FWIW first welding job, 2 years on

[Richard Smith]

Hello all
A for what it's worth...

Actually 2~1/2 years since ali. GMAW job.
First local job since arriving in Cornwall 2 years ago.
Yes - I crossed the Tamar from Devon. Very loaded issue.

Is a fabco.
Been MIG'ing steel all day.

Best wishes everyone,
Rich S

[Jim Wilkins]

"Richard Smith" wrote in message news:***@void.com...

Hello all
A for what it's worth...

Actually 2~1/2 years since ali. GMAW job.
First local job since arriving in Cornwall 2 years ago.
Yes - I crossed the Tamar from Devon. Very loaded issue.

Is a fabco.
Been MIG'ing steel all day.

Best wishes everyone,
Rich S

------------------------------

Did the US gold mine elevator accident have any effect on your mining museum
activities? I was careful to limit what I suggested. The crash of the B-17
"909" nearly shut down US warbird displays, then you lost a Spitfire.

I removed the sawmill rails from my yard a few days ago. They were similar
to 22 inch gauge track, upright 3" steel channel on wood sleepers, 24' long
to handle 20' logs. Stepping over them was a major nuisance.

[Richard Smith]

Post by Jim Wilkins
...
Did the US gold mine elevator accident have any effect on your mining
museum activities? I was careful to limit what I suggested. ...

I hadn't even followed the story.
I'd vaguely heard of it, but wasn't retained and otherwise mentioned.
I'd study the explanation of what happened when it emerges.

Thing is, keeping historic mines open is inherently risky and
challenging. I've seen in video how much effort various preserved mines
in the US have to go to. eg. there's one on the Comstock Lode, where
some of the almost unique features of mining that lode are seen.

So occasional mishaps are going to happen.

The value to society of seeing where our forebearers scraped a living is
so very very high.
So the risks while known are accepted. Someone somewhere will be in the
wrong place at the wrong time - but to lose contact with forebearers and
continuity is a "no way" for our societies.

"Our" shaft is only about something like 100ft deep. Is haulage skip
only - no person riding. We use a ladder shaft to get in / out of mine.

[Richard Smith]

What was "unique" about mining the Comstock Lode is shown here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comstock_Lode
in pic
Loading Image...
That "cuboid" bracing.
There is some of that to be seen in a preserved mine.
But yes, preserving a mine isn't easy, in general.

[Jim Wilkins]

"Richard Smith" wrote in message news:***@void.com...

The value to society of seeing where our forebearers scraped a living is
so very very high.
So the risks while known are accepted. Someone somewhere will be in the
wrong place at the wrong time - but to lose contact with forebearers and
continuity is a "no way" for our societies.
----------------------------------

I live in a somewhat sparsely populated hilly to mountainous state next to a
flat highly urban one whose residents flock here for vacations. Over the
weekend the TV ran a warning that hiking in the mountains requires more cold
weather preparation than many arrive with, being used to always having warm
indoor shelter nearby. Specifically, don't climb in October wearing sneakers
or even shorts and sandals. Crosses mark where hikers froze to death in
July. Several times I've seen mountain hikers very poorly prepared for the
arctic wind and cold and deep snow at altitude while it's sunny and warm
where they parked, a few miles away. While descending late in the day in
January, equipped as for Mt Everest, we met and escorted back a group of
teens struggling uphill through the snow in light jackets and sneakers.
Another hiker and I made winter gear and were testing my goose down parka
and his snowshoe climbing grips.

NH mountains aren't particularly high but their weather can be similar to
northern Labrador. We don't benefit from Gulf Stream warmth as you do, we
get Norwegian cold (-20C) at Italian latitude (42N). Our urbanites have
become used to thinking that the world is safe and not staying alert or
taking precautions.

