Made my own T5 shift stick

Not yet, I hoped to have some done last week, but the machine is tied up for a while, so hopefully later this week. I will be PM'ing the guys who are interested as soon as I have something ready to ship. Thanks! Jim

Looks like the shifters won't be made after all. I'm switching jobs and once my boss found out, he pulled rank and decided to not allow me to use the machine any more for personal jobs. Oh well, at least I'm moving on to a better company. Sorry to those that I left hanging, but I suspected this kinda hting would happen eventually, Jim

woodsnake said:

Did they fire you, or you found a better gig anyway? I'm having a very, very hard time finding anything currently, I'm glad you have something else lined up!

Click to expand...

While I didn't get fired, I think they wanted to! My new boss and I didn't even come close to getting along, so after 29 years at the same company, I found another job. It's an absolutely awesome job at Erickson Air Crane in Medford, Oregon. The problem is I live 4 hours away and until my house sells I'm renting a room in a nearby ranch during the week and commuting home on the weekends. It sucks, but as you said, things are tough and good jobs are scarce. You do what you have to do sometimes. The upside is I work with bright people who for the most part love their job and I get to make helicopter parts all day long! I looooove it!

I think the machinist shortage is everywhere.I think I've really found a good home at Erickson, the boss is great, the crew is top notch and friendly, even management is awesome! I'm liking Medford more each day, but the downer is my family still lives in NorCal. So I work all week, then commute home Friday after work then head back Sunday nite. Not ideal but it'll do until we sell our house, decide what goes and what stays, etc.

Sky Crane is the Sikorsky version. Erickson now owns the type certificate and all rights and call theirs the Air Crane. But you are right that thing is a badass. Here's a video of one in action I never get tired of watching.
View: http://vimeo.com/72619750

That tank under it is something like 2,700 gallons and it can fill it in 45 seconds! Every time one comes in for service I make it out to the pad to see it. They look like show cars even up close, nice paint, nice interior, new avionics systems, and of course perfectly machined parts! The Erickson facility is amazing, we do it all, from the ground up. From sheet metal to paint (ever see a paint booth big enough for a helicopter?) to machining to turbine rebuilds to machining our own rotor blades as well as every other part, to plating, wiring, you name it and we do it. I feel lucky to work there and am beginning to really love Oregon as a place to live. Maybe someday I'll find a place to make my own stuff again, but not here for obvious reasons.