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Thread: Vintage Martin T75 restoration

  1. #1006
    Oh yeah,

    I have not touched the saw since late last winter.

    I’m in a bit of a pickle. My original intent was to bring the machine into my shop in pieces and put it together on site as I have a basement shop. Everything is home but the base, cast iron top, and sliding table, that is all still at work. Everything else is back together and just needs to be bolted into or onto the base and tuned up.

    Problem #1.....
    I’m considering and torn regarding potentially selling my house and moving. In the event I do move there is no point in dragging the machine into my now home shop. Any move I do make will surely provide 2400sq ft of ground level shop space or there is no point in me moving. But I’m really on fence about moving plus I have about another 6-12 months of work I started on my house three years ago I’d need to wrap up before I can even put it on the market. With that all said I’m half inclined to just stay where I am as anything else feels like so much work. And if work is insecure or unknown I’m in the best area I could be to stay employed as a cabinet maker and or carpenter as any. But you know imop that’s a terrible treason to stay somewhere I loath.

    Problem #2...
    My boss informed me late last week he is closing up his shop. He may be interested in subcontracting all his work to me and my shop mate but it’s still all very up in the air and nothing is clear or set in stone at this time. If this be the case I’ll need a bigger shop than my home shop and forced to rent for the time being. I could just move and get a property with proper space but I can’t make that all happen in the time frame I’d need to accommodate continuing to produce work for my current employer as a subcontractor.

    So you you know I’m in quite a pickle all around, really I have no idea how it will all work out. And at this point I loath remembering exactly how everything goes back together when I do finally get around to putting the machine back together as it’s going to have been a huge lapse in time since I took the machine apart.

    I will get it back together at some point, and hopefully life comes together for me and it ends up sooner than later. I would be tickled more than tickled to put that machine back together and give it the real second life it deserves making someone a living vrs being the shop queen it would had been in my ho,e largely hobby shop that really never gets used.

    Only time will tell. I’ll surely update you all when I get back to it.

    Quote Originally Posted by Mike King View Post
    Patrick, has all work on the restoration been stopped?
    Last edited by Patrick Walsh; 09-21-2019 at 10:32 AM.

  2. #1007
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    Hope everything works out.
    Bumbling forward into the unknown.

  3. #1008
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    Patrick, I hope whatever transitions you need to make go smoothly. That's really a double whammy for sure! But you know what they say about doors closing and opening...you'll find the way that's best for you I'm sure.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  4. #1009
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    Patrick, you’re resilient, so while it may be bumpy for a bit, I’m pretty sure you’ll land on your feet.

    With all the effort you put into the saw, I’d be inclined to bring it home and put it together (while you still remember, all the pieces are there, still young, etc) . . . But that is jump my inclination. That said, i have a bunch of projects “not quite finished” and i keep telling myself to finish before i get distracted by another shines object . . . . . So, i don’t necessarily practice what i might preach.
    OTOH, there might be some emotional benefit to having it home and giving you the ability to work out of the basement shop while in transition - - - but IIRC you also have a Felder slider?? so you could do that anyway . .
    Patrick, believe in yourself. You will do fine.

  5. #1010
    Jim,

    There’s a third simultaneously...

    My second dog “remeber I lost one this time last year” contacted a massive septic blood infection and nearly died late last week. It has taken literally sitting by his side 24/7 since last Saturday morning being he pretty much has been completely paralyzed until a couple days ago now. He can walk again and has made a huge turn around but still can’t get around on his own 100% and I suspect it will be some time before he can. He is 100% and I’m the only one in my house whom can lift him up to take him in and out to go to the bathroom. He actually lost full control of his bladder and would not pee unless I stimulate his bladder. Doing so with a dog 100 lb dog that can’t stand is a serious trick. Couple that with bleeding needling my bank account dry while my work future is insecure to say the least has been terrifying.

    The vet told me last Saturday that I should really consider helping him along he was so sick but that a last ditch anti biotic treatment was worth it but only if he responded in a very short time. So you know last Saturday I was really looking at what looked like a dog passing.

    Here we are a week later and he’s still alive generally comfortable other than what seems like maybe peramanant loss of his front left leg. I can’t help but think you get what you give long term. Last week when I was told to move on I just couldn’t do as much as he was suffering knowing if a blood infection and I could get it to clear would regain full vitality. It’s been exhausting but man so satisfying to so clearly see your efforts rewarded.

    I think I’m gonna be suffering for a while but you know you never know. As Jim said and it’s a fact even when it does not feel like about “one door closes one door opens”. As much as my last job was not ideal as most people’s experience will be with any job, I had been feeling a mounting sense of going against the grain for a bit of time now and was scared by what’s next to do anything about it. Honestly I just can’t go back to swinging a hammer as I can’t find any amount of joy in it and I need joy from my work. Making cabinets I have learnt is far from a passion but you know it’s something I can live with. The problem is most shops no longer build the way I have been building. Anyplace I can go as of now will have a cnc spitting out panels and and pretty much stapling boxes together or some variant of it. I’ll do what I have to do to survive but man that sounds like a drag almost as much as site work.

