Aircraft mechanic in the Air Force for the last 17+ years getting ready to move to Okinawa for another assignment. I decided to get a Shapeoko 3 and try my hand at CNC to challenge myself to learn something new and continue my passion for making and fixing things. Old hobby was modifying cars/motorcycles but that’s black hole for money and the CNC is more enjoyable. Been really enjoying it over the 8 months I’ve had it.
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computer system manager (I fix the computers), web developer, and woodworking hobbyist
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Retired Chief Warrant Officer with the CG, currently Mechanical Engineer project manager on a facilities contract with the government ex. helicopter flight instructor, currently private pilot/aircraft owner.
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Combat Engineer Officer in the HUN ARMY (+MOS 1302 USMC) currently stationed in DEU. I fell in love with production technologies while I was studying for my master’s (Instructor of mechanical engineering) and I needed a hobby that is fairly easy to move from country to country while manageable as a father.
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If you’ve never built/flown before there’s a bunch of X8 kits available. You might check the RCGroups.com forum and see if someone else has done one from scratch. Flying wings in general are really simple designs, I’ve built several from scratch using Dow Corning blue foam that you can get from Lowe’s/Home Depot. Do a little research and I think you’ll discover that it’s not too tough. Happy flying!
Dan
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Really neat topic. I love reading about everyone’s backgrounds.
I’m in the same boat as @BoscoBob. Disabled/early retiree. I’ve been into computers since my first Apple IIe in 1983. I’ve done end to end telecommunications and computer work for that long. Experience with analog and digital phone systems, fiber optics, all forms of computer networking and associated infrastructure (LAN/WAN, etc.), server systems (hardware and software). Ended my career as lead business systems analyst for a lighting company when they canned me after I had my stroke.
Now, I help my wife raise the remainder of our 13 children still living at home and dabble in woodworking for fun.
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CAD monkey / designer. i enjoy making things.
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Hey I am a sign maker too, but about 26 years less experience than you! Just bought a SO3 and waiting for ti to arrive. Thought I’d use it to make toys for the kids and signs to have a minor souce of income. Hopefully I could bug you for advice here and there!
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I’d be happy to try answer any questions you might have Crew. If you click on my name you can send a private message if you want to converse that way.
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Now? Retired. Play in my garage/shop all day, every day.
Back in the day, 4 years Navy, Aviation Electronics Technician, Plane Captain F4 Phantom, VF121 Top Gun. Business degree CSUF.
25+ years in the Electronics industry. All sales and marketing. Most fun was in the Compound Semiconductor segment, on the ground floor when universities/industry developing solid state LED’s/lasers. Our company actually sold products to China, Japan and Taiwan! Anybody here know how DIFFICULT it is to make a white LED? Red, green- cake. White…tough stuff. Really happy to see the lighting industry take off as it has.
Woodworking always a hobby, not much time 'til now. Finally building a proper workbench, current big project. Really happy with my SO3 XL, cant wait to exploit all the opportunities!
Edit: Need to add in 10 years at Trader Joe’s. To decompress and recover my health after so many years of international travel/sales. 
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Clinical psychologist and federal law enforcement officer. Just doing this as a hobby to mess around and make doodads.
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13 years old child or 13 children, 1+1+1+…=13 ???
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1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1=13 (no multiple births)
That’s why I have a hobby now…lol
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http://community.carbide3d.com/u/adam_xett
Adam X
I congratulate you on the question here and now, I really have been impressed by the curriculum of our colleagues. Thank you very much for your concern.
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We are a good and multi skill community, we should make a big project together! Carbide team find a design , all the volunteer make is own piece, every body send it and carbide team plug all the piece together to make the big final design, a good video clip on it and it’s a perfect YouTube video for promote our passion!
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Neuroradiologist. Longtime tinkerer in CAD, woodworking, web dev, and computer repair.
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Electrical Engineer, hardware and software design as will as some mechanical design work.
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started in quantum physics, then SW development in realtime medical imaging X-ray detectors, moved on to high-performance computing R&D, now an electronics architect trying to get a bunch of processors and FPGAs to fit inside ever-decreasing time/power/size budgets.
Bought a Shapeoko on an impulse, to make nice-looking boxes for my raspberry pi projects, then got sucked down the rabbit hole.
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I have to follow through on the setup of this thread…
1st Bob: What you do at Initech is you take the specifications from the customer and bring them down to the software engineers?
Tom: Yes, yes that’s right.
2nd Bob: Well then I just have to ask why can’t the customers take them directly to the software people?
Tom: Well, I’ll tell you why… because… engineers are not good at dealing with customers…
1st Bob: So you physically take the specs from the customer?
Tom: Well… No. My secretary does that… or they’re faxed.
2nd Bob: So then you must physically bring them to the software people?
Tom: Well… No. ah sometimes.
1st Bob: What would you say you do here?
Tom: Look I already told you, I deal with the @#$% customers so the engineers don’t have to. I have people skills! I am good at dealing with people, can’t you understand that? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!
…as an aside, I do software for the automotive industry, but am a maker on the side.
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I️ am a EE by degree, worked in Computer hardware, software, and telecom design for 25 yrs as both engineer and management. Switched over to running IT organizations and now general management. Have always had interest in woodworking / furniture making, reenergized my Ham Radio activity back in ‘07 when my daughter went to college, call=K0ACP, got my ShapeOko, to expand my tech / making repitroire, and really enjoying it far more than I️ expected, in fact, the interaction of this community is astounding and an added benefit, Thank you Carbide 3D for nurturing this realm!
73 es God Bless,
/Art, K0ACP …
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