Six Months Retired, I’m struggling.

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Is there a local community college nearby? maybe you could help with tutoring some of the young folks with the experience you have gained throughout your working career. Many of these students struggle with simple math and could use some help. Maybe point them towards machining to help keep the stuff we love alive.

 

[francist]

Most importantly, I feel it is likely most of the people who gravitate to this forum have had a similar journey. It is the core nature of any craftsman.

Haha, I had forgot about my ball juggling phase! Thanks for reminding me

Indeed I see similar traits with many of us here and in the various vocations we choose. Most are problem solvers, go-to people, master fix-it or designer types that love a challenge. Often though we don't realize how dependent we are on someone else finding those challenges for us (the thing to fix, the problem to overcome, the solution to decode) and things start to fall apart. For me, I was the last of seven children so maybe my Mom had had enough by then and just kept telling me to go make my own fun! (just kidding, my entire family was supportive of each other but we were very much encouraged to be independent). It's been a way of life for me ever since.

As for the Renaissance part, my old Board of Directors years ago found the expression a bit clumsy so they just shortened it up to RennMan...

-f

 

[Dabbler]

hey @francist I juggle also (well, used to...)

 

[westerner]

It is the core nature of any craftsman.

Yup. I said it this way, to all the kids I tried to help

"You cannot fix a bloody thing if you don't know how it works"

 

[epanzella]

Boating/ fishing/ RC planes/ building rifles/ shooting/ hunting/ ATV trips into the woods with my sons and grandkids. I need two assistants to help me be retired.

 

[Janderso]

You'll come up with something. My last "real" working day at GM was on 12/3/2021 though my true departure date was 2/28/2022 (9 weeks of vacation and the Christmas holiday). I've got lots of little projects to keep me busy. Now just have to get at them!

I'm just about done with "woodfest 2022" or my annual cutting/splitting/stacking of about 8 full cords of firewood. In between I'd like to get the 7" riser block purchased 3 or 4 years ago on my Bridgeport. My Atlas MFB mill has broken flanges on the power feed; haven't decided on the fix there yet. Back door of the barn needs a new threshold. I've got red squirrels or something running around in the ceiling of the shop, need to find their entry point. I picked up a dozen radius end mills for the 1913 Erector set motor project, need to try those out. Then there are the projects in and around the house. Plus we will be taking possession of one of my mom's houses that they built and started filling with stuff in 1964. So much stuff to go through and pitch.

Keep your chin up, your spare time will disappear once more family and friends know you're available! Maybe do some videos on that end mill sharpener of yours!

Bruce

I think I found two new projects to keep my mind occupied.
Bruce, I know you have a very active mind and imagination. I’m not worried about you!
8 cords! Wow, that’s a lot of work. When I was broke and young living in Lake Tahoe, my buddies all got together, we all set out with our tree permits, cut up the trees, loaded the wood at each others home for a few weekend, then we would rent a big splitter and split dozens of cords jumping from one home to the next.
All the beer you could drink at each stop . Hey, I was 21-24 years old. Beer and women is all I thought about .

 

[Janderso]

I must admit I struggled for the 1st year or so after being let go from an engineering job several years before I really wanted to. I have found it very satisfying to work on some projects where I get paid in cash, logging and selling firewood, welding and machine work for a few different people. My watch band broke a couple of months ago so now I never know what time of day or day of the week it is. I like that. Restoring old tools and farm equipment is the hobby. Seems like I often get distracted, was scrapeing a lathe compound rest slide, needed to make a "kingway" tool for measuring the dovetails then needed to make an angled straitedge but first needed a slow speed diamond grinder to sharpen the carbide scraper and an angled fixture to hold the slide. In other words inventing and making tools that are used to fix other tools.

I have my eye on a small Boyer Shultz surface grinder. It needs to be rescraped. It’s the perfect size for a project.
My Micromaster would stay right where it is.

 

[Janderso]

Several of us hobby machinist guys belong to a group in the Sacramento area. We got together yesterday for some good fellowship.
I’m sharing some of the machine tools in this shop. Absolutely beautiful machines!!
I would kill for the Delta shaper. The South Bend hols a special place in my heart. The jointer is a beast. Maybe 5,000#

 

[Bone Head]

Interesting thread.
Like a couple of you I was forced to retire early when my employer closed. But I had no "lost" feeling, for I looked at it as being able to devote myself and time to riding and repairing old motorcycles. I guess the motorcycles themselves are not that important, but I've had a life-long love affair with them. I was lucky that way.

 

[7milesup]

Well @Janderso , you could build an aircraft and learn to fly. Actually, I would recommend doing it the other way around
May I suggest a Rans S21 https://www.rans.com/aircraft or an RV https://www.vansaircraft.com/rv-10/

Both endeavors (learning and building) should keep you busy for a few years.