Advance Notice – Leaving the Forum

[Anonymous]

Martin: Lovely to see you here. I remember SETC, still have my daily logbook and the project reports, including the one we worked on together. I’ve sent you a private message.

Andrew

[John Doe 2]

On John Doe 2 Said:

On SillyOldDuffer Said:

On John Doe 2 Said:

…

A guy has recently been talking about rewiring a Singer sewing machine, and stated that they had 50 years electronics experience, and were qualified for PAT testing. A reply appeared that in one sentence basically implied that all that experience and knowledge was worthless, and towards the end included the word ‘negligent’, which was clearly not the case.

…

Sigh, that was me! It’s in #750681

However, I fear John looks to take offence rather than understand the point……..Please don’t twist what I say.

Dave

… I do understand the point you made. …

Not from where I’m sat. Let’s agree it’s all my fault though; clearly I’ve failed to explain!

🙂

Dave

[Clive IndiaParticipant @cliveindia]

What a wonderful piece of navel-gazing this thread is/was.
He’s gone now, assuming he meant what he said.
Saying you’re going to leave is pointless IMHO.
Whatever the reason, nothing changes.
Always, I find, the value of a post is inversely proportional to its length. So I don’t read the long ones.

[Clive India]

On Clive India Said:

[…]

Always, I find, the value of a post is inversely proportional to its length. So I don’t read the long ones.

What a splendidly self-contradictory statement that is

🙂

MichaelG.

[Clive India]

On Clive India Said:

…
He’s gone now, assuming he meant what he said.
Saying you’re going to leave is pointless IMHO.

…

Nah, with luck Andrew’s many supporters have persuaded him not to go.

Also, members can always come back.   Circumstances and interests change.  I’ve got a health problem that’s keeping me out of the workshop and making it difficult to concentrate.   The other day, Loose Women were talking about their cats on TV.   Too complicated for me, had to retreat to bed full of painkillers…  At the moment I’m clinging to Model Engineering, not enjoying it.

Whether or not a member wants to explain why he’s leaving is up to him.   There are good and bad reasons for making an announcement just as there are good and bad reasons for leaving silently.   One thing to be said for saying goodbye openly – at least we know Andrew hasn’t died!

Dave

[Ches Green UKParticipant @chesgreenuk]

Dave,

Sorry to hear about your health issues…old age doesn’t come by itself 😉  I hope things improve.

For what it’s worth, although I don’t post here often, I really do enjoy your posts – they are informative, well constructed and easy to read….sometimes I make myself a coffee* before I sit down and read them!

I often wonder about how a lot of the folks on here gained the wide breadth and depth of knowledge they have, but I’m not asking for detailed CVs from everyone! It’s just to say knowledge bases like this are a big asset.

Ches

*Maybe a slight exaggeration, but you get my drift 🙂

[Clive India]

On Clive India Said:

What a wonderful piece of navel-gazing this thread is/was.
He’s gone now, assuming he meant what he said.
Saying you’re going to leave is pointless IMHO.
Whatever the reason, nothing changes.
Always, I find, the value of a post is inversely proportional to its length. So I don’t read the long ones.

Agreed and agreed.  One or two folks on here can’t seem to reply to a thread with less than a thousand words so I end up ignoring it.

 

[Vic]

On Vic Said:

On Clive India Said:

What a wonderful piece of navel-gazing this thread is/was.
He’s gone now, assuming he meant what he said.
Saying you’re going to leave is pointless IMHO.
Whatever the reason, nothing changes.
Always, I find, the value of a post is inversely proportional to its length. So I don’t read the long ones.

Agreed and agreed.  One or two folks on here can’t seem to reply to a thread with less than a thousand words so I end up ignoring it.

 

Your loss Vic!

[SteviegtrParticipant @steviegtr]

Sorry to hear you are leaving Andrew. I myself still bob in daily to look at posts, but rarely post myself anymore. Basically because I am an idiot who does not know what I am doing.

So just look now.

