# You know you are a Hobby-Machinist when....



## HMF

...it's 98 degrees outside, and you're in a steaming hot basement giving herself a third hernia lifting a milling table into position to get it on the knee of an 1800 pound mill that you slid down your basement steps....  :nuts:


What about YOU? How do *YOU* know you are a Hobby-Machinist?


:tiphat:Nelson


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## jgedde

When you cause an accident rubbernecking past yard sales looking for that box of dull end mills amongst piles of clothes and kid's toys...

John


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## Hawkeye

When you spot that weird gizmo under the table at the yard sale and actually know what it is ... and you're willing to pay the $5 asking price.


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## rickard

When you will entrust your life with that little Brass Nipple you made to replace the poured lead Nipple that broke off the end of the Brake Cable. 

OR 

The kids ain't got shoes for school, the Wife ain't got food to put on the table, But you Got $100.00 to go to the Tooling shop. (True Story)

OR

the Milling Machine in your shed is worth more than the double wide you live in. 

*AND MOST ESPECIALLY
If you are the Man that Owned this lathe *

​


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## llarson

When you find doing machine work in your free time is more enjoyable than what you did before doing machine work.


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## Rbeckett

When youre walking through a store and look at everything and think to yourself that "I can make that better than they did, for less money and better quality".  As a former welder, I look at every weld I come across and marvel at what they are getting away with calling welded.  My wife hates taking me to flea markets and garage sales because I always buy something I dont :"nned" to fix up and never resell.  Yup, I am definately a pack rat errrr. Hobby Machinist...
Bob


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## PIKEMAN

When you have yourself believing that more ( and better ) tools will help the quality of your machine work more than practice would !:whistle::whistle::lmao::whistle:


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## Tony Wells

When you spend more time working _on_ your machines than _with_ your machines.


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## Bill Gruby

When you start answering a thread like this one, :rofl:

 "Billy G"  :nuts:


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## burnrider

> When you find yourself spending two hours making a couple of screws that you could get at a hardware store for 75 cents.



:lmao:


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## jpfabricator

If you think about the smell of cutting fluid burning on a tool bit, when your at your day job. Or the metal chips from your pockets leave little rust stains on the bathroom tile.


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## RandyM

When you spent more time restoring the machine than using it.


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## churchjw

I always love this thread. 

You know your a hobby machinist when you remake a part 3 times to get it just perfect and its a free favor for a friend.  

You know your a hobby machinist when a friend ask you to help fix his $30 push mower and you pull out $100 in stainless sheet and the tig welder. 

Jeff


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## eac67gt

When your wife says you talk in your sleep about your machines and not about your girlfriend. "jawdrop:


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## Ray C

When you spend 8 hours a day 5 days a week at an unrelated day-job and 6 hours every evening and 10 hours each on Saturday and Sunday in your garage shop.


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## JT.

you leave your car outside in the snow and freezing temps because you need the space inthe garage
to work on your latest  found  old machine .

you spend 1.5 days on making a part  realising in the last 10 min that you got it  wrong .
 then you think pfffffffff i see it as a test piece i will make another one 2x better and in 1/2 of the time 

keep bying parts and stuff you probably, one day , maybe, in some case, may need, to do a minor job


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## Jimbo

When you start looking for the next machining expo in order to plan your vacation. Cabin Fever sounds good.


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## upTheHill

when the highlight of your week is Saturday morning dumpster diving at the local scrap yard


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## OldMachinist

When every new or new to you tool/machine tool gets taken apart

A) To move it to its new home

B) To see how it works

C) To see if you can make improvements to it

D) All of the above


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## rafe

When you actually know who VonDutch was !!


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## xalky

When bringing home an old machine feels like you just won the lotto! Even when it needs some work.:whistle:


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## DAN_IN_MN

You know you are a Hobby-Machinist when your  5 year old daughter comes to you to fix a toy knowing that you will do it.


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## markknx

when your wife threaten to divorce you if you don't spend some time with her instead of your machines.

When you spend 8 hours a day working with Metal hoping for the day to end so you can go home and work with metal.

When you turn on a machine put in a piece of metal and just make chips for no reason. ( Oh yeah I'm the only one that does that)

- - - Updated - - -



Rbeckett said:


> When youre walking through a store and look at everything and think to yourself that "I can make that better than they did, for less money and better quality".  As a former welder, I look at every weld I come across and marvel at what they are getting away with calling welded.  My wife hates taking me to flea markets and garage sales because I always buy something I dont :"nned" to fix up and never resell.  Yup, I am definately a pack rat errrr. Hobby Machinist...
> Bob



Guilty I am always looking at stairs and hand rails.


