Do I have the most intersting job in the world? I doubt it....

[machinist@large]

As the old saying goes, "Life is what happens while you are busy making plans...."

I started a new job last week; it's another interesting one. The idea I have with starting this thread is just to compare notes; "Hey, this is what I do, here is where I do it!!!"....

I know that it would be to easy to turn this thread into a flame conduit. I'm hoping instead that we could try to use this as a place to show some of the cross section of skills all of us bring to the forum. I know we have some great E tech types; I've seen a good # of people who could weld my into a corner so fast that I would never know what hit me, and a couple of members who's idea of swapping a piston involves parts that weigh more than most automobiles. And we have a whole bunch of folks that don't fall into those tiny sub categories that still think this place fits them like a glove, and call it another home.

So, without further ado, here's my small attempt at starting a thread.

The week before last, I got hired thru a temp agency to work a 90 day tryout contract with Michigan Wheel Marine Corp., out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. I went thru the web site yesterday for the first time; they briefly mention the class of commercial propellers that I'm being trained how to machine (DQX series commercial types), used in commercial fishing boats, marine work boats, etc. The web site goes into some depth about the props that (we) make for sport fishing, and ski boats, as well as other products. They also cast (in their own foundry) and machine props for other companies, to those companies specifications. Since I really don't have much of a clue on those, I'm just going to post the "mundanes" that I'm being trained on.....

Photo's #1  are right and left hand matched pairs of four blade props. in the 24" finished dia. range; I asked what they went on, and someone who has only been there a couple of months more than me said "20 to 30 foot bass boat." My supervisor just shook his head, and later said they were stock for inventory; usually used on work-a-day craft in the 40 to 50 foot range.....

#3 is a real question mark; they only get orders for maybe a dozen a year. They're pretty impressive when you are machining them though, finished dia. is in the 40 inch range....

 

[rocketkart]

im a part time welder for piper aircraft and work part time at homo depot. lol its a job and it pays the bills. me and a friend run and own a online video game store. i am a bit of a nerd aswell.

 

[robbie]

I'm one of those guys who chose to be with my family instead of working all the time, so I had a job for ten years driving around the city in my own vehicle, delivering X-rays, envelopes, etc. It didn't pay a ton of money, but I could take a day off when I wanted to, and I was usually home by 2 pm. I used to go into all kinds of interesting businesses and pick stuff up. On more than one occasion I had to pick up an engine head to take to a repair shop at 3 in the morning. Somebody was having a bad day. We had other accounts where we picked up medical samples to take to the lab for testing, and once I had to take a bunch of ink to the Capitol Records CD factory in Illinois in the middle of the night. The factory was shut down while they waited for their ink. Every time I thought I had delivered the most interesting thing, some other weird thing would pop up. One time I stuffed a minivan with 1700 pounds of printed programs and drove them to St. Louis for their hockey team.

Now I have a piece of land that's mostly woods in the middle of nowhere, and we're building a family farm. Yesterday I let the pigs out of their old pen and into a much larger enclosure that I carved out of the woods. I've upgraded to an electric fence. When I was a kid, electric fences had to have one end in a barn where they could plug into a socket, but the one I just built is solar powered, which is really cool. The pigs are training themselves to not tear up fences any more. You can always tell when they touch it, which is cool because I don't have to test it myself.

We're also setting up greenhouse kits this week so we can grow fall crops through the winter to sell to a natural grocery store in Springfield. And I need to put down some concrete in my shop, build a bigger chicken house, build raised garlic planting beds, plant apple and pear trees, build a pond, etc, etc. This is a really good life for a person who likes to tinker. I get to weld, turn wrenches, run chainsaws, build tractor attachments, butcher hogs, build garden trellises, and a hundred other things. I also like eating my own food.

I also have a job every couple of weeks delivering solar panels for my brother in law's company that installs solar arrays for residential customers in Kansas City. My two sons take turns working with me, which allows them to earn money in a meaningful way. The solar arrays are quite expensive, which is why I don't have one yet. Sooner or later I'm going to build one myself.

Those boat propellers are cool. When I get my shop set up properly I'm planning to have a lathe and milling machine..... but I'll probably never get around to building propellers.

 

[Dirtroad]

Im a CAD operator. I design and implement electrical maps for a very large utility company. My official title is a technical specialist II.

 

[robbie]

Im a CAD operator. I design and implement electrical maps for a very large utility company. My official title is a technical specialist II.

