I'm sure a lot of people know what I'm talking about. Getting known among
friends as the guy with weird hobbies and tools. A good buddy pulls up today
with his snowblower, says it broke and he remembers I had a welder. So being in
a not-completely-antisocial mood I help him out. Just as I'm about to start it
starts snowing hail the size of peas, then blowing sideways. Everything gets
covered with the white stuff, and after having trouble starting I finally get
it done. Then he happens to mention that his blower wasn't actually running,
and he heard I knew engines...

Well, at least I can feel my fingers after a few hours and he's back to making
money with driveways. Maybe I'll end up with that Stanley No. 7 he's been not
using for 6 months.

GTO(John)

"GTO69RA4" wrote in message
...
I'm sure a lot of people know what I'm talking about. Getting known among
friends as the guy with weird hobbies and tools. A good buddy pulls up
today
with his snowblower, says it broke and he remembers I had a welder. So
being in
a not-completely-antisocial mood I help him out. Just as I'm about to
start it
starts snowing hail the size of peas, then blowing sideways. Everything
gets
covered with the white stuff, and after having trouble starting I finally
get
it done. Then he happens to mention that his blower wasn't actually
running,
and he heard I knew engines...

Well, at least I can feel my fingers after a few hours and he's back to
making
money with driveways. Maybe I'll end up with that Stanley No. 7 he's been
not
using for 6 months.

GTO(John)
I can relate. Last summer, a friend of the family needed his utility trailer
lengthened. I explained how it could be done and the price of the steel, he
gave me the money for the materials and i bought them. After about four
hours of measuring, cutting, and welding, it was done. The only thing left
for him to do, was to cut the wood floor boards (using the template that i
provided)
Upon delivery, he gave me a firm handshake and a thank-you. That was it.
Apparently, my labor was free. I would have been happy if the guy offered
anything. A case of beer, a twenty spot, anything. Maybe we're all better
people for helping, but i wouldn't let anybody do me a favor without even
offering a couple of bucks.
Now, i'm usually "too busy" to help certain people.

walt

Walt, if money for the labor was not addressed up front, the guy may have
been under the impression that it was "you scratch my back, and I'll scratch
yours". Why not give him the benefit of the doubt until such time comes
where you may need assistance from HIM. That's when his character will be
revealed. If he has no skills or favor discounts to offer you, wait till you
need some grunt help and put him to work, even if you have to point out the
favor you did for him on the trailer. Some people don't get "squared up"
until they've had a little guidance, and a "jump start" from others. I had a
guy in my neighborhood once that I did'nt know well. He wanted me to weld a
small part for him. As I welded, he picked up a broom and swept my entire
shop for me, unsolicited! Got the corners, too! Needless to say, we both
gained a friend and a new respect for each other that day. People can
surprise you both ways.

RJ
"wallster" wrote in message
...

"GTO69RA4" wrote in message
...
I'm sure a lot of people know what I'm talking about. Getting known
among
friends as the guy with weird hobbies and tools. A good buddy pulls up
today
with his snowblower, says it broke and he remembers I had a welder. So
being in
a not-completely-antisocial mood I help him out. Just as I'm about to
start it
starts snowing hail the size of peas, then blowing sideways. Everything
gets
covered with the white stuff, and after having trouble starting I
finally
get
it done. Then he happens to mention that his blower wasn't actually
running,
and he heard I knew engines...

Well, at least I can feel my fingers after a few hours and he's back to
making
money with driveways. Maybe I'll end up with that Stanley No. 7 he's
been
not
using for 6 months.

