Thread: Are your capabilities widely known?

Nobody around my way can even see my workshop from the street as I have a side access not front. I just keep it to myself with other people, but if I see someone doing something or needing something made I sometimes say I could do it, if I think I could make a few dollars.
Like you say there are to many people around think the favour goes one way, or because you are only doing it in the back yard you should only charge a few dollars, when the businesses are charging them hundreds for the same job.

I fixed a mower for a guy before Christmas because his son had left it out in the rain and the pull start had broke. I did say to him I would fix it this time as I don't really do mowers. I pressure washed it, oiled everything like cables etc and did a proper job on it and then charged him $50, which he seemed to think was on the high side but paid it.
I saw him the other day and the same thing had happened and he was complaining he took it to the mower place and they took 3 weeks and charged him $160. I bet they never gave it a good clean with the pressure washer either.

Dave

I kinda like to tell no one nuthin....
I believe it's much safer that way..No one knows what I have so they can't pinch it.
And there is always the insurance/liability thing as well.

Your experience is one of the reasons I only ever open one of my two roller doors in the garage.

The way it's set up at the moment, all my machines and equipment are down one side, and whichever car I'm working on is in the other side of the double garage. Whenever going in or out, or simply letting some breeze through, I ALWAYS open the side where the car is. No-one on the street will be able to see anything in there apart from the back of the car, owing to some conveniently located trees preventing a diagonal view to the machinery.

Although I live in a kind of court, people still seem to get lost somehow and drive up, turn around, and head back out . Don't want any of these chance passers by to see anything that might give them reason to come back at night to help themselves, nor do I want to encourage the neighbours to help themselves to my hospitality as you seem to have just experienced!

The only people who know the true contents of my workshop are my family and close friends. In other words, the people who are welcome to stop by any time and make use of anything in there...

Hi Michael,
Your immediate neighbours will know you get up to something by the noise and it is wise to help them out as they will be more forgiving about the odd late night bash. It is a fine line wth councils about making noise and if your shed has the equipment usually found in a commercial workshop then you might have to prove you are not running a back yard shed for commercial gain. Best to avoid this so try to keep in with the neighbours.

This fellow is something else and is taking advantage of you. If he comes back then accept the job off him and tell him you are too busy at the moment - I hope he isn't expecting to use your machines himself and if so a discussion about OHS and that you do not have any liability insurance to cover him. Be firm about that point.

Now the trick is you are always too busy to do his job and eventually he will give up. He has seen you as an easy opportunity and if you think about it why should you sponsor his artistic pursuits?

If this doesn't work tell him to nick off.

I have had a lot of forum visitors over the years and have met some realy nice fellows. Life is a risk so if you cacoon yourself in the shed it is safe but there are some interesting and talented people around that you might not meet. Just need to learn how to deal with the difficult ones.

My place is in a small block (610 sqm) in an inner city suburb. The shed is right around the back and people just walking past cannot see the shed. The only way someone walking by might surmise that something is going on is if they happen to see me come home with a load of metal or timber or see me offloading my chainsaw mill etc

My neighbors are kept sort of informed either by the noise or me telling them, plus offering limited services to their needs; eg. the other day I fixed a neighbors wheelie bin. I find this is a good way to keep in good with the neighbors. I have also had to go above and beyond to keep the noise of my external to my shed compressor and dust extraction systems under control using sound reducing enclosures. The enclosures also need to look reasonable because I don't want the neighbors complaining.

If someone wants something of me that I don't feel like doing I just proffer excuses like; I am too busy; don't have the equipment etc or I say "that one I'll have to charge for" and if necessary make it high enough so they won't ask again.

Or he may have just tried to a way to introduce himself to a new friend by stating that he also work with metal and will never call on you at all for metalworked stuff.

Originally Posted by rodm

. . . . .. Life is a risk so if you cacoon yourself in the shed it is safe but there are some interesting and talented people around that you might not meet. Just need to learn how to deal with the difficult ones.

Spot on. For every jerk I have run across I have met many more reasonable, friendly and helpful folk.

In our old neighbourhood I was the go-to guy for minor repairs, wood working etc. it was a cozy arrangement with everyone...it seems that my time was repaid in kind one way or another.

Now my neighbours are too far away to notice what I do.

On balance i am reluctant to display my tools to anyone i don't know unless its a fellow forumite or similar.

