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I dont have what larry does... but this is everything I have and I mean it I dont have a savings account this is it.


I know once I get it into use fully and dont have to work for others it will pay itself off.

not to mention being able to learn on your own

the picture of the wheel is the once shattered bandsaw lower wheel. the old man tig welded it back together over 20 years ago it still works fine today

my uncle gave me the old miller ac stick machine its circa the 50's and works fine it has no fan in it at all and never did.

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xxxx flash and iPhones I'll have to wait to see all your toys but I can guess I'm a minimalist in comparison. Also it's not how much you have it's what you can do with them, the whole "motion of the ocean" theory.

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Larry you seem to either have it all or are on the way to getting it!You apparently have a VERY understanding landlord too.
Wait a minute!You got the tools but you got no shop of your own!Maybe you need to invest in real estate now that you got the tools and no place to put them. ;)
If I added up all the rent I paid up till now I could have bought a half dozen places and I`d be a slumlord er... I mean landlord now. <_<

Most of my working life I held jobs that allowed me 24/7 access to the toys and I concentrated on hand tools or things the boss wouldn`t buy.As a result I am playing catch up on the machinery end of things.Luckily I have all the mechanic and millwright tools needed to build or modify from my days of working for others.
Most importantly my wife and I have an understanding.
Did I mention I have a metal lathe in the kitchen?

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Larry you seem to either have it all or are on the way to getting it!You apparently have a VERY understanding landlord too.
Wait a minute!You got the tools but you got no shop of your own!Maybe you need to invest in real estate now that you got the tools and no place to put them. ;)
If I added up all the rent I paid up till now I could have bought a half dozen places and I`d be a slumlord er... I mean landlord now. <_<

Most of my working life I held jobs that allowed me 24/7 access to the toys and I concentrated on hand tools or things the boss wouldn`t buy.As a result I am playing catch up on the machinery end of things.Luckily I have all the mechanic and millwright tools needed to build or modify from my days of working for others.
Most importantly my wife and I have an understanding.
Did I mention I have a metal lathe in the kitchen?




I bought a chunk of commercial property about three years ago... right at the beginning of the "crash" Long story short I ended up losing about $50K to own it for 6 months and If I wouldn't have been able to sell it Im pretty sure it would have did me in completely..... Now I am no shape to buy property... To buy something comparable to the space I rent (size and location) would cost maybe a million five. I have total about 4/10 of a acre and 6600 sq feet if building.... So long story short, my rent is about a tenth of what the payment would be if I owned the place... Besides my long term goals are to get out of the big city.... And buy a farm or old industrial building in some small Idaho town...
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I bought a chunk of commercial property about three years ago... right at the beginning of the "crash" Long story short I ended up losing about $50K to own it for 6 months and If I wouldn't have been able to sell it Im pretty sure it would have did me in completely..... Now I am no shape to buy property... To buy something comparable to the space I rent (size and location) would cost maybe a million five. I have total about 4/10 of a acre and 6600 sq feet if building.... So long story short, my rent is about a tenth of what the payment would be if I owned the place... Besides my long term goals are to get out of the big city.... And buy a farm or old industrial building in some small Idaho town...



Just thinking about the freight bill for all that is killing me!
Maybe instead of investing in real estate you need to buy into a trucking business just before you move to Idaho.
Sorry to hear about your mishap with buying your own place.Don`t let that put you too far off your stride in considering buying again when the time`s right.Lots of opportunity out there now for a go getter such as yourself.
I see you doing well no matter where you land.Talent coupled with motivation is always a winning combination.
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Larry,

I noticed you have a Linde optical tracer, what is your experience with the machine? What do you use to draw the line?
Also I never did find those hammers you were talking about in CA? Just curious.

Thanks


I`ve used 2 optical tracers and for one we just printed out a pattern in the lofting printer using a bold,dark line.
The other one had issues so we made a solid pattern out of hardboard for the repeat jobs and the contrast of putting the flat black painted pattern on a white posterboard background seemed to help.
If I was thinking about buying another tracer I would look for a mechanical tracer,the kind that had a stylus that followed the edge of a pattern.We seemed to have better luck with those.
Tracers are like 50`s technology though,why not step up to CNC?
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I dont have what larry does... but this is everything I have and I mean it I dont have a savings account this is it.


