Originally Posted by
markk900
Or in @
Velocivixen's case, I'll bet she needs just such a reason to become friends with the local cool machine shop. This was the case for a project my son was working on - what he needed he couldn't find so I said "draw up the pictures on autocad and we'll get someone to make it." He was astounded that you could do something like that (which was the whole point), and when we went to local machine shop the owner was so interested in the project he was excited to see the part in use (it was a custom pommel for my son's fencing
épée). Everyone wins!
I have an interest in metal machining but no tools and no room. So, late at night when I can't sleep I watch you tube videos of people making things out of wood and metal. There are some very interesting videos of people doing work with quite inexpensive (Harbor Freight and the ilk) machines. Some of the amateur machinists are quite young.
Opportunities lost: when we were kids, my future father-in-law was a skilled tradesman (millwright) in a paper mill. He had some light duty tools in his garage -- small metal lathe, probably an Atlas or Craftsman, some other stuff. At the time, I had no interest in what he was up to.