How Did I Become One Of Those Old Guys?

cvairwerks, one of my uncles had 6 kids, by the time the last one was born it was younger than three of his grandkids at the time. Now that I have grandkids I think boy, how did he keep going all the time.
 
I had to bring this thread back from the archives

In the time that has elapsed I have survived cancer and just as the last few dollars were running out I got a job!

Somehow I was hired to be the engineer in a machine shop that repairs broken machines!

Better yet, I’m working with HVOF spray welding

Earlier this week, I was telling one of the kids about telling my
machine tool tech instructor I was attending that semester
Solely to learn how to sharpen lathe and drill bits-I spent the semester sharpening drill bits.

This kid rolled his eyes and said something about the old college educated engineer telling stories about his golden years, when he saw me walk up to the belt sander and sharpen an almost 7/8” bit and then proceeded to drill a hole through a two inch piece of steel. Later that day he walks up to me, hands me an 1/8” carbide drill bit and sheepishly asks me if I would sharpen it for his friend who was stuck trying to remove broken stainless fasteners.

The shop foreman overheard this and thought they were teasing me... he proceeded to watch the kid drill all of the busted fasteners!

The following day, I was handed an 18” long 1/4” aircraft drill bit. In spite of my finding long bits to be a bear to sharpen, I did my best and told him to bring it back later in the day as I was in a pinch. Turns out he finished the job with that bit.

Today, the shop foreman saw me removing a broken height adjuster from a quick-change tool holder... Next thing I know, he hands me two with broken height adjusters and three new height adjusters

I think the shop foreman (who might be 35) finally realized I really do have some skills!

Sadly, now, even the older journeymen are bringing me bits to sharpen, but worse yet, just imagine the broken bits I am now called on to help with-in a shop that repairs broken machinery-LOL

The best part of this job is that in spite of my having been declared cancer free in October, and being a “Well-experienced Gentleman” I can endure eight hours of hard work standing!

AND I’m earning more than I made slinging Chrome with Snap-On, AND I only work 40 hours a week!

Thanx for letting me continue to play
 
Repairing machinery is a dream job for me.
I was paid to fabricate and repair machinery for one year back in the early 80’s. I couldn’t wait to get to work.
 
Janderso said:
Repairing machinery is a dream job for me.
I was paid to fabricate and repair machinery for one year back in the early 80’s. I couldn’t wait to get to work.
Click to expand...
In ‘90 or ‘91 I enrolled at IPFW to study machinery design. Through several poor twists of fate, I wasn’t able to follow through, but ended up as the machinist in a small factory-where I built bitsa for motor home satellite dishes. This morphed into making punch press dies (I’d not had a second’s formal training, but I had a library).

I loved that job, but I’d been hired as a “temporary” employee and ultimately found a job in my primary field, analytical chemistry and moved to Baltimore. That job only lasted 69 days!

That was my last job machining outside my home shop until this one

Funny how we can return home, because that’s what this job feels like.

It took a lot of loss, suffering, and pain, but I’m back among my tribe
 
Somehow, I have become the official bit sharpener in the shop

To the extent that when we had a hot job that I couldn’t get the bits sharpened in time, I took them home and sharpened them at home

The irony is that one of the conditions of employment is that I’m not to do machine work at home for outside folks

I never expected that I’d be doing work at home for my day job
 
Your not old..........just vintage.....it sounds better. Preserved with care.
 
It happened again

I was separated from my last employer and somehow found myself working in yet another machine shop.

This one has all the good and none of the bad from the last one.

I have found that once again, I am one of the more "well-experienced Gentlemen" in the shop.

This gig is really cool. I have not only gotten to run machinery I never would have been allowed near at the last gig, I've run all three of the big jig mills and have gotten much more comfortable running the big stuff.

To think I thought a 28X60 lathe was cool, my first turning job here was on a 40X144 lathe!

My mill has a 96X72 table Woo Hoo
 
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