My #1 hobby since 1964 is ham radio and building electronic circuits including surface mount stuff. I probably have more invested in surplus electronic test equipment
than radios as most of my work is RF. (For perspective, I bought my 6th oscilloscope last week!). I have also done a ton of woodworking/woodturning and had a well
equipped shop until recently but my son has most of that stuff now. He has become a much better woodworker than I ever was. But small scale metalworking has
interested me for many years and while I can design my own RF circuits, packaging them has always been a challenge. The results were something only a builder could
love. I used whatever boxes I could find. Now I want to have the appearance to look as good as the actual circuits worked and build for proper shielding. So I bought a
box and pan brake and 12" shear. This is for cutting PCB and aluminum.
Now simple boxes are easy, but I found it is a slippery slope. The next step in a few months is a mill/lathe addition for small parts work; less than 12". My goal is to
combine metal and wood in my boxes. I still have some bits of exotic hardwood that will complement brass and aluminum nicely, so my next RF project will look far
better than some of those previous projects I built in my youth!
than radios as most of my work is RF. (For perspective, I bought my 6th oscilloscope last week!). I have also done a ton of woodworking/woodturning and had a well
equipped shop until recently but my son has most of that stuff now. He has become a much better woodworker than I ever was. But small scale metalworking has
interested me for many years and while I can design my own RF circuits, packaging them has always been a challenge. The results were something only a builder could
love. I used whatever boxes I could find. Now I want to have the appearance to look as good as the actual circuits worked and build for proper shielding. So I bought a
box and pan brake and 12" shear. This is for cutting PCB and aluminum.
Now simple boxes are easy, but I found it is a slippery slope. The next step in a few months is a mill/lathe addition for small parts work; less than 12". My goal is to
combine metal and wood in my boxes. I still have some bits of exotic hardwood that will complement brass and aluminum nicely, so my next RF project will look far
better than some of those previous projects I built in my youth!
