I'm Ba ack !!

Don Baer

Moderator
Staff member
Well it been over a year since I was last on this forum and I appologise to each and everyone of you. It's a long story but here are a few of the details.
The company I was working for went belly up and I found myself like so many others looking for work. it's a tough job market and especialy tough for someone as senior as I am most companies want younger folks not someone who is hopeing to retire in a few years. after going through much on my savings and my 401K turn into a 101K I was geting very desperate. I got my Commercial Drivers License and started driving an 18 wheeler cross country. Makes it hard to spend time on the internet or get any shop time in. :( So I took stock in my situation :huh: and with my wifes blessing I decided to end my trucking days and started out doing woodworking full time. I picked a relativly uncrowded aspect on woodworking in the Phoenix area. Restoring antiques. I am happy to report that my shop is overflowing and I have a backlog of work. I've gotten so busy that I had to expand and my shop now includes all of my three car garage. I'll post some pictures later of some of the pieces I've done. Well I've bored you all to long and all I can say is I'm glad to be back.
:D
 
Don, that is fantastic. It is great to hear about someone turning it around during this mess. Great to have you back around.
 
Hi Don,
I'm new to this forum but looking to retire in a year or so. Glad you pulled yourself up and are having success. My company went belly-up in October 2007 but was picked up by another company 6 weeks later. They honored my 25 years of service and we've been going on business as usual ever since. Hope to get into something along your line of work around the end of 2010.

Roger:wave:
 
Good to see that you are back to the forum and back to doing something you like!:thumb::thumb: I hope that things continue to go your way and that you are able to spend more time here.
 
Welcome back, Don, glad to hear from you despite the circumstances.
Restoring antiques can be full of challenging projects, from what I hear, hope it goes well.
(I don't think I could handle the long-haul trucking thing either...)
 
One of the founding fathers

welcome back don,, and to hear it from one of the family founders for those that arent aware ..don was one of the first group to get this place running:thumb::thumb: so he deserves a big hand just for perserverin and coming out back on top:thumb:
 
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Welcome back, Don, glad to hear from you despite the circumstances.
Restoring antiques can be full of challenging projects, from what I hear, hope it goes well.
(I don't think I could handle the long-haul trucking thing either...)
The restoration business is full of challanges but also very rewarding. I just finished a large desk that was built in Germany over 100 years ago. I am doing dinning table that the top was a real mess and I am building two benches to match. I have an antique twin cradle to do, a high chair and a treadle sewing machine that needs all of the vaneer replaced. I haved clients who have pieces that I haven't picted up their pieces due to a lack of room in the shop.

The long hual trucking wasw realy boring and the money wasn't worth the time away from home.

Thanks for the kind words.
 
Don,

Great to hear you are on you feet and have started a small ( ??? ) business.

You are a winner !!!

Antique restorations would really scare me. So GOOD Luck...

I know you are working some very long hours, but you are working, it's your business and you are HOME !!!

Let us see what you are doing occasionally.
 
I got my Commercial Drivers License and started driving an 18 wheeler cross country. Makes it hard to spend time on the internet or get any shop time in. :( So I took stock in my situation :huh: and with my wifes blessing I decided to end my trucking days and started out doing woodworking full time.

Don,
Glad to see you back... never did long haul myself, but worked in transportation industry for over 40 years... that is one of the hardest ways to make a living there is... no money, long hours and lots of stress if you're working time constraints... my stepson still drives a truck ... advantage is, he's pretty much a loner, so that works for him, he's single and doesn't have lots of expenses and responsibilities, so that works, but the life is slowly killing him even if he wont' admit it... he smokes too much, doesn't eat right and has gained about 60 pounds which is hard on the heart and body.

I'm not sure where you are in AZ, but my mother lived in Chandler for a short time in the early '60's.... I stopped off to see her there on a return trip to San Francisco when I was in the Navy.... fell in love with AZ... wish I could afford to live out there. I spent about 14 months in Tucson, but cost of living was too high, salaries were too low and wound up moving back to Houston to work.
 
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