That hardly seems like a short list of equipment Pixman. I actually only have three lathes and only one of those sees regular use. The little Unimat 3 is what started this whole addiction. It hasn't been used since I bought the South Bend but I have been working at fixing it up slowly. I have a variable speed sewing machine motor that will eventually drive it and have replaced the plastic Gibbs with brass ones so far. The Smart & Brown 1024 VSL is my latest acquisition. It was running when I bought it but I'm stripping it down, making and purchasing some new parts for it and waiting for my bank account to heal before buying a RPC to power it. I was hoping to have it running by now but it's a slow process and the SB is still providing all the entertainment I really need. I also own 3 mills which is more than I need but one is a horizontal and the little X2 clone is getting CNC'd. The electronics showed up in the mail the other day, I'm just waiting on the hardware to arrive. I bought both the electronics and hardware as a kit so I'm hoping once all the parts are here it won't be too much of a process to get it all together.
The biggest thing in have learned with this new hobby is patience. When I first started machining I would rush a project to see the final result and now I'm happy taking my time and doing each operation as a project in itself. It's an odd transition, a couple years ago I would get pissed off if I didn't have the right tool for a job and I would usually mess it up trying to take a short cut. Now I have no issue spending a couple of weeks building a tool that I need to complete a 5 minute job.
That's enough internet rambling though, I hardly drink but tonight I have had quite a few
I am also looking after my Mom who was diagnosed with ulziemers so I know what your going through. A few hours spent in front of a machine is certainly good for the soul, this hobby came at the right time for that.
The biggest thing in have learned with this new hobby is patience. When I first started machining I would rush a project to see the final result and now I'm happy taking my time and doing each operation as a project in itself. It's an odd transition, a couple years ago I would get pissed off if I didn't have the right tool for a job and I would usually mess it up trying to take a short cut. Now I have no issue spending a couple of weeks building a tool that I need to complete a 5 minute job.
That's enough internet rambling though, I hardly drink but tonight I have had quite a few
I am also looking after my Mom who was diagnosed with ulziemers so I know what your going through. A few hours spent in front of a machine is certainly good for the soul, this hobby came at the right time for that.
Shawn, proud to be a member of MetalworkingFun Forum since Nov 2013.