Dave from the UK?

[Bill George]

I hope his name is Dave the guy that knew lasers inside out and was from the UK. I never see him on anymore, and at one time he was restoring a old stone house. Maybe he retired and is now remodeling full time?

[Scott Shepherd]

Dave no longer contributes to this site. He is greatly missed, his knowledge is insane and his willingness to help is second to none.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

If my memory serves me correctly, he was also a nuclear physicist! I enjoyed reading his posts.

[Bill George]

Dave no longer contributes to this site. He is greatly missed, his knowledge is insane and his willingness to help is second to none.

Yes so much knowledge.

But this site has changed a lot in the last year or so. Seems like now all we are getting is eBay people who are first time users. Looks like we are support for the Chinese makers.

Dave was great, I really do miss his knowledge.

[Bruce Volden]

Yeah, I believe it was Dave Sheldrake? I learned from his posts also.

Bruce

[Scott Shepherd]

He didn't leave the internet, he's still out there. If you seek, you shall find :)

In my opinion, he was the most knowledgable person on the forum when it came to lasers. I contacted him once to ask a few questions and he was able to tell me who the Managing Director was of this foreign company, who answered to who, who I needed to talk to and how to resolve my issues. He knows everyone, across the globe, who has anything to do with making lasers.

[Patrick McCarthy]

Bill, sent you a PM

[Kev Williams]

Always so humble- I always got a kick out of him explaining how little he knew about lasers compared to some of his associates and mentors.
I learned a ton from Dave, but as the saying goes, he's forgot more about lasers than I'll EVER know...http://www.engraver1.com/gifs/bow.gif

[Bert Kemp]

Yea I miss him to he taught me so much:)

[Dave Sheldrake]

Thanks for the kind words guys :)

Ok, bit of an update, Well the house finally got on my nerves so I moved to an Art Deco place built in 1939 and am having a great time living there where I don't have to repair 500 year old stonework on a weekly basis.

Work wise, stuff went all kinds of silly but right in the middle of it my wife was diagnosed with Cancer 4 years ago, after the usual treatment and chemo, radio all was well. Fast forward to Oct last year and once again cancer came to visit. She's currently undergoing treatment for that and the outlook is excellent (it hasn't spread) so time again has gotten very limited.

These days I do a good bit of CNC programming freelance (being effectively retired from the rat race of running a company) and occasionally help folks out when they get problems with their lasers but being honest, like most folks I got fed up with £200 Ebay K40's saturating the market and users wanting to be hand fed everything they needed to know without actually putting in any effort themselves. It got to the stage I was getting literally hundreds of emails a day and the tone of some of them was a little "Annoying" to say the least.

"Hey, my laser won't fire, you gonna help me get it fixed or what?" and when an answer didn't arrive in a Tardis I'd get a follow up saying "I need this machine working NOW, email me back asap" well, that's never going to end well.My old Dad taught me "Please and thank you" never cost anybody a dime so I just quit the entire "scene"

Scotty's right :) I'm not too difficult to find and speak to Dave Sommers on pretty much a weekly basis over on BookFace

Kev's also right, I was always the student, and still am, I've been very fortunate that some of the real "Minds" in the industry gave me their time and helped me over many years :)

cheers Dave

[Bill George]

Good to hear from you Dave! Glad you got out of the rat race and it sounds like your semi retired?

We still get the folks on here with zero experience and want everything explained…. to them.

I know also that home remodels can go on and on and sometimes letting another take over the project is for the best.

That cancer thing is tough, lots of good people fighting it off and I hope your wife pulls out of it again. It takes over your life and your loved ones also.

[Dave Sheldrake]

Good to hear from you Dave! Glad you got out of the rat race and it sounds like your semi retired?

We still get the folks on here with zero experience and want everything explained…. to them.

I know also that home remodels can go on and on and sometimes letting another take over the project is for the best.

That cancer thing is tough, lots of good people fighting it off and I hope your wife pulls out of it again. It takes over your life and your loved ones also.

cheers Bill, it's good to be around where possible, I just retired from running a business, I still work just not 80 hours a week any more :) She will :) she's a tough old boot :)

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Dave, thanks for the update. Sorry to hear about your wife's health. I hope the future continues to have a good outcome for her! My wife is a 27 year survivor of a rare and deadly form of cancer. Wishing you two the best in 2020! Again, thanks for the update!

[Dave Sheldrake]

Thanks Ken, much appreciated :)

[Bert Kemp]

Hey Dave awesome to hear from you Happy New Year. Glad your wife's doing ok hope she keeps it up, sounds like she will.

[Kev Williams]

OMG, look what the 422835 dragged in!! :D

What a nice surprise! Sounds like things are going well for you, even factoring in your wife's health scares. It's obvious she's a fighter, best wishes to you both :)

And I for one would like to say PLEASE don't stray too far away if at all possible, and THANK YOU for the help you've freely passed along to myself and others, and for the knowledge I've gained from you- I've picked up at least 5 IQ points for sure! Maybe 6 IQ points, because of your post now I know what a Tardis is... ;)

[Mike Null]

Dave
Let me join the others in welcoming you back. We did miss you. My best wishes for your wife's recovery.

[Dave Sheldrake]

Thanks Guys :)

[Dai Sheldrake]

Just a quick call in folks,
A new user name as I no longer have the old email (and Dai is Welsh for David)

2021 was some year, a near fatal visit to icu with covid in the January followed on Sept the 11th by the worst news possible.
After a fight worthy of a valkyrie my wife Karen finally lost the fight against cancer and left us 9.35 in the morning of the 11th. 2 days before her 48th birthday.

So much has changed,my priorities are very different now and my life in general is very "strange" for some unexpected reasons that I never saw coming.
I'll pop in and out as time allows and help where I can.

Best wishes

Dave

[Patrick McCarthy]

Dave, i am so sorry to hear of Karen's passing. Hopefully the memories of the good times with her will eventually bring a warm smile to your face and soul. Patrick

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Dai,

I am sorry to hear of the death of your wife.

May you find peace as you work to find a new meaning in your life and maneuver through the current situations.

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

I'm so sorry for your loss Dave. When you have moments of feeling lost without Karen, make sure to reach out and surround yourself with good people near you or the good people right here on this forum.

[Bert Kemp]

Dave so sorry for your loss, no words can help in your grief, just know that my thoughts and prayers are with you and yours.

Bert

[Bill George]

Dave I am so sorry for your loss, she will be missed for sure. Prayers are with you.

[Mike Null]

Dave

I want to extend my sincere condolences on your loss. I wish you and your family peace and joyful memories.