Hi Jeff, I'm Erik.
When you say 'alot of people' do you mean in the Chicagoland area as a whole or just in your neck of the woods?
Out near me, there are lots of small shops. In the classes I'm in at ECC, there appears to be mostly people going for apprenticeships for their jobs, but I've run into more than one hobby machinist here and there. I work with another guy whose been machining for fun for years (he's sorta my mentor in some ways). I figure if there were an organization or club or something for metalworking, it might open up opportunities for all those in the area that are interested. Like I said in the original post, I look at the metalworking club in Houston and wonder why we could't do something similar here. Or, if we had a public machine shop like the one I read about in California, even better (Chicago is a heavy industry city, or at least WAS at one time... why them and not us?)
-Erik |