Thread: Calling all new blokes

Hi Guys and particularly new guys,

I was reflecting on some recent posts and thinking about new members. I would like to know what you new blokes think about us.

OK! We are are a metalwork group within a dedicated woodwork group. We evolved, for want of a better word from the need by woodworkers to sometimes work with metal.
From there we just grew and grew. It was members and their participation in discussion and willingness to help other members that made this so.

Nearly ten years down the track, I wonder what the most recent members make of us?

Ok new blokes, this is for you.Tell us what you think!

What made you join? Maybe it is a chicken and the egg type question. Did you have metalwork machinery previous to joining our forum and joined to increase your knowledge, or did you join and gained knowledge from those already here and then bought machinery ?

Do you feel you have been made welcome ? Do you feel comfortable in joining in our discussions.

What is your favorite area of the forum? Which one one do you like the least. What machinery tools do you have? What gear would you like to have?

I came to the forum with a back ground in welding but an interest in machining where I had very little experience. I gained much on machining theory and practice from the members here.
Jump in and tell us about yourself and your aspirations here.

If you have some machinery and tools tell us about that. Have you a project ,you would like to make?

I have a
12 x 36 lathe
16mm Drill Press
14" Vertical band saw

Fronios Magicwave Inverter Tig /Stick welder
Kemppi Minarc Mig 180 Adaptive Inverter
King Chrome hydraulic pipe bender Pipe
A Multi Tool belt sander
and the usual lot power hand drills ,angle grinders and sanders

Please join in.

Grahame

How new? 1 year and younger from being on here or like people that joined 2 months ago?

Cooper

I'll leave it up to the individual to make his own mind up on that.

If you would like to have a say jump in.

Grahame

Originally Posted by xXvapourXx

How new? 1 year and younger from being on here or like people that joined 2 months ago?

Cooper

Your an old guy now, LOL

Seriously though, you can post up your thoughts.

Good thread Grahame, I will be interested to see the responses.

Dave

I feel like a newbie having recently got the Myford, yet I have been here on the forum for a number of years and with in the metal section from time to time. Also had years of work with metal where does that place me.

I encourage anyone who wants a say to have it.

Grahame

I've only been a member for about 9 years.

I'm still here 'cos I now know a lot of people here & I got a lot of good info here. (& I haven't been banned yet. )

I consider my self lucky, I grew up in the bush with a shed full of tools & we were that far out of town that if it broke, you had to fix it yourself.

We also had 3 different sets of encyclopaedias & if you needed to know something, you looked it up.

While I was still in primary school, I was mad keen on electronics so my mum bought me a hobby lab.

She also had a piano & her family were/are artists so she gave us access to music & art & music lessons.

When I was at high-school, I got to do woodwork, metalwork & tech drawing.

When I left school, I trained in electronics & then changed to computers. (34 years this year)

Even before the internet came along I was on bulletin boards in special interest groups.

When the internet came along, I just gravitated into finding out stuff for myself & consequently, I am now a member of about 15 or 20 different forums of which, this one is where I spend most of my time.

I joined in 2008 so I'm hardly new, but as I've only posted several times in 5 years I guess I'm sort of a newbie. I find the members of this forum rather clicky so I don't bother posting, there is some good info though. Looking at the machinery some of you blokes have I'm wondering if you all won lotto.

Interesting topic! Wish I had found the site much sooner, as it deals with the realities of pursuing our interest, or hobby, in an Australian context. Always had an interest in metalwork and mechanics, but running an earthmoving business in an isolated area for most of a lifetime, have had to develop my skills largely by trial and error, (plenty of the latter). Recently retired from the business and was able to retain nearly all of my workshop gear, and can now find some time to learn the things that escaped me in the past.
I am completely in awe of the skill and precision displayed by the experts who share their projects and knowledge here on a regular basis. Makes my skills look very basic. My turning skills were nearly adequate for my big early 1900's lathe, but have since found a well equipped 280 x 750 lathe capable of serious precision, and my education just started again. Also have about 3.5 tonnes of Cincinnati Universal mill begging to be played with when I get a moment, so the posts of our mill experts are of particular interest. Also value the threads on suppliers of tooling and equipment, as it is great to know where to get value for my money.
Can't say I find the group "clicky" as a previous person noted. I guess people carry on here as a bunch of good friends do, and it doesn't bother me. Regards to all, Combustor. (aka Murray), in the depths of the Kimberley.

