OPT LASER Added To The Fray!

[Joe Jones]

I went ahead and bought this 30 watt laser system from OPT LASERS. I am not sure if I am going to try to mount it to the Samson 510 table and run it with DesignEdge software, or if I will make a nice 4x8 table out of 8020 aluminum extrusion and run it with Lightburn.

Some people buy LOTTO tickets ...

I could really use some help from someone who lives close to me. Someone who knows his (or her) stuff!

Joe

https://optlasers.com/cnc-laser-upgrade ... laser-head

[djreiswig]

What kind of help do you have in mind, Joe? Somebody to hold your credit card for you?

[Joe Jones]

What kind of help do you have in mind, Joe? Somebody to hold your credit card for you?

No! Someone who is talented enough to help me assemble these lasers and set them up on tables or work benches. Someone who can work with me to begin producing things with them. Someone who knows about what can and cannot be done with them, so I can shorten the learning curve. Someone who doesn't want $50.00 per hour to stand around and stare at his or her smart phone!

It is so hard to find a person who WANTS to work today. When I was a teen, I would work in bicycle shops, and engine rebuilding shops, and auto body shops, and welding shops, etc. JUST for the learning experience. I would do jobs, and work hard, and it NEVER occurred to me that I should ask for money. I was just glad to get the experience.

Today, these lazy entitlement snowflakes want $50.00 per hour, and they can't even read a tape measure!

If I have a project to do, I want someone who can see the project, and envision its completion. I don't want someone who I will have to hover over, and tell him to drill a 1/8" hole here, or tack weld a bracket there ... I want to say, "Mount this to that." and walk away KNOWING it will be done correctly! I want someone with a BRAIN!

No one wants to WORK anymore. The American work ethic is DEAD. We have raised a generation of brain dead blithering IDIOTS who don't even know how to pull a cotter pin to change a wheel on a garden cart, or bolt a drill press base to a wooden work bench!

Joe

[acourtjester]

I live to far away, I have done much of what you want adapting a simple controller to my table and running GRBL software. I did not go any farther due to software limitations, could only turn the laser on/off for etching. Need to have software the will generate a G-code that will modulate the laser beam. I have Lightburn but they do not generate a G-code that upload to the CNC controller I use, they don't seem to be going there soon.

laser moon etching.rar

[acourtjester]

All kinds of projects can be done with that laser. I etched glass tiles, painted aluminum tags, and wood
particularly suitable for engraving stainless steel, tool steel and Titanium. This compact laser head is also excellent for processing a wide range of wood-based materials, leather, textiles and plastics.

moon wood etch (1).JPG

DSCN5248.JPG

Tucan's Ladies Club Light.JPG

[Joe Jones]

I am trying to look forward with anticipation. There is a lot I want to do. There is also this STRONG urge to say, "F- IT!" and sell off everything, and just stop trying. Unfortunately, BOTH options are equally appealing.

Joe

[acourtjester]

You are in control of your destiny, if I tell you to do something you may not like it afterword.
Maybe if you knock off a few projects that help, but someone who is heavy into projects I cannot tell anybody what to do.
After all you need something to make you get out of bed in the morning.
And after completion they give you a reason to pat yourself on the back from time to time.

[rdj357]

.....

No one wants to WORK anymore. The American work ethic is DEAD. We have raised a generation of brain dead blithering IDIOTS who don't even know how to pull a cotter pin to change a wheel on a garden cart, or bolt a drill press base to a wooden work bench!

Joe

False. If you want to attract greatness then you must also either be great or pay them to put up with someone who values them so little.

[Joe Jones]

.....

No one wants to WORK anymore. The American work ethic is DEAD. We have raised a generation of brain dead blithering IDIOTS who don't even know how to pull a cotter pin to change a wheel on a garden cart, or bolt a drill press base to a wooden work bench!

Joe

False. If you want to attract greatness then you must also either be great or pay them to put up with someone who values them so little.

Thank you. Dr. Freud.

Joe

[plasmanewbie]

True it's not like it used to be but eager hard working kids are out there, they are just very few and far between. 1 out of 25 in my experience will be worth working with unless your working with.

[Joe Jones]

True it's not like it used to be but eager hard working kids are out there, they are just very few and far between. 1 out of 25 in my experience will be worth working with unless your working with.

Do you mean, unless you are working directly alongside them? I agree. I was not paid for most of the education I received as a teen. I was there to help, and I worked hard. I learned how to handle heavy loads, organize, plan, operate construction equipment, paint, weld, lay in irrigation sprinklers, and even perform surgeries on animals in an animal hospital I work at as a teenager. etc. I learned how to use many machines and tools, and no one ever paid me a single dime for the experience I was gaining.

Today, no one will even discuss coming to my home to help me with simple projects unless I am offering at least $30.00 per hour. Young people today do not want to learn. They want to be PAID to learn.

What a shame.

Joe

[Joe Jones]

If you want to attract greatness then you must also either be great or pay them to put up with someone who values them so little.

Robert, a young man walks through the door of my shop. He is looking for a job. He is clean cut, dressed appropriately for shop work, and he is well spoken.

