East Tennessee

[Damn Yankee]

Hi Folks,

I am looking for a mentor in East Tennessee. I live in Grainger County near the Cherokee Dam. I couldn't move a knee mill so purchased a VM27-D (7 x 27) tabletop mill last year. This year I bought a G4003G (12 x 36) lathe (still cleaning the Chinese off it). Have most tooling and measurement tools and understand basic machining. I'm not stupid; I get Trig, and I am an engineer so my mind never stops.

I'm looking for someone who is smart, honest, has been around the block a few times and can help with some suggestions and guidance which would allow me to machine smarter and safer and open my mind to new ways of thinking. I would love to learn the nuances between certain machines. You are welcome to my home, I will drive to your shop, or I don't mind buying lunches somewhere neutral! If I pull up to your house, my car or truck won't leak oil on your driveway, and I won't track crap all over your shop. I'm not a Cling-On and can take a subtle hint. I bathe regularly and don't have cooties. I hate thieves, never been arrested, and I don't do drugs. Need to know anything else - just ask.

Hobbies are electronics, woodworking, welding, automobiles, physics, night sky, computer programming, ham radio, and now, machining. Very good at most, pretty good at the rest, looking to put machining near the top.

Hope to meet someone.

John

 

[benmychree]

I wish you weren't clear across the country! I have been to Grainger and Union counties, Union used to be part of Grainger county when my GGGF was born there in 1820, he came west in the 1840s, settled here, family has been here ever since. I look forward to at least answering questions the you may post.

 

[extropic]

Hi John,

Excellent introduction and I see that Admins have already got you on the MAP.

See you around H-M.

 

[T Bredehoft]

Hi John,
I envy your many hobbies, and the variety thereof.
I'm currently in the Eastern time zone, but hope to move to Central European in the next year (traveling back and forth currently.)

I'm a retired Tool and Die Maker, UAW sponsored, put 25 years into it before retiring. I'd like to think I'm good at answering questions. Use me as you can, or need, I'll try to give you reasonable answers, presupposing you have some inkling of processes, etc.

Sorry but age and location prohibit one on one.

Tom

 

[Damn Yankee]

Hey John, yes, it is beautiful here. My mother was born here and family that go back when they were trying to push the state of Franklin on North Carolina and the US government. I lived in SoCal for a little over a year. Not as nice as the North. California is the only place where you can have ocean or dessert, mountains or plains, hot or cold, and damn smart and plumb crazy in less than 100 miles.

Extropic, yes Bryan did it in a couple hours. I guess they must have change it or something. I remember dinking with it to get myself on it but nothing ever worked. Does your moniker a reference to Thermodynamics, the technology/life belief, something else? yeah, I hope we bump into each other - sounds fascinating.

Tom, thanks for the kind words. Love the avatar. I have always wanted a 53 Commander, built to the gills. There used to be a Studebaker boneyard in Kentucky. The fella had several of varying condition for ~$1,500 c. 1998. I was busy running a business so never pursued it. I lost his name and address but through some Internet sleuthing found what I thought was the place. It was all overgrown, but I could see some iron back in the lower 40. I was in the middle of moving from Chicago to Tennessee so couldn't move on it. Now, it probably is not prudent to build a gas eater, but I can dream! Central Europe? Germany? My next door neighbor in Chicago is a flight attendant for United. Grew up there and flies between Chicago and Hamburg weekly. Nice gig.

Thanks All!

J

 

[Winegrower]

Not as nice as the North. California is the only place where you can have ocean or dessert, mountains or plains, hot or cold, and damn smart and plumb crazy in less than 100 miles.

This is as good a summary as I've ever heard. My compliments!

 

[mmcmdl]

Been thru Rutledge once or twice . Oak Ridge had some national baseball tournaments years back . And Coal Creek atv park . Love the area ! Maybe heading down around Christmas this year if we can get our plans together .