P.s Most of my close friends think I am pretty clever, but doesn’t stop me being an idiot I guess.

Steve.

[Roger Williams 2Participant @rogerwilliams2]

Andrew, keep on posting , Ive enjoyed your experiences over the years and probably many others have too. Unfortunately , that doesnt apply to everybody of course, but in my opinion , there are nice ways to disagree surely without upsetting the OP. Try not to let them grind you down.

[Les Jones 1Participant @lesjones1]

Andrew, I am yet another member sorry to see you go. All the advice you have given has been good. Although I now have a Chinese lathe and milling machine for most of my life I have used a small lathe that was my fathers and when I was in my early 20s I used various industrial lathes  in a factory all these had been well used any you had to take the wear into account. At one point I installed a new Colchester mascot 1600 lathe. Using that was a dream . Even taking heavy cuts it took off exactly the amount set on the dial. For most of my life this was the lathe I wished I could own. I think the point to be made is to work within the capabilities of the machine that you are using.

Les.

[Colin HeseltineParticipant @colinheseltine48622]

Andrew, I am another expressing the hope that you will change your mind and continue to post on the forum.
I have industrial size lathe and mill but I also have small Cowells lathe and mill as well.  I find your posts informative and interesting and enjoy looking at your setups.
My father was a time served engineer at Cincinnati who travelled the world for them. I did not learn as much from him as I should have and regret it now. All posts are informative and a way of learning, and in some cases learning how not to do things.
Currently not in workshop as just had two weeks in hospital following radical prostatectomy 10 weeks ago.
Dont think I’m allowed near workshop for couple of months, so reading posts on here and MEM is keeping me sane although concentration is an issue.

So please stay in forum, keep posting and help keep me sane.
Best Regards

Colin

[Mick B1Participant @mickb1]

It’s quite possible for some to post extensively on here and for others to be pretty much unaware of them, depending on their areas of interest – which can vary widely even within what other populations might consider a niche hobby.

I’m only answering for myself, but:-

I just ask a question when I think I can define it clearly enough to spark an answer from someone who might recognise it, and I answer when I think I recognise some question for which I happen to have a possible solution.

I might stop posting or stop reading posts where I think or feel there’s not much useful to be said in either direction.

I don’t think of myself as a particularly significant member, nor that I’d blow a fanfare on retreat.

 

[Anonymous]

This is a final post to tie up a few loose ends. Thank you to all of those who have said they liked my posts. It takes time and effort to create a post so it is always good to know that they have been helpful, or at least interesting. I have been dithering but have decided to leave; as Vic said we have been here before and I would hate to disappoint him yet again!

As for those who say people should simply disappear they are of course entitled to that view, but I am under no obligation to even consider it, let alone take any notice of it.

Inevitably the forum has changed over the years as, no doubt, I have. There is a significant shift towards beginners, some of whom ask for help but then argue when they don’t get the answer they want. Engineering and machining are as much an art as a science, but some don’t seem to understand that and expect one definitive answer. There is often no right or wrong way to do something. There is also definitely a nastier edge to the forum and some rather unpleasant people.

I was really amused by the comments on long posts; maybe the forum needs a Janet & John section for those with reading dysphoria.

I will be going to Forncett, and exhibiting parts, this year.

Andrew

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Elvis has left the building.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Word of the Day = Valedictory

Thank you, Andrew, and fare-well

MichaelG.

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Farewell Andrew, thanks for your excellent input to the forum in the past, and good luck with whatever you do with the hobby next.   Wish I had a pair of giant home-made model traction engines in my living room and the selection of hefty machines needed to make them.

Glad to hear you dithered about going!  Never forget the door is always open should you decide to come back.

Special thanks from me because starting out a decade ago as a very incomplete Model Engineer I learned a lot from your posts, and still find new goodies in the recent ones.