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## Senna

When you use searchtempest to search craigslist in every city within 2000 miles for that killer deal on an old manual machine tool. Then get so excited about a find that you actually contact the guy selling the tool even though he and it are 1600 miles away.

Also when you buy an old manual machine tool even while your shop is a burned out shell knowing that you'll have to store the machine in your barn until the new shop gets built.

When you take stock of your machinery and tooling and are shocked that the list is so long yet you still find stuff for sale that you "need".

When you're depressed about losing that 24" Vernac scale which is 40 years obsolete but which you know you'll never be able to replace.


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## furpo

When you come out of the fast food restaurant to find
6 total strangers standing around you trailer admiring your latest 2200 pound toy!
It was my 16”/24” x 120” South Bend


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## genec

When leaning over your lathe, you look at your watch and you see it's 2:00  in the morning, and you're going to have to go to work in four hours.


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## richl

You drive for 1.5 hrs on Saturday to a machine liquaditor just to look at a few old dusty dark and dirty warehouses full of greasy old dirty manual machines. And you can't imagine doing anything else better. You leave with a hand full of cutters, a beefy old flycutter and other trinkets... and you can't wait for the next trip )

Rich


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## road

How about when you start another project only to think about the other 20 you have on the go. 
" Dam I really need to get those others finished. "

And rearranging your whole shop cuz you found that freebie cool cabinet to store more tools in !


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## Cactus Farmer

You find a "new" junk tool store and give your wife whiplash turning around.......she understands.

The reason you married her is she has the best collection of tools of any girl you ever met.

You get two sensitive drill arbors and buy two high $$$ chucks so you can drill #80 holes,not that you have ever needed one.

You have two drill presses,four lathes, two shapers and four drill sharpeners...and you would buy another if the price was right.


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## Senna

When you have a shop filled to overflowing with rather expensive machinery and tooling and the only people you'll do work for in it are friends you wouldn't dream of charging money.


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## samthedog

You know you are a hobby machinist when you change the oil more regularly on your machines than you do on your car, and you keep them cleaner too.

You know you are a hobby machinist when every guy you show your workshop to gasps when the door is first opened, then swears under his breath.

Paul.


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## ARM

When  You'd  buy  another  machine  similar  in  usage  to  the  one  U  already  have  ..........
When  You'd  only  start  learning  to  properly  use  Your  machine  after  some  Years  .........   !!!
When  You'd  order  Tooling,  U  don't  immediately  need,  but  think  that  U would  use,  at  some  time  in  the  near  future .........
And  like  it  was  said  earlier..........
When   You'd  make  a  contribution  on  this  thread  ...........
aRM


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## Pmedic828

When you spend a large amount of $$$ for tools, then poor mouth yourself and others that you can't afford the metal to use on the machines!


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## slektning

When you keep thousands of dollars worth of machinery , and the most usable you have made so far is a lifetime supply of metal pot scrub for your family and all of your friends...


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## Rbeckett

You might be a home machinist if you have every imaginable machine and still only create scrap metal and trinkets for your key ring...

Bob


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## Stanshire

When the lint filter in the clothes dryer has more chips than lint.


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## Alan Douglas

When you visit a machine shop and the first thing you look at is their scrap pile.


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## bladehunter

One of the guys at the local metal supplier has a shelf with "offcuts" just for you.


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## brino

...the owner of the local used tool place has a pile waiting for you when you go in, because he knows those B&S #11 arbors he found will fit your machine!


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## schor

You build something for someone you don't know that you met on a forum for material cost and whatever they will pay extra, even if you spent 18 hours working on it and get $20 for your time.

You spend every possible minute watching youtubes of people making things with metal working machines because it's too cold to be in your shop making chips.

You even watch every second of a youtube of someone that does machining vids but decides to talk about their peronal life and you love every minute of it.

You go to the shop when it finally warms up and just make chips for no reason instead of fixing that old machine you bought or rearrange the shop to make it more pleasant to make chips.

You re-arrange the shop for perfect production even though your only making chips (see above).


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## davidh

schor said:


> You build something for someone you don't know that you met on a forum for material cost and whatever they will pay extra, even if you spent 18 hours working on it and get $20 for your time.
> 
> You spend every possible minute watching youtubes of people making things with metal working machines because it's too cold to be in your shop making chips.
> 
> You even watch every second of a youtube of someone that does machining vids but decides to talk about their peronal life and you love every minute of it.
> 
> You go to the shop when it finally warms up and just make chips for no reason instead of fixing that old machine you bought or rearrange the shop to make it more pleasant to make chips.
> 
> You re-arrange the shop for perfect production even though your only making chips (see above).



*exactly what I would have wrote.  we here right along side Lake Superior will not see above 0F today.  my propane usage is going thru the ceiling.  why the hell do we live here ?  oh that right,  we have family here. .*


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## uncle harry

It's cold as well here near Milwaukee & the propane 'sting' is what has been keeping me out of my "better" shop.  A consolation is that my older & "lesser" shop can be wood heated so if I really get withdrawal symptoms I can take refuge in there.


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## The Liberal Arts Garage

rafe said:


> When you actually know who VonDutch was !!


Yes, at aetat 78 I do.


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## brasssmanget

davidh said:


> *exactly what I would have wrote.  we here right along side Lake Superior will not see above 0F today.  my propane usage is going thru the ceiling.  why the hell do we live here ?  oh that right,  we have family here. .*



I've been spending a fair amount of time out in the garage shop, and I heat that with a 220V heater, so I don't feel the propane bite out there. At least electric is still at the old rates.hew:

We toyed with building and relocating to Medford WI area {central Wisc.) but my god it's been brutal up there this winter and last! I'm getting too old to deal with that kind of cold and snow. :whistle:

It would figure though - we just changed our heating system at the trailer home on our hunting land from wood burner to 65K BTU propane heater - I sure hope rates drop back to normal before next hunting season!


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## cjtoombs

When you own a metal shaper.  Or 3.
When you own a metal planer.  Or 2.
When you own any Atlas or Craftsman machine tool.  Or 3.
When you go to a swap meet, buy a tool for $5, then spend more than it's worth completed fixing it up.
When you travel halfway accross the crountry to go to a model engineering expo.  And you don't build model engines.
When your wife refers to your shop as "The Mistress".
When you buy a new machine, but it takes you a year to get your shop rearanged and get the equipment together needed to lift it off the trailer and into the shop.
When people you know start comming to you to make parts for them.
When you get your wife a TIG welder for Christmas.
When your shop is so full of stuff that you spend time scheming on how you can fit another tool into it without getting rid or something you already have.


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## schor

When your wife catches you on the computer and says "watching tool porn again?"


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## hvontres

When Google shows you Enco,MSC or Travers ads on unrelated web pages


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## joe kozak

when you reply to this thread in a bar at key west vacation.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk 2


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## brino

uncle harry said:


> It's cold as well here near Milwaukee & the propane 'sting' is what has been keeping me out of my "better" shop.  A consolation is that my older & "lesser" shop can be wood heated so if I really get withdrawal symptoms I can take refuge in there.





You know you are a Hobby-Machinist when.... you read Uncle Harry's post and immediately believe he has the answer to all your problems; Hey, I _need_ TWO shops!


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## Walltoddj

When your shop is bigger than your house and your house 2400 sf. You still don't have enough room so you make it two stories so you can store the things you don't need in the shop all the time. People you know from when you worked look you up to get something fixed and what you give them back is better than the original and you had fun making it. You go to work in the shop just to relax and time flys by because your love what your doing.

Toddanic:


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## Loganguy

When you are in a "Cracker Barrel" restaurant looking at all the antique tools hanging from the ceiling and fastened to the wall, and tell your wife, "yep, I have one of those and two of those -- and I still use mine!"


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## uncle harry

brino said:


> You know you are a Hobby-Machinist when.... you read Uncle Harry's post and immediately believe he has the answer to all your problems; Hey, I _need_ TWO shops!




Uncle Harry here:  You know you are a hobby machinist when because you have 2 shops you need nearly 2 of full R8 collet sets, 2 collections of drill indexes, 2 compressed air systems, 2 cordless drills etc. & you need to cross everything you have 2 of to remember where they are ! Luckily the buildings are 10 feet apart.


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## Fabrickator

You know when your a machinist when... You go out to dinner and your hands have Dykem Blue all on your hands, and in my case, also overspray on my toes.

You know when you a machinist when... You have 5 trash cans - one is dedicated for aluminum and one is for steel swarf.