Good morning,as a new member here,I haven't posted much joining 2 yrs ago
I find that the like mindness of most of the metal working forum to be helpful and the resources and ideas are well shared.
As that famous 1 liner '' opinions are like..........everyone's got one.
Have spent a life time within the metal trade and various tangents of them.
I was always taught by my late father ask if you don't know and feel most comfortable here asking a question for a result.
So far any questions I have asked here many members have offered their advice.
John.

I'm hardly a newbie but I have spoken to a few WWers who sometimes lurk in the MW forum. The sorts of things they said were that they were amazed and impressed by what goes on here. A couple said that that they felt the discussions a bit overly technical and exclusive of other members - my guess is because it's often a smaller group of MWers chatting about specifics - like that doesn't happen on any of the other WW forums . I think there is a certain amount of trepidation by some WWers to ask a MW type question in case they get laughed at but that is no different to asking a question in any of the forums.

Good thread Graeme, I've been a member since yesterday - is that new enough? I'm already in the deep stuff for spending too much time here!!

I'm with Cliff, come from the bush (mallee), son & grandson of blacksmiths and have been making (or modifying, aka 'product improvements') things since I can remember, necessity being the mother of invention. Went to Yr11 at Tech School, plenty of woodwork, metal work, machining & tech drawing.
Joined the RAAF in 1963 (age 16) as an Apprentice (Instrument Fitter, now Avionics Technicians). Became part of the RAAF Engineering Category in 1974. Have been involved in some serious engineering inquiries, radical solutions and opportunities one could only dream of in civvy street. Left RAAF in 1994 - it's a wonderful life, followed by RAAF Reserve Service (to Engineering Tasks) till 2011 (49 yrs).
Workshop has 150mm x 500mm HAFCO AL-250G Lathe, HAFCO HM-10 mini-mill, gas & arc welders, + the normal other workshop gear.
I hooked onto this site while looking for a solution to effectively achieving hi-finish grinding of aluminium. I very much like the look and feel of the pple here and look forward to helping where I can. This is my first and only forum.

Yours in improvement/s, Daryl

Ive joined in what most would consider a new timeframe, but ive been lurking for a little while longer than that. I think this is a pretty nice place to be. Occasionally, I think it might be a touch over moderated, but thats rarely the case. Usually this place is a great source of knowledge and I can only hope that my occasional contributions add to that. Im only here for the metalwork though, I can count on one hand how many times ive browsed outside this and the hercus forum. It crosses my mind from time to time to have a look at the woodies going at it, seeing as how im an industrial arts teacher and I teach a lot of woodwork...but I just like metalwork better!

I reckon there are a few too many subforums in this topic area, I dont think many of the topics have enough critical mass to get them running well on their own. Its a shame from my perspective as a hercus owner, but I cant help but think there would be a bit more conversation going on had some of the topics been posted in the main metal forum.

I do have a little machinery, just building the collection at this point. The main player is a hercus 260. The trick is that I can go to school and use their machinery whenever I like, so I do have a milling machine, shaper, more lathes, presses etc etc at my disposal. Projects wise, im busy getting my lathe into running condition after a complete disassembly and cleanup. Im short a few parts, but its not far off. After that im going to make a toolpost grinder for it, followed by making it capable of cutting gears. Ive got a douglas shaper on the way soon too, and im contemplating turning it into a vertical mill...thats a way off yet though.

I joined the forum in 2007 after buying the polishers hand book as I wanted to try to French polish a dining suite.
To start with I was only interested in the timber working sections then when I was looking for a new welder I found the welding section extremely helpful although I was only lurking and had no experience to offer. That is one of the great things about his forum. Even if you have nothing to offer the members will help.
tools, a drill press, inverter welder,grinders, chop saw, assorted hand tools and a few years ago I picked up, at no cost, a Drummond round bed lathe which I am only now starting to put together.

Originally Posted by DarBee

...Joined the RAAF in 1963 ...

I was a Radtech G 76 -82 with post grad training in Minicomputers.

Originally Posted by rat52

I joined the forum in 2007 after buying the polishers hand book .....

That is how I found the place too.