GTO(John)
I can relate. Last summer, a friend of the family needed his utility
trailer
lengthened. I explained how it could be done and the price of the steel,
he
gave me the money for the materials and i bought them. After about four
hours of measuring, cutting, and welding, it was done. The only thing left
for him to do, was to cut the wood floor boards (using the template that i
provided)
Upon delivery, he gave me a firm handshake and a thank-you. That was it.
Apparently, my labor was free. I would have been happy if the guy offered
anything. A case of beer, a twenty spot, anything. Maybe we're all better
people for helping, but i wouldn't let anybody do me a favor without even
offering a couple of bucks.
Now, i'm usually "too busy" to help certain people.

walt

I have learned much about people's expectations and their sense of
obligation and gratitude. One friend is so concerned that he will be
overcharged that he wants to know the price before the project plan
and approach are decided. Another friend just does not seem to have it
in him. He wants it "for free" like I should just do it out of
friendship.
Then there have been two, who are just the opposite. I loan them
the tools and consumables, maybe help them a bit to do it themselves.
They hit a home run:
- They are verbally grateful for my assistance
- They are concerned about paying for materials and supplies
- When the job is done, payment for materials is prompt
- A written thank-you note with a HD gift card enclosed arrives in a
day or two
Make me just want to go the second mile to help them again.

Tom

We're still friends. I just found it a bit inconsiderate of him. This
particular guy is amazingly cheap so i guess i should have expected it. I'll
find some heavy lifting for him to do next summer.g

walt

"Backlash" wrote in message
...
Walt, if money for the labor was not addressed up front, the guy may have
been under the impression that it was "you scratch my back, and I'll
scratch
yours". Why not give him the benefit of the doubt until such time comes
where you may need assistance from HIM. That's when his character will be
revealed. If he has no skills or favor discounts to offer you, wait till
you
need some grunt help and put him to work, even if you have to point out
the
favor you did for him on the trailer. Some people don't get "squared up"
until they've had a little guidance, and a "jump start" from others. I had
a
guy in my neighborhood once that I did'nt know well. He wanted me to weld
a
small part for him. As I welded, he picked up a broom and swept my entire
shop for me, unsolicited! Got the corners, too! Needless to say, we both
gained a friend and a new respect for each other that day. People can
surprise you both ways.

RJ
"wallster" wrote in message
...

"GTO69RA4" wrote in message
...
I'm sure a lot of people know what I'm talking about. Getting known
among
friends as the guy with weird hobbies and tools. A good buddy pulls up
today
with his snowblower, says it broke and he remembers I had a welder. So
being in
a not-completely-antisocial mood I help him out. Just as I'm about to
start it
starts snowing hail the size of peas, then blowing sideways.
Everything
gets
covered with the white stuff, and after having trouble starting I
finally
get
it done. Then he happens to mention that his blower wasn't actually
running,
and he heard I knew engines...

Well, at least I can feel my fingers after a few hours and he's back
to
making
money with driveways. Maybe I'll end up with that Stanley No. 7 he's
been
not
using for 6 months.

GTO(John)
I can relate. Last summer, a friend of the family needed his utility
trailer
lengthened. I explained how it could be done and the price of the steel,
he
gave me the money for the materials and i bought them. After about four
hours of measuring, cutting, and welding, it was done. The only thing
left
for him to do, was to cut the wood floor boards (using the template that
i
provided)
Upon delivery, he gave me a firm handshake and a thank-you. That was it.
Apparently, my labor was free. I would have been happy if the guy
offered
anything. A case of beer, a twenty spot, anything. Maybe we're all
better
people for helping, but i wouldn't let anybody do me a favor without
even
offering a couple of bucks.
Now, i'm usually "too busy" to help certain people.

walt

I get that all the time. I fix cracked lawnmower bodies, lawn tractor parts
and lawn furniture. Glue chairs back together and fix favorite toys for the
whole neighborhood. Payment usually arrives on December 25th. I am looking
at this year's profit right now. Five liters and a half gallon of Johnny
Walker Red and a fifth of Black. :-)

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

"GTO69RA4" wrote in message
...
I'm sure a lot of people know what I'm talking about. Getting known among
friends as the guy with weird hobbies and tools. A good buddy pulls up
today
with his snowblower, says it broke and he remembers I had a welder. So
being in
a not-completely-antisocial mood I help him out. Just as I'm about to
start it
starts snowing hail the size of peas, then blowing sideways. Everything
gets
covered with the white stuff, and after having trouble starting I finally
get
it done. Then he happens to mention that his blower wasn't actually
running,
and he heard I knew engines...

