Did my millwrong apprenticeship in a plastic injection mold shop in London (Phillips Tool). Got a good education there. But I’ve been cutting chips since high school. We were luckily enough to have a pretty well equipped shop for a high school. Been hooked since then.
TOO funny LOL! I thought that kind of learning is what happens in a home workshop with self teaching. Or maybe its just what happens in my workshop!
I apprenticed at Ex-Cell-O in Clinton after graduating from CHSS in Clinton.
Still have things to do like building workbenches and storage shelves, but most of my tools should be functional, even if in temporary spots. Decided to pick up my Craftex CX601 mill and Craftex CX709 lathe from Busy Bee last month while the spring sale is on. Items are still in the crates, but I have their spots in the new workshop ready to go now. I hope to crack them open in the next week or so and get them set up on their stands. Picked up a bunch of basic tooling to compliment the various small items I have accumulated over the past 20 years. Not sure when I'll be throwing chips as this will be my first time setting up a lathe and mill, and the reno is taking up 90% of my time right now. I'm pretty much starting from scratch with zero experience other than my grade 9 shop class when I made a cool screwdriver, and 20 years of watching youTube machining videos. I would have attended the meet up in April in Newmarket, but my friend and I will be in Toronto that day on a knife making course. Crappy timing unfortunately. I will shoot to attend next year's meet up. Cheers.
Agreed. Lol. I think things will look a little more like retirement later this year when all these big projects are behind me. Having fun despite the brisk pace.Congratulations on your retirement, sounds like you are going to need to go back to work soon though, so you can get some free time.....
On Lake Ontario, near Belleville and Kingston. Beautiful area!
It is a beautiful area Martin. It's considered a "mini Niagara" and has become extremely touristy in the past 15 years. If you like to sip alcohol, there's a long list of places to sample in the area. Forty or so wineries, ten micro breweries, three or four distilleries, and half a dozen cider makers. Lots of antique places and artists. Lots of waterfront camping places, plus Sandbanks provincial park. It's a beehive of activity all summer, but it calms down in the cold months.
Beautiful area Gary.
Lol! Ahhh, to be young and silly again
This is why I use my quad to plow the sidewalks of my entire block. I got the cops called twice for working late and running an engine, started plowing, never again.
I camped at sandbanks one year for about 45 minutes lol. I think we were about 19-20 at the time. I showed up late after work friday night, and all my buddies and the girls had already been there for the day. Sandbanks staff had already had enough of them by the time I got there, and "we" were all asked to leave. I'd just finished setting up my tent and getting unpacked and was about halfway through the first beer. It's not a party park that's for sure. Most provincial parks run a pretty tight ship when it comes to that kinda stuff. As I've got older, and camp with the kids, I get that other side of it a lot more.
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Sounds like you’ve got a long history of visiting the area Dan. . We bought our house 15 years ago and just used it as a cottage in the summers, even though it’s not on the water. Sandbanks is a nice park, but we wanted to make sure we were not living too close to the park as it is crazy busy all summer. We chose acreage over water front so that we didn’t end up with neighbours right on top of us. 600 feet to my neighbours on either side and 300 feet across the road. I don’t have to be as concerned about making a little bit of noise while working on projects as I do now living in a subdivision. .I camped at sandbanks one year for about 45 minutes lol. I think we were about 19-20 at the time. I showed up late after work friday night, and all my buddies and the girls had already been there for the day. Sandbanks staff had already had enough of them by the time I got there, and "we" were all asked to leave. I'd just finished setting up my tent and getting unpacked and was about halfway through the first beer. It's not a party park that's for sure. Most provincial parks run a pretty tight ship when it comes to that kinda stuff. As I've got older, and camp with the kids, I get that other side of it a lot more.
We went to Winding river in Sauble beach on may 24 for 4-5 years in a row, and it was the complete opposite.....Good times
Wife has a friend with a cottage in Picton, and we do a winery/distillery tour every year. Nice area. Lots to do in the county. I usually get out on the Bay at least once a year to fish either summer, or winter.
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We're doing exactly that. Been in Ajax then Whitby for 45+ years. Selling the house here in Whitby as soon as the house in Picton is ready.Not really that much knowledge or history in the area TBH. Just a visit or two a year the past few and maybe 20-25 times total. Used to ice fish more there when I was younger, but went a long time without. Only in the last couple years have we started exploring around there more, the rest of the time was just to the boat launch, and back home again
Our friend's cottage is just a house in town they bought to use as a "cottage" and escape the city. I wish they had some acreage, but they're not the acreage type. It's kinda funny, that I actually enjoy staying in town there and being able to walk to get food etc, as we live in the country, and it's a 20 minute drive for anything.
Sounds like you have a great place there. A lot of nice old homesteads and country properties down there that we drive by and talk about buying when we retire. We have that now, but would like to cash out of Durham region and move somewhere a bit cheaper someday. 15-20 years away anyway. Who knows what the future holds. Many beautiful places in Ontario.
Getting something "cheaper" in the County is pretty much impossible now. That ship sailed 15 years ago when the wineries started popping up everywhere. :-o The average house price in the County right now is 850K! Yikes. You should do fine if you're selling in Durham and buying further away from Toronto. Cheers.
