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Forum Index : Off topic archive. : What’s our average age ?

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Bernie the Bolt

Regular Member

Joined: 26/10/2006
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 45
Posted: 08:45pm 11 Apr 2009
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How old are you? are you retired ?
It strikes me it takes all lot of time to get a homebrew AE system up and running. I've been in this run down farmhouse in France now for over 4 years and am still at the planning /acquiring bits / batteries stage. Ok so I have been busy renovating the house, and the wife always wants something else done, but I can't see how a guy working fulltime could build one of these rigs.
I am 53 , retired early, no job .
Perhaps I should spend more time in the shed and less on this forum. (less red wine might help too ! )

Bernie the Bolt

I'd rather be sailing!
 
brucedownunder2
Guru

Joined: 14/09/2005
Location: Australia
Posts: 1548
Posted: 09:21pm 11 Apr 2009
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Bernie,

I'm 65 later this year ,retired 4 years and still have problems getting things completed..

I don't worry,if it dosen't get finished today then tomorrow will do .
I do 99% of the maintenance around this property,try to get at least something done every day .

I treat this wind-gennie thing as a hobby, run my workshop off solar and the wind gennie when it's windy ,thats not often around here.

Have fun,
Bruce
Bushboy
 
oztules

Guru

Joined: 26/07/2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 1686
Posted: 10:31pm 11 Apr 2009
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Hmmm
French wives are the same as the ones over here from the sound so of it.

I'm 53 retired early and no job. Spend too much time helping other people get things working.

The windmill thing is a hobby, but I do enjoy the electric car (read... pile of rotting junk) being charged entirely from the mill as "neat". It gets used every day, and saves a small fortune in fuel.

Between fixing things for other people, keeping the wife and dogs happy, it's hard to find time to go fishing and play windmills sometimes. (I think fishing is what Bruce really does).

Keeping other windmills on the island running takes up a bit of time as well.

Tough life, but someone has to do it.



.........oztules




Edited by oztules 2009-05-14
Village idiot...or... just another hack out of his depth
 
petanque don
Senior Member

Joined: 02/08/2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 212
Posted: 12:25am 14 Apr 2009
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I am 47, work full time, have a young family and study at uni.

I have decided the cost VS benefit of converting washing machines to wind mills is not worthwhile for me especially as I live in the suburbs of Adelaide.
 
Gizmo

Admin Group

Joined: 05/06/2004
Location: Australia
Posts: 5116
Posted: 01:04am 14 Apr 2009
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I'm 43. Work part time as a machine operator and the rest of the working week is spent working on my little software business. I hope one day the software business will start to pay for itself and I can work on it full time. I've had about 20 jobs from service station attendant to company director, but the best jobs were the hands on technical like car mechanic, Telecom tech and working with laser cutters.

The windmills are a hobby at this stage, though one day I hope to take it further.

I'm single, so can get away with more time in the shed, though lately the business has taken over.

Glenn
The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now.
JAQ
 
MacGyver

Guru

Joined: 12/05/2009
Location: United States
Posts: 1329
Posted: 06:01am 12 May 2009
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I'm 60 the end of this month! Still working--still got kids at home!
Retire; what's that?

One son is a PhD (Aeronautical Engineer); am hoping he'll send me as much
money as I've sent him!

:O)
Nothing difficult is ever easy!
Perhaps better stated in the words of Morgan Freeman,
"Where there is no struggle, there is no progress!"
Copeville, Texas
 
montyLalor

Newbie

Joined: 17/12/2008
Location: Australia
Posts: 21
Posted: 08:00pm 13 May 2009
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I'm 32, my wife and I are expecting our first child in October. I do something like fifty-hour-weeks as a CNC machinist and my wife works four days a week as a sterilisation technician in a hospital. I barely have time to mow my yard, let alone build turbines (I'm okay with that for now - no where to put one!). I see it just getting busier from here on in, so my plans to have a turbine together by Chrissy this year with my self feathering hub idea may not work out. We've lots to do around the house to prepare for Bub, so it is not longer an official priority.

Luke
"So are you doin' this project to make us money or cost us money?" she asks again...
 
philb

Regular Member

Joined: 05/07/2008
Location: United States
Posts: 96
Posted: 06:05am 25 May 2009
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I'm 52. I work full time and farm afterwards. Current projects of solar panels are temporarily keeping me from anymore wind generators right now. I hope to get them done sometime this year. For me, wind energy is much more fun and challenging than solar. After all a good solar panel just lays there when it is working correctly!
philb
 
GreenD88

Senior Member

Joined: 19/05/2009
Location: United States
Posts: 104
Posted: 01:48pm 25 May 2009
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Hi I'm 20 Years old, and new to the forums but been reading them for weeks. I'm from the states Kansas, USA to be exact, and have plenty of wind. So I decided to build a small turbine as a test, and almost have it done. It's made out of a 2x6 for the base, 1/2" pipe with scrap piece of tin for tail, bicycle hub and 2 saw blades for the blade hub assembly, and 2 2' PVC blades. Most everything I had laying around except the magnets, wire, and one saw blade. I'll post pics when I can get it flying.
Licensed Master Plumber / EPA 608 Universal License / 410a Safety Certified / Medical Gas Brazer/Installer
 
AMACK

Senior Member

Joined: 31/05/2009
Location: Australia
Posts: 184
Posted: 02:53am 02 Jun 2009
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I am 33 still working. Farm back ground and work as Vineyard manager of a 212 ac ( 85 ht ) vineyard.
Married with twin 2 and a half year old boy's
*Note to self

1. Make it thick

2.Make it heavy.