Via an interview, I discover that;

He does not know how to read a tape measure.

He does not know how to use a cordless drill.

He does not know how to determine which direction a drill bit should turn in order to drill a hole.

He has never used a table saw, or a bandsaw, or even a circular saw.

He cannot weld.

He cannot load a pneumatic nail gun.

He cannot figure out how to open software on a computer, or load a file into a program that is already running. He cannot even tell me how to FIND the file on the hard drive.

He cannot give me the decimal equivalent of 1/2" or the fractional equivalent of .375"

(Feel free to insert a long list of other things he SHOULD KNOW, but does not know, HERE.)

Assuming I choose to hire him, and give him on-the-job experience, how much "value" should I initially place on this individual?

Joe

[plasmanewbie]

Hey Joe, not sure what happened to the end of my sentence, but I meant to say unless you’re working with country kids they are far more eager to work in the city type

[acourtjester]

That is a result of the education system we have in this country today. But unless they can get info a place that is willing to teach they will never learn. There seems to be no responsibility in society these days for the next generation, or the last.

[rdj357]

If you want to attract greatness then you must also either be great or pay them to put up with someone who values them so little.

Robert, a young man walks through the door of my shop. He is looking for a job. He is clean cut, dressed appropriately for shop work, and he is well spoken.

Via an interview, I discover that;

He does not know how to read a tape measure.

He does not know how to use a cordless drill.

He does not know how to determine which direction a drill bit should turn in order to drill a hole.

He has never used a table saw, or a bandsaw, or even a circular saw.

He cannot weld.

He cannot load a pneumatic nail gun.

He cannot figure out how to open software on a computer, or load a file into a program that is already running. He cannot even tell me how to FIND the file on the hard drive.

He cannot give me the decimal equivalent of 1/2" or the fractional equivalent of .375"

(Feel free to insert a long list of other things he SHOULD KNOW, but does not know, HERE.)

Assuming I choose to hire him, and give him on-the-job experience, how much "value" should I initially place on this individual?

Joe

Once you move beyond hypotheticals into reality then there can be a discussion. Until then you are a victim of your own bias and ageism with no empirical knowledge. Companies hire people with potential and then train them to do the jobs they want them to do. In many instances a college degree may be required that implies knowledge of the required task and in those cases, the only training would be to educate them how to do the task the way the company wants it to be done. Wanting to hire young people for starvation wages and then complaining that no one wants to work is all well and good but don't expect your situation to magically improve or the 'right person' to come along. That 'right person' will go somewhere they are valued rather than work for an ageist who thinks they are worth little to nothing.

Anyway, this is all waaaaay off topic for this forum so my part of this discussion should end here. Maybe it helps someone, maybe you think I'm full of crap - all good either way. Next topic.

(edited to fix typo)

[Joe Jones]

I do not consider $20.00 per hour CASH to be "starvation wages."

Joe

[Joe Jones]

Once you move beyond hypotheticals into reality then there can be a discussion. Until then you are a victim of your own bias and ageism with no empirical knowledge.

You believe I have no empirical knowledge? About working in a SHOP?!?

What "bias" is there in not wanting to pay a teenager $50.00 per hour to use MY mower and MY fuel to MOW MY LAWN?

Companies hire people with potential and then train them to do the jobs they want them to do.

Companies hire people who bring a set of BASIC LIFE SKILLS with them.

I am not trying to hire someone with an Engineering Degree. I am trying to hire someone who can use a RAKE or a SHOVEL.

Those new hires where "Companies hire people with potential" MUST have BASIC skills ... the ability to read a clock with HANDS ... the ability to make change for a dollar ... The ability to read a tape measure ... the ability to pilot a loaded wheelbarrow along a narrow path ... the ability to press the ENTER key on a keyboard without direct supervision ... The ability to attach a postage stamp to an envelope without DIRECTION!

In many instances a college degree may be required that implies knowledge of the required task and in those cases, the only training would be to educate them how to do the task the way the company wants it to be done.

Robert, I am looking for a "shop rat." No college degree is required to pull weeds or paint a fence, or move boxes, and those tasks do not warrant a $50.00 per hour wage.

Wanting to hire young people for starvation wages ...

$20.00 per hour, CASH MONEY? That is hardly "starvation wages."

... and then complaining that no one wants to work is all well and good but don't expect your situation to magically improve or the 'right person' to come along. That 'right person' will go somewhere they are valued rather than work for an ageist who thinks they are worth little to nothing.

The word does not apply.

AGEIST.jpg

If I hand a board to someone OF ANY AGE and tell him to cut it to a length of 36 inches on a radial arm saw, and he not only cannot use a tape measure to mark 36" of length, and cannot CUT the board, but he cannot even identify the radial arm saw in the shop ... how much would YOU pay him, Robert?

I am not hiring college graduates to run a nuclear reactor here. I am trying to hire people with COMMON SENSE and a GENERAL knowledge base to do SIMPLE TASKS.

Anyway, this is all waaaaay off topic for this forum so my part of this discussion should end here. Maybe it helps someone, maybe you think I'm full of crap - all good either way. Next topic.