    So holly carp when life throws stones man you’d better take cover is about how I’m feeling.

    And no woah is me or anything but the third piece is for sure the significant all be only for today. It’s gonna hurt like hell if I wake up in a couple moths and have no job.

    But what are you gonna do right. You go figure out the next thing. Same for me as anyone I’m reminding myself..

    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker View Post
    Patrick, I hope whatever transitions you need to make go smoothly. That's really a double whammy for sure! But you know what they say about doors closing and opening...you'll find the way that's best for you I'm sure.
    Last edited by Patrick Walsh; 09-21-2019 at 7:03 PM.

  6. #1011
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    Just my humble opinion but I would take him up on that subcontracting offer ASAP and start taking on additional work from other sources.

    Work out of your current space, suffer the annoyance of a tight space and save taking on rent with a high level of uncertainty in future work.
    Bumbling forward into the unknown.

  7. #1012
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    Wishing you the best of luck Patrick!

  8. #1013
    Yes of course worst case scenario.

    But you know we build huge stuff, boxes for massive homes I think the last two kitchens had boxes 114” plus tall.

    Then there is access, my shop door is short like under 60” and on like 38-41” wide I can’t remember exactly as it’s been a while. I could hack into the foundation with a masonry saw and make it a double door but then you still have to navigate through my garden mid winter.

    Add to it I would need a cargo van then a helper to get the work to my now current place of employment where the finisher resides and it gets complicated but not impossible.

    Then I have that giant Martin jointer to haul home. I probably won’t as man it will suck to get into my shop so for now it will sit in my uncles shop on the first floor.

    Local to me I can find space for $6.50 sq ft plus utilities. Then probably $5k in electrical another $2-5K to move my shop and at least a couple weeks of my time. Honestly if I knew or had assurance the pipeline on the work would be there I’d just do that but sadly at this point that is not known thing as I suspect my now boss will have many options to sub work to.


    What he is trying to do is wash his hands of any financial ties to anything and just take a cut of the profit. My guess is the work will go to the lowest bidder and more than one person will be bidding. So you know nothing to count on there.

    Sadly I have been locked down In his shop busting my ass 60 plus hours a week and not a sole in the world local to me knows who I am or what I do.

    I’m gonna have to make it through this. Scrounge what I can for work. Start marketing myself, business cards social media maybe what would be a pathetic website for now. As you know I refuse to let this dream go. I spent 20 years on and off out in the trenches working my way up from a painting contractor in high school to a carpenter capable of frame to finish by 30’s at the highest end of the trades. Still unhappy I directed myself out of instinct to making cabinets and you know I find myself as happy fulfilled as I ever imagined I would be by a job.

    So some way I’m gonna have to reinvent myself. Point is I’ll do what I have to do my my tiny shop is not gonna pump out a 80-120k kitchen in a couple months anyway ever.

    I could do it myself working round the clock in a fully equipped shop but other than that you know I don’t know. Hopefully small lucrative projects come my way. Many times they are the real money makers but vanity here and built in there is never gonna keep up with my financial needs.

    I could rethink my direction and or approach to life and adjust to having way less income and way more time. But you know being 41 going on 42 I really feel like it’s prime time to be busting ass!



    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Holcombe View Post
    Just my humble opinion but I would take him up on that subcontracting offer ASAP and start taking on additional work from other sources.



    Work out of your current space, suffer the annoyance of a tight space and save taking on rent with a high level of uncertainty in future work.

  9. #1014
    Thanks Tom,

    Dog first, then job.

    It all will work out. What’s the other option right..

    Quote Originally Posted by Tom M King View Post
    Wishing you the best of luck Patrick!

  10. #1015
    Did this happen to come with a riving knife?

  11. #1016
    Join Date
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    Good luck Patrick, i hope that you figure out how to get through and navigate to a better place.

  12. #1017
    Join Date
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    I worked part-time in a very successful cabinet shop in LA while is was in school. One day, out of the blue, the owner shut down the shop and got hired as a fireman for LA county. He told me it was the best decision he ever made. More days off, health care, very good salary, and a great pension.
    If it were me, I would seriously be thinking of a career change while keeping your passion for WW alive by doing part-time custom work out of your home shop.

  13. #1018
    Thanks mark.

    I’ll make something work i always do.

    Maybe I’ll carve out the time to finish the saw. Hopefully not as I just purchased myself a new work van.

    If my list of three above was not enough I have been without a work truck for a few months and driving my car. My intent was to put like 30-40K down on something I wanted. Sadly I didn’t make it quite to 40k and had to make the purchase before I am a sub contractor and don’t have my past six years employment making just bellow or just north of six figures to show for.