[Snag]

Post by Richard Smith
The value to society of seeing where our forebearers scraped a living is
so very very high.
So the risks while known are accepted.  Someone somewhere will be in the
wrong place at the wrong time - but to lose contact with forebearers and
continuity is a "no way" for our societies.
----------------------------------
I live in a somewhat sparsely populated hilly to mountainous state next
to a flat highly urban one whose residents flock here for vacations.
Over the weekend the TV ran a warning that hiking in the mountains
requires more cold weather preparation than many arrive with, being used
to always having warm indoor shelter nearby. Specifically, don't climb
in October wearing sneakers or even shorts and sandals. Crosses mark
where hikers froze to death in July. Several times I've seen mountain
hikers very poorly prepared for the arctic wind and cold and deep snow
at altitude while it's sunny and warm where they parked, a few miles
away. While descending late in the day in January, equipped as for Mt
Everest, we met and escorted back a group of teens struggling uphill
through the snow in light jackets and sneakers. Another hiker and I made
winter gear and were testing my goose down parka and his snowshoe
climbing grips.
NH mountains aren't particularly high but their weather can be similar
to northern Labrador. We don't benefit from Gulf Stream warmth as you
do, we get Norwegian cold (-20C) at Italian latitude (42N). Our
urbanites have become used to thinking that the world is safe and not
staying alert or taking precautions.

Sounds like a good way to cull the incurably stupid among us ... our
culture has pretty much eliminated natural selection .

[Jim Wilkins]

Our urbanites have become used to thinking that the world is safe and not
staying alert or taking precautions.

Sounds like a good way to cull the incurably stupid among us ... our
culture has pretty much eliminated natural selection .
Snag

----------------------------

It's not stupidity, they are street-smart in their own environment, just not
in the wilderness. I had to stay alert, learn fast and dress to become
invisible when the Army stationed me in New Jersey and I had the chance to
explore New York City on weekends. I knew I had succeeded when the hookers
around 42nd St stopped noticing me. In Mensa NH, MA and sometimes NY and
Quebec mingled at functions and learned the rules of each others' turf.

The biggest cultural divide I've experienced was between French and English
speakers in Canada. I made the mistake of speaking French when I hadn't
noticed that we (black-leather bikers) had passed from Quebec into New
Brunswick, and the store clerk was very rude until I switched to American
English.

[Richard Smith]

Post by Richard Smith
The value to society of seeing where our forebearers scraped a living is
so very very high.
So the risks while known are accepted. Someone somewhere will be in the
wrong place at the wrong time - but to lose contact with forebearers and
continuity is a "no way" for our societies.
----------------------------------
I live in a somewhat sparsely populated hilly to mountainous state
next to a flat highly urban one whose residents flock here for
vacations. Over the weekend the TV ran a warning that hiking in the
mountains requires more cold weather preparation than many arrive
with, being used to always having warm indoor shelter
nearby. Specifically, don't climb in October wearing sneakers or even
shorts and sandals. Crosses mark where hikers froze to death in
July. Several times I've seen mountain hikers very poorly prepared for
the arctic wind and cold and deep snow at altitude while it's sunny
and warm where they parked, a few miles away. While descending late in
the day in January, equipped as for Mt Everest, we met and escorted
back a group of teens struggling uphill through the snow in light
jackets and sneakers. Another hiker and I made winter gear and were
testing my goose down parka and his snowshoe climbing grips.
NH mountains aren't particularly high but their weather can be similar
to northern Labrador. We don't benefit from Gulf Stream warmth as you
do, we get Norwegian cold (-20C) at Italian latitude (42N). Our
urbanites have become used to thinking that the world is safe and not
staying alert or taking precautions.

From where I come from in the Pennines in Northern England - "nothing"
by continental standards - the local mountain rescue cheerfully lists
"popular" ways people get in a mess and/or come by mishaps.

[Jim Wilkins]

"Richard Smith" wrote in message news:***@void.com...

Yes - I crossed the Tamar from Devon. Very loaded issue.

----------------------------
One Tamar bridge has a unique design:
https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/brunels-royal-albert-bridge-unveiled-in-all-its-splendour

The upper arch expands under load, the lower one contracts and cancels the
upper's end thrust, thus the supporting piers can be quite narrow and the
abutments curved to match the track right-of-way.

[Richard Smith]

Post by Richard Smith
Yes - I crossed the Tamar from Devon. Very loaded issue.
----------------------------
https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/brunels-royal-albert-bridge-unveiled-in-all-its-splendour
The upper arch expands under load, the lower one contracts and cancels
the upper's end thrust, thus the supporting piers can be quite narrow
and the abutments curved to match the track right-of-way.