Dave

 

 

[Vic]

On Vic Said:

On Clive India Said:

What a wonderful piece of navel-gazing this thread is/was.
He’s gone now, assuming he meant what he said.
Saying you’re going to leave is pointless IMHO.
Whatever the reason, nothing changes.
Always, I find, the value of a post is inversely proportional to its length. So I don’t read the long ones.

Agreed and agreed.  One or two folks on here can’t seem to reply to a thread with less than a thousand words so I end up ignoring it.

 

My old boss called that Waffle.

[Dave Halford]

On Dave Halford Said:

On Vic Said:

On Clive India Said:

What a wonderful piece of navel-gazing this thread is/was.
He’s gone now, assuming he meant what he said.
Saying you’re going to leave is pointless IMHO.
Whatever the reason, nothing changes.
Always, I find, the value of a post is inversely proportional to its length. So I don’t read the long ones.

Agreed and agreed.  One or two folks on here can’t seem to reply to a thread with less than a thousand words so I end up ignoring it.

 

My old boss called that Waffle.

Dave!  Shame on you.  Unless your old boss reads the forum, his opinion is irrelevant.

No-one is obliged to read posts, it’s up to them.   But surely members should be concerned about the value and intentions of people who reply to posts without bothering to read what others have said?  A chap who openly refuses to read a long post is hardly likely to read an entire thread, making it likely he has no idea of how the conversation is going.  The suspicion is such folk are here for egotistical reasons – how else to explain deliberate ignorance?

Most topics start by asking a question in hope of getting a good answer.   Technical questions often have ramifications that need to be discussed sensibly,  so responses should follow the normal rules of debate.   As the goal is to reach a sound decision, not willy waving, posters should do their best to understand before commenting.  Not following the rules of debate results in playground behaviour.   Above all avoid insults like the plague, they’re only deployed by people who have lost the logical argument and have nothing sensible to say.

If terse is considered good, then the ideal post contains no words at all.   Bit boring though…

Dave

 

 

 

 

 

[Dave Halford]

On Dave Halford Said:

On Vic Said:

On Clive India Said:

What a wonderful piece of navel-gazing this thread is/was.
He’s gone now, assuming he meant what he said.
Saying you’re going to leave is pointless IMHO.
Whatever the reason, nothing changes.
Always, I find, the value of a post is inversely proportional to its length. So I don’t read the long ones.

Agreed and agreed.  One or two folks on here can’t seem to reply to a thread with less than a thousand words so I end up ignoring it.

 

My old boss called that Waffle.

Yes, that’s a good term. It was suggested to me many years ago that brevity is a virtue. Many times I’ve had to say to my wife that if you want people to take on board anything she has to say to keep it brief, if at all possible.

[Vic]

On Vic Said:

[…] keep it brief, if at all possible.

Could that ^^^ PLEASE include not quoting previous posts in their entirety

MichaelG.

[Michael Gilligan]

On Michael Gilligan Said:

On Vic Said:

[…] keep it brief, if at all possible.

Could that ^^^ PLEASE include not quoting previous posts in their entirety

MichaelG.

Sometimes you need context. In addition though, sometimes editing posts on an iPad can be a real PITA. I try my best but sometimes forum software also makes life difficult.

[Vic]

On Vic Said:

On Michael Gilligan Said:

On Vic Said:

…

…

Sometimes you need context.

Which is why it’s necessary to read posts properly!

In addition though, sometimes editing posts on an iPad can be a real PITA. I try my best but sometimes forum software also makes life difficult.

Vic always has an excuse!

Dave

PS

Whilst brevity is a virtue, refusing to read long posts isn’t.   Whilst a long post might well be waffle, it could also be pure genius.  You have to read it to find out – no shortcuts!

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

All the research shows that very, very few readers today bother to read all the way through long articles in newspapers, magazines and the internet. Most are put off by the length before they even start so just pass straight over it. Study after study has found this.

[SillyOldDuffer]

 

On SillyOldDuffer Said:

Whilst brevity is a virtue, ………..

Ha ha. #post-751750

54 posts later……. Ha ha.

 

[Author]

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