You know when your a machinist when... 5/8 of your electric bill is because of the shop machines and lighting.

You know when your a machinist when... You and your UPS driver are on a first name basis.

You know when your a machinist when... You have a two-way radio to the kitchen so you know when dinner is ready.

You know when your a machinist when... Your wife has designated a "no chip zone" and you have a mat  for "leaving" the shop as well as mats for entering the house.


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## Kevinb71

You know your a Hobby Machinist when you read all the other posts on here and don't find any of them as being "odd".
When the greatest thing you did all last summer was bringing home a trailer load of equipment and saying to yourself in the driveway "where am I going to put this to keep it out of the rain ".

- - - Updated - - -

Also when the Mail lady constantly complains "your packages are always so HEAVY".


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## kdupuis

When you show up to pick up one old lathe and you leave with two and you get home to find out the smaller one won't fit much less the bigger one or both.


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## Jimbo

You know your a HOBBY machinist when you make something and you cringe when people tell you that you should make them and sell them. The thought of doing production work is just not in the equation.


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## jpfabricator

When ypu go to the dentist for a cleaning, and your focused on the knureling on the hygenist's picks!

Sent from my H866C


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## MCRIPPPer

you know your hobby machinist when you look up cast iron prices to remake EVERY piece on your mini lathe. 

you know your a hobby machinist when you try to turn 7" diameter work on a mini lathe!

when you modify your mini lathe to such an extent to take 1/4" DOC

when you spend more time and money modifying a mini lathe to hold bigger stuff than it would have cost to buy a bigger machine. 

when you start equipping mini machines with flood coolant even though it only has to dissipate 3/4 hp.


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## schor

When you buy a 6" milling vice that weighs about 100lb, is 27" long and you've got a benchtop mill with a 5x19 table.



	

		
			
		

		
	
 But I only paid $30 for it.

When you buy a 12" rotary table and you only have a bechtop mill with a 5x19 table.



	

		
			
		

		
	
 But I only paid $50 for it.

You know you are a Hobby-Machinist when.... you spend every spare moment looking for kijiji/craigslist/garagesale items for your shop at steal prices.


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## eeler1

When you bring home a long-sought piece of old american machinery with the intent of fixing it up and getting it running again, and are pleased as punch about it even though the wife says 'I don't know why you are so happy, if it doesn't even work'.


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## mcostello

Ykymbahm when You make hobby machinist size chips.


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## Pat of TN

How about this - you know you're a hobby machinist (or professional, either way) when you can tell the size and pitch of a threaded part by either the grease stain or the cut it leaves on your finger.


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## Squatchhhammer

you are trying to figure out how to make your own machines even when you don't own any yet. 
you are trying to make a new machine, and in the end costing you the same, if not more, as a used working old machine.
you think you can build a new manual machine better than anything out there.


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## mcostello

You might be an advanced Hobby Machinist when You can look at (most) bolts and tell if it's Metric because the pitch does not "look" right.


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## Phils69

When you buy a home and the detached garage is larger than the house.


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## Squatchhhammer

you are willing to spend more on your shop than on a new car.


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## Joe0121

Ray C said:


> When you spend 8 hours a day 5 days a week at an unrelated day-job and 6 hours every evening and 10 hours each on Saturday and Sunday in your garage shop.


I work on computers (servers) for a living and this hits home.


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## Marco Bernardini

You know you are a Hobby-Machinist (and one on a strict budget) when you cut rabbets with a saw rather than with a router bit, to save that 10×15 mm strip of material which could always be useful for something else.

(I have some buckets of "useful" strips)


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## karmakanic

You can't bear to throw away any non working appliance, or anything else with some metal in it because you might need something from it for a project in the future. If you stay at it long enough you have to build a new storage building just to hold "might be useful in the future junk".

Confirmed junkaholic,
Dave


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## ric686

You know you are a noob Hobby-Machinist when you compile a list of 15 or so projects you want to do and they're all for making improvements on your imported bench top mini-machines.

You know you are a noob Hobby-Machinist when you try to arrange your project list so that you make some improvements on your mill, so you can make some improvements on your lathe, so you can make some more improvements on your mill, so you can make some more improvements on your lathe...

