Sausage is one of my hobbies. Having someone "show" you the ropes will be much easier than figuring out some of the little tricks on your own. Keeping things clean and keeping the meat cold during all of the stages is a must. But since you are familiar with handling raw meat and food safety you have a big head start. An excellent resource book is the one by Rytek Kutas. The binding job is not the best, but the instructions and photographs are top notch.
Here are two of my favorite recipes:
FARM SAUSAGE (3 lb. recipe)
3 lbs. ground pork butt
2 teaspoons ground sage
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons coarse black pepper
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon minced garlic
¼ cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
¼ cup water
Grind the meat, mix in the seasonings and water until well blended. Let rest overnight for seasonings to blend. Package the bulk sausage in ½ or 1 pound packages.
HOT ITALIAN (10 lb. recipe)
The rule of thumb with all sausage recipes, add or subtract quantities to suit your taste. Coarse grind the pork, blend all ingredients, chill for several hours or overnight, then stuff. Also good bulk.
10 lb. pork butts (trim some of the fat)
1T cracked black pepper
3T kosher salt
5 t fennel seed
2 1/2 T crushed red peppers
½ C minced garlic
1 ¼ t thyme
1 ½ t crushed bay leaf
1 ½ t nutmeg
1 ½ t coriander
6 t sweet paprika
1 ½ C water