(edited to fix typo)

When you want your house painted, I will tell everyone in your neighborhood to demand $180.00 per hour, so you won't be labeled an "ageist."

Joe

[rdj357]

I do not consider $20.00 per hour CASH to be "starvation wages."

Joe

You might want to check the laws in your state about hiring workers by the hour and paying cash to evade taxes let alone the liability you open yourself to if a serious injury were to occur without having worker's compensation insurance.


Here are some helpful links:
https://kewes.ky.gov/Employertax/Misc_info.aspx

https://www.thehartford.com/workers-com ... n/kentucky

https://kcc.ky.gov/career/If-you-are-an ... fault.aspx

[Joe Jones]

Robert ...

SERIOUSLY? I am not offering someone a CAREER, with benefits, and an office, and an annual budget, and a corporate credit card, and a company car, and a parking spot, and an administrative assistant, and a retirement pension.

I am looking for someone who will pull some weeds, or move some trash, or maybe carry a few boxes up a flight of stairs. I seriously doubt the gu'mint would be concerned about it. I don't know how they do things where you live, but here in Kentucky, people will hire someone for forty bucks to help unload a moving truck for a couple of hours, or mow a lawn, or paint a shed, or dig a few post holes. It involves no uniform, no paperwork, no workman's compensation policy, no W2 forms, no Social Security Numbers, no Federal and State income tax withholdings, no security clearances, no prescreening procedures, no drug testing, no training, no OSHA oversight, and most likely, the "employer" does not even knowing the worker's age or surname.

Me - "Hi Zack! I'll pay you forty bucks to help me unload this truck..."

Zack - "Cool! Let's get started!"

Joe

[djreiswig]

hiring workers by the hour and paying cash to evade taxes

I'm sure the individual being paid cash will report it on their personal income taxes.

[Joe Jones]

I'm sure the individual being paid cash will report it on their personal income taxes.

Oh yeah! That is why the IRS hired 87,0000 new agents! To crack down on all of that under the table income that goes unreported each year from kids washing cars, raking leaves and selling Kool Aid!

Joe

[Joe Jones]

I guess the word "hire" confused some people. A company "hires" someone. "People, Listen up! I want to introduce Mr. Peter Puller, the newest member of our team! He will be the new Western Regional Sales Director in charge of International Sales of submarine assemblies and satellite components..." That is what I consider to be a "HIRE."

I just want to pay someone cash money to do a simple job. $20.00 per hour. Cash. There will be ZERO government intervention in the agreement, and ZERO paperwork. "You will drop these broken pieces of this old dismantled wooden shed into these large plastic trash barrels and roll them out to the street for the trash truck to pick up tomorrow, and I will pay you $80.00 for the job that should take you about three hours or so. Here is a chainsaw to cut up the longer pieces into smaller lengths. Knock on the door if you need to use the bathroom ..."

That is what I am talking about when I say I want to "hire" someone. I have homeowners insurance that covers "day labor" injuries on jobs like this. I am not going to set up a a W4 and a 401K for the kid who mows my lawn!

Joe

[rdj357]

Good lord, let it go man! You’re arguing with yourself at this point! First you bitch that no one wants to WORK (your emphasis) anymore and you can’t get someone to help you in your shop with any mechanical intuition and now you’re all the way down to rambling about hauling off trash and mowing your yard. Your record is skipping, just pick up the needle and set it onto the next song.

[Joe Jones]

$13,700.00 later, I have a new 24Kw home backup generator! They worked all day to remove the old one (struck by lightning ) and replace it along with the transfer box, etc. Four men, $6,200.00 in labor ... not "Starvation wages" by any means! The price included the permit, dragging out the power company who had to disconnect my power at the transformer, then come back to re-insert the meter and connect the power again.

The old generator was a 20Kw Cummins Onan. It will runs and generates power, but the electronics that transfer the power to the house during a power outage were all cooked in the strike. Fortunately, EVERYTHING in my home is on a UPS unit, which protected it all from power surge damage. $4,200.00 in replacement parts and labor DID NOT FIX the Cummins generator issue, so I decided to remove it. Cummins no longer makes the circuit boards or transfer box components for this older generator. So it is going to be retired to a trailer that will power a welder. Either that, or my neighbor will buy it from me and set it up at his home with a MANUAL transfer switch. I suppose I could have done that too, but the thought of walking out onto wet grass at night during a severe storm that caused a power outage, with a screwdriver in one hand and a flashlight in the other hand, to reach into a power utility box ... not so appealing!

The skinny young guy who crawled under the house told me there is a very large animal living under there. He figured it is a groundhog, as the hole was "volleyball size." I offered him a Glock to take care of it, but he said groundhogs are like badgers, and they are extremely aggressive under a house with no escape, so he declined the hunt. I will set up a BLINK camera down there to see it, and then maybe set off a bug bomb or two, to kill it. I don't mind little critters moving about, but sometimes at night, it sounds like someone is moving furniture in the other room!

Joe

GENERAC GENERATOR.jpg

[plasmanewbie]

Sweet new geny Joe, hopefully insurance kicked in for that, and good luck with the hunt!