You know you are a Hobby-Machinist when you sit down at 10pm to start going through the latest Hobby-Machinist's Shop Notes email and when you check the time again, it's 2:58am


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## John Hasler

ric686 said:


> You know you are a noob Hobby-Machinist when you try to arrange your project list so that you make some improvements on your mill, so you can make some improvements on your lathe, so you can make some more improvements on your mill, so you can make some more improvements on your lathe...



That's me, except that my mill is a drill press that hasn't quite finished turning into a mill.


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## Guv

Nels said:


> ...it's 98 degrees outside, and you're in a steaming hot basement giving herself a third hernia lifting a milling table into position to get it on the knee of an 1800 pound mill that you slid down your basement steps....  :nuts:
> 
> 
> What about YOU? How do *YOU* know you are a Hobby-Machinist?
> 
> 
> :tiphat:Nelson


When you drive from one pawnshop to the next one looking through their tool section. You would be surprised how many lathe and milling cutters are lying in pawnshops.
Willy


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## Marco Bernardini

Guv said:


> When you drive from one pawnshop to the next one looking through their tool section. You would be surprised how many lathe and milling cutters are lying in pawnshops.
> Willy



I went to a pawnshop a few days ago. The only tool they had was a ravioli machine 
But… you know you are a Hobby-Machinist when you tell the clerk at the hardware shop in which aisle he can find everything.


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## hman

uncle harry said:


> Uncle Harry here:  You know you are a hobby machinist when because you have 2 shops you need nearly 2 of full R8 collet sets, 2 collections of drill indexes, 2 compressed air systems, 2 cordless drills etc. & you need to cross everything you have 2 of to remember where they are ! Luckily the buildings are 10 feet apart.



Lucky you!  My two shops are ~1200-1600 miles apart (depending on the route I take).


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## Don B

ric686 said:


> You know you are a noob Hobby-Machinist when you try to arrange your project list so that you make some improvements on your mill, so you can make some improvements on your lathe, so you can make some more improvements on your mill, so you can make some more improvements on your lathe...



Funny, been there many times myself, even if I'm not in my shop the improvements continue in my head.)


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## fixitman855

You chase people down when you see old machine tools on their trailer going to the junk yard or when parked anywhere asking what they are going to do with them and how much they would sell them for. :roflmao:


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## Marco Bernardini

Don B said:


> Funny, been there many times myself, even if I'm not in my shop the improvements continue in my head.)



You too have a double screen computer, with Tubalcain videos on a screen, the H-M activity page on the other and often some eBay tool auctions in the middle?
:roflmao:


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## Don B

Marco Bernardini said:


> You too have a double screen computer, with Tubalcain videos on a screen, the H-M activity page on the other and often some eBay tool auctions in the middle?



That's so funny you should say that, no double screen but CNC monitor and reference laptop.


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## Marco Bernardini

Don B said:


> That's so funny you should say that, no double screen but CNC monitor and reference laptop.



How many times you tried to move the cursor from a screen to the other? :lmao:
Be careful, multi-screen computers are *highly addictive*!




(screenshot - actual width is 3200 pixels on 82 cm - and yes, I use Linux)


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## Don B

Marco Bernardini said:


> How many times you tried to move the cursor from a screen to the other? :lmao:
> Be careful, multi-screen computers are *highly addictive*!



Yes I do grab the wrong mouse every now and then, it can be costly having a device right beside you as your machining that's so easy to make purchases on, I've forced myself now to at least go and make a cup of tea and take some time to think " Do I really need this " or is it just a new shiny toy to fondle for a few days then stuff in a draw and not see again for 6 years.)


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## Marco Bernardini

You know you are a Hobby-Machinist when from the fruit trees of your garden don't bear just fruit…




(BTW, this is a mandarin tree, so the color of the primer almost fits)


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## tweinke

Every time you see a broken part you think to yourself, I have a machine that can make that.


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## Don B

When your out for a drive with your very kind, generous and tolerant wife and you stop at a tool place, and because she know without a doubt your coming back out that door with something, she's just not sure how big it will be, she asks "what are you getting here today" "what tool do you need" and you answer very honestly and sincerely "I have know idea but I'll know when I see it"


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## Andre

....when you make multiples of tools you already have because its just plain fun, even though your putting off important projects. Like....umm.....organizing the shop )


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## The Landshark

when the motor in your lathe has more power than the one in your car


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## Marco Bernardini

Don B said:


> When your out for a drive with your very kind, generous and tolerant wife and you stop at a tool place, and because she know without a doubt your coming back out that door with something, she's just not sure how big it will be, she asks "what are you getting here today" "what tool do you need" and you answer very honestly and sincerely "I have know idea but I'll know when I see it"



Of course you spend more time in the tool place than the wife visiting a dozen of shoe shops…


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## Ozwelder

Going to the dump  means an opportunity to bring something home cos it may come in useful one day.
Ozwelder


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## hvontres

When you see a poster at work announcing the arrival of a 5S system and your first thought is: "Whooo, better dumpster diving "


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## NightWing

You subscribe to the Little Machine Shop weekly email and order something on sale that you already bought on sale before but forgot about it.  (they are good about returns)

You pay $13 shipping on a $4 item.