I know once I get it into use fully and dont have to work for others it will pay itself off.

not to mention being able to learn on your own

the picture of the wheel is the once shattered bandsaw lower wheel. the old man tig welded it back together over 20 years ago it still works fine today

my uncle gave me the old miller ac stick machine its circa the 50's and works fine it has no fan in it at all and never did.
Very nice and complete shop Bryce. Everything any smith would need to do just about anything. My shop is minimalist and entirely manual, even the drill press. My idea of a power hammer is a can of spinach, ugh ugh ugh!
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Nice place you got there Larry, I could feel right at home with little effort. Not owning your own ground can be improved if you wish. Heck, there's two parcels just up the hill from me, the close one is 15 acres and we'd probably be sharing the driveway, the other is another 500' up the hill and it's 20 acres.

As soon as I'm cleared to drive again I'll be happy to haul freight up the Alcan and right to your new digs. I have a full boat commercial driver's licence and a clean record so even Canadian customs won't have any heartburn letting me through. It's a lot less expensive than boat freighting from the Pac NW to Anchorage, heck, air freight is cheaper!:blink:

As an added incentive I'm also an experienced equipment operator on really good terms with the local rental companies so land clearing and grading is no problem.

Your well'd be about 150' but the water is sweet, clear and plentiful.

What the hey, bring the women, brightening the neighborhood is always a welcome thing.B)

Frosty the Lucky.

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That's all I ever hear from you Snowballs: "Move to Alaska, bring women"! Truth is you don't even need to move to Alaska...........just bring women!


Darn! Can't pull anything over on you can we Grant. That'd be "Send" women by the way.:rolleyes: Heck, send money AND women, can't have too many or much of either.

Frosty the Lucky.
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Just my 2 cents. It don't matter how many or how big the tools are. If ya got what ya need and what ya know how to use um. Thats all ya need, If ya can cut it out with a OA torch do ya or can ya cut it out with a plasma table?
I have a table CNC but that gal across the pond can out do me any day by hand. Learn to use what ya got and can afford. Yeh I suffer from bigger and better thoughts too. Do I need an anvil bigger than 194 lb proably not. Would I grab a 250 lb probably so. Biggest thing is use and be happy with what ya got. It's not what ya got it's how ya use it.
Ken.

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Come on Jer, if we bring one it's ours If sent she's yours. Deb would do more damage than the birch.
Ken. Sorry about your friend. My rescued female was diagonesed with a tumor on Mon. Some time your the windsheild
some times ya the bug. Hug the goats and pet the better half. Or vice a versa.
Ken.

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As I get down on my knees and begin to bow and chant I'M NOT WORTHY, I'M NOT WORTHY, over and over again. :lol: Maybe your are the true Franklyluckyman.




You know I love tools and machines but I sometimes feel like my love of this stuff is more of a curse.... At the moment its just me and my son Andrew working at the shop, so trying to keep everything clean and running is just about a full time job.... I like working on machinery but it almost always cost money to do so and takes time away from paying work....

I actually have got mad at people who have come into my shop and said "I would do anything to have a shop like this! :blink: :blink: "

I turn to them and say " its that right? You would be willing to give up 12-14 hours a day 7 days a week for the next 10 years? Give up everything? Forgo having an income in exchange for having a shop? Invest every last bit of energy you have?

When someone says " I would do anything" I take offense... It doesnt take just anything... It takes EVERYTHING...

Good thing I like it :D


There are days I very much envy my friends who have a simple clean shop not cluttered with "stuff" My friend Nick R is a fantastic metalworker, better than me for sure... And I could carry off all his hand tools in my arms, one trip.... I ask him one day how he did anything without any tools.... he looked at me funny and said I just do it B)
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Larry,

I noticed you have a Linde optical tracer, what is your experience with the machine? What do you use to draw the line?
Also I never did find those hammers you were talking about in CA? Just curious.

Thanks



Ive never used it Mike... I bought it this spring and it took me a month to get it set up... once I did I found out the "eye" had issues so I sent it off for repair, its yet to come back..

I'll send you a PM about the hammers....
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