Bob_Young
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Jul 5, 2002
- Messages
- 1,244
- Location
- North of the Fingerlakes - NY
- Tractor
- Ford 4000; Ford 2000(both 3cyl.);JD40; 2004 Kubota L4300; 2006 Kubota B7610; new 2007 Kubota MX5000
Hi Scotty,
Just stumbled on this thread and am sorry to hear that our national malaise has touched you. After decades of steady employment, it can only come as a shock. I watched the TV picture tube business go downhill from the inside and managed to retire from manufacturing engineering just before it totally collapsed. I can appreciate what you're going through as many of my former colleagues faced the same.
Haven't read the whole thread, but did pick up on the fact that you're going to be driving a wrecker part time....glad to hear that. Still, you've got some talents that shouldn't be wasted.
Noticed from your bio that, besides woodworking, you have an interest in guns. Have you considered producing custom traditional muzzleloaders? The customers are demanding and require high quality, excellent fit & finish, and period correct design; but are willing to pay for it. The guns themselves can range from the very practical and utilitarian (the poor-boy, mountain, and southern rifles) to ornate works of art. They're used for everything from period-correct hunting, to re-enacting and period buckskin rendevous. There seems to be a steady demand as the gunmakers have waiting lists and long delivery times.
You would have to spend some time researching the history of 18th & 19th century firearm design & construction, but I can attest that that is very interesting in itself. The skills needed to produce a uniformly high quality product, appear to be quite extensive, even with the help of modern tools. It seems your background as a model maker/woodworker would give you a jump-start on the skills component. ...and then there's that Vt. address.
For more insight in this field, I recommend visiting www.muzzleloadingforum.com . There are many discussion groups there that address gun building and the various historical aspects of this hobby. My apologies to the moderators here if I've violated the rules by posting this address.
Best wishes for the New Year,
Bob
Just stumbled on this thread and am sorry to hear that our national malaise has touched you. After decades of steady employment, it can only come as a shock. I watched the TV picture tube business go downhill from the inside and managed to retire from manufacturing engineering just before it totally collapsed. I can appreciate what you're going through as many of my former colleagues faced the same.
Haven't read the whole thread, but did pick up on the fact that you're going to be driving a wrecker part time....glad to hear that. Still, you've got some talents that shouldn't be wasted.
Noticed from your bio that, besides woodworking, you have an interest in guns. Have you considered producing custom traditional muzzleloaders? The customers are demanding and require high quality, excellent fit & finish, and period correct design; but are willing to pay for it. The guns themselves can range from the very practical and utilitarian (the poor-boy, mountain, and southern rifles) to ornate works of art. They're used for everything from period-correct hunting, to re-enacting and period buckskin rendevous. There seems to be a steady demand as the gunmakers have waiting lists and long delivery times.
You would have to spend some time researching the history of 18th & 19th century firearm design & construction, but I can attest that that is very interesting in itself. The skills needed to produce a uniformly high quality product, appear to be quite extensive, even with the help of modern tools. It seems your background as a model maker/woodworker would give you a jump-start on the skills component. ...and then there's that Vt. address.
For more insight in this field, I recommend visiting www.muzzleloadingforum.com . There are many discussion groups there that address gun building and the various historical aspects of this hobby. My apologies to the moderators here if I've violated the rules by posting this address.
Best wishes for the New Year,
Bob
The past 1 1/2 years have been kind of an interesting ride for me. As most of you all know, I was layed off from Pitney Bowes back in Nov of 2007. At that point I had been in the machining trade since 1972 when I started my apprenticeship. Shortly after that layoff I picked up a part time job driving a flatbed car carrier for a local junk yard. I really enjoyed the job and working outside in the fresh air for the first time in my life ! Unfortunately the scrap market dried up in the fall of 2008 and i was left out in the cold again.
