Keith Rucker - My Shop and How I Got Started 

Keith is an awesome and amazing guy. No idea where he finds the time. From a full time scientist, husband, dad, YT creator, Website "runner", and he still has to sleep and mow the lawn. No idea how he does it, but we sure do appreciate him. Its because of him that I bought my American Rotary converter for my Clausing lathe to replace the AC drive I was using. Thanks to you both!

Kello Keith I am in the same situation as I start working on heavy equipment back in 2013and I found out doing so, parts were not available for a machine I had so I bought a southbend 16 lathe to fix it and then well as it goes I started reading up through metal working books and the gears started to grind as I needed a few more machines. And 9 years later after working out of several small shops as I kept growing out of them I finally acquired a 10,000 sq ft shop that I am renovating know and my main expense right now is my three phase electrical service. I graduated high school in 2009 and have been serving in the armed forces since 2012. So I feel how rewarding it is to get a big shop to work in . Cheers and keep up the great videos and fantastic work on the machines.

Keith is a good guy!

This guy is great. Last of a dying breed.

American Rotary, thank you for being Keith’s sponsor, without you we might miss out on a quality learning experience each and every week.

A Portrait of a Happy Man who finds every job an education, and who never stops learning, thanks Keith for an inspiring video. I'll look at some of your other video's now after finding this one.

Keith - Your shop is absolutely impressive. Splitting in two is a great idea. Dust and machine oil don't go well together. The real fascination with your posts is the precision with which you work, the description of that you are doing, and the tricks and tips you pass along. That apprentice time in the machine shop served you well. There are many people indebted to you for all the kind favors you do for them and the teaching process we experience while you engage in those projects. Thanks for all your posts.

THANKS to his sponsors for helping the world to learn and be kind!!!

This man is an absolute gentlemen that produces incredible video content. I would recommend this channel to all and everyone.

Therr's something so verr pleasant and enjoyable about watching Keith's videos, evan for one who has never been in a machine shop like myself.

I am a retired Submariner and literally enjoy watching your projects. You are a born teacher! God bless you and your family!!!.. at times I could read your mind and predict what's next?!? Funny!

Keith I started watching you at replacing a tooth in that old gear. Thanks, I’ve learned so much.

Necessity is the mother of invention Keith! I have learned a lot watching you rebuild machinery. You have given me more confidence to tackle some jobs I might not have attmpted myself. Keep up the good work. From New Zealand.

Great videography! Delighted to learn more about Keith's background. Thanks for sponsoring such a fine person who truly gives a lot to the community!

Keith, you're in the top rank of my followed y/t channels. Excellent script, excellent camera work, white balance is correct, and projects that very instructive.

Congrats to your shop and machinery. Fine!

I like it. Subscribed. I’ve been learning tool and die trade 20 years.

Watching Keith's videos seems so much like a conversation with him, I find myself asking questions and making comments verbally.

Thanks for the (up to now) life story, Mr Rucker. It is good to see you treat the old "arn" with the respect it deserves.

Nice video! The heart of Georgia in those parts. Good people there also.

It is very interesting to hear this part of your background. Great video! BTW.. I am sure that you luke the unfinished wood BUT, if you will paint it white, you will find that you have twice as much light and it will be much easier to see.

funny how that works, we want a shop to do projects, next thing ya know the shop becomes our project!

Love this Keith!

Good one Keith from New Zealand. I like your channel and have learnt a lot about machining and restoring vintage machines. Have a good Xmass.

American Rotary rocks. I have two of their converters.

I love my American Rotary phase converter. I looked at a few other brands and choosing American Rotary over the others was an easy choice for me. Steve

I thoroughly enjoyed our short visit with you at the Museum a couple of years ago. I seen the video where you were using the live center I brought you then. Hopefully sometime on one of our next trips to Florida, we could stop and visit again. Love your channel, I never miss an episode. I am not a machinist, but I always enjoy your videos. Best of luck to you, and your family in the future.

Thank you for the insight into your life.

I was always curious how you got started. Thanks for sharing!

Really love this, maybe one day I might have a small shop of my own.

the key factor, you LOVE working with your hands, I'm in the same situation, I made my mechanical engineering degree, my carrer and I'm now retired, I rediscover my love for the manual work and I'm gatehering machinery to build my personal machine shop and woodworking shop

OK Kieth, Here is an idea. Take a common table saw, and rebuild it. Make new casting patterns so the blade spins nice and straight without nasty vibration. Make it so you can adjust it so the blade runs dead nuts parallel to the miter slots. Next design a really great fence. How about one that has a DRO on the front and back sides to keep it in perfect alignment. Now build your sleds and what ever jigs you need for the furniture projects. View the building of each piece as a machining project woth noce tight tolerance. Think how easy it would be if any component in a chest of drawers was exactly the same and interchangeable with all like components. You could do some really cool things and give Mrs. Rucker some really great furniture.

nice little background bit . thanx

Love the shop. All the space to do what you want to do.......but I'm lazy so i'll just peek in once and awhile to see how it's going.

I was just wondering this... awesome

A nice person and highly skilled !

Hey Keith, rule no. 1 : keep the wife happy :) Love all your videos and already look forward to those on woodworking. Thanks for sharing them with us.

Awesome fella

concerning your Gieser height gage you have the main part. there is 2 auxiliary packages that go with it. one is an extension block set with sizes of 2" 4" and 6" and the other is a kit with different tips offset scribe, std scribe, half end etc to measure diff points much like gage blocks. these were mainly produced during the war years for Pratt & Whitney.

Worked 2 1/2 years to save up for college -- aka a working man's PhD -- Good Job! :)

your vids are great thanks!!!

I can understand the feeling

I love your story Keith. This is what's happening to me except I've got a complete woodshop and now find myself wanting a metal lathe and bridgeport really bad! I have the space, but these machines are getting expensive compared to what they could be bought for 10-15 years ago.

In a similar way I started a bit of a machine shop to restore hobby farm machines to functionality.

What type of vertical turret lathe did you learn on? I learned on a 54" Bullard,they don't make them like that anymore.

So now I know you are younger than me. You weren't even one of the little freshmen when I left school. :P Seriously, you sound like me. I'm ready to take up machining because I can't get parts for my beloved old sewing machines, and they are so much better than the junk coming in from China these days. Now if I could just find someone who could make a 15 1/2 inch double lug vee belt....

Keith I work on Ft. Rucker, AL. Just wondering if you are related to General Edmund Rucker? He is who the base is named after.

“Maybe one day Honey”

Patrick Cannon told me about your page

Specifically a headboard and footboard

If it wasn't for a journeyman machinist, who had taught me, l would be dead or in prison . I now have 2 metal lathes, and 2 mills. And also a full time job.

I saw this one before

I enjoy your videos greatly but I appreciate honesty more. Tell us how you are able to afford the shop building and machinery you have amassed in such a short time. You either married money or you inherited it. The average Joe couldn’t squire what you have in 40 years of hard work. It makes a nice little story but like I said, honesty goes a long way.

Or pass it on to someone who might be interested

Keep sandblasting and grinding separate from machine shop.

I miss his videos where he is actually fixing and doing. Now it mostly building his shop with the help of viewers and accepting boatloads of freebees from lemming viewers that can't wait to give the guy their valuable items. Hey I like the guy, but how much more free tools and equipment can he milk from the viewers???