 

[Damn Yankee]

Thank you Winegrower, just an observation. How is your wine? Wife loves wine, I'm Jack Daniels to Angel Envy kind of guy. Depends on how big the pocket is at the moment... "Hey, is that bourbon in your pants or are you just glad to see me?"

MMCMDL, you are almost a Roman number... How in the heck could you remember Rutledge? I don't even know why Rutledge exists. Usually, an old town is at the confluence of two or waterways, or along a railroad where there is water, or if you are desperate, on a salt lick. Originally, Rutledge had the opportunity to be a railroad town and turned it down (who does that?), then got a second crack at it when they put what was locally known as the Pevine along a flooding and unpredictable creek that washed out the tressled tracks regularly. Even the railroad gave up. Its only claim to fame is 11W, the first state line to state line road also know as Bloody 11W for all the crashes. Anyway, blink and you missed it!

J

 

[mmcmdl]

How in the heck could you remember Rutledge?

They held a National Baseball Invitational Youth Tournament every year down there . " Battle of the South " . From there if you won or were within the top 3 teams you moved on to the " World Series in Nashville " 2 weeks later where we got our asses handed to us from a Northern NY team . We enjoyed both tourneys and the state ! We were the Baltimore Buzz and Maryland Select teams over the years . I miss traveling .

 

[Old Iron Guy]

Hi Folks,

I am looking for a mentor in East Tennessee. I live in Grainger County near the Cherokee Dam. I couldn't move a knee mill so purchased a VM27-D (7 x 27) tabletop mill last year. This year I bought a G4003G (12 x 36) lathe (still cleaning the Chinese off it). Have most tooling and measurement tools and understand basic machining. I'm not stupid; I get Trig, and I am an engineer so my mind never stops.

I'm looking for someone who is smart, honest, has been around the block a few times and can help with some suggestions and guidance which would allow me to machine smarter and safer and open my mind to new ways of thinking. I would love to learn the nuances between certain machines. You are welcome to my home, I will drive to your shop, or I don't mind buying lunches somewhere neutral! If I pull up to your house, my car or truck won't leak oil on your driveway, and I won't track crap all over your shop. I'm not a Cling-On and can take a subtle hint. I bathe regularly and don't have cooties. I hate thieves, never been arrested, and I don't do drugs. Need to know anything else - just ask.

Hobbies are electronics, woodworking, welding, automobiles, physics, night sky, computer programming, ham radio, and now, machining. Very good at most, pretty good at the rest, looking to put machining near the top.

Hope to meet someone.

John

Hey there John,

Stumbled on your message by accident. I'm about an hour south of you. Moved 12 min. south of Maryville from Florida a couple years back. I've been a hobby machinist for well over 20 years. Good enough to make my own tooling. Comfortable making both gears and gear cutters.

Mom/Dad taught all of us to be honest so no issues there.

Shop has several lathes. All restored by me. Oldest is a Hardinge bench lathe from 1915. South Bend 9" from 1934. Van Norman Mill is from 1896. Also an 11" Shaper from WWII. Plus a much modified mill drill and a 1979 highly modified Clausing 12" VFD powered lathe. Currently restoring a Rivett 608 5C and will be picking up a Hardinge Tool Room lathe next week. When we moved here I sold a bunch of other stuff including several lathes and a couple of mills. Love all the history.

Background includes engineering, surveying and computer science. Two degrees so my wife tells me I'm smart. Somedays not so much. Still plenty of stuff to learn.

Hobby these days is still old iron but I've kicked around all sorts of things. Family was in construction so its in my blood. Pretty fair mechanic as is my son. Majored in math and physics once. Trig is second nature. Half decent welder taught by my father in law who was a commercial welder. Restored cars at one time. Plus did a lot of other stuff. Love working with my hands. Retired now but never find enough time for everything I want to do.

Yes, I'm older but my friends tell me I don't think 'old'. Being in the gym 3 days a week probably helps.
Maybe we can get together sometime.

Louis