Work

[sparky961]

Hey guys... good thread. Ever since I joined here, I was wondering what the lot of you did. Seeing as many of you are retired, I don't feel quite as bad about not having enough time to do everything I want to. Ok, still jealous... but at least it makes sense now.

Anyway, this topic is a bit depressing for me right now. I've done a lot of things in my life, and I'm not even 30 yet. Seems I just can't seem to find the right thing for me. Here's the short list:
- Shipper (1 year - high school)
- Landscaper (throughout adolescence)
- Auto mechanic (2 yrs)
- Security guard (a few months)
- Framer/carpenter (summer - college)
- Caterer (throughout my adolescence)
- Telemarketer (3 days)
- Home Depot Associate - Electrical (1-1/2 years)
- Embedded Systems Software Architect (4 years)
- Web Developer (1-1/2 years)

I'm sure I'm forgetting something in there. Most of these places, it was my own decision to move on.

Now, I'm facing another great challenge in my life because I was miserable beyond description in my most recent job as a web developer. I've since left that job, and I've been trying to find a position as a machinist or carpenter. Thing is, most of the machinist jobs are in major centers - and I don't like major centers.

So, if you know of anyone that's looking for an exceptionally quick learner and who's experienced with a myriad of trades and technologies, lemme know...

(Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada - or thereabouts)

-Sparky

 

[cfellows]

This is where I work and this is one of the software applications my team supports, webshipping. We're located in Scottsdale, AZ. About the only power tool you'll find in this office is maybe a cordless drill!

 

[lugnut]

Damn a Fed!

Honest Mel, I only made that still to improve the quality of the paint remover I needed
to prep the old Tracker for some touch up work.
I'd NEVER consider drinking it!
:big:

Seriously, speaking of work, my wife and Mom are on a genealogy kick here.
Last weekend we were at a cemetery where my Mom's family is high o the permanent
residence list. She has a uncle buried there who died in his early 20's.
Seems he's mixed up a bad batch of "corn cider" in the probation years and
thought he should test it out.

And they say machinists have a hazardous job!

Rick

dang, Rick, NO Feds here, I thought that it said I worked a Nuclear Reactor
???Mel

 

[Twinsquirrel]

Anyway, this topic is a bit depressing for me right now. I've done a lot of things in my life, and I'm not even 30 yet. Seems I just can't seem to find the right thing for me. Here's the short list:
- Shipper (1 year - high school)
- Landscaper (throughout adolescence)
- Auto mechanic (2 yrs)
- Security guard (a few months)
- Framer/carpenter (summer - college)
- Caterer (throughout my adolescence)
- Telemarketer (3 days)
- Home Depot Associate - Electrical (1-1/2 years)
- Embedded Systems Software Architect (4 years)
- Web Developer (1-1/2 years)

Hey Sparky, you sound like an ideal candidate for working for yourself, I had a similar eclectic mix of jobs but I'm only starting to "find" myself now. Personally I have found that it doesn't really matter what you choose to do you just need to push hard until you get over the hump, then you can cruise for as long as you like until you feel like pushing up the next hill.

 

[rake60]

My oldest boy has a job that scares the S#!T out of me.

I've been burnt many times from hot chips that always seem to
fly to the most uncomfortable of places.

He's suffered a few serious burns in his working career as well.
He does this:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KufgMHYEf7E&feature=related[/ame]

A big, No Thank You from ME!

Rick

 

[Bogstandard]

Rick,

Anything is better than this boring (pun intended) job

Bogs

 

[rake60]

No I can't beat that one John! :big:

Watching those kids handle the molten glass with damp paper towels
is about all I can do.

I even get some work from that shop!
The ends of those blow pipes are cast iron welded to stainless tubes.
The cast ends deteriorate over time and they have new heads welded onto the
tubes. Then they end up in my basement hobby shop to be turned to the size
and shape to meet the demands of the current production needs.

No plans or prints, just a kid standing behind me saying:
"Dad, it would be easier to gather the glass on it if that angle on the end was
just a little bit shallower."

Rick

 

[bentprop]

What exactly was that they were making,Rick?It looked like a giant lampshade.

 

[rake60]

What exactly was that they were making,Rick?It looked like a giant lampshade.

That was an ornamental vase.
Their bread and butter income come from making Gaze Balls.

You know, those shiny balls on a bird bath like stand in the front yard that reflects
the sun into your eyes as you drive past.

No two are alike because each one is hand made and blown.

If that's not skilled labor I don't know what is.
You'll never see an old glass blower.
It's a young man's trade.
Their paid an average wage of $9 an hour...

Alright, I won't go there now!

Those kids are very good at their craft!