I pass that, the Saltash Bridge, travelling back to Devon of I go the
South-of-Dartmoor route through Plymouth.
From the road suspension bridge the 1850's Brunel railway Saltash bridge
is alongside.

It is a spectacular sight.
Many Brunel solutions are very special - there is a clean rationality to
the design, as best I can put it.

Regards,
Rich S

[Richard Smith]

Made it to third day so far...
Might have a niche there.

[Richard Smith]

Into fourth week in job.
Is tough. New techniques for slightly different situations not
previously met.
Getting strength back to be welding all day.
About 1/3rd of my work is making components for mineral separating
machinery. Very Cornish.
Best wishes

[Richard Smith]

Post by Richard Smith

Post by Richard Smith
Yes - I crossed the Tamar from Devon. Very loaded issue.
----------------------------
https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/brunels-royal-albert-bridge-unveiled-in-all-its-splendour
The upper arch expands under load, the lower one contracts and cancels
the upper's end thrust, thus the supporting piers can be quite narrow
and the abutments curved to match the track right-of-way.

I pass that, the Saltash Bridge, travelling back to Devon of I go the
South-of-Dartmoor route through Plymouth.
From the road suspension bridge the 1850's Brunel railway Saltash bridge
is alongside.
It is a spectacular sight.
Many Brunel solutions are very special - there is a clean rationality to
the design, as best I can put it.
Regards,
Rich S

Done 7th week of weldign job. It seems to be settling-down. My
repertoire of customers is very limited, but I am refining my welding
technique and getting more efficient hence quicker.

I've had some "golden hints" - eg. for an outside-corner MIG / GMAW
joint in the horizontal-vertical position, a weave is needed bacause it
will not run stable otherwise (familiar other one is horizontal-vertical
T-fillet weld with 6010 cellulosic stick - sometimes will not run stable
"straight-run" and needs a "whipping" manipulation). I only needed to
see it for one second for "the penny to drop".
Others similar-ish. So, has been good.

I have contributed - this has started to happen. I used "the bubble"
(spirit-level) on some fabrications, and found that what it cost in time
to set things off parallel at the first stage was more than made-up for
by the "ideal" time it took to fit-up and weld the rest.
Show the approach and the corrections, the owner and designer where on
the press-brake with dial-gauges, etc., and made adjustments.
ie. there is something positive going on.

Etc.

It is hard work getting back to it, for sure.

I have developed muscles to "float the torch" (GMAW "gun").
While having a guide can give the most "exhibition grade" welds,
practically for production "floating the torch" has you quickly moving
along the welds presented in-line on your trestles.
It is good keeping a consistent weld when the "harness" (tube for the
wire, gas, control-cables, etc.) has found something to drag on mid-run
and you continue to do an invariant run. Etc.

Best wishes

[Jim Wilkins]

"Richard Smith" wrote in message news:***@void.com...

I have contributed - this has started to happen. I used "the bubble"
(spirit-level) on some fabrications, and found that what it cost in time
to set things off parallel at the first stage was more than made-up for
by the "ideal" time it took to fit-up and weld the rest.
Show the approach and the corrections, the owner and designer where on
the press-brake with dial-gauges, etc., and made adjustments.
ie. there is something positive going on. ...
-------------------------
Could you expand on that?

I found out the hard way how much welds can distort a precise alignment,
especially a weld across an inside corner. I had to jack the sawmill ladder
frame parallel (enough) and mill the shrunken gap in a bending brake hinge
assembled from surface-ground plates. The surface welds along the sides of
the plate stack didn't destroy the 0.005" fork/tongue clearance, but welding
inside the fork did.

Do diagonal or fish mouth/tail ends (vs square) improve stress distribution
and/or reduce distortion in butt joint splice plate welds? One end of the
splice plate would be bolted, the other welded after aligning the beams.