I always wondered about utility maps. It seems like it would be extremely complicated.

 

[Dirtroad]

Its not that complicated to tell you the truth, between creating the electricity and bringing it all the way to a home or business is less complicated than the wiring in your home.

What makes the whole process difficult is the shear size. Not easy keeping an entire state from going back to the dark ages lol We take everything we do very serious.

 

[machinist@large]

I'm one of those guys who chose to be with my family instead of working all the time, so I had a job for ten years driving around the city in my own vehicle, delivering X-rays, envelopes, etc. It didn't pay a ton of money, but I could take a day off when I wanted to, and I was usually home by 2 pm. I used to go into all kinds of interesting businesses and pick stuff up. On more than one occasion I had to pick up an engine head to take to a repair shop at 3 in the morning. Somebody was having a bad day. We had other accounts where we picked up medical samples to take to the lab for testing, and once I had to take a bunch of ink to the Capitol Records CD factory in Illinois in the middle of the night. The factory was shut down while they waited for their ink. Every time I thought I had delivered the most interesting thing, some other weird thing would pop up. One time I stuffed a minivan with 1700 pounds of printed programs and drove them to St. Louis for their hockey team.

Reminds me of my on site machine repair days; I never knew what I was going to see next....

Now I have a piece of land that's mostly woods in the middle of nowhere, and we're building a family farm. Yesterday I let the pigs out of their old pen and into a much larger enclosure that I carved out of the woods. I've upgraded to an electric fence. When I was a kid, electric fences had to have one end in a barn where they could plug into a socket, but the one I just built is solar powered, which is really cool. The pigs are training themselves to not tear up fences any more. You can always tell when they touch it, which is cool because I don't have to test it myself.

I've raised both cattle and hogs; one of the funniest differences between them is that the cows will tangle with the electric a couple of times while they learn what and where it is, then stay away from it. Pigs, on the other hand, will check it once or twice a day to see if it's still armed and dangerous.......

We're also setting up greenhouse kits this week so we can grow fall crops through the winter to sell to a natural grocery store in Springfield. And I need to put down some concrete in my shop, build a bigger chicken house, build raised garlic planting beds, plant apple and pear trees, build a pond, etc, etc. This is a really good life for a person who likes to tinker. I get to weld, turn wrenches, run chainsaws, build tractor attachments, butcher hogs, build garden trellises, and a hundred other things. I also like eating my own food.

I also have a job every couple of weeks delivering solar panels for my brother in law's company that installs solar arrays for residential customers in Kansas City. My two sons take turns working with me, which allows them to earn money in a meaningful way. The solar arrays are quite expensive, which is why I don't have one yet. Sooner or later I'm going to build one myself.

Those boat propellers are cool. When I get my shop set up properly I'm planning to have a lathe and milling machine..... but I'll probably never get around to building propellers.

I looked into going solar about 20 years ago; the case for/ against it are still relevant today. For general household use, as well as general lighting in out buildings, a well thought out solar system can work well. Where things start to get ugly is when you want to run heavy equipment like lathes, milling machines, large welders, large scale grain handling systems, etc.

For us, we could run up a 1 month electric bill that was twice as large as the rest of the year combined just by drying our shell corn crop for the year. Your case will be different, of course.

As for making a boat propeller, you can do a lot with just a little education and a dose of patience. That will get you up to a decent, functional unit. The next step is to do what I'm getting into; 3D CNC machining the blade geometry.....

Pat

 

[machinist@large]

Zzzzooootttt!!!!

Its not that complicated to tell you the truth, between creating the electricity and bringing it all the way to a home or business is less complicated than the wiring in your home.

What makes the whole process difficult is the shear size. Not easy keeping an entire state from going back to the dark ages lol We take everything we do very serious.

It's truly amazing what kind of carnage a squirrel in a transformer or a raccoon in a substation can cause.....

Pat

 

[robbie]

Its not that complicated to tell you the truth, between creating the electricity and bringing it all the way to a home or business is less complicated than the wiring in your home.

What makes the whole process difficult is the shear size. Not easy keeping an entire state from going back to the dark ages lol We take everything we do very serious.

Why are there so many power lines that look redundant? I'm always seeing lines that run parallel to each other, especially when there is one on each side of the road.

 

[OzFab]

It's truly amazing what kind of carnage a squirrel in a transformer or a raccoon in a substation can cause.....

