Router Forums banner

Me, and my gallery

6409 Views 12 Replies 8 Participants Last post by  CenterForAdvancedStudies
3
First thing, I want to introduce myself..
I'm a retired tradesman from FoMoCo, after 35 years of being a skilled tradesman.. The trade is called Pyrometer/Instrumentation, and I dealt with control systems for things such as boilers, compressors, oxygen liquification/vaporization, paint ovens, building management, steel making controls, and a whole bunch of things other trades didn't do.. Even spent alot of time repairing and calibrating precision tools such as dial indicators, mics, calipers, etc..

My whole time as a tradesman was spent at the Ford Rouge plant in Dearborn, Michigan.. The place is 1200 acres of heavy duty industry.. I enjoyed my job greatly, and hated to leave, but I was getting real tired of the 1 hour drive to work and 1.5 hour drive home in traffic that got nothing but worse.. I met many wonderful people during my years, and learned much about working with machine tools.. On April 1st, 2004 I retired from work, and have been enjoying my newfound freedom to enjoy my newest hobby of woodworking..

My first experience of working with wood was a former hobby of building and racing radio control model boats.. That was fun, but it started to get hard to find ponds to run the boats on.. I sold them all many years ago, except for a 1 meter RC sailboat that I still have..

My wife (Judy) and I live in Brighton, Mi., have raised 4 children, and have 9 wonderful grandkids (gangsters), and 1 Great Grand Daughter..

The pics below are the Ford Rouge powerhouse where I started my apprenticeship in 1970, one of the rooftop HVAC units we installed, and My wife and I with 2 of the grandkids..

In February of 1999, there was a terrible explosion at the powerhouse, where several died, and many were injured.. It was caused by a buildup of natural gas in a boiler that was down for maintenance.. A welder lit his torch and began work, lighting off the gas.. The stacks have since been removed after the PH was decommisioned..

Attachments

See less See more
  • Like
Reactions: 1
1 - 13 of 13 Posts
Nice to know more about you Mike. Glad you were able to retire after many years of hard work. Here's to many great retirement years of woodworking!

Corey
First project, a Lighthouse

After retiring, I knew I wanted to do woodworking and wondered what I was going to make.. My Wife is fond of Lighthouses, and we had one over the wellhead in the front yard.. It was pretty ratty looking, so she asked if I could make a new one.. Taking measurements from the old, I began working on the new..

Since making the first one, I have had many requests from family for more.. I'm currently making my 8th one for my brother..
See less See more
Next, signs

Our neighborhood had hired a sign business to put one up at the entrance to our road.. Well, they screwed it up, we didn't want to pay for it, and they took it down.. Leaving the bare posts in the ground.. I got busy and made a couple new ones..
See less See more
Mike,

Very good!
Looks like you're living happily in a nice neighborhood and just enjoying watching the grandkids and the grass grow... along with doing whatever you want to do whenever you want to do it! :sold:

I worked for Uniroyal for a few years... visited Dearborn (Allen Park) a few times... quite a neighborhood there... :) :D Where the big tire was out front.
It was fun...

We hope you enjoy woodworking and the forums as much as you can.
Welcome AxlMyk !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome to the Router Forums AxlMyk. Glad you decided to join us. You will find a friendly group of members here. If you have any questions be sure to ask. Hope you enjoy your retirement and Grandkids as much as I enjoy mine. I retired in 2003 with 31.2 years from Delco Moraine (GM) in Dayton,OH. I too was skilled trades at least I had a card said I was. Maybe you could post a pic of your light house and your sign for us. Anyway welcome and enjoy the forums. :)



I know Mike, you are not a newbie, just yanking your chain. :D It is nice to know more than just a avatar and register name. I kinda like the Oz net where they have the town you live in posted under your avatar. Thanks for the update. :D
Banana holder

As I hear it, bananas bruise if you just lay them down on their side, so Wifey wanted to hang them up, on an oak stand.. All freehand design, and a 2 day project..
See less See more
Very nice work Mike

I could use one of them light houses in front of my little pond. :D
You did a great job on your gallery.

Are any of your grand kids going to be woodworkers?
Thanks John.. So far, none of them have indicated a desire to do woodworking, but they're still young.. Our grandson in Colorado wants a bathouse, so I'll either make him a kit, or help him make one when we visit..
Plant stand

Wifey says to me one day, "I want a plant stand, made of cherry to match the front room furniture".. So I went on another I-net search to get some ideas.. I made 2, and we gave one to a friend who let us use her condo on Sanibel island in Florida.. Plans are available for this, since some wanted them..
Plans at: http://www.routerforums.com/attachments/show-n-tell/4432-plant-stand-plantstand.pdf

See less See more
Great info about your work history. I hope you enjoy your retirement years woodworking. Woodworking is my goal for retirement and hopefully an little extra money to. Thanks for being a part in building all of those great Fords.
Hello,

I am new here. I came across the forum while searching for cursive templates. Then I hit myself in the head because I realized I had already done what you so nicely describe and illustrate (senior moment? LOL) At any rate, I was wondering whether you glued the three boards together, and if so, how do they hold up under the pressure of routering? Thank you for your time.
1 - 13 of 13 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top