You own complete sets of fractional, number and letter size drills but still root through the box of old drills so you don't wear the new ones out.

You own complete sets of taps and dies covering everything from watches to locomotives but really never use anything but 1/4-20 or 5/16-18.

You time your on-line tooling and gizmo purchasing/shipments to arrive on the days your wife works till 6.

McMaster-Carr is the home page on your computer.


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## chips&more

When you start liking the smell of hot cutting oil.


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## mcostello

Liking the smell of cutting oil is the mark of a hobbiest machinist. A Pro is used to the TASTE also.)


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## Jay-z

When you have your garage door open and everyone who walks by has to do a double take because they have no idea what all of those big grey things are inside. Yet they won`t ask. Life in suburbia.


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## NightWing

You put a broken drill shank back in the index because you don't want any open holes.  Finding an open hole would result in an intensive search of the shop looking to find that missing drill that you forgot to put away.


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## daveyscrap

When a tow truck shows up at you're house not to tow a car but to lift you're next piece of equipment out of truck. And you're neighbors look but think its normal 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## ric686

You grumble about finding a way to stiffen up the column on your mini-mill some more and your wife says "Viagra?", chuckles to herself and walks away shaking her head. Happened this morning...


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## Marco Bernardini

ric686 said:


> You grumble about finding a way to stiffen up the column on your mini-mill some more and your wife says "Viagra?", chuckles to herself and walks away shaking her head. Happened this morning...



Viagra pills stuffed inside the column? Sounds expensive :biggrin:


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## ric686

Marco Bernardini said:


> Viagra pills stuffed inside the column? Sounds expensive :biggrin:



A generic might be cheaper, but I wonder if it would work as well as the brand name.


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## Marco Bernardini

You know you are a Hobby-Machinist when....

… when you add Loctite to Ikea furniture screws (just done that).


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## hdskip

When you clean out your pockets at the end of the day and there are 2  10-32 set screws, a cotter pin, 2  3/8-16 hex nuts, and a #29 drill. You then put them in dedicated jar on your dresser beside the loose change jar. Oh by the way, your wife accepts it as normal!


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## Andre

hdskip said:


> When you clean out your pockets at the end of the day and there are 2  10-32 set screws, a cotter pin, 2  3/8-16 hex nuts, and a #29 drill. You then put them in dedicated jar on your dresser beside the loose change jar. Oh by the way, your wife accepts it as normal!



A #7 drill is common in my pockets too!


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## Dranreb

When you finish re-bushing a cast part the can't resist chucking it up and 'tidying it up' just for turning cast iron practice...


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## Marco Bernardini

You know you are a Hobby-Machinist when your shop kitten is named Kurt.


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## mcostello

When all the machines and accessories You still need are under 500 lbs. each. A Pro is over 500 lbs.


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## GCM

When you promise your wife you would spend a quiet Sunday afternoon with her in front of the TV. Then get so bored that you use some lame excuse to go into the workshop to fix the broken corkscrew because you want to open a bottle of Red wine, while you know there are maybe 4 other working ones in the kitchen drawer.


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## Marco Bernardini

GCM said:


> When you promise your wife you would spend a quiet Sunday afternoon with her in front of the TV. Then get so bored that you use some lame excuse to go into the workshop to fix the broken corkscrew because you want to open a bottle of Red wine, while you know there are maybe 4 other working ones in the kitchen drawer.



The perfect machinist is the one who makes a left-handed corkscrew… so other people find difficult to drink his wine
:roflmao:


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## Fabrickator

When you spend more time repairing and modifying your machines than you do building projects.


