Nope. I'm just another HSM. My day job is Electronics Engineering/Engineering Manager. My company's primary line of business is Aerospace brushless motors, gearboxes, and actuators. I design motion controllers and motor drivers for military and space applications as well as electronic test equipment.
That said, we have a machine shop in house where I played around for years before getting my own machine tools. I make it a point to buy the guys in the shop pizza a few Fridays a year. They're always willing to mentor with a slice in hand!
My first job is where I met a fellow by the name of George Luhrs (http://www.minimodelengines.com). He did consulting prototype and development work for us. He is known jocularly as an "alien" because there is no way he can do what he can do otherwise. I've since become friends with him and see him a few times a year. He's won the Sherline challenge, and numerous shows for his model engines. Several are the world's smallest in their class. Seeing what he could do always fascinated me and gave me something to strive for. I've got several lifetimes worth of striving to get to his level!
John
