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Forum Index : Other Stuff : 1st July 07. New Job.
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Gizmo Admin Group  Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
Hey Everyone Well I've been a little quiet lately, was "in between Jobs" as it were. I finished up with my old employer after 4 years. When I started there I was to manage their new Laser cutting department, but the bosses discovered I knew I.T. and could write software, so it wasn't long before I was stuck in an office behind a computer all day. I soon had no influence over the laser department, and even trying to get something cut for myself was usually a 2 week wait and carton of beer as payment, only to find the part was out of tollerance and had to be re-cut. After 4 years of software I had really had enough, I dont like computers and there is little reward in IT, its all software bugs and people on the phone whining about their printer not working. Its amazing how often a "Have you rebooted?" will fix the problem. Anyway, I left about 3 weeks ago, and I will miss a lot of the people I worked with. I had intended to take a week off before starting with my new employer, another laser cutting business. After 1 week of pottering around the yard, I was all fired up to start the new job Monday morning, when the new boss phoned Sunday night to say there was a problem and I may not be able to start work. Bummer. Apparently there were a few business issues that needed to be sorted out with some of the share holders. I spent the next week in economy mode, and worrying about the new job, if indeed there was a job. Well it was all sorted out and I started work a week ago now. Its a old Farley laser cutter, Australian made with a Rofin Slab laser. The slab lasers have a very clean beam and focus down to a fine cut. The table is driven by a old 486 based controller that runs a Unix operating system. Its not a bad old thing, needs a little care and attention, but will do just fine. My job involves CAD design, nesting and NC, operating the machine and repairs ( laser cutters do break down often ). Will let you know how it goes. I'm still at that "what have I done!" stage, left a well paying sit on my bum all day job to a low paid get dirty and curse the machine job. But I go under review in 3 months and they know I expect to get paid a lot better, fingers crossed it all comes together. It is good to be using a Laser again, they are a lot of fun. And it means I can look at supplying laser cut windmill parts again, like spline plates or bearing plates. I've started work on a new web site, this one dedicated to my CNC router. There is not much there to look at yet, only a couple of pages actually have anything interresting on them, but its a start and I wanted to make sure the layout and style was working, the "Feng Shui" of the web site. Address is http://www.thebackshed.com/cnc, comments welcome. Glenn 
 The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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| brucedownunder2 Guru  Joined: 14/09/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1548 |
Best of luck ,Glenn on the new venture.. Back in 1976 , I was a tech instructor , one day was pissed off with the admin and paperwork-- (thought more about my students) , .,anyhow ,,took a long breath , and told them to "shuv-it".. Started a consultancy,travelled O/S ,, became a consultant -- retired ,self funded at 61 ,, I admire you and your talents Bruce Bushboy |
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| dwyer Guru Joined: 19/09/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 574 |
Hi Glenn  Best of luck with your job. We all sometime get sick of one place and go for other jobs to find worth while and learn new skill Some employee can stay one jobs for years until retire but not me mate so l am please that you went forward so all the best of luck
Regard Ian Dwyer the bushman  |
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vasi Guru Joined: 23/03/2007 Location: RomaniaPosts: 1697 |
Hello Glenn, I am glad for you. I am also tired of programming. My first CNC was when I made an interface between a pc and a washing machine (on paralel interface and pascal language - I still have the software and I can prove this ). I think the PC is worth only when "guide" something like a CNC or another device. Is maximum satisfaction for me to see computer doing exactly what I wanted. Working with people is a very hard job - specialy when is about a boss (I know this very well). I like your new job and I want the same for me - of course, I don't have your experience). I am glad you have made another folder for a new page. I like CNC's more than Windmills (Windmill for me is "a must have" because of financial reasons but CNC is passion). I was a very proud person but the time has changed me (you was right about "embarasing"). But now I am happy about the action of John Hill. I hope the package with F&P will arrive to me (I am still afraid about "Securitate", the package can be taken from me - also can not see at all). This was a sign that I was accepted on this community. THank you all. I hope you will have time for many CNC projects (little CNC for PCB's for example). Good luck and God bless you. P.S. I like very much EMC2 software for CNC on Linux (a child of UNIX), . EMC2 address Hobbit name: Togo Toadfoot of Frogmorton Elvish name: Mablung Miriel Beyound Arduino Lang |
