What brings us all here to the Hobby Machine website ?

Our interests are wide ranging but would probably bore the boots off our family and friends. This is a place we can come to and enjoy the views of like minded people, share ideas, offer encouragement and get inspiration. Like meeting up with old friends, not a bad place to visit at all!
 
I found this site looking for information on my Bridgeport.
I, like most of you learned at an early age, that I had a gift for taking things apart to understand how it worked. I went to Junior High in the late 60’s. We had an outstanding metal shop. High school was equally well equipped. Ran an old 13” South Bend and was a Teachers aid in 3 classes my senior year.
I ended up in Haiti in 1983-84, refurbishing baseball manufacturing equipment. I got the job only because the owner of the business I worked in during High School knew I could just about fix anything. I found I loved working on the old cast iron machines. Brilliant design considering they were made in the 1920’s.
I spent the last 42 years in the automotive field in management of all things. Yes I have been acquiring tools all my life.
Looking forward I realized something was missing in my life. I asked my wife a couple months ago, “ do we have $2,200 laying around? She said, what do you need it for? “ I want to buy an old lathe”, she said, “ what’s a lathe?
I got the 13” South Bend. A month later, I asked, “ Do we have $1,500 laying around?” I got the 1970 Bridgeport.
I am still spending money on refurbishing old cast iron machines and having a ball.
As I peek over the fence into retirement, my future looks much brighter.
I really enjoy these stories, we all seem to belong to the same club.
 
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Pure and simple ..... I like to learn new ways of doing things ,I'm a member of several machinist forums . I'm a total newb to maching and lathes and I've leaned so much this last couple of years,I'm slowly building up my own small shop .

Sean
 
jmarkwolf said:
I got into hobby machining about 20 years ago when building an experimental aircraft.

I had basic power tool experience growing up with my dads drill press, bandsaw, 12in disc sander, and welders, etc. I inherited most of those tools and still use them almost daily.

I bought myself an RF30 clone mill, to help build the kit helicopter, then a bought mid-size Grizzly lathe. Found an old Bridgeport and sold the RF30, found Hobby Machinist about this time. It's been a great resource.

I'm a newly retired electrical engineer and am struggling with whether or not to refurb my Bridgeport, or buy a refurbed Bridgeport, or buy a new Taiwan made Acer 3VS.
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Ok I am very interested in experimental aircraft! Did your helicopter fly? Do you still build aircraft?
 
dfsmoto said:
Ok I am very interested in experimental aircraft! Did your helicopter fly? Do you still build aircraft?
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Oh yes, I've been flying the helicopter for about 18 years, and am now considering building a fixed wing.
 
jmarkwolf said:
Oh yes, I've been flying the helicopter for about 18 years, and am now considering building a fixed wing.
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That's awesome! I have other stuff to do now to hopefully get ahead financially (some anyway!). I would like to build a small helicopter or maybe a small bush plane.

Do you have your pilots license?
 
I found this place when reading Mike's (ZMotorsports) posts over at Garage Journal, so I joined and have been on a steep learning curve since.

All my life I have been into motorcycle racing and riding bikes, so recently I have been buying all the bikes I used to own and fix them up to relive my youth.

It's been awesome but my home shop tools were mostly hand tools and a drill press and I finally got so frustrated with the lack of quality with my work, I decided it was time to buy some real machines, so now I can't leave here, I'm hooked.

For work I started out as a Locksmith Apprentice for Chubb Locksmiths in NZ at the age of 15, and moved to Chubb Canada in Vancouver at 20 years old.

I hung up the tools and moved into full time lock sales for Chubb in April of 1983, after 2 years of sales I left to start my own Electronic Lock business.

My business is now 33 years old and we have built a great team of people who allow (encourage) me to take time off when needed and I knew it was a good time to buy a few machines so I could make custom parts for our shop, that no-one else had time to work on and I could also use the machines for my hobbies as needed.

I'll probably work another 8-10 years actively and then see how I feel about it.

I tried retiring a few years back but my wife "suggested" it would be better for the relationship if I went to work, I now go in to the office 4 days a week.

David
 
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Aaron_W, Your office site had to be tough. I was fortunate also in that wild geese flew off a pond on the property, went by my window about 50 feet away. Another comment about why I am here. The coolant pump on my tool grinder wouldn't work so it got dismantled. The impeller runs in a plastic housing that has been repaired with epoxy or ??. The pump isn't a great priority but I have been studying about making a new one from aluminum. I have determined the basic housing is about 2.5 inches in diameter with the involute growing from 0 at 90` and reaching approximately 0.375 at 95` Increasing in diameter as it turns clockwise. Having read a thread here about rotating two axis by using pulleys (drums) and cord they got their project completed . What I intend to do is as they did is devise a system where the RT turns once and the "Y" axis turns 3.75 times @ 0.10" inch per rev. Calculations about drum sizes to come later.
Have a good day
Ray
 
I was on other sites but found that my machines made in Kalamazoo Mich. and Taiwan/China were not deemed acceptable. Found this site, sat like a fly on the wall for a couple days and felt comfortable and became a member a couple years ago. I am a Journeyman Welder and Millwright with my own company. I use my machines to get the job done and, aside from highschool, (30 years ago) I am largely self taught. I always learn something every time that I log on here and try to contribute when I can. In my humble opinion, I think that Nelson's model is working and I hope that things don't change. Great bunch of people and a pleasure to be considered a member.
 
mmcmdl said:
Wondering what has brought everyone to the site other than the interest in being a hobby machinist . I myself am a machinist by trade , and this is my occupation . It would be interesting to read everyone's reasons for their interest in the trade and what your true occupation is . Possibly some networking could be in the future .

I'm sure we all come from different backgrounds and use different skills to pay our bills , chime on in and let's hear what we call work . :)
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I'd say why I like this forum as opposed to some other forums, but I have been informed I am not allowed to talk about that on this forum. LOL.

Seriously, I just like to come on here and read about other people's machining adventures. I'm a hobbyist turned pro and I am always looking for another way to solve a problem. Even if I don't currently have that problem. Often in the evening when commercial television has gotten old and stale I'll put YouTube machining videos on the big screen and watch whatever auto loads after the previous machining video until I start to drift off. Imagine my surprise when I was awoken to the sound of screaming cats one evening. Sometimes YouTube takes a tangent.
 
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