean and supported, take out the pins and bushings, and have power and light at the machine. Then send the shop photos, bore sizes and the machine make and model so the setup can be planned in advance. Portable line boring happens at your site, so a good part of the job is decided before anyone arrives. A machine that is cleaned, blocked and easy to reach lets the work go smoothly. This checklist covers what to prepare and what to send. https://wolfmachinenv.com/guides/what-to-put-on-a-drawing/https://wolfmachinenv.com/guides/what-to-put-on-a-drawing/Sun, 18 Oct 2026 07:54:00 -0700Sending a job to the shopA drawing a machinist can quote from shows the material and condition, every size with a tolerance or a general tolerance block, the threads, any surface finish that matters, the quantity and the revision. When there is no drawing, photos, measurements and the part itself do the same job. A shop can only price and make what it can see. The clearer the print, the closer the estimate is to the part you expect. This guide goes through the items a machinist looks for, in the order they usually matter, and what to send when you do not have a print at all. https://wolfmachinenv.com/guides/gearbox-rebuild-what-to-expect/https://wolfmachinenv.com/guides/gearbox-rebuild-what-to-expect/Sun, 18 Oct 2026 07:53:00 -0700Repair and rebuildA gearbox rebuild is a teardown, a full inspection, repair of whatever has worn and a careful reassembly with new bearings and seals. Noise, heat, oil leaks and metal in the oil are the signs one is due. We rebuild gearboxes of any brand or size. People are often surprised by how much of a rebuild is metalwork on the housing and shafts instead of the gears. Here is the sequence, in the order it happens.