Thanks for the welcome, folks! I'm getting some great ideas from stuff that the talented people here have done, and I'm looking forward to trying some of them out. Dsquire - I'm wayyyy out on the west coast, about 20 miles outside Victoria, BC.
One of my major projects is a Locost (a modified version of a Lotus Super Seven) that I'm scratch-building. I know they're popular in the UK, and they're growing in popularity here, too. Mine is at the rolling-chassis stage at present, the motor is built (I'm using a Weber-carburated 2-liter Ford Zetec engine and a Mustang 5-speed), and the suspension is done. There is a tremendous amount to do yet, of course, and the devil is in the details. To that end, I intend to teach myself basic machining so I can manufacture some of the one-off parts I'll need. For example, I was out in the shop for a little while after work today, playing with the driveshaft for the car. It had previously been cut (but not evenly), so I was figuring out how to turn a 4" diameter, 34" long driveshaft in my lathe. I'm getting there - I already turned the yoke that had been removed to true it up, and now I'm in the process of figuring out how to turn the main lump, which still had the input-end yoke attached. Hmmm - input shaft in 3-jaw, steady rest to support the shaft while I cut the free end true, maybe?
Anyway, I'm very glad to be here, and I'll probably be asking some (dumb) questions, so please, be gentle!!
Thanks, folks!!