2016 POTD Thread Archive

[jocat54]

Hey Daryl, I bought an Acme 7" shaper back in March, but have never set it up yet. Need to make a stand for it and it's just been too hot down here in S. Texas to do any welding and fabricating. Also had colonoscopy done today, which turned out ok, thank the Lord.
Anyway hope to get started on it in the next couple of weeks. It was working fine when I bought it, got to run it for a while. Has all the original parts, including vise and tool holders. I do see where they would come in handy sometimes.
Bob

Darn Bob, How did you find a shaper in S. Texas---it's a machinery desert.
Glad your procedure went well--mine is scheduled for next Friday

 

[sgisler]

Darn Bob, How did you find a shaper in S. Texas---it's a machinery desert.
Glad your procedure went well--mine is scheduled for next Friday

Sticking with the current theme;

I managed to find a 14" Steptoe in Athens, just need to make a tool post for it. Has a vise.
Oh, and I need to schedule my first colonoscopy.


Stan,
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[intjonmiller]

So many things have kept me from the shop lately, but I got a lot done last weekend, I finally have a real game plan for a permanent arrangement of my machines and materials, and it's just a matter of doing the work to make it happen. I was really looking forward to spending the evening out there after doing client work on the computer all week.

And then we had a tornado.

For those who are not familiar with Utah, most of the areas that are substantially populated are protected on at least two sides by mountains (Wasatch to the east and Uintah on the west, both part of the overall Rocky Mountains), which, as I was taught growing up, prevent the formation of tornadoes. In 150 years since being formally settled none had ever been seen. Then we had one in 1999. In pre-9/11 terms it was a pretty memorable day. So then they changed it to something along the lines of "once in a lifetime event".

Well, less than 17 years later we had another. Not as big, but this one was just a stone's throw away from where I work on the north side of Hill Air Force Base. Pretty spectacular to see a trampoline, still fully assembled and intact, floating hundreds of feet in the air above the old Harley dealership. Of course earlier in its trip it took out a transformer across the street, and an entire neighborhood nearby had their power lines laying on or even in their homes. This tornado was literally across the street and we discovered no damage of any kind or scale. Crazy.

Internet access was limited (still is) so it's hard to share the video I have. I'm home now (south side of the base) and power has been out all afternoon and evening. Power company site says over 17,000 of us are without power in this county alone. Around 40,000 total.

So, no such luck in the shop. And we had to eat out instead of cooking gyros tonight. But we're safe and our home is well-insulated (getting very cold overnight this weekend) and we're glad we were not in the path of the trampoline wherever it came back down. Some days it feels like you're just not supposed to get anything done, but it could absolutely be far worse.

 

[BGHansen]

Git 'er done! I hope you get some recognition for your over and above effort.

Hi R J,
Not any extra recognition, like most jobs we have to be satisfied with reliving our own "wins". Now I have another old boring war story to tell some snot nosed newbie coming in our group, "oh I remember back in 2016 when I made a couple of fixtures at home to contain an issue". Most of our new hires expect to punch a clock for the work day, but in the salaried ranks that's not how it works. We are paid to get a job done, period. A lot of these millennials haven't learned that yet. Hopefully I made an impression on at least one of them.

I remember getting ripped one time by a boss' boss' boss because I wasn't there at the start of a second shift. After he got done "coaching" me, I reminded him that I had gotten in at 6:30 AM the previous day and left at 1:00 PM the next day, a nice 30+ hour day. They hate it when we repeat the rhetoric, "General Motors overriding priority is to provide a safe work environment." "Ron, I was up 30 hours straight and was worried my decision making might be off and I might put myself or someone else's safety at risk. I needed to go home and get at least 4 hours sleep." I did make it in at around 8:00, but wasn't there at 5:30 PM. No sympathy from my leadership . . .

I still have a great place to work. Over half of our group of 30 engineers are over 50, most of us could comfortably retire. But we keep coming in because it's really good pay for a really good job. Glad I have the job and hopefully my generation will instill some work ethic into the next generation. Plus it helps fund my shop! Next purchase for my will be a 6" x 6" sheet metal notcher, been eyeing one of those for years.

Bruce

 

[kvt]

If you found a shaper in south Tex, You must have caught it when it hit. Because I have not seen anything like that. A few more lathes have started to show up, Missed one Griz 10 wen for 600 in the crate. That made me start checking almost daily for stuff. Most is either way bigger than I have room or power for or are way out of my budget. or so over priced that it is a shame.
found a BP mill but was all rusty and stuff, (said it worked when taken out) had been in the weather for a while with no good protection,, 3k no tools etc.
so if you find another shaper keep me in mind.

 

[Sandia]

Darn Bob, How did you find a shaper in S. Texas---it's a machinery desert.
Glad your procedure went well--mine is scheduled for next Friday

John, your right on the machinery desert. Lucked out I guess, surprisingly this thing is really clean, no rust and runs like a clock.
PS: Good luck on your colonoscopy.

If you found a shaper in south Tex, You must have caught it when it hit. Because I have not seen anything like that. A few more lathes have started to show up, Missed one Griz 10 wen for 600 in the crate. That made me start checking almost daily for stuff. Most is either way bigger than I have room or power for or are way out of my budget. or so over priced that it is a shame.
found a BP mill but was all rusty and stuff, (said it worked when taken out) had been in the weather for a while with no good protection,, 3k no tools etc.
so if you find another shaper keep me in mind.

Hey Ken, actually the thing was listed on Corpus Christi Craig list for about 5 weeks before I called on it. Actually meant to check it out and something came up and I forgot it, then about 4 or 5 weeks later I remembered it and call the guy and he still had it. Offered him $100 less than he was asking and he took it. Threw in his tool bits he had ground along with the tool holders, 4 I think it was.

 

[jocat54]

Thanks, Bob.
I was born and raised in Corpus---a long time ago
Also lived in La Garto for a few years--not to far from Sandia.

 

[Sandia]

Thanks, Bob.
I was born and raised in Corpus---a long time ago
Also lived in Lagarto for a few years--not to far from Sandia.

Small world John,
actually, Sandia is the mailing address we actually live in Barbon Estates off FM534, not too far from Largarto. We had a cabin at Lagarto on the Jennings property back in the day. Peaceful and quite up here. What did you do when you lived down here?

 

[jocat54]

We lived right across 534 from the old Lagarto school. Worked in Corpus.
I worked for Dress Atlas offshore for a while and then worked for Vista Chevrolet (tech, service writer,Service manager)
Have some friends who live in Barbon.

 

[Sandia]

We lived right across 534 from the old Lagarto school. Worked in Corpus.
I worked for Dress Atlas offshore for a while and then worked for Vista Chevrolet (tech, service writer,Service manager)
Have some friends who live in Barbon.

We probably ran across each other several times. Ha, really is a small world.