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More about me:

Left school at 15 (1967) and started an apprenticeship as an Electrical Engineer, In the meantime my father started his own electrical engineering business, so after three fairly miserable years, and after supposedly joining the REME as an army apprentice, but never actually getting the "call" I went to work for my father (mistake) Passed three years at Tech college and came out with a C&G National Diploma in Electrical Engineering. Built a workshop in the meantime and started my own car repair business, started out doing everything but ended up seven years later building competition mini and Jaguar engines, racing rallycross and grass track, and maintaining and servicing a lot of "classics" for various customers. Fancied a complete change and with my cousin, started various businesses, including private investigation, debt collecting, buying and selling, all based around our selling service business (high street shop), which was one of the most exciting things I have ever done. No two days ever the same, and I managed to stay clean and in one piece! Moved on into a video production company, made several pop videos for breaking bands (who never actually broke, another story) Got into classic cars again, with an E type (always my absolute favourite) XK 150, rebuilt a Rover 14, rebuilt an Aston Martin DBS V8 twin cam engine (top end SCARY SCARY no timing marks!) Built and ran a village shop (in Wetwang!) bought and sold property and ended up becoming an assistant professional foster carer at the same time. Built a house as part of a consortium which went belly up! Got cataracts in both eyes, off work for three years and went on a computer engineering course as a way back to work. Was handed a file on Rural broadband by my brother, and started an ISP business in my home village which grew quickly due to the now defunct Yorkshire Forward, and today specialises in providing wireless broadband in remote rural areas like national parks (they do North york moors NP, Yorkshire Dales NP, Harewood house etc. still going strong, though I am no longer involved) In order to get my brother out of MY workshop (he runs an aircraft cover/leather goods business) I spent three years working for him to convert our local disused chapel into a new workshop, and now at last I am working on the refurb of my own workshop. I got my first lathe (a DS&G 13Z) in the seventies for the garage business, but sold it on, and now have a Colchester Student Mk1, the now famous (infamous?) Covmac, a Harrison H mill which I have just got a V head for, a Raglan V mill, An Alba no1 shaper, and various drills, grinders, polishers etc, a manchester rapidor saw, an Alfred Herbert precision drill, a forge, and a brazing hearth (thats all I can remember at the moment) I now feel like an absolute fraud, because I am not a model engineer! I like building, and rebuilding machines, inventing, modding, and anything to to with electro mechanical engineering of any type.Married at fifty and now have two wonderful girls 10 and 13. My eyes are still the windows of my soul, it's just that I now have them double glazed!

This is about half of it anyway!

Phil

East Yorks

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