Well, at least I can feel my fingers after a few hours and he's back to
making
money with driveways. Maybe I'll end up with that Stanley No. 7 he's been
not
using for 6 months.

GTO(John)

Other folks in our building tend to treat the machine shop as the
local hardware store. Generally if we have plenty of something we are
happy to help out but there has to be a limit.

Recently when the plumbers came to borrow a 1/16 drill I looked up the
catalog number in the MSC big book and sent a note back that we didn't
have any drills to spare but they could buy some out of their budget
from MSC and supplied all the details.

The plumbing instructor then complained that the good quality drills
from MSC were more explensive than the hardware store drill he had
bought before. Of course they didn't stand up to the use but that
seemed to escape his notice.

For those who may not know MSC is a very large industrial supplier
here in the US (and Canada?). Excellent service and they have just
about everything. www.msc.direct.com

Happy New Year to all!

Errol Groff

Instructor, Machine Tool Department

H.H. Ellis Technical High School
643 Upper Maple Street
Dantieson, CT 06239

New England Model Engineering Society
http://newenglandmodelengineeringsociety.org/





On 27 Dec 2004 07:04:33 GMT, (GTO69RA4) wrote:

I'm sure a lot of people know what I'm talking about. Getting known among
friends as the guy with weird hobbies and tools. A good buddy pulls up today
with his snowblower, says it broke and he remembers I had a welder. So being in
a not-completely-antisocial mood I help him out. Just as I'm about to start it
starts snowing hail the size of peas, then blowing sideways. Everything gets
covered with the white stuff, and after having trouble starting I finally get
it done. Then he happens to mention that his blower wasn't actually running,
and he heard I knew engines...

Well, at least I can feel my fingers after a few hours and he's back to making
money with driveways. Maybe I'll end up with that Stanley No. 7 he's been not
using for 6 months.

GTO(John)

"GTO69RA4" wrote in message
...
I'm sure a lot of people know what I'm talking about. Getting known
among
friends as the guy with weird hobbies and tools. A good buddy pulls up
today
with his snowblower, says it broke and he remembers I had a welder. So
being in
a not-completely-antisocial mood I help him out. Just as I'm about to
start it
starts snowing hail the size of peas, then blowing sideways.
Everything gets
covered with the white stuff, and after having trouble starting I
finally get
it done. Then he happens to mention that his blower wasn't actually
running,
and he heard I knew engines...

Well, at least I can feel my fingers after a few hours and he's back
to making
money with driveways. Maybe I'll end up with that Stanley No. 7 he's
been not
using for 6 months.

GTO(John)

I have a sign on the welder that says $20.00 to turn on Switch and $5.00
an inch.

Bernd

"wallster" wrote in message
...
snip----
..
Now, i'm usually "too busy" to help certain people.

walt

Your story reminds me of an incident many years ago, when my then
brother-in-law was running a weld shop. A certain guy kept coming by with
small projects for him to do. Weld the kitchen chair, maybe fix the broken
handle on his lawn mower, that kind of stuff. Each and every time he came
by he asked for, and got, a good deal. He was clearly interested in
getting things done either very cheap, or free.

One fine day my ex b-i-l was whining about this guy, so I suggested to him
that the next time he came by with a project, he should suggest to him that
because he'd always been the giver of the good deals, this time we was going
to be the receiver of same. In spite of the fact that this small job was
worth only $5, we wanted to get $20 for it because it was his turn for the
"good deal".

The ex b-i-l totally surprised me by doing exactly that. They guy picked
up his chair and walked out and never came back again.