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## Scruffy

when you quit mowing the yard when i'ts only half done, grab the wife (. i don't drive much) and head to town on a wild goose chase concerning a unknown metal lathe.
read my other post.  looking for rita for a good laugh.
thanks ron


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## Marco Bernardini

You know you are a Hobby-Machinist when you get the phone number of *Miss Angle Grinder* on the 2014 calendar (you know, the girl with a bikini made just of sparks coming from the grinder she's using) and you call her to hear her impressions about the angle grinder.


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## mcostello

WE need pictures!


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## atunguyd

When you have no idea who Micheal Schumacher, tiger woods or lionel messi are  but do know who tom lipton and Harold hall are! 

Sent from my SM-P605 using Tapatalk


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## JohnBDownunder

You know because you keep getting into strife for tracking "little shiny bits of stuff" into the house. ....  "But I wiped me boots luv, honest"
                                       :nono:              John B


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## John Hasler

JohnBDownunder said:


> You know because you keep getting into strife for tracking "little shiny bits of stuff" into the house. ....  "But I wiped me boots luv, honest"
> :nono:              John B



You need a magnetic doormat.


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## JohnBDownunder

John Hasler said:


> You need a magnetic doormat.



Trouble is John, magnets don't grab brass or aluminium. (sigh)   He he site doesn't like Australian  / English spelling.  :rofl: Perhaps there is a setting somewhere. Will go look.


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## Marco Bernardini

JohnBDownunder said:


> Trouble is John, magnets don't grab brass or aluminium. (sigh)   He he site doesn't like Australian  / English spelling.  :rofl: Perhaps there is a setting somewhere. Will go look.



John, if you use Firefox you can install an Australian dictionary/spell checker from here: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/language-tools/


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## JohnBDownunder

Thanks Marco, I did look there but the Australian English dictionary does not work with Fox Version 30. It does not matter really, I am comfortable letting the inbuilt spell check highlight stuff. Sometime I will accept the US spelling, sometimes not. Depending if I am in a picky mood. :angry:
Just installed the UK version, we spell the same as our colonial masters anyway. :whiteflag:  

John


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## Marco Bernardini

You know you are a Hobby-Machinist when....the protagonist of the last spicy book you wrote owns a 1942 *Monarch ee10* :biggrin:
(finished to write that book just tonight - sorry, Italian only!)


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## Don B

Marco Bernardini said:


> You know you are a Hobby-Machinist when....the protagonist of the last spicy book you wrote owns a 1942 *Monarch ee10* :biggrin:
> (finished to write that book just tonight - sorry, Italian only!)



Is it used as a prop for some sort of lurid encounter?


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## Marco Bernardini

Don B said:


> Is it used as a prop for some sort of lurid encounter?



To describe the use would be against forum rules, but the material used was 316L superaustenitic steel: I love to give precise details!


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## alloy

You get up at 4:30 in the morning to go run $100k machining centers 10 hours a day cutting nasty 15-5 stainless making parts for helicopters, and can't wait to get home and scrape grease, clean and paint your $1300 52 year old Bridgeport.  

I told my girlfriend I have three vices, (vises) they all all Kurts.

She says I now have a mistress...................she named her Brigitte


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## SG51Buss

You hear this voice: "CAN I HELP YOU, SIR!"

And you're suddenly startled out of a semi-hypnotic state, where you realize you've spent the last half hour:

- Standing before the assorted screw/nuts cabinet at the local hardware store.
- Resorting and organizing the jumble of mis-placed screws/nuts in the assortment tray.
- And, forgot why you're here in the first place...


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## SG51Buss

For over 45 years, you've hand-sharpened your own drillbits;

All your drillbits are sharp;




You buy a Drill Doctor anyway...


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## uncle harry

SG51Buss said:


> You hear this voice: "CAN I HELP YOU, SIR!"
> 
> And you're suddenly startled out of a semi-hypnotic state, where you realize you've spent the last half hour:
> 
> - Standing before the assorted screw/nuts cabinet at the local hardware store.
> - Resorting and organizing the jumble of mis-placed screws/nuts in the assortment tray.
> - And, forgot why you're here in the first place...




Oh yeah !   This happens to me all of the time @ my shops. In the past I purchased assorted odd goodies in bulk @ American Science & Surplus nearby in Milwaukee Wi.  The neat stuff hiding in the bins of this stuff can be entertaining if not stultifying at times.


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## TOOLMASTER

*You know you are a Hobby-Machinist when....:*

You know you are a Hobby-Machinist when....

you watch this and think,"woooo the welder is ok".