3.Make it stronger than it should be.

4. Don't rush the first job as the second job will cost more and take mor
 
marcwolf

Senior Member

Joined: 08/06/2009
Location: Australia
Posts: 119
Posted: 03:35am 10 Jun 2009
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48, Computer programmer by trade, jack of all trades by hobby.
I have a keen interest in electrical/electronics/and special effects.
Cursed by an overwealming curiosity - and the ability to put it to use means that I am always reading or inventing things.

I have always wanted to go 'green' as it were. Living on acreage my water is supplied by rainwater tanks, my septic system recycles the water I use onto the garden. I am in the process of getting a 1kw grid connect solar system installed with a 2kw invertor.
So my next project is to make a wind turbine to use up the excess invertor capacity.
Once that is done then one of the projects is a hydroponics system mounted on a wall :>

Take Care
Dave

Coding Coding Coding..
Keep those keyboards coding..
RAW CODE!!!!!
 
JackS
Newbie

Joined: 04/03/2009
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 8
Posted: 04:29am 12 Jun 2009
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Im 43 and still working I have been living without mains power all my adult life
I'm still lerning & still have many improvements needed on my mainly hydro power system to get it how I want.
 
windman1000
Regular Member

Joined: 21/06/2009
Location: United States
Posts: 91
Posted: 08:16pm 22 Jun 2009
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To Many Naps And Not Enough Time.Edited by windman1000 2009-09-03
 
MacGyver

Guru

Joined: 12/05/2009
Location: United States
Posts: 1329
Posted: 03:57am 02 Sep 2009
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Bump!
Nothing difficult is ever easy!
Perhaps better stated in the words of Morgan Freeman,
"Where there is no struggle, there is no progress!"
Copeville, Texas
 
Smart Drives

Senior Member

Joined: 06/07/2009
Location: Australia
Posts: 115
Posted: 02:10am 11 Sep 2009
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Just turned 40 , so this is my mid life crisis cure. Well maybe that should be the other way around..
I own my own business and work my but off, 3 kids , live on a farm with too many horses. Fortunately my wife doesn't mind my passion but does get freaky every now and then.
Like others wind power fascinates me and i dont care how much time i spend doing things twice.

Geologist by trade when i was young but WISH i had done electronics !

Cameron.
All smart drive parts sold
Custom built turbine parts on
Multicam flatbed CNC Router
 
MacGyver

Guru

Joined: 12/05/2009
Location: United States
Posts: 1329
Posted: 01:46am 12 Sep 2009
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Smart Drives:

" and i dont care how much time i spend doing things twice. "

Welcome to the club; you're in the right spot for that! I'm the reining 'king'
of reinventing the wheel!
Nothing difficult is ever easy!
Perhaps better stated in the words of Morgan Freeman,
"Where there is no struggle, there is no progress!"
Copeville, Texas
 
SensibleNick

Newbie

Joined: 16/10/2009
Location: Sweden
Posts: 4
Posted: 12:06pm 16 Oct 2009
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Well, I'm 32 and working full time as a mechanical engineer: designing machines that create and fill carton packages. I design mainly in stainless steel and aluminium, and our machinery is mostly automated.. lots of fun stuff.

I have a very understanding missus who doesn't grumble in the slightest when I bring "scrap" home from work, and doesn't grumble when I spend hours making RC planes.

I'm a newbie here and the longevity of my existence here depends entirely upon how simple the electronics side of things needs to be.

Here's the kind of things I design and build in my spare time...
http://vimeo.com/3157065
 
terrapinlogo

Newbie

Joined: 26/10/2009
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 21
Posted: 05:20am 26 Oct 2009
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Woot!!
Youngest here so far at 14 and have already built my first f&p wind turbine.
If it doesn't work hit it with a bigger hammer.
If it still doesn't work you probably shouldn't of hit it.
 
MacGyver

Guru

Joined: 12/05/2009
Location: United States
Posts: 1329
Posted: 12:53am 27 Oct 2009
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Welcome to the 4m, whippersnapper!
Chances are, you still live at home. Now would be the perfect time to start dropping hints to mom & dad about how much a positive impact on your future a lathe and mill would mean!
Nothing difficult is ever easy!
Perhaps better stated in the words of Morgan Freeman,
"Where there is no struggle, there is no progress!"
Copeville, Texas
 
terrapinlogo

Newbie

Joined: 26/10/2009
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 21
Posted: 04:05am 27 Oct 2009
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yes I'v been looking at making me a CNC machine for a while now but i think ill just get them to buy me one. sooooooo much easier. and a lathe i can get access to a wood lathe any time i want as my grandad has one but a metal one now thats a little trickier.
If it doesn't work hit it with a bigger hammer.
If it still doesn't work you probably shouldn't of hit it.
 
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