New guy intro.

[Forestgnome]

Howdy All! Well, I've never been much for introductions, especially on forums. I find I get a better sense of who people are by what they post and how others receive those posts. But, rules are rules, so here goes. Like most on these boards I'm a DIY'er. As a matter of fact I almost never hire anyone to do anything. I'm awfully busy! I started machining when I was 12, when my mother bought an in-home flag baton business. That business came with a Walker-Turner drill press, a 4-1/2 screwcutting Barnes lathe made in 1890 that had been converted from treadle to electric, and a homemade buffer. My job was parting off alloy tubing, cutting c-clip grooves, boring out the tubing ends, and buffing to a mirror finish. I suppose the business might have done better if we had the internet, but that was 1970, so everything was done by mail. Anyway, I eventually inherited the machinery, which I still have to this day. Sentimental value you see. I never did much with lathe back then other than making stuff for my car hobby, but often dreamed of making rocket engines and such. Fast forward to today. I found myself making more stuff on the lathe because I now own a dozer and a track loader, both vintage, so there was a need for unobtainable parts. I also found I needed more lathe, so I found a good deal on a 1960's Sheldon EXL-56, which is my workhorse today. I use my W-T for milling along with a Diamond horizontal mill. I'm self-taught, but as you may guess I've acquired a bit of knowledge over the years. Now I spend a fair amount of time making tools and prototypes for my employer. I work in electronic test and measurement. I have viewed HMEM without joining, but found myself wanting to answer questions on machining, so I joined. I'm sure you guys could teach me a lot too. Since I'm now making itty-bitty parts, I figured you guys had the knowledge. I figure the only time I might make a model is if it's useful for something, like a steam-powered generator, or maybe experimentation with a Sterling. I'm sure when my kids get old enough they'll want to build something (yeah, I started old as a parent). So there it is. I hope to make myself useful here, as well as getting a helping hand when I need it. Thanks to those who run such a great forum, and to those who support it.

Eric