GQ

I'm fortunate to live on a larger block where no one can see my shed. In fact from the street you wouldn't know I have a shed. My neighbours know what I do for a hobby but then they have similar hobbies cause everyone around here has a shed! One neighbour rebuilds Ducati motorbikes and my other neighbour is a motor mechanic. On the odd occasion we here each other going to town in our shed on one thing or another and it's just part and parcel of life here. If it's not an angle grinder going off it's a rooster!

Occasionally, if one of us makes lots much noise, we may jump the wire fence and invite ourselves in to have a yarn and satisfy our curiosity. It's all good.

When it comes to favours, well it doesn't happen that often so it's not an issue. My mum is my biggest customer. She lives 5 minutes down the road. But hey it's my mum, I always have time for her

Oh and on occasion I may do stuff for work, mainly to benifit my workmates not my employer!

NO STRANGERS though. Last thing I need is to come home to the roller up on my shed and it to be all emptied!


Cheers,

Simon

I am looking for some clear shed floor space, so make sure you keep your roller doors down so I cant see any I like, because I might just come around one night and grab it. LOL

Dave

Over the years I seem to have a problem with free energy conspiracy nut jobs wanting me to build their overunity motor / hydrogen carby / solar tracker / antigravity machine for free. Even now I'm constantly pestered by a Romanian who keeps blowing the pole fuses outside his house testing his single phase to three phase converter made from carbon blocks and jugs of water or something.

I even know of an electrician who firmly believes in the Men in Black after he bought plans for a free energy machine from a guy who over the phone who bunged on a very bad German accent "Ya, zis is Professor Sauerkraut, vot? you vant to buy zum planz?". The day after the mystery plans showed up he swears he had a visit from a man and a woman dressed in black who stole a few pages of the device plans. It took a while to explain that he was almost the victim of an elaborate con job. Fortunately the electrician has now gone on the road and is working in RC's part of the state .

I could have all the money I need, I just need to reply and send my bank details to all these emails that want to place some money in my bank account so they can get there money over here, yeah right.

Dave

Are my capabilities well known..... yes. I am in a transitional stage, sort of half suburb half rural.... it's a long story, and a lot of it has to do with disabled children and the ready availability of three phase. As for strangers and aquaintences/neighbours in the 'burbs of Franga I usually keep them at arms length, play a lot of AC/DC very loud on the shed stereo (only to drown out the squeal of machining stainless of course) and rattle lots of (recently) empty home brewed beer bottles.

Consequently I don't get a lot of 'hey.. can you fix this...'

Then again (before Angus Young's squealing guitar or machining stainless on the Colchester), when we had the unspoken demands of 'we need help with a disabled child', the neighbours we thought were 'friends' became something less.

So #### 'em all. Make noise until the legal limit, or just beyond. You can get away with past midnight on Friday and Saturday nights, there are usually too many drunks and other wankers for the cops to worry about, rather than someone else who is doing something productive with a power tool.

Why should you hide in the shadows? What have you got to be ashamed about?

I can see where this post is coming from... people have gone to the effort of starting their own machine shop as a hobby and lead themselves open to exploitation. Be firm.

I tried to tell my insurance company a while ago that my lathe was a hobby machine- they tried to tell me I was running a business! After all I don't have an ABN (yet). I don't know if a drug addict could carry 1.2 ton of Colchester lathe down to Cash Converters. Sadly the German Shepherd is at the rural property looking after my children and not my machine tools. However, when I'm there, I can make as much noise as I like and no-one cares.

I hear the concern about the lack of reciprocation. I think you need to fear it more from people you are related to. For everyone else you can build a fence and get a big dog.

Interesting that most people's reasoning is similar.
I agree with Gerbils that dragging 1.5 tonne of machine to the local pawn shop is unlikely to happen. Personally I'm more concerned that an arm full of micrometers will be sold off for a song, or that the shed will be trashed looking for something saleable - fortunately most of the high replacement cost items are made of metal and heavy/ bulky or don't look to be worth much.
The favour thing is a worry though. Some of my growing years were spent in a small rural town and trading favours seemed a natural thing to do. No one kept count of course but anyone who didn't contribute or reciprocate didn't get far. But then again, everyone either could do something, either physically (yeah, Fred can weld that) or help somewhere (bank manager = secretary of the tennis club). Even Mrs Jones sending a jar or two of (homemade) jam along as a thank you for cleaning her gutters. A guy down the street comes up to get things done occasionally - known him for years. He used to be good for some muscle but I can't even get him to buy the occasional item at his employer at staff rates for me.

I think I'm getting old.

Michael