New Old Timer

[awright]

Been messing around with home shop metalworking machinery since buying a 9" Logan lathe from a neighbor who was moving to a retirement home about 70 years ago. Dad was an excellent woodworker but I preferred the predictability of metal. (Plus, I've had an aversion to woodworking tools since nipping the tip of my left index finger off at a very early age while a buddy and I were playing with my dad's jointer.)

I've cobbled together many home brew tools over the decades but can't remember them right now. Possibly the next one will be interesting enough to post.

Mostly retired from a career in acoustical (noise and vibration) engineering, but still take on interesting small jobs. Built numerous electronic and mechanical devices as needed for jobs, like a very early FM modulator using a tunnel diode for recording low frequency vibration data on a tape recorder (before such portable recorders were commercially available), a ground pounder driving a 20 pound weight powered by two vacuum cleaner motors (for measuring vibration propagation properties of soils), and most recently a device for measuring the straightness of railroad rails over a couple of hundred feet using a laser.

Hobby has gotten out of hand. Now have three lathes, three milling machines, two tool grinders, five bench and pedestal grinders, two bandsaws, a glass saw, a ten foot section of railroad rail in the side yard, and an awful lot of junk. It's been fun and the fun continues.

Living in the San Francisco Bay Area.

[GlennR]

Sounds like you've got enough tools to get the job done, or even open a trade school!

[kbalch]

Hi awright,

Welcome!

What an interesting career you've had! Quite a shop, there, too. Glad to hear that you're still having fun with it.

What are you planning to build next?

Ken

[Jon]

Welcome to HomemadeTools.net awright

Lots of engineers on board, but I believe you're our first one with acoustical engineering experience. We do have some luthiers who will probably find your experience very useful. Nice to have you on board

[DIYer]

Hello awright, welcome and glad to have you on the forum!