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVNn1dnu9MU


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## OldMachinist

*Re: You know you are a Hobby-Machinist when....:*



TOOLMASTER said:


> You know you are a Hobby-Machinist when....
> 
> you watch this and think,"woooo the welder is ok".
> 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVNn1dnu9MU



Also if you watched it from 9:25 minutes to around 10 minutes repeatedly to try and figure out what large machine was in the scrap truck in the right lane.

Looks like a steam engine to me.


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## ronsack

You pull an empty trailer other than rigging equipment, tie downs and cash, when your on your way to take your wife and the kids to the zoo just in case you get that call back from a Craigslist ad.

When you have a level and a protractor and every conversion app on your phone just in case....

when your best customer has never paid you anything yet, but he your best customer....

when you buy spare tools for the spare tools....

when your buy or make tools because it will make the job easier, but you don't have any jobs to do.... 

and my best one... coffee tastes bad without the greasy metal chips in it....


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## gredpe3

When you spend most of the day cleaning up old tools you barely know how to use.
Eddie


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## joe kozak

your 100% duty cycle 110v 25amp stick welder is a 35 mm film projector light power supply-- with a pair or jumpers, and mini vicegrips-- just because your friends give you strange things free knowing you know what to do with them...


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## Andre

When you spend 10 hours on a part machining it manually, knowing you could have it done in an hour on CNC. And your okay with it.


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## Wheresmywrench?

*It cost you more to go pick the machine then what you paid for it!!!!! * :rubbinghands:


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## OldMachinist

Wheresmywrench? said:


> *It cost you more to go pick the machine then what you paid for it!!!!! * :rubbinghands:



Been there, Done that.


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## cjtoombs

Wheresmywrench? said:


> *It cost you more to go pick the machine then what you paid for it!!!!! * :rubbinghands:





I know this one all too well...


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## hvontres

Wheresmywrench? said:


> *It cost you more to go pick the machine then what you paid for it!!!!! * :rubbinghands:



That just means you got a great deal, right


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## Wheresmywrench?

_Actually yes!! It was free.!!!!_ :whistle:


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## JohnBDownunder

hvontres said:


> That just means you got a great deal, right



Not only that but the money you spend on tooling doesn't count??  :thinking: Or does it?? :whiteflag:


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## mcostello

Been there, got the shirt, and hoping to do it several more times!


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## uncle harry

mcostello said:


> Been there, got the shirt, and hoping to do it several more times!



And, for my freebie, the guy helped me get his (now mine)  SB9A out of his basement.

PS: he got it for free as well.


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## uncle harry

mcostello said:


> Been there, got the shirt, and hoping to do it several more times!



And, for my freebie, the guy helped me get his (now mine)  SB9A out of his basement.

PS: he got it for free as well.


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## Ozwelder

All of the staff at your towns largest engineering supply shop greet you by your first name when you walk in there.


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## Round in circles

You know you are a hobby machinist when :-

When you master windows 8 and use an excel spread sheet to log all outstanding work  in chronological order , then  add new prioritized future projects in readiness for when you've caught up .


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## Ozwelder

You  spend more money fixing or making a tool than it costs to buy new.


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## cjtoombs

Round in circles said:


> You know you are a hobby machinist when :-
> 
> When you master windows 8 and use an excel spread sheet to log all outstanding work  in chronological order , then  add new prioritized future projects in readiness for when you've caught up .




LOL, "For when you've caught up".  That's a joke, right?


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## Round in circles

cjtoombs said:


> LOL, "For when you've caught up".  That's a joke, right?




 It's a wry humourous ambiguity , that could have an end point or turn to into infinity depending on how self disciplined you are .:lmao:


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## Wheresmywrench?

JohnBDownunder said:


> Not only that but the money you spend on tooling doesn't count??  :thinking: Or does it?? :whiteflag:



_*No*, extra *EXPENSES* don't count!!! After all, the money you saved is meant to be spent on tooling for it!!!!

_


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## Round in circles

You know you're becoming  a hobby machinist when you wonder where the heck are you going to get the next supply of off cuts and how much will it cost you .  :lmao:



I'm half way through 112 pounds of engineering ex works , round , square & hex off cuts  ..... three to six inches long & up to three inches across and it's only  six weeks since I purchased it , for four of those weeks I was away on holiday .


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## richl

You wake up in the middle of the night, put something on your feet walk out to the garage, than spend the next couple hours machining or welding something together.

Rich


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