New member from western South Dakota

[HairyCannonball]

Hi All, just a quick introduction. I have been lurking here for a while but just joined. I have been machining and making things since I bought my first lathe, a Unimat 3 with milling spindle back in the dark ages when I was a teenager. I used the Unimat mainly for clock repair work, a job I started when I was 13. I still do clockmaking and repair part time as a hobby, however most of my working career has been as a commercial pilot. I now work flying fixed wing EMS for a program in western South Dakota.
My main interests in machining now seem to revolve around keeping an eccentric assortment of motorcycles running, and making model engines. I still have the Unimat 3 although it has been joined in the shop by much more capable machines. My modest shop now has a pair of Maximat Super 11's, an inch and a metric(long story), a bridgeport clone (Acer e-mill with fagor dro) a floor standing small grizzly knee mill, a logan 10 inch lathe, tig and mig welders (still very much a novice at welding) and an assortment of woodworking tools.
Anyway, thanks to all who post here..lots of good information and always entertaining reading. I'll post some pictures of my shop if I ever get it organized enough to not be embarrassed by all the clutter.

Tim

 

[Cogsy]

Welcome to the forum Tim. Motorbikes, engines and planes, I love 'em all too. I keep promising myself I'll make my fortune and get my private pilots license one day, but maybe it'll be more realistic to construct an ultralight and fly it in secret in the countryside...

Post those pics - your shop is unlikely to be as cluttered as mine normally is...

 

[AussieJimG]

Hi Tim, welcome from another Aussie with motorcycles.

What does EMS stand for?

Please post pictures of your workshop to make me feel better about my junk heap (or maybe it will be like Chuck Fellows' pristine playroom and I will be embarrassed again)

Jim

 

[Tin Falcon]

Tim sounds like you have lead a good and interesting life and have collected some good machine tools. A good group here I received much of my training from the air force and did sheet metal work on fixed wings for a while.
Welcome.
Tin

 

[HairyCannonball]

AussieJimG..EMS stands for "earn money sleeping"..otherwise known as emergency medical service. In other words air ambulance.
I'll try to get some pics of the shop over the next few days. I'm still trying to do some interior finish work on the building as well as build some wall cabinets while working on too many other projects at the same time. It always seems like I'm working on things that have to get done rather than things I want to get done.