New guy from Midwestern Ontario

J

jgimp69

Member
Hey, Jason here. Just joined so figure I would introduce myself. I’m 45, I’ve been a Millwright for just over 20 years but I’ve been peeling steel since high school, you know, back in the days when you could actually do that before they started bubble wrapping kids.
My kids are getting older, they are well past us touring all over hells half acres for sports and now I actually have some spare time on my hands and with retirement in my mind, I thought I would start a little machine shop in my garage for odd jobs for buddies and neighbours to keep me busy and the beer fridge stocked.
I love designing and making custom tools. I worked for a company for 1 year post apprenticeship in their R&D department and I loved it. I just finished restoring a 1928 Ford Model A with my father and would like to start restoring parts for others who are doing the same. The old guys who do that are becoming far and few between and it would be nice to take what I’ve learned and help others build their vision.
Anyways, that’s a little about me, look forward to reading through the forums and gaining more knowledge

Cheers

Jason
 
140mower

140mower

Don
jgimp69 said:
Hey, Jason here. Just joined so figure I would introduce myself. I’m 45, I’ve been a Millwright for just over 20 years but I’ve been peeling steel since high school, you know, back in the days when you could actually do that before they started bubble wrapping kids.
My kids are getting older, they are well past us touring all over hells half acres for sports and now I actually have some spare time on my hands and with retirement in my mind, I thought I would start a little machine shop in my garage for odd jobs for buddies and neighbours to keep me busy and the beer fridge stocked.
I love designing and making custom tools. I worked for a company for 1 year post apprenticeship in their R&D department and I loved it. I just finished restoring a 1928 Ford Model A with my father and would like to start restoring parts for others who are doing the same. The old guys who do that are becoming far and few between and it would be nice to take what I’ve learned and help others build their vision.
Anyways, that’s a little about me, look forward to reading through the forums and gaining more knowledge

Cheers

Jason
Click to expand...
Welcome from Lillooet BC. Your in good company here....
 
whydontu

whydontu

I Tried, It Broke
Premium Member
Welcome from Vancouver!

Without starting down the unholy trail into politics, my SWMBO worked in school admins for 30 years. Shops aren’t disappearing because the teachers don’t want them, they loved shops. It gave the twitchy hard to teach kids something that they could do well and get real satisfaction from. Problem is that shops are expensive and the insurance costs are scary. Metal shops are extra expensive, raw materials and welding gas cost a fortune. Wood shop a bit less, auto shop was cheap because kids worked on their own cars, or teachers cars. Limited budgets, something had to give, and shops cost more than guidance counselors.
 
J

jgimp69

Member
whydontu said:
Welcome from Vancouver!

Without starting down the unholy trail into politics, my SWMBO worked in school admins for 30 years. Shops aren’t disappearing because the teachers don’t want them, they loved shops. It gave the twitchy hard to teach kids something that they could do well and get real satisfaction from. Problem is that shops are expensive and the insurance costs are scary. Metal shops are extra expensive, raw materials and welding gas cost a fortune. Wood shop a bit less, auto shop was cheap because kids worked on their own cars, or teachers cars. Limited budgets, something had to give, and shops cost more than guidance counselors.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I get that. It’s just unfortunate that it’s gotten as bad as it has and that money isn’t invested where it really should be. The guy I apprenticed off of, old Scottish guy, brilliant btw, by 15/16 years old was already an apprentice scraping ways. Different times.
We had a great setup in high school. 3 or 4 mills and lathes, weld shop, wood shop. Auto shop across the hall. Different times though
Me and the girlfriend at the time/wife now were big into rock climbing and my final metal shop project was a portaledge (the portable cots you see hanging off the cliffs). I hung it from the rafters and layed in it in class, teacher just shook his head.
 
Susquatch

Susquatch

Ultra Member
Administrator
Moderator
Premium Member
Welcome from straight south a few hours. My farm is South of Chatham on the north shore of Lake Erie. Farming, Machining, and the great outdoors have kept me happy and busy in retirement for many years!
 
J

jgimp69

Member
Susquatch said:
Welcome from straight south a few hours. My farm is South of Chatham on the north shore of Lake Erie. Farming, Machining, and the great outdoors have kept me happy and busy in retirement for many years!
Click to expand...
Beautiful that way. The boy played some OBA ball that way and I have some friends from them parts. Always enjoyed going there. A few hours south of where I am always makes such a difference when it comes to weather and heat. Damn banana belt. I love it. Lol
 
D

Dan Dubeau

Ultra Member
Welcome from East GTA. There's a good group here.

I'm a few years younger at 41, but have been a Machinist/Mech eng tech for 20 years looking to transition to Millwright soon.
 
trlvn

trlvn

Ultra Member
Your profile says you're from Ripley?!? I grew up in Lucknow although I'm almost 20 years older than you. Are you old enough to remember when there was a grain elevator on the tracks at the main corner in town? I worked there a few summers in my teens.

I'm in Oakville, now, and hardly ever get up that way. Welcome nonetheless!!

Craig
 
J

jgimp69

Member
trlvn said:
Your profile says you're from Ripley?!? I grew up in Lucknow although I'm almost 20 years older than you. Are you old enough to remember when there was a grain elevator on the tracks at the main corner in town? I worked there a few summers in my teens.

I'm in Oakville, now, and hardly ever get up that way. Welcome nonetheless!!

Craig
Click to expand...
I moved here 16 years ago from London. Thompson’s feed is still running but the one on the south side hasn’t been in operation for years.
 
trlvn

trlvn

Ultra Member
jgimp69 said:
I moved here 16 years ago from London. Thompson’s feed is still running but the one on the south side hasn’t been in operation for years.
Click to expand...
I believe the elevator was demolished before you got there. This is what it looked like in the 1970's:

RipleyElevator_2.jpg

The view is looking NNW. There was a siding along the 'main' rail line and there would be a few tanker cars parked there during the season. The cars would be loaded from the spout visible on the left. Trucks and tractors would drive through the shed on the right and dump their grain into a pit to be weighed. The elevator had cleaning equipment but no grain dryers.

Craig
 
LenVW

LenVW

Process Machinery Designer
Premium Member
jgimp69 said:
Beautiful that way. The boy played some OBA ball that way and I have some friends from them parts. Always enjoyed going there. A few hours south of where I am always makes such a difference when it comes to weather and heat. Damn banana belt. I love it. Lol
Click to expand...
Welcome from the South Kitchener area.
I went to CHSS in Clinton and apprenticed at Ex-Cell-O in Clinton in the 1980s.
Went back to college and business school to develop industrial processes.
I spent much of my youth in the Bayfield, Goderich and Seaforth area.
’OBA’ that you mentioned . . . Broom ball ?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top