Pat

I had five blackouts in the space of six weeks recently, most of them caused by animals (mostly birds)

My current "job" isn't that exciting, I'm a full time carer. Athough it's not your typical 9-5 (more like on call 24/7) it does allow me lots of time to tinker. The downside is the minimal government income...

I started my working life as an apprentice mechanic for the only certified Rolls Royce service centre in Sydney which, unfortunately, I didn't complete.

This led to a succession of menial jobs to support my now young family (I married & had kids young). I didn't stick with any of them but, I did learn a few useful skills.

Then I got into auto detailing which led to me owning a mobile carwash; it wasn't glamourous work but, I did get to drive lots of nice cars (BMW 7 series, MB 500Sls, a Lotus Elise to name a few); the money was ok too...

With increasing personal debts which couldn't be paid, I was forced to declare myself bankrupt which ended the business but, I continued with detailing which led to me working in a smash repair shop & into an apprenticeship.

I then jumped around from shop to shop, honing my skills. The most rewarding/exciting shop I worked in did some car yard repair work but, mostly restoration/custom work.

My first job in this shop was to shorten a damaged aluminium flat bed to fit a dual cab Toyota Hilux which involved stripping it to the rails & headboard & putting it back together using only the undamaged pieces; the owner of the vehicle & the shop were very impressed...

Although there was some mundane jobs, I got to work on some glamourous vehicles too, including this, a gunmetal grey 5 litre V8 powered stretched VW bus.

One of my last jobs there was a full body restoration of a 1954 Morris Minor

Pic for reference only

It was a mess when it came in, full of lead & rust but, it was stripped to bare shell which made my job that much easier. Using mostly reproduction parts (some had to be hand fabbed) I replaced three of the four floor sections, both lower side rails & repaired every little dent in it. Unfortunately, my daughter was born around that time so it was finished & left while I was on leave & I never got to see it finished

After that, I worked in a sheet metal shop for about 2 years before taking on my carer roll...

 

[J_Walker]

I stand on the corner begging for money... sometimes people throw canned foods at me...

But seriously, If I don't get a another job soon, I'll have end up working at Disney... Cleaning pools and fixing pumps ain't that bad. Its the idiotic upper management that expects you to have 50 arms and 1 leg. Not to mention, they start you off at minimum wage. And a lot of people don't know, but if ANYONE, young or old, Craps or Pukes in the pools, they have to be closed down...

How do I know?

Father is a 15 year guy for the company, ain't nothing like it use to be! I get to hear it all the time!


That and I've been thinking about going to college or something. Got about $7,643 put away currently.. I really don't want to take out a huge student loan, that's what prevented me. also the cost of out of state living is really high. And I have to go out of state, because Florida schools have no variation... It's all mostly Criminal justice, Nursing, Culinary, Arts..

 

[landuse]

Well my story isn't too interesting.

I went off to university after school and studied for a forestry degree which took me 5 years to get. I studied at Stellenbosch University, which is in the middle of wine country near Cape Town. After I got my degree, the only place I could get a job at was a plant nursery that was still to open its doors. I remember my first day involved me pushing around a wheel barrow with plants inside.....the whole day. I was supposed to be the "manager", but there was only one other guy working there at the time, so I had to do most of the menial work as well.

This nursery was situated on land owned by one of the wine farms. The place used to be a piggery that they were converting into a nursery.

The owner of the wine farm used to see me around all the time while he was doing his daily rounds, and after 6 months of working there he asked if I would like to work for the wine farm as a 'driver'. This entailed driving around town, going to the bank to deposit the money, buying stock in town, delivering wine in Cape Town, getting and opening the post etc. I enjoyed it, and did it for about a year and a half. I got my heavy duty truck licence as well as my forklift licence while working there.

I then decided that seeing as I couldn't get a forestry job, and I was also not too keen on the forester life, I would study further. I then moved to Johannesburg and studied for a year doing Geographic Information Systems (GIS). In plain simple language, it is the drawing and analysing of geographical data on computers.

After getting that, I took the first job I could, which was software testing and training for an online risk management system that this company was developing. I worked there for a year or more, still applying for GIS jobs all the time.

I was eventually contacted by a forestry company that was looking for a GIS person. And as they say, the rest is history. I moved to Pietermaritzburg to start the job, and that was 9 years ago. I met my wife here the second day I arrived. She used to stay in the flat I moved into. She had forgotten something there and came round to pick it up.