When I was building custom machinery the press brake operator and welder
compensated for distortion, the all-welded machine frames were square to
1/32". They were mostly multiple 19" relay racks that we had to fit the
equipment panels into, so we would see any error. I knew they marked the
prints with allowances for bending and welding but they didn't share, and
the front surface welds had been ground and filled as invisible as auto body
repairs.
tia, jsw

[Richard Smith]

Post by Richard Smith
I have contributed - this has started to happen. I used "the bubble"
(spirit-level) on some fabrications, and found that what it cost in time
to set things off parallel at the first stage was more than made-up for
by the "ideal" time it took to fit-up and weld the rest.
Show the approach and the corrections, the owner and designer where on
the press-brake with dial-gauges, etc., and made adjustments.
ie. there is something positive going on. ...
-------------------------
Could you expand on that?
I found out the hard way how much welds can distort a precise
alignment, especially a weld across an inside corner. I had to jack
the sawmill ladder frame parallel (enough) and mill the shrunken gap
in a bending brake hinge assembled from surface-ground plates. The
surface welds along the sides of the plate stack didn't destroy the
0.005" fork/tongue clearance, but welding inside the fork did.
Do diagonal or fish mouth/tail ends (vs square) improve stress
distribution and/or reduce distortion in butt joint splice plate
welds? One end of the splice plate would be bolted, the other welded
after aligning the beams.
When I was building custom machinery the press brake operator and
welder compensated for distortion, the all-welded machine frames were
square to 1/32". They were mostly multiple 19" relay racks that we had
to fit the equipment panels into, so we would see any error. I knew
they marked the prints with allowances for bending and welding but
they didn't share, and the front surface welds had been ground and
filled as invisible as auto body repairs.
tia, jsw

You are well ahead of me. i doubt i can help.

Press-brake - they have a press-brake, yes - good.
Not new when bought. Is small "fabco.".
Seeing if corrections / calibrations needed to go in to the settings, I think.

[Jim Wilkins]

Bending / welding allowances

You are well ahead of me. i doubt i can help.

Press-brake - they have a press-brake, yes - good.
Not new when bought. Is small "fabco.".
Seeing if corrections / calibrations needed to go in to the settings, I
think.

--------------------

Bending allowance can be determined by bending a small test coupon and
measuring the resulting lengths. I've seen welders hammer the cooling beads
but my night school training didn't cover that aspect, it seemed to be done
by experience and judgment instead of pre-planning.

A practical example is welding a repair in a curved fender. A patch dished
to copy the existing fender shape will flatten from weld shrinkage. If
there's space behind, like on my pickup truck bed, I can restore the curve
with a hammer and dolly, but the integral steel inner wheel well on the car
blocks access for a dolly so if it had antique value I'd need to preform the
patch 'somewhat' deeper to compensate, or build it up with filler.
jsw

[Richard Smith]

Post by Richard Smith

Bending / welding allowances

You are well ahead of me. i doubt i can help.
Press-brake - they have a press-brake, yes - good.
Not new when bought. Is small "fabco.".
Seeing if corrections / calibrations needed to go in to the settings, I think.
--------------------
Bending allowance can be determined by bending a small test coupon and
measuring the resulting lengths. I've seen welders hammer the cooling
beads but my night school training didn't cover that aspect, it seemed
to be done by experience and judgment instead of pre-planning.
A practical example is welding a repair in a curved fender. A patch
dished to copy the existing fender shape will flatten from weld
shrinkage. If there's space behind, like on my pickup truck bed, I can
restore the curve with a hammer and dolly, but the integral steel
inner wheel well on the car blocks access for a dolly so if it had
antique value I'd need to preform the patch 'somewhat' deeper to
compensate, or build it up with filler.
jsw

Lot of experience there.

Funnily enough, was helping the boss on the press-brake today. Ran out
of folded plate pressings and no other work, so did a run. The boss had
me involved in his (our) measurements - getting the pressings from
"nearly" to matches drawing dimensions and angles.
Got some idea of the adjustable variables and what error can manifest as
on pressings.

[Jim Wilkins]

"Richard Smith" wrote in message news:***@void.com...