Some people are in it for what they can get. It's a good idea to sort them
out before they use you until you're used up.

Harold

"Glenn Ashmore" wrote in message
news:ZDWzd.18845$Qk5.11358@lakeread04...
I get that all the time. I fix cracked lawnmower bodies, lawn tractor
parts
and lawn furniture. Glue chairs back together and fix favorite toys for
the
whole neighborhood. Payment usually arrives on December 25th. I am
looking
at this year's profit right now. Five liters and a half gallon of Johnny
Walker Red and a fifth of Black. :-)

Cool! Wish your neighbors were mine!

Harold

GTO69RA4 wrote:

I'm sure a lot of people know what I'm talking about. Getting known among
friends as the guy with weird hobbies and tools. A good buddy pulls up today
with his snowblower, says it broke and he remembers I had a welder. So being in
a not-completely-antisocial mood I help him out. Just as I'm about to start it
starts snowing hail the size of peas, then blowing sideways. Everything gets
covered with the white stuff, and after having trouble starting I finally get
it done. Then he happens to mention that his blower wasn't actually running,
and he heard I knew engines...

Well, at least I can feel my fingers after a few hours and he's back to making
money with driveways. Maybe I'll end up with that Stanley No. 7 he's been not
using for 6 months.

GTO(John)

Back when I was about 14 years old I was into ham radio with both feet,
and pretty damn good at fixing the vacuum toob "electronics" of that
era, if I say so myself. (Radios & TVs.)

My mom had a habit of telling all her friends that her son would fix
stuff for them and they'd drop it off at our house for me to work on.

I got tired of getting nothing back in return, with my mom getting all
the proud credit. I soon cottoned on to telling those moochers that I
had to replace something like "an octal framistat" which cost me $4.50
at the parts store. They paid up, and I felt I'd balanced the books.

($4.50 would buy me a whole carton of cigarettes or over 10 gallons of
gas back then 'yknow.)

Mom finally cought on and called me a son of a bitch for doing that. She
never saw the irony in what she said. G

Jeff
--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"As long as there are final exams, there will be prayer in public
schools"

On Mon, 27 Dec 2004 18:29:39 GMT, "Bernd" wrote:


"GTO69RA4" wrote in message
...
I'm sure a lot of people know what I'm talking about. Getting known
among
friends as the guy with weird hobbies and tools. A good buddy pulls up
today
with his snowblower, says it broke and he remembers I had a welder. So
being in
a not-completely-antisocial mood I help him out. Just as I'm about to
start it
starts snowing hail the size of peas, then blowing sideways.
Everything gets
covered with the white stuff, and after having trouble starting I
finally get
it done. Then he happens to mention that his blower wasn't actually
running,
and he heard I knew engines...

Well, at least I can feel my fingers after a few hours and he's back
to making
money with driveways. Maybe I'll end up with that Stanley No. 7 he's
been not
using for 6 months.

GTO(John)

I have a sign on the welder that says $20.00 to turn on Switch and $5.00
an inch.

Bernd


This is on the lines of a post I couldn't get an answer for. How much
is the cost of running a $4,000 welder. I would think there would be a
chart for what ever ASTM weld per foot with bean counting production
figures with just materials.

Even a good idea on how much the Jaguar will cost to maintain every 6
months to a yr. kinda thing.

Many times I've been the "other guy" and have no idea what it costs.
Ask and never answered. Then they weld the crap out of it while it
would be good with half that much. Then I'm worried that $20-$40 would
be an insult and they turn around and don't want anything and would
rather talk about another subject. Like their full on Packard
restoration.

O/A is a mystery also. How much does it cost per minute to cut or
braze. I've never had a welder or torch and just gone for it to get
an idea of the costs. I'm sure the combinations are endless , but say
working with 1/4" steel would be a good ball park.

I'm just starting to catch on that the welder can't run continuously
from reading the NG's without cooling. I've only run into that problem
when doing lawn art and have the welder shut down in an artistic
moment and lose where I was waiting for it to cool down. Kinda like
painting a car with an inadequate compressor.