I enjoy what I do. I basically maintain half of the companies plantation maps using GPS data and satellite images. My boss does the other half. It does sometimes get a bit monotonous, but something new always comes up to make it exiting

 

[ak99]

Before I start, I have to say this thread is very interesting - I like hearing about what other people do for a living, especially when that involves roles I didn't know existed.

Well, here's mine -

I left school after year 11 and straight into an apprenticeship as a Small engine mechanic. The mower shop I worked at closed down so I took a position in a Hardware store and loved it.

Then took a position with Homelite as a service advisor and stayed there until they announced a relocation from Victoria to Queensland - I didn't want to move then so I took a payout and left.

Started with another hardware store and then decided I would move to Queensland. When I arrived I worked for my older Brother, laying phone and data cables until I landed a position in a tool shop - sales and a bit of service work.

In between all of this I met my Wife.

Then moved into an Account management role ( glorified sales rep) with Rexel electrical supplies, selling to Hardware & Grocery retailers.
The retail division of Rexel was wound up, so I ended up in yet another Hardware store.

Then moved into an Area Manager role with a Hardware Group - Home Hardware ( Aussies will know who it is) This company was family owned until Woolworths and Lowes (U.S.) took it over - unfortunately everything started to become "corporatized" and I didn't like the idea of becoming a corporate robot, so I took my long service leave and that was it.

Now I'm in a joint venture with 2 silent partners, we run a wholesale operation importing hand tools. Our main customers are independent hardware retailers and rural stores. It does get a bit overwhelming at times, however we are growing and I do enjoy being able to make decisions on my own.

Hope I haven't put anyone to sleep!!

 

[Half-breeder]

Im a 'Jack-of-most-trades'... and cant recall ever having less than 2 jobs at a time(even now I do security surveillance for properties on the east coast at night and P/T delivery dispatcher during the mornings.
In the past, Ive done wood work/construction, Ive done computers/IT, Ive done restaurants(cook/prep/b/u), Ive done glass(cutting/forming/installation/service), Ive done postal service(distribution and delivery), Ive done mechanic work(parts replacer/some machining), Ive done sales, labor, plumbing, contract work(rather not say the 'kind'), rental management, some electrical, adult services(nuff said), and probably afew others that ive forgotten about... or 'shouldnt' be mentioned. Nope... never went to collage... too busy workin!

Out of all the 'jobs' Ive had I only recall 1 being 'fired' from, after being there for 8 years... but was rehired 9 months later, when my daughter was born... perfect timing(the boss that fired me was...'crooked' and got fired himself... and I was a whistle blower, so I guess I helped alil in his termination...lol)

 

[landuse]

... adult services....

LOL. This thread is shaping up to be interesting

 

[Half-breeder]

LOL. This thread is shaping up to be interesting

... yes it's probably EXACTLY what youre thinking...

I was, at the time, working distribution/sales at a local adult shop... and yes, to the 'certain' VIP clientele(female) I was rented/scheduled for misc. endeavors/chores/gratitudes... you'd be amazed at how 'dirty' lil ole ladies(grandma's) are... you'd also be amazed at what youll do for 80$ an hr!

Amazingly enough afew of em are still round kickin their heels(amonst other things) up in the air. I still 'talk' to acouple...

 

[machinist@large]

I had five blackouts in the space of six weeks recently, most of them caused by animals (mostly birds)

My current "job" isn't that exciting, I'm a full time carer. Athough it's not your typical 9-5 (more like on call 24/7) it does allow me lots of time to tinker. The downside is the minimal government income...

I started my working life as an apprentice mechanic for the only certified Rolls Royce service centre in Sydney which, unfortunately, I didn't complete.

This led to a succession of menial jobs to support my now young family (I married & had kids young). I didn't stick with any of them but, I did learn a few useful skills.

Then I got into auto detailing which led to me owning a mobile carwash; it wasn't glamourous work but, I did get to drive lots of nice cars (BMW 7 series, MB 500Sls, a Lotus Elise to name a few); the money was ok too...

With increasing personal debts which couldn't be paid, I was forced to declare myself bankrupt which ended the business but, I continued with detailing which led to me working in a smash repair shop & into an apprenticeship.

I then jumped around from shop to shop, honing my skills. The most rewarding/exciting shop I worked in did some car yard repair work but, mostly restoration/custom work.

