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View Full Version : I did it! All 344 pages



Joe Peacock
02-06-2010, 1:44 AM
I finally did it! I looked through all 344 pages of the Engravers Forum! That is 344 x 25 posts per page, 8,600 posts! It took me about 2 weeks of about 45 minutes a night but I have to say....it was well worth it! Some of the posts were obviously something that I wouldn't be interested in so I skipped them but there were a surprisingly abundant number of things that I thought I could use or might be useful to me in the future. I am a "Serial Hobbyist" (my wife's term for my condition) and I collect information like a sponge.
I am constantly amazed at the freedom of sharing and the depth of thought that went into the responses to the inquiries that were made. Unlike other forums I frequent no one was called out for being inept or made to feel inferior because they asked a question that was "elementary" or that had been answered before. Sometimes there was gentle prodding to "use the search engine" but in most cases the responders took a deep breath and explained the answer once again.
The depth that all of the active members have gone to answer the questions and the continuing follow up of the threads until the inquirer got an answer to their inquiry was impressive.
I have been on a LOT of forums where some of the elementary questions I asked would have been responded to with a scathing "don't you know how to use the search button?".....not so here.
I have a theory.....most of the people on this forum don't view fellow members as a threat to their livelihood and are willing to share the knowledge they have gained through personal experience or through answers they have gotten from the forum in the past.
I also have another theory.....if you pay $10,000+/- for the asset that is being discussed you are probably of above average intelligence and you probably appreciate interacting with people on the same level.
Having said all of this....let me tell you how I went through all 8,600 posts.....
The first thing I do when I go to a forum like this that is interesting to me is open a Word Document. Then when I see an interesting comment I "copy" and "paste" it to that document, hit the space bar a couple of times and then put a line of = signs below that and then hit enter enter a couple of times and then the space bar. This way I am set up to save the next pertinent (to me) post that I need to save . Then when I find something else that is salient to my interests all I have to do is append it to my Word Document and it is available for me to look at any time I choose to.
One other thing I do is look at the threads and decide what part of the response is something that I want to have on hand from now on (.cdr files) then I view it as a single post, save the URL location and the e-mail it to myself and I have it as something I can search for whenever I need it. I have gotten a lot of information saved that I "might need" in the future on hand using this method.
Again, I would want to thank the moderators and the participants on this forum for their responsiveness and patience in dealing with people new to the wonder of the Laser World!
Joe

Dan Hintz
02-06-2010, 9:52 AM
Welcomes to the club, Joe :D I did the same thing, except I read every single post. Took me several months at 40 hours/week, but like youI copied anything I thought may be useful into a Word doc... about 30 pages at 10 point with 0.5" margins. That doesn't include project ideas/pics, which amounts to another 20+ pages.

I'm kind of an information junkie, and I took off on so many tangential paths that I was losing a lot of time. But now I'm working on finding the right set of tools to finish off my workshop (trying to find a good lathe and bandsaw).

Mike Null
02-06-2010, 11:22 AM
Dan

Have a look here. These are well regarded saws. They are also a sponsor. http://www.lagunatools.com/xmas

Randy Walker
02-06-2010, 2:20 PM
Hey Dan
When you get serious about buying a lathe look for one with variable speed, and ignore anything that you must move a belt to change speeds. I like my little Jet but I hate having to move the belt to change speed. Go for the one with a bigger motor if you can afford it too. Just my thoughts.

Back on topic… I too have spent a fair amount of time reading and following links. I still have a lot more reading to do though. This is the most amazing and knowledgeable group of people I have ever had the privilege of being associated with.

Randy Walker

Bill Cunningham
02-06-2010, 11:25 PM
There is a amazing amount of skill, craftsmanship and knowledge scattered around this forum. I am always surprised by folks that post that they have been lurking for months and even years before they post a picture of some of their work. The work they post is very often something that took a great amount of skill and patients to produce, and quite often just blows you away with varied amount of design or other artistic skill, along with incredible attention to detail. I don't think you could attend a course anywhere that would expose the new laser owner to the vast array of ideas and skill located here by some of our more artistic members and contributors. Laser etching and engraving, certainly consists of a lot more than just reading a manual and pressing the 'go' button, no matter 'what' the salesman told you;).

Keith Outten
02-07-2010, 10:53 AM
Now you can get all of our file attachments on DVD's. there are over 550 meg of engraving pictures, drawings, etc.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=132062

Months ago i announced that we were trying to get this done and start shipping. The DVD's are now ready to ship and an awesome resource of over 87,000 attachments.
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