Last time my boy got burnt his blow pipe had slipped in his left hand.
His right hand instinctively came up to save it from falling.
Can you say 3ed degree burns and Demerol?

Yeah I'd do that for $9 an hour.... NOT!

Rick

 

[Lew Hartswick]

Work??? Whats that? I seem to remember nearly 11 yrs ago I had to show up at the university and
stick around for about 8 hrs. And every once in a while some research machine would not do its thing
so I had to kick it in the right place and then return to my hole in the wall untill the next time.
Now WAYYY back in the 50s to 70s I did some stuff that I can't tell youall about.
...lew...

 

[dave e]

I'm another computer geek. About 2-1/2 years ago I started a company that helps businesses send invoices and get paid electronically. We're at www.transcepta.com. It's a hoot, but doesn't leave much time for making chips.

Dave

 

[Davyboy]

I've been running a horizontal CNC mill, 5" dia spindle, 10 feet of X, 7 feet of Y, 5 feet of W/Z travel. Milled these bearing assemblies that hold up a drawbridge.

I turned the shafts that sit in those bearings.

And that's why I like the small models. DB

 

[Powder keg]

Way to go Davyboy!!! Those are great!

 

[georgeseal]

Retired (retarded :) Heavy equipment operator for 35 years.


Now my work week consist of 6 Saturdays & a Sunday

 

[shred]

Rick, that looks like a pretty nice hot shop.. I've seen a lot worse. I seriously considered doing that a long time ago, but decided that being on the using-side of the glass was preferable. I do a little kiln glass work, but that's like baking a cake, not flinging red-hot cookie dough all around the kitchen.

 

[Kludge]

Here's the short list:
... many items listed ...

Sounds like me - ex- a lot of things but, as I also said, it's better to be a has been than a never was. Some of the things on my long list I can neither confirm nor deny and a few NO one will ever get me drunk enough to admit to.

Best regards,

Kludge

 

[thezetecman]

I got fed up with designing and making things for other people. so set up
www.precisionflow.co.uk
making clamp on ultrasonic flow meters
Its a nice mix of electronics and precision mechanical parts.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

I have one of the best jobs in the world! (for me, anyways.) I design prototype machinery and automation for industry, from an office in my home. I teach 3D Solid modelling (CAD) when there is a demand for it. People come to me with their requirements, and I set down with them and do an analysis on their project, to see if it is economically feasible. ---(Anything can be designed, but it has to be cost effective, or why bother???) I source and price out all the purchased components, such as hydraulics, pneumatics, servo drives, gear reducers, bearings, etcetera, and I design all the specialty items which must be machined or fabricated from scratch. I have about 6 major machine shops that build machinery for me, to my specifications. Once a machine is designed, and all the engineering drawings prepared, I do bid package administration, which is to say, I get quotations from 3 different fabrication/machine shops, and provide my customer with the results. If the customer wants me to, I will do the project management, which is essentially being the conductor of an orchestra, composed of all the different contractors, i.e. electrical control specialists, machinists, welders, pneumatic and hydraulic specialists, untill a machine is finished and running succesfully. I have been doing this for 43 years now. The first 36 years, I worked for major companies in Ontario, and the last 7 years I have operated indepedently, as a one man engineering company. If someone gave me a blank sheet of paper, and asked me to describe the perfect job, then the results would pretty well be what I do now, every day. I have built hotrods all my life as a hobby, but now at 62 I'm getting a bit long in the tooth and full of arthritis to get up and down as much as that hobby requires, so I have purchased a lathe and a mill in the past year, and started building model steam engines as a hobby. I have attached a picture of myself with the infamous "double acting wobbler" that was taken by Chuck foster, yesterday at the Cookstown Steam Show. For anyone interested, my web page is www.rupnowdesign.com ----Brian

 

[Powder keg]

Did this today. A guy at work broke our roll. It's kind of an important part of our operation. The back drive pin was bent about a quarter inch where the drive gear mounts. Thats 5" shaft where it was bent. We took it to a local shop with a BIG lathe and they cut off the old shaft bored out the pin and sweat'ed another shaft in and welded it up. They couldn't get the shaft into there mill, so they sent it back to us without a key. Today, I set it up on our CNC and milled a 1.25" keyway with a 1" endmill. It worked really good. I think we about maxed out our over head hoist though. The shaft is 10" in diameter and is 13' long. It was a fun project and the key turned out really nice!
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8-XHxbFUy4[/ame]

Later, Wes

 

[ianjkirby]

Hi Wes,
I think I see added-on copper tubes fitted around the spindle housing of the cnc mill in your video. Are these for water-cooling the housing?
Regards, Ian Kirby.
Wollongong NSW Australia