My first job in this shop was to shorten a damaged aluminium flat bed to fit a dual cab Toyota Hilux which involved stripping it to the rails & headboard & putting it back together using only the undamaged pieces; the owner of the vehicle & the shop were very impressed...

Although there was some mundane jobs, I got to work on some glamourous vehicles too, including this, a gunmetal grey 5 litre V8 powered stretched VW bus.

One of my last jobs there was a full body restoration of a 1954 Morris Minor

Pic for reference only

It was a mess when it came in, full of lead & rust but, it was stripped to bare shell which made my job that much easier. Using mostly reproduction parts (some had to be hand fabbed) I replaced three of the four floor sections, both lower side rails & repaired every little dent in it. Unfortunately, my daughter was born around that time so it was finished & left while I was on leave & I never got to see it finished

After that, I worked in a sheet metal shop for about 2 years before taking on my carer roll...

Tony, your career track looks like it handed you more serious speed bumps that I've faced so far; the one facet I can only offer sympathy instead of mutual support is that I've never made it to the engaged stage, let alone married with children.

As for being a full time caregiver, the only thing I can say is you've earned your stripes. I've been one of the prime assistants twice in my life, while one of my parents bore the load as the primary ( my parents are divorced). My father took care of my great uncle (basically my functional paternal grandfather; his brother, my actual grandfather died when I was 5 weeks old) for the last 7 years of his life; my mother took care of my grandmother for 6 1/2 years until she passed this spring.....

As for your job history, for every peak that I've had, I've probably also got a bottomless pit that could give a lot of folks a run for the money. And another thing; how do you folks do this stuff? I've got a pretty spaced out set of tools, which I've had to assemble to do my job along the way; what blows me away is when I've run across a true artist in sheet metal, they seem to wander in with a couple of really tatty hammers and a pair of tin snips in their back pocket, search thru the gravel on the driveway for a funny looking rock, and then tell me to leave "that" particular pile of scrap to them. I blink my eyes a couple of times, and it's like "Here comes Jay Leno, to pick up his latest concourse winner!!!!"

It's happened enough times to start to get annoying. :toetap05: :toetap05: :toetap05:

 

[machinist@large]

Overall, I think this thread is heading in a positive direction. I want to personally thank everyone who has posted so far, and give a shout out to everyone else to stop by and chat. All I ask is that we DO NOT turn this into a flame conduit about who's job is *****. We've got way to many interesting stories here, and, speaking for myself, if I had the money to just tell someone what I wanted and they sold it to me, I probably wouldn't be hanging out on a DYI forum.....

 

[Dirtroad]

It's truly amazing what kind of carnage a squirrel in a transformer or a raccoon in a substation can cause.....

Pat

The two things that cause the most damage are animals and customers trees. Not much can be done about either one unfortunately.

Why are there so many power lines that look redundant? I'm always seeing lines that run parallel to each other, especially when there is one on each side of the road.

That is hard to say why you would see power lines on both sides of a road. Each state has their own rules and regulations in how things are done. You wont see that here in Michigan other than a few special cases.

Normally what you see on a utility pole is the primary, neutral and secondary.

The line at the top of the pole is the primary, it can be single phase (one line), two phase (two lines) or three phase (three lines).

The lines below that are either the secondary or neutral, sometimes both depending on the situation that had to be met.

If there are lines bellow the secondary/neutral those are communication lines IE: phone, cable, streetlight wire etc.

 

[machinist@large]

How did I miss this!?!?

The two things that cause the most damage are animals and customers trees. Not much can be done about either one unfortunately.



That is hard to say why you would see power lines on both sides of a road. Each state has their own rules and regulations in how things are done. You wont see that here in Michigan other than a few special cases.

Normally what you see on a utility pole is the primary, neutral and secondary.

The line at the top of the pole is the primary, it can be single phase (one line), two phase (two lines) or three phase (three lines).

The lines below that are either the secondary or neutral, sometimes both depending on the situation that had to be met.

If there are lines bellow the secondary/neutral those are communication lines IE: phone, cable, streetlight wire etc.

Holy !! How did I miss your location? Did you update your profile after I logged out to head to work (3rd shift) or was I so worn out I didn't notice?

If you're in Lowell, we're next door neighbors. I'm in Vergennes township, on Parnell rd. Roughly where are you?