I missed the staff meeting but the minutes show "Backlash"
wrote back on Mon, 27 Dec 2004 08:57:46 -0500 in
rec.crafts.metalworking :
Walt, if money for the labor was not addressed up front, the guy may have
been under the impression that it was "you scratch my back, and I'll scratch
yours". Why not give him the benefit of the doubt until such time comes
where you may need assistance from HIM. That's when his character will be
revealed. If he has no skills or favor discounts to offer you, wait till you
need some grunt help and put him to work, even if you have to point out the
favor you did for him on the trailer. Some people don't get "squared up"
until they've had a little guidance, and a "jump start" from others. I had a
guy in my neighborhood once that I did'nt know well. He wanted me to weld a
small part for him. As I welded, he picked up a broom and swept my entire
shop for me, unsolicited! Got the corners, too! Needless to say, we both
gained a friend and a new respect for each other that day. People can
surprise you both ways.

And sometimes ... I don't know who owes who for what, so we'll start
off the year "even."
Then we'll start the "Okay, you owe me for the beer, but I brought the
heater over, and the gallon of milk, so ... hold this while I cut it and
we'll cal it good." routine over again.

--
pyotr filipivich.
as an explaination for the decline in the US's tech edge, James
Niccol wrote "It used to be that the USA was pretty good at
producing stuff teenaged boys could lose a finger or two playing with."

"Sunworshipper" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 27 Dec 2004 18:29:39 GMT, "Bernd" wrote:

This is on the lines of a post I couldn't get an answer for. How much
is the cost of running a $4,000 welder. I would think there would be a
chart for what ever ASTM weld per foot with bean counting production
figures with just materials.

Sunworshipper,

It's a figure my neighbor likes to use. Says it keeps the guys with the
lawnmower handles and such away. Only the serious will pay. I'm sure you
can get a price at any welding shop and I'd be willing to bet it's
higher. As far as A/O goes I don't have a clue as how you'd go about
pricing.

Bernd

how about getting asked to change someone's sparkplugs[ father in law] on
Christmas eve while it is crapping ice on everything and 10 degrees outside,
just lucky for me I had started my winter rebuild of my zero turn mower and
had the good fortune of doing it outside!


well got significant points with the wife

On 27 Dec 2004 07:04:33 GMT, (GTO69RA4) wrote:

I'm sure a lot of people know what I'm talking about. Getting known among
friends as the guy with weird hobbies and tools.

I get that all the time. I kind of like it. I've met
a lot of interesting people, been part of some VERY
interesting projects, been offered the chance to be
part of some very oddball projects (refused, but was
left with funny stories to tell), and generally had
a pretty good time doing it. I designed and built
a sidereal clock for an astrologer, and designed and
built stage props for a magician. What kind of sign
do you put up to attract those sorts of jobs? You
just have to get the reputation as a guy who can
do anything, and among the mundane, are these gems.

Mind you, I wasn't trying to make a living doing any
of these hobbies -- I just enjoy having the tools
and skills to tinker at them -- so, these odd jobs
that find their way to me aren't getting in the way
of my livelihood.

There are a few people who abuse this, but not many.
Their projects seem to take a little longer to get
done, so the system is self-regulating to a certain
extent. So, I go on doing a little metal-working, a
little computer-guruing, a little internet-researching,
a little electronic/electro-mechanical design and
fabrication and any other odd jobs that people bring
me when their usual resources fail them. Like I say:
kind of fun, (and definitely good for the ego).

--
--Pete
"Peter W. Meek"
http://www.msen.com/~pwmeek/

"GTO69RA4" wrote in message
...
I'm sure a lot of people know what I'm talking about.

At work, the cheapest price/hour is somewhere between $50-$100/hour.

Some things cost more than the above hourly rate per minute.