Funnily enough, was helping the boss on the press-brake today. Ran out
of folded plate pressings and no other work, so did a run. The boss had
me involved in his (our) measurements - getting the pressings from
"nearly" to matches drawing dimensions and angles.
Got some idea of the adjustable variables and what error can manifest as
on pressings.
--------------------------------

I have the 30" central Machinery 3-in-1 shear + brake + roll. Like the 4x6
bandsaw they can be terrible unless reworked. Mine had been orphaned in
disgust by a shop that tried to shear plastic with it, without fine-tuning
(overhauling) it first. After adjusting it repeatedly until it stopped
shifting it has worked fairly well, as long as I stay below its claimed
capacity. 0.050" 5052 aluminum is fine on it, 0.063" 6061 is almost too
much.

It bends a radius by inverting the fingers and pressing a round rod down
with the square back edges. I set its height to accept cardboard padding on
the lower die to avoid scratching the stock. The supplied squaring guide
makes a good clamp for a ruler.

[Richard Smith]

Thanks for the hints about the 3-in-1 sheet metalworking machine.
Something of that size might be doable in my outbuilding if projects
were to go that way.

[Jim Wilkins]

"Richard Smith" wrote in message news:***@void.com...

Thanks for the hints about the 3-in-1 sheet metalworking machine.
Something of that size might be doable in my outbuilding if projects
were to go that way.

---------------------------------

I use sheet metal tools to fabricate electronic enclosures, they aren't much
use for building machinery except for cover and control panels, which can be
flat, and if aluminium cut on a table saw.

The valuable equipment is a lathe for power transmission components and a
vertical mill for the static structure, plus a horizontal bandsaw to cut
stock. The lathe and mill need to be stationary, the bandsaw can be wheeled
to move to where you have room for long stock.

They don't actually divide that neatly, I use assorted 5C collet tooling to
move work between the lathe and mill, and British model engineers have a
tradition of making steam locomotives etc entirely on a lathe.

A knee mill is generally considered preferable to a mill-drill if you have
the space and funds. In the USA a Bridgeport or clone is the small shop
standard though I've built a sawmill, firewood splitter and tractor bucket
loader on a knee mill half their size. The small scale mining equipment
you've mentioned might be possible if difficult to make or recondition on
machine tools the sizes of mine.

[Jim Wilkins]

"Jim Wilkins" wrote in message news:vjfu5q$30vd3$***@dont-email.me...

"Richard Smith" wrote in message news:***@void.com...

I use sheet metal tools to fabricate electronic enclosures, they aren't much
use for building machinery except for cover and control panels, which can be
flat, and if aluminium cut on a table saw.

The valuable equipment is a lathe for power transmission components and a
vertical mill for the static structure, plus a horizontal bandsaw to cut
stock.
-------------------------------------

The company that used sheet metal relay (server) racks for large equipment
filled them with pure electronics that need cooling and access for wiring,
but not great strength to resist the torque of rotating machinery. For that
they welded frames from structural steel. The racks were stronger than usual
so the completed assembly could be moved by a forklift in the middle or
J-bars at the corners.

Four of us with J-bars could muscle a 5000 Lb machine onto the flatbed
truck. That's the average weight of stones in the Pyramids.
https://www.rigging.com/wooden-pry-bars-2125-tons.html

Like scrap copper today very little ancient bronze remains unless it was
buried, such as the water main valves in Pompeii. They may have made J-bars,
we just don't know. Roman bronze ball and roller bearings not mentioned in
ancient writing were recovered from the Lake Nemi shipwreck.
https://www.valvemagazine.com/articles/ancient-roman-valves

[Jim Wilkins]

"Jim Wilkins" wrote in message news:vjhbbh$3e2nh$***@dont-email.me...

The valuable equipment is a lathe for power transmission components and a
vertical mill for the static structure, plus a horizontal bandsaw to cut
stock.
-------------------------------------

I didn't include a drill press because the mill makes a good one on small
parts and the lathe drills into large parts such as the ends of long shafts
that can pass through the spindle bore. Its size is a consideration if you
plan to build or repair machinery. My lathe takes 1" diameter through the
headstock in 5C collets and 1-3/8" in a chuck. The 18HP tractor engine has
1" output shafts.

Collets are very convenient if you make parts from new ground rod stock but
one 4 jaw chuck will let you do almost anything.

A woodworking drill press may not be rigid enough to drill accurately
perpendicular holes in steel.

There are indexing fixtures for a mill that allow cutting splines in a shaft
and teeth on a gear, so you can repair a broken tooth by building up with
weld and then trimming to match the others.

