Welcome! Our Brief History!

[Jwest7788]

Some time ago Jwest7788 created an online ad looking for scrap metal to begin learning to machine with. Quickly local Albertans began reaching out to chat about the hobby. It was quickly identified that there was a community in Southern Alberta, but there was no organization or group to help coordinate the community.

This forum was created for those locals, both far and wide, who wish to meet like minded metalworkers, no matter the walk of life.
Discussions are already starting around group projects, meetups, and shop talk!

Setting up a forum for Calgarians in particular was the goal, but after further investigation, there really wasn't a Canadian specific forum for this community. So we're hoping to be it!

I will note that we do not want you to leave any existing forums you're participating in, consider us an extra resource, not a replacement.
--> Some of the more seasoned forums have and continue to be a great help to me personally, as I begin my metalworking journey. I would never want to step on their toes. I hope this forum can be as great a help to Canadian metalworkers as some of the forums I have used in the past.

Create an account, we'll see you in the forum!

Please be sure to post into the new member intros forum. Include your setup if you have one, as well as your experience level, goals if you have any, and projects in the project forum!

Oh, and if you're looking for help with your business marketing, I own a marketing agency in Calgary, Alberta, which is where I learned the skills required to get this forum running!

 

[Howder1951]

Way to go Jwest7788 aint nothing like home grown. I follow a lot of forums, but it will be nice to interact with my fellow Canadians for a change. There is also a large community in southern Saskatchewan and they host a model engineering show in the fall. I was very impressed when I last attended.
See you in the forums.

 

[CalgaryPT]

Really happy to see this forum too. I retired recently (not from metalworking). Metal fabrication, metal art and tinkering with inventions has been my hobby for several decades. There are lots of good websites out there, but like the comment above, not many Canadian-focused. One of the problems this causes is when you want to buy (especially import) an expensive new toy (ooops, I mean necessary tool), it can be tough to see it in action. These forums are great for locating someone who has one and may be willing to give a demo of it before you buy. This was my isssue when I first got into CNC plasma cutting in 2005 and when I bought a magnetic press brake. Also, like many professions, metal working/machine shop workers/weldors sometimes guard trade secrets and are adverse to sharing with the "hobby" crowd. I find the people on these forums love to share, as most of us aren't trying to make millions, just share mistakes, lessons, and a few successes.

Thanks for setting this up. You'll know you are successful when your Admin duties start to overwhelm you

 

[Jwest7788]

Really happy to see this forum too. I retired recently (not from metalworking). Metal fabrication, metal art and tinkering with inventions has been my hobby for several decades. There are lots of good websites out there, but like the comment above, not many Canadian-focused. One of the problems this causes is when you want to buy (especially import) an expensive new toy (ooops, I mean necessary tool), it can be tough to see it in action. These forums are great for locating someone who has one and may be willing to give a demo of it before you buy. This was my isssue when I first got into CNC plasma cutting in 2005 and when I bought a magnetic press brake. Also, like many professions, metal working/machine shop workers/weldors sometimes guard trade secrets and are adverse to sharing with the "hobby" crowd. I find the people on these forums love to share, as most of us aren't trying to make millions, just share mistakes, lessons, and a few successes.

Thanks for setting this up. You'll know you are successful when your Admin duties start to overwhelm you

I couldn't agree more on all points.

And thank you for being part of this. A forum is nothing without its members!

JW

 

[revrnd]

Old post, new member. But I like the idea of a forum on this side of the border (long time member on a US based home machinists forum). Not to knock them, but sometimes I'll get an answer to a question to use something that is either not available in Canada or cost prohibitive to import, especially for the quanities we use.