But seriously - just don't tell anyone about your machines ;-)

Regards,

Robin

On Wed, 29 Dec 2004 00:37:19 -0500, "Robin S."
calmly ranted:


"GTO69RA4" wrote in message
...
I'm sure a lot of people know what I'm talking about.

At work, the cheapest price/hour is somewhere between $50-$100/hour.

Some things cost more than the above hourly rate per minute.

But seriously - just don't tell anyone about your machines ;-)

No, tell everyone, but let them know that you charge for your
time, no ifs/ands/buts, and that the price depends upon your
mood and your current level of free time. Set a $20 minimum and
scare away 90% of them. Cheapskates are _very_ sensitive to that.
If anyone gives you any guff, immediately tell them you won't have
time for it until the second Tuesday of January, 2213. Being a jerk
to arseholes can be FUN! Just remember: they need you, you don't need
them.

Don't forget to put up a sign spelling out your fees in the shop,
and include the guff clause, shop supply costs, and materials fees.
Consider the $x fee, 2x if they watch, and 3x if they "help" or worked
on it first.


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
If God approved of nudity, we all would have been born naked.
----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----
http://www.diversify.com Your Wild & Woody Website Wonk

In article , Larry Jaques says...

... let them know that you charge for your
time, no ifs/ands/buts, and that the price depends upon your
mood and your current level of free time. Set a $20 minimum and
scare away 90% of them. Cheapskates are _very_ sensitive to that.
If anyone gives you any guff, immediately tell them you won't have
time for it until the second Tuesday of January, 2213. Being a jerk
to arseholes can be FUN! Just remember: they need you, you don't need
them.

That's the point - if you want to, you can waive your fees
and work for free - but *only* when you decide to do so. It's
your decision, not the 'customer's.'

Jim


--
==================================================
please reply to:
JRR(zero) at pkmfgvm4 (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com
==================================================

(GTO69RA4) wrote in
:

I'm sure a lot of people know what I'm talking about. Getting known
among friends as the guy with weird hobbies and tools. A good buddy
pulls up today with his snowblower, says it broke and he remembers I
had a welder. So being in a not-completely-antisocial mood I help him
out. Just as I'm about to start it starts snowing hail the size of
peas, then blowing sideways. Everything gets covered with the white
stuff, and after having trouble starting I finally get it done. Then
he happens to mention that his blower wasn't actually running, and he
heard I knew engines...

Well, at least I can feel my fingers after a few hours and he's back
to making money with driveways. Maybe I'll end up with that Stanley
No. 7 he's been not using for 6 months.

GTO(John)

Fortunately there are two of us on our street. There's me, the amateur
woodworker, and I get many calls to make just a couple of cuts, can you let
me use your saw, how about that screwgun I saw you using on your deck...
Then there's Ken down the street. He's a contractor, and while he does get
paid business from the neighbors, he also gets requests for freebies. Good
thing he's a friendly guy.

--
John Snow
"Pull hard and it comes easy"

"Hitch" wrote in message
. ..

|
| Fortunately there are two of us on our street. There's me, the amateur
| woodworker, and I get many calls to make just a couple of cuts, can you
let
| me use your saw, how about that screwgun I saw you using on your deck...
| Then there's Ken down the street. He's a contractor, and while he does
get
| paid business from the neighbors, he also gets requests for freebies.
Good
| thing he's a friendly guy.
|
| --
| John Snow
| "Pull hard and it comes easy"

I firmly believe in bartering. I also firmly believe that if you do
something for someone else because you know it's the right thing to do (sort
of like charity) you wind up better off in the end.
The world is full of stories of those whom we have helped winding up in
a position to return the favor in bigger ways. Like eating for free a few
times after I pulled someone up the snowed in street. I didn't know he
managed a McDonalds's!
But then again moochers rate right down there with the "will work for
food" losers on the street corner. I'm not always such a great judge of
character, but I do catch on eventually.