    What are you gonna do..



    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Hennebury View Post
    Good luck Patrick, i hope that you figure out how to get through and navigate to a better place.
    Last edited by Patrick Walsh; 09-25-2019 at 7:14 PM.

  14. #1019
    But being 42 reinventing myself to that degree seems next to impossible.

    As it is i reinvented myself from painting contractor in my teens early twenties, to jack of all trades residential can do anything finish carpenter in my thirty’s. Hated that and started heading down the cabinet maker path fully knowing it was better than finish carpenter but still not furniture or instrument maker.

    But you are right, a pension 401K health care and a job that I can count on largely never going away sounds so freaking good right now.

    How to do that I just don’t know. I’m no pencil pusher, I’m not a water cooler jockey and honestly I like hard work.

    Soooooooo?


    Quote Originally Posted by John Sincerbeaux View Post
    I worked part-time in a very successful cabinet shop in LA while is was in school. One you have a point,

    But being 42 reinventing myself to that degree seems next to impossible.

    As it is i reinvented myself from painting contractor in my teens early twenties, to jack of all trades residential can do anything finish carpenter in my thirty’s. Hated that and started heading down the cabinet maker path fully knowing it was better than finish carpenter but still not furniture or instrument maker.

    But you are right, a pension 401K health care and a job that I can count on largely never going away sounds so freaking good right now.



    One day, out of the blue, the owner shut down the shop and got hired as a fireman for LA county. He told me it was the best decision he ever made. More days off, health care, very good salary, and a great pension.
    If it were me, I would seriously be thinking of a career change while keeping your passion for WW alive by doing part-time custom work out of your home shop.

  15. #1020
    Patrick,

    I know where you’re at and how you feel. I’ve been in a similar situation but I’m 32, have young kids and a wife, and live in a somewhat rural area, so slightly different circumstances but a lot of similarities.

    I’ve worked for about 5 years for a handcut Timber Frame / custom Woodworking shop that also has a general contractors license and does some high end design / build residential work. I’ve done everything from digging footings and framing roofs to built traditional joinery custom furniture for them (all in the same week it feels like ) I’ve learned a ton from these salty old woodworkers / builders that are approaching retirement age and am approaching a situation that is uncertain for me in that they are looking to sell their 30k sq ft shop building (which most of the systems and efficiencies of the business are built from) though they will likely try and rent current shop space from potential new owners and continue work as planned for a while.

    There have been somewhat regular instances where their work slows down, gaps between jobs, waiting on clients to make decisions, waiting on engineering, etc that has left me without work for a few days to a few months at times. In order to combat that downtime, in the last 2-3 years I’ve started my own business doing small scale custom Woodworking, high end finish carpentry and some other related endevours that I primarily operate from my tiny basement shop that is smaller and less equipped than yours. I could never build kitchen cabinets in my shop, but I’ve managed some other cumbersome stuff that was ambitious to do in such a cramped space...entry door, massive floating shelves, smaller cabinetry / built in work.

    The hardest part is marketing myself and becoming known and scheduling around my employer’s schedule, which is beyond my control. There have been times when they were slow that I’d committed other (more lucrative for me) projects that lasted a few months and they went on without me, but it’s a fine line there as to what to commit to and when as I don’t have enough steady work coming in solely thru my own business at this point to pay my family’s bills steadily, much less make a profit every month, though that is the goal and the jobs I do choose to take on are considerably more profitable for my family (and my business growth usually) that it’s becoming a tough call to go and commit to work on somewhat else’s schedule. I don’t make anything remotely close to 6 figures working for someone else, though and if I had that type of earning potential in a cabinet shop around here, I’d just go do that for a handful of years for the $ and experience.

    I say all this to say that being competent and really good and experienced at the technical work is the easy part of running your own business. It’s all the other $H/+ that is the real kicker. Keeping consistent work coming in, marketing, accounting, bookkeeping, doing the technical work whilst looking ahead to upcoming work, planning, entrepreneurial vision and planning, website, social media, etc etc etc. Not to say it’s not worth it, but it takes some planning and building that really is a huge investment of your time, energy and money.

    You might consider finding another cabinet maker in Boston area that doesn’t operate with CNC (surely there’s a least a few left) work for them until you can get you house sorted out and ready to put on the market, all the while taking on whatever side jobs your basement shop can handle and building your name, business and reputation and then when / if you decide to move and commit to some dedicated shop space you’ll be positioned a bit better to transition into that instead of having to react to your boss closing up shop immediately. If you can figure out how to market your work properly and get in front of the right people, I think you could be successful. You obviously have the experience and drive to do the work at a high level.

    Take this with a grain of salt. I could say lots more on this subject, but it’s late and I’m typing this out on a cell phone...
    Still waters run deep.

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