I ground a lathe bit into a fly cutter shaped like the tooth gap and
machined a replacement for the steering sector gear on my old tractor. The
original cast gear didn't survive the extra stress of my bucket loader
attachment. The motorcycle chain sprocket I bought to drive the rear wheel
on my sawmill has 13 internal spline teeth. If I'd noticed I would have
asked for one with 12 as all factors of 24 are easy to index. I used a 52
tooth lathe change gear to index and mill matching slots in its drive shaft.

[Richard Smith]

Post by Jim Wilkins
The valuable equipment is a lathe for power transmission components and a
vertical mill for the static structure, plus a horizontal bandsaw to cut
stock.
...

I'd like to have a lathe again for sure.

When I was a youth I had no connection to anyone familiar or who could
mentor me.
Now I have been involved in a lot of commercial manufacturing operations
and done a fair amount of machining.
With landing-down here, might soon come time to look at this - getting
some machine tools.

[Jim Wilkins]

"Richard Smith" wrote in message news:***@void.com...

I'd like to have a lathe again for sure.

When I was a youth I had no connection to anyone familiar or who could
mentor me.
Now I have been involved in a lot of commercial manufacturing operations
and done a fair amount of machining.
With landing-down here, might soon come time to look at this - getting
some machine tools.
-------------------------------------
Since cost normally scales up with capacity it would help to note what you
would do with it. I learned foundry practice by age 5, had been making
gadgets on wood shop machines since I was 8 and ran industrial machinery
during high school, so I had a pretty good idea of what I would buy when
available.

My lathe turns up to 5" center height, 10" diameter to the left of the
carriage. It's fine for delicate instrument work, adequate for making and
repairing tools and outdoor equipment to at least 6HP, but it can't turn my
brake drums or rotors. Replacements for them are cheap enough to not justify
a larger lathe. It was nice for designing - while - machining a prototype or
one-time custom job but would be uncompetitively slow for a commercial
production run. You could note the size of custom lathe-turned parts on the
mining equipment.

[Richard Smith]

There was a phone call received from an installer at site which was
essentially "What's going on? Everything fits!".
That was when what I made had gone by the galvanisers and began arriving
at site.

[Jim Wilkins]

"Richard Smith" wrote in message news:***@void.com...

There was a phone call received from an installer at site which was
essentially "What's going on? Everything fits!".
That was when what I made had gone by the galvanisers and began arriving
at site.

--------------------------------
Were you let go for embarrassing other designers?

[Richard Smith]

Post by Richard Smith
an installer at site which was
essentially "What's going on? Everything fits!".
That was when what I made had gone by the galvanisers and began arriving
at site.
--------------------------------
Were you let go for embarrassing other designers?

They are pleased.
It's a small Company, and the niche of doing detail on components is a
bonus they didn't know they needed but are happy to have.

They are able to squeeze variability given the hints in the info. I
provide - which benefits everything and everybody.
So a niche role so far is having a general benefit.

[Jim Wilkins]

"Richard Smith" wrote in message news:***@void.com...

They are pleased.
It's a small Company, and the niche of doing detail on components is a
bonus they didn't know they needed but are happy to have.

They are able to squeeze variability given the hints in the info. I
provide - which benefits everything and everybody.
So a niche role so far is having a general benefit.
----------------------------------------------

I liked the freedom at small companies that allowed me to expand into
functions they didn't have. Usually I ended up responsible for all aspects
of custom product creation, electrical, mechanical and software, after I had
proven able to handle them. Symbolic of those companies was a note for the
last one out to please lock the door, the job was interesting enough to work
late.

The downside was their high failure rate, at times from lawsuits by less
successful competitors. I was un- or underemployed during economic downturns
when startups folded and R&D investment dried up. I learned to live very
cheaply, cutting firewood for heat, maintaining the house and car and using
free antenna rather than expensive cable TV. That's why my Internet access
is somewhat limited, right now to 10GB of tethered cellular per month. In
those times I was free to scout auctions etc for good deals on orphaned lab
test equipment and metal shop machinery.

[Richard Smith]

Post by Jim Wilkins
I liked the freedom at small companies that allowed me to expand into
functions they didn't have. Usually I ended up responsible for all
aspects of custom product creation, electrical, mechanical and
software, after I had proven able to handle them. Symbolic of those
companies was a note for the last one out to please lock the door, the
job was interesting enough to work late.
The downside was their high failure rate, at times from lawsuits by
less successful competitors. I was un- or underemployed during
economic downturns when startups folded and R&D investment dried up. I
learned to live very cheaply, cutting firewood for heat, maintaining
the house and car and using free antenna rather than expensive cable
TV. That's why my Internet access is somewhat limited, right now to
10GB of tethered cellular per month. In those times I was free to
scout auctions etc for good deals on orphaned lab test equipment and
metal shop machinery.

I am feeling happy at this place.
It is hard to predict what the future will hold. I can only hope that
if things turn difficult in ways which seem possible (I am in Britain),
local manufacture will be favoured.

[Joe Gwinn]

Post by Richard Smith

Post by Jim Wilkins
I liked the freedom at small companies that allowed me to expand into
functions they didn't have. Usually I ended up responsible for all
aspects of custom product creation, electrical, mechanical and
software, after I had proven able to handle them. Symbolic of those
companies was a note for the last one out to please lock the door, the
job was interesting enough to work late.
The downside was their high failure rate, at times from lawsuits by
less successful competitors. I was un- or underemployed during
economic downturns when startups folded and R&D investment dried up. I
learned to live very cheaply, cutting firewood for heat, maintaining
the house and car and using free antenna rather than expensive cable
TV. That's why my Internet access is somewhat limited, right now to
10GB of tethered cellular per month. In those times I was free to
scout auctions etc for good deals on orphaned lab test equipment and
metal shop machinery.

I am feeling happy at this place.
It is hard to predict what the future will hold. I can only hope that
if things turn difficult in ways which seem possible (I am in Britain),
local manufacture will be favoured.

Order a box from McM and see where they came from. Actually, McM will
tell you if you ask, I'm told.

Joe

[Bob La Londe]

Post by Richard Smith

Post by Jim Wilkins
The valuable equipment is a lathe for power transmission components and a
vertical mill for the static structure, plus a horizontal bandsaw to cut
stock.
...

I'd like to have a lathe again for sure.
When I was a youth I had no connection to anyone familiar or who could
mentor me.
Now I have been involved in a lot of commercial manufacturing operations
and done a fair amount of machining.
With landing-down here, might soon come time to look at this - getting
some machine tools.

There is something to be said for trying to finish a project on a
Saturday afternoon, and being able to make a part complete the job
today. As opposed to waiting until Monday to run down to the store if
you have the time on Monday and if the store actually has the part you
need. Or worse have to order the part and wait until Monday until they
ship it... at the earliest.

I've spent $100 (or more) worth of my time to make a $2 part more than
once to finish a job and get it DONE rather than having another
unfinished job on the list waiting on parts.

[Jim Wilkins]

"Bob La Londe" wrote in message news:vk72q0$61ss$***@dont-email.me...

There is something to be said for trying to finish a project on a
Saturday afternoon, and being able to make a part complete the job
today. As opposed to waiting until Monday to run down to the store if
you have the time on Monday and if the store actually has the part you
need. Or worse have to order the part and wait until Monday until they
ship it... at the earliest.

I've spent $100 (or more) worth of my time to make a $2 part more than
once to finish a job and get it DONE rather than having another
unfinished job on the list waiting on parts.

Bob La Londe

-----------------------------------
I'm likely to want something I can't buy, like those bolts threaded far
enough that the solid shank bore the shear load and the flange nut bottomed
on the threads held the parts just free enough to pivot. Most of the sawmill
and gantry bolts have been turned smaller and beveled on the end to help
align the heavy parts.

When I was driving lasers at microwave frequencies I made everything at home
because of severe packaging and operating constraints, and uncertainty of
what I could get away with until the signal path had been partly completed
and tested on a Vector Network Analyzer. I even made 0-80 x 1-1/4" fillister
head screws and hand-fitted a heat spreader to a warped heatsink too thin to
fly-cut.

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20190030264/downloads/20190030264.pdf

622 Mbps is the T5 link speed.