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| RossW Guru Joined: 25/02/2006 Location: AustraliaPosts: 495 |
*CRINGE* Vasi, Linux is not a "child of Unix". Linux is a "Unix-like" enviroment. Sure, some of its code has been borrowed from, or based on, old, stable, core Unix systems, but much of it isn't. |
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| RossW Guru Joined: 25/02/2006 Location: AustraliaPosts: 495 |
Glenn, contrats on the new job. Hope it works out well for you. I "cut my teeth", designing and building my first discrete digital computer (with 2101 static RAM!) at the ripe old age of 17 back in 1977. I then got a job in a paramilitary institution as an apprentice electrical fitter - but they soon discovered I had a flair for electronics design, and was quickly shunted into the R&D lab - where they quickly found I had aptitude for software, and was writing assembler code in short order. By the time I was a 3rd year apprentice, I was working in the middle east commissioning and fine-tuning real-time projectile location systems under live fireing conditions! Didn't like their politics, so quit and spent the next few years in a 2-man team doing industrial R&D, repairs and troubleshooting, calibration etc of some quite sophisticated systems, before heading off to monash uni to "get a degree". That didn't work out, Monash offered me a job in hte computer science dept, so I thought I might do the degree part time.... only the public service is the pits and I walked away from that after only a year. That was 1983, and I've been self-employed ever since. The boss is a bastard - I'm lucky to get 3 or 4 days off a year. Start at 6am, finish at 11pm if I'm lucky. I have 5 employees, and I really must say - there is a certain appeal to getting a pay packet every week, going home at 17:30 and switching off, sick pay, paid holidays etc. I wonder if I could swap places with one of the staff? :) Enjoy, Glenn. Doing a job you hate just because it pays the bills doesn't sound like a future. If you can be paid AND have fun, hell, sounds like a perfect match! |
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| vasi Guru Joined: 23/03/2007 Location: RomaniaPosts: 1697 |
Yes, is my mistake. Also I like FreeBSD (UNIX pure blood), and I installed few times to learn about and test the portability of a program (I like it because NVidia heve drivers for their graphic cards on this system). I want to learn NetBSD because have more drivers for hardware and first, I want to test if my CDMA phone (my "bridge" to internet wich is used on my Linux) is recognized and can be used. Then, I want to use NetBSD as a server for my little network at home. In Linux I using FireHOL (a bash script for setting Netfilter - take a look if have time) as a firewall, very easy to setup: [address"> Hobbit name: Togo Toadfoot of Frogmorton Elvish name: Mablung Miriel Beyound Arduino Lang |
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Bryan1 Guru Joined: 22/02/2006 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1343 |
Hi Glenn, Congrats on the new job mate, it's always good diong a job you love.  Well today I asked a bloke about being a character reference for me as i'm looking for new work and instead he offered me a job as a salesman selling the gearbox's I repair. I'll know some more in a week or two but sofar it looks promising.
Cheers Bryan  |
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| vasi Guru Joined: 23/03/2007 Location: RomaniaPosts: 1697 |
Hello Glenn, For that new page (DIY CNC) a new category on forum is needed. I intend to make a little one for myself. With printer and scanner parts ... Hobbit name: Togo Toadfoot of Frogmorton Elvish name: Mablung Miriel Beyound Arduino Lang |
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| vasi Guru Joined: 23/03/2007 Location: RomaniaPosts: 1697 |
Glenn, you saw this site about CNC? It have a good solution for linear bearings. Plenty of movies as a guide. In my opinion, the greatest video tutorial for making a cnc router I ever seen. Hobbit name: Togo Toadfoot of Frogmorton Elvish name: Mablung Miriel Beyound Arduino Lang |
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| Gizmo Admin Group Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
Thats a good site, thanks for the link Vasi. I'm working on a new CNC table design with a friend. We hope to sell a kit of laser cut parts that someone can use to made their own CNC router/plasma/oxy cutter. The design means they can build the table to any size. They just need to buy lenghts of SHS ( box section ) and all thread/acme thread to suit they size requirements, then use our bits to put it all together. The smaller machines will use those same roller skate bearings set at 90degrees as shown on that site. Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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| vasi Guru Joined: 23/03/2007 Location: RomaniaPosts: 1697 |
Interesting, where you will put that, on what web page? I like to see your new cnc page alive but I know you are very busy this days. Hobbit name: Togo Toadfoot of Frogmorton Elvish name: Mablung Miriel Beyound Arduino Lang |
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| vasi Guru Joined: 23/03/2007 Location: RomaniaPosts: 1697 |
Homebrew Laser Cutter here and here. But you need to be registered user to see the pictures. Also few other CNC projects. Hobbit name: Togo Toadfoot of Frogmorton Elvish name: Mablung Miriel Beyound Arduino Lang |
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