On Wed, 29 Dec 2004 07:07:25 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:


No, tell everyone, but let them know that you charge for your
time, no ifs/ands/buts, and that the price depends upon your
mood and your current level of free time. Set a $20 minimum and
scare away 90% of them. Cheapskates are _very_ sensitive to that.
If anyone gives you any guff, immediately tell them you won't have
time for it until the second Tuesday of January, 2213. Being a jerk
to arseholes can be FUN! Just remember: they need you, you don't need
them.

One time I told a customer that I would be able to look at her problem
"a year from next Christmas" When she called me near the appointed
date I was so impressed with her patience that I did the job "no
charge"
Gerry :-)}
London, Canada

On 27 Dec 2004 07:04:33 GMT, (GTO69RA4) wrote:

I'm sure a lot of people know what I'm talking about. Getting known among
friends as the guy with weird hobbies and tools. A good buddy pulls up today
with his snowblower, says it broke and he remembers I had a welder. So being in
a not-completely-antisocial mood I help him out. Just as I'm about to start it
starts snowing hail the size of peas, then blowing sideways. Everything gets
covered with the white stuff, and after having trouble starting I finally get
it done. Then he happens to mention that his blower wasn't actually running,
and he heard I knew engines...

One comment I'd like to add to this thread is that it's not always a
good idea to do business with close friends of the family. I recently
did (paid) work for a neighbor quite awhile back and only recently
found out that he was severely ****ed off at all of us because he had
expected something different from what the work was stated to be. I
knew there would be problems because I tried to explain that I
couldn't do what he wanted, and that the other company that was going
to finish his project would have to do it since they had the tools to
do it properly, but I would do the other half of it at a lower rate
than them. He nodded yes to all of that but didn't truly understand
what I was talking about, so he stayed under the assumption that I had
done it, and since he didn't allow for the extra time or cost, he
missed a deadline and lost money on his project. If he had simply
called me I would have at least tried to set things straight, but he
never mentioned it to anyone until recently. So from now on I refuse
to do projects either free or paid for anyone who's that close to the
family. It's not worth the sitcom-drama.

When I worked as a machinist for a printing company, we always did our
share of favors for people. Springtime brought lawnmowers and weed
whackers, summer brought in motorcycle and boat parts, fall and winter
brought plows and snowblowers. I usually didn't mind the occasional
part I had to make or weld, since we all knew each other, and it
usually resulted in a free soda and a thank you.
I recall one guy who brought a spacer to me one day, for a dual blade
lawnmower. Seems the one blade worked itself loose, and the spacer was
launched to places unknown, so he needed a duplicate. Didn't get to it
that night, as some scheduled job needed to be finished.
The next day I made it to his specifications, and the day after, I
made another, as his way didn't work. As I recall when I checked a few
days after that, I found the part worked, but not only had he carried
it in his lunchbox for three days, he had also previouly driven ten
miles out of his way to go to the John Deere dealer and found that he
didn't want to BUY the part, 'cause they wanted a whopping SIX BUCKS
for it. I didn't even get a thank you or a soda.
Some people are just way too cheap ... and since then I refuse to do
freebies for people who can't perform a service that I may someday
need.

Ron

"doo" wrote in message
oups.com...
snip-----

he had also previouly driven ten
miles out of his way to go to the John Deere dealer and found that he
didn't want to BUY the part, 'cause they wanted a whopping SIX BUCKS
for it. I didn't even get a thank you or a soda.
Some people are just way too cheap ... and since then I refuse to do
freebies for people who can't perform a service that I may someday
need.

Ron

Good on ya', mate. What these suckers do is take the money out of your
pocket and stick it in theirs. They don't give a damn what it costs, so
long as they're not paying the tab. I'm more than happy to help a friend,
or a total stranger, for that matter, but when they find that I can make a
¼-20 screw and expect me to do it instead of them buying it for a dime, I
tend to get tight jaws.

Harold