giving up lurking...

[Mike Whitman]

A big hello to all of you Creekers !!

I accidentally found this place a couple a months back, and have done quite a bit of lurking, trying to keep up. I'm truly impressed, as, for another hobby of mine, I run a forum, (nowhere near this size, thank goodness), and know how (insert adjective here) they can be to keep friendly. Many of you are extremely helpful and courteous to people with questions. So, I figured before I start bombarding you all with questions, I'd best introduce myself. I'm in my late 30's, employed in the IT field, live in SI,NY, and work for a large non-profit for the last 8 yrs or so. I'm slowly building my arsenal to make some beautiful piles of sawdust. Spent many years remodeling homes, and that's how I got my woodworking interest. Far cry from sawzall's, framing nailers and sheetrock, though it seems many of you did the same route, or still work in construction of some sort. I used to be creative when I was a teen, but have lost the ability to come up with even simple designs or plans on my own.. Out of practice most likely..
It's good to be here.
Now, can I ask questions ? lol
Mike

[Roger Bailey]

Welcome, and a big hello!:)

[Jim Dunn]

Welcome to the Creek Mike. Look out for the turners virus that seems to be running through all the members.

Jim

[Andy Hoyt]

....Now, can I ask questions ?...

NO! But you can pose any number of queries.:D

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Welcome to the Creek Mike! Wade right in the water's fine!

[David Wilson]

Mike Welcome aboard.

[David Duke]

Welcome Mike, great bunch of folks here, join in and have fun!!

[Don Baer]

Welcome Mike and ask away.

[Cecil Arnold]

What Don said.

[Don Dean]

Welcome to the Creek!

[Mark Rios]

Greetings from sunny....no wait...cloudy.....no wait...rainy..... no wait....Welcome from California. These folks around here are the best and you just became one of them.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Welcome to Creek Mike. Lots of good people and lots of knowledge here.

[tod evans]

welcome mike

[Glenn Clabo]

I'm in my late 30's, employed in the IT field, live in SI,NY, Mike

Hey Mike Welcome... Both my kids were born while we were living on SI. I was doing shore duty at the reserve center on Ft Wadsworth. As a part time job I outfitted the woodworking shop and built the darkroom over on FT Hamilton. Of course this was about when you were a youngin'...1975-1978.

[Tyler Howell]

Welcome Mike!
I like pictures!!!!
There I said it!!!:o

[Steve Clardy]

Welcome Mike!!!

[John Bailey]

Welcome Mike,

You're gonna' fit in just fine here. Ask all the questions you like, but be prepared to get a flood of answers.

John

[Richard Wolf]

Welcome, and for those not from the East, SI stands for Staten Island, one of New York's five boroughs.

Richard

[Bob Winkler]

Welcome Mike!

Woodworking is just like home remodeling/building...
... except you'll spend days, even weeks, agonizing over something about 1 foot square or that your customer won't even notice. :(

But the rewards are the same, and the tools are way cooler.:D

Bob

[Bob Noles]

Mike,

Welcome and come on in. The coffee's always warm and the company always friendly.

[John Miliunas]

Welcome to the Creek, Mike! Glad you found us and decided to join in the fun! Great bunch of folks, tons of info, some laughs and did I mention it's a great bunch of folks? :D Oh, and Tyler really means what he said about pictures!!! :) Come often, stay long!:) :cool:

[Mike Whitman]

Thanks for the warm welcome guys !!
A few quick responses, then out for the nite..

Jim,
funny you should mention that 'virus' I keep thinking about a midi lathe...
just to try it...

Tyler,
I can oblige, just need some time to take some.. but seriously, I bet my piles of sawdust don't look much different from yours .. :)

Glenn,
small world indeed. My parents home, practically bordered the fence to Ft. Wadsworth. It was a great playground growing up.. I wish I had known they had a woodworking shop. Was it for military personnel use only ? I spent a lot of time, playing in those bunkers...

Richard,
being from LI yourself, you know how we all assume everyone knows about NY... Staten Island, the 'forgotten' borough.. I sometimes wish it were LI, as I hear often of the long island woodworkers club.. no such thing, at least not to my knowledge, over here... Are you involved with them in any way ?

Bob,
you are of course, correct, but my intention, (you all know about those, right...? something about mice...and men..), is to keep it a relaxing hobby.
So far, I've failed miserably..

Thanks again for the warm welcome guys, and even if I'm not posting, I'm reading... as much as I can !!

[Peter Pedisich]

Mike,

Welcome, you'll find a lot of knowledgeble folks who are generous with info and help.

Also, a good digital camera helps.

Pete

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Welcome Mike, I'm fairly new here myself.

Lots to learn, and there is always something fun/interesting/off the wall, going on here!

Post pics it keeps the natives happy!! ;):D

I've caught the turning bug as well, now I just got to get me a lathe somehow.......:rolleyes:

[Mike Whitman]

Peter,
Did I mention I have a problem ?
A hobby problem... lol
I have a *few* digital cameras... the last one being a Nikon D70.. pictures are great.. the 'problem' is the time for all these hobbies..

Stu,
How do you catch the turning virus, without a lathe ? Someone loaned you some time on one ?

So, what would you fine picture mongers like pictures of ? The in progress disaster I call 'the shop' ? It's really storage, with electricity and lighting..
The most recent thing(s) I've made, were from Wood magazine. I made a couple of sets of em as gifts, and 1 for the wife. For those of you that read Wood, they were 'copper art displays' I believe...
I'm not making a highboy anytime soon...

[Jim Hager]

Welcome Mike.

[John Miliunas]

So, what would you fine picture mongers like pictures of ? The in progress disaster I call 'the shop' ?

Yup. Shop, equipment, projects both, big and small. Jigs, new tool "gloats" (That one is an absolute around here!!! No pics...didn't happen!), kids, shop mascots.... You get the idea! :) I guess around here, we don't consider too much to be "trivial". It's a community atmosphere and all that stuff is part of a community! We will, however, draw the line at such things as Tyler in his tu-tu or that pink thing of his there's been talk about!:D :cool:

[Jim Becker]

Welcome, Mike!

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Peter,
Stu,
How do you catch the turning virus, without a lathe ? Someone loaned you some time on one ?

I've got a little drill driven one, but the bug was first caught back in about 1979 or so....:o

BTW for pics, I think most here appreciate the finner aspect of tool porn :D

Cheers!

[Steve Clardy]

Yup. Shop, equipment, projects both, big and small. Jigs, new tool "gloats" (That one is an absolute around here!!! No pics...didn't happen!), kids, shop mascots.... You get the idea! :) I guess around here, we don't consider too much to be "trivial". It's a community atmosphere and all that stuff is part of a community! We will, however, draw the line at such things as Tyler in his tu-tu or that pink thing of his there's been talk about!:D :cool:


tu-tu:confused: :confused: :eek: :eek: ;)

[John Miliunas]

tu-tu:confused: :confused: :eek: :eek: ;)

Unverified rumor....BUT, still scary!!!!:eek: :D :) :cool: