Wrench97
Well-known member
Welcome to the club, I no longer do these but got pretty good of standing around and pointing.Reading that over again, reminds me that I'm old
Between 265 & 485 SQ/FT Kwik Fab's Small Shop
- Thread starter KwikFab
- Start date
Workspaces sized between 265 and 485 squarefeet.
One vehicle I do miss working on is the 1FZ I had in my 80 series.
With the radiator out, you could literally sit on the rad support and hang out in the engine bay.
Although the worst part about that thing is also something I had to replace - the power steering pump as it was failing. Even with smaller hands, that thing was a nightmare to pull out.
Picture above is when I pulled the radiator out since the bypass had broken off from the radiator some 6 hours away from home lol
Went all aluminum on the new one.
With the radiator out, you could literally sit on the rad support and hang out in the engine bay.
Although the worst part about that thing is also something I had to replace - the power steering pump as it was failing. Even with smaller hands, that thing was a nightmare to pull out.
Picture above is when I pulled the radiator out since the bypass had broken off from the radiator some 6 hours away from home lol
Went all aluminum on the new one.
M.Brane
ALLIANCE MEMBER
If you take all the coolers out of a 6.0 you can remove the core support bridge, and have plenty of room to work. It's well worth it.
SilverJimmy
Well-known member
This never gets old! And I still own the 2004 6.Ut-Ooo that I bought new!
Old Man Roger
Well-known member
Top side creeper?
PugetDude
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Hey, we don't kink shame here.
The 'railing' is almost done!
Flipped it over today to start applying paint on the other side and just have to let it dry before I can move it and finish painting the ends.
Hoping to have it in place by tomorrow. Otherwise, I can't really cut out my orders until it's done.
Flipped it over today to start applying paint on the other side and just have to let it dry before I can move it and finish painting the ends.
Hoping to have it in place by tomorrow. Otherwise, I can't really cut out my orders until it's done.
I believe threads should also include failures, not just successes.
The concrete underground extends a lot farther out than I anticipated.
Which means I didn't want to spend all morning dicking around with digging and pulling plants.
For now it's just resting against the pillar.
Ignore the cables and whatnot; a friend was supposed to build me an ice wood chest to occupy the floor space there.
I may just end up buying one on FB marketplace as I hate seeing that void there especially since I have an enclosure that is supposed to mount on it.
Once I find one, I'll revisit this and take care of it. I'll even add some "feet" that'll clamp around the legs to add stability both ways since I have some clearance from the patio.
The concrete underground extends a lot farther out than I anticipated.
Which means I didn't want to spend all morning dicking around with digging and pulling plants.
For now it's just resting against the pillar.
Ignore the cables and whatnot; a friend was supposed to build me an ice wood chest to occupy the floor space there.
I may just end up buying one on FB marketplace as I hate seeing that void there especially since I have an enclosure that is supposed to mount on it.
Once I find one, I'll revisit this and take care of it. I'll even add some "feet" that'll clamp around the legs to add stability both ways since I have some clearance from the patio.
larry4406
Well-known member
Ugh.
Even for an optional rail, the code folks would gig you as your pickets are not less than 4” apart.
Apparently kiddo’s are drawn to railings like magnets and get their heads stuck between the pickets and hurt themselves.
So a 4” sphere was chosen as the spacing requirement for pickets and the sphere “shall not pass”.
Even for an optional rail, the code folks would gig you as your pickets are not less than 4” apart.
Apparently kiddo’s are drawn to railings like magnets and get their heads stuck between the pickets and hurt themselves.
So a 4” sphere was chosen as the spacing requirement for pickets and the sphere “shall not pass”.
Ah that's great information to know!
While kids will be kids, and go **** off doing whatever they want, I'm glad he stays off the planted area altogether!
The dirt side has a lot of tall succulents, and the patio side would have an ice wood chest that'll occupy most of the open width.
This is because I want a small garbage can inside the ice wood chest as well, like this.
I really need friends that are well versed in other trades
larry4406
Well-known member
That’s a nice cooler gizmo!Ah that's great information to know!
While kids will be kids, and go **** off doing whatever they want, I'm glad he stays off the planted area altogether!
The dirt side has a lot of tall succulents, and the patio side would have an ice wood chest that'll occupy most of the open width.
This is because I want a small garbage can inside the ice wood chest as well, like this.
I really need friends that are well versed in other trades
M.Brane
ALLIANCE MEMBER
It's nice to have a covered outdoor work area for stuff like that. My previous garage had a covered patio on the side. I miss it. Working on getting one setup here.
As long as successes far outdo failure right?
Got more parts cut on some fresh 3/16".
Followed by some scribing and bending.
I'll spend a little here and there to buy stuff like this 5/8c" solid rod. Ordered it Friday night, and it arrived yesterday at noon from McMaster Carr.
Got it so I can use them as alignment pins for the 0.630" holes.
All welded up, now for test fit.
Ooooh yeah.
Still have to weld up some hardware onto those other parts I cut, and then I'm done for today.
Got more parts cut on some fresh 3/16".
Followed by some scribing and bending.
I'll spend a little here and there to buy stuff like this 5/8c" solid rod. Ordered it Friday night, and it arrived yesterday at noon from McMaster Carr.
Got it so I can use them as alignment pins for the 0.630" holes.
All welded up, now for test fit.
Ooooh yeah.
Still have to weld up some hardware onto those other parts I cut, and then I'm done for today.
I still consider myself a novice at welding, so many of you will know this already.
I weld tons of hardware onto parts I make, so ensuring said hardware is center to a hole is absolutely important.
I can be a hack and make holes much larger, but that would allow for holes to be offset from each other as I provide instructions for measuring and drilling to match said holes. So making holes much larger is a no-go as customers should not have to guess how far apart bolt holes are from each other.
I learned some years ago to use tapered bolts which self-center to a bolt hole once tightened.
Works so well I have such bolts in a variety of sizes.
Here you can see the nuts welded in place (with one bolt still torqued).
And the result.
It is important to keep the hardware in a separate pile from the rest of your stuff as the constant heat cycling will make them brittle. I've been using these M10 bolts for over a year so maybe it's time to swap them out.
Anyway, that's all for today.
Need to mail the roller head for my buddy to try it in the real world. This way I can make adjustments (if needed) before making the remaining 5 assemblies.
I weld tons of hardware onto parts I make, so ensuring said hardware is center to a hole is absolutely important.
I can be a hack and make holes much larger, but that would allow for holes to be offset from each other as I provide instructions for measuring and drilling to match said holes. So making holes much larger is a no-go as customers should not have to guess how far apart bolt holes are from each other.
I learned some years ago to use tapered bolts which self-center to a bolt hole once tightened.
Works so well I have such bolts in a variety of sizes.
Here you can see the nuts welded in place (with one bolt still torqued).
And the result.
It is important to keep the hardware in a separate pile from the rest of your stuff as the constant heat cycling will make them brittle. I've been using these M10 bolts for over a year so maybe it's time to swap them out.
Anyway, that's all for today.
Need to mail the roller head for my buddy to try it in the real world. This way I can make adjustments (if needed) before making the remaining 5 assemblies.
Old Man Roger
Well-known member
If the bolts are only used as a jig, then why replace them at all? Hope I remember your method next time I need to weld in a nut. 
Customer I made the molle panels for asked me yesterday if I can make some parts for him.
Glad he's coming to me right away for more work so in turn I dropped off some steel for him to powdercoat.
The project - create this assembly as one piece (or as few pieces as possible).
Perfect match from the get go.
Mocking up the second piece of cardboard, ensuring I maintain the required inside width.
Ooooh yeah.
So just one side has to get welded.
Whereas the other side is bent.
I would love to bend this all out of one piece but two issues come into play - my press brake is limiting as I'd need taller punches (along with a gooseneck setup), and the second being that I don't want to complicate my end for creating this.
As in, I could incorporate a bend in the center to allow better clearance for the flanges. Then flip the assembly over to flatten that bend. But I don't want to screw anything up so a two-piece design is much better for both parties.
On a more serious note, which I haven't mentioned here at all, is that the "supposed" sibling to our recently adopted dog is on death row.
I mentioned here and in another thread how I foster dogs from time to time. Thing is we've never had more than 2 dogs at a time (and now we have 2 permanently).
Well Hallie came from a shelter that euthanizes dogs that don't get adopted and the dog that arrived with her is next to be put down.
We don't have the means of giving her a permanent home but I'd be willing to foster her. Just need to figure out a quick item I can make and sell and I haven't had time.
It's a shame too and I've shared her post on social media for over 2 weeks.
This is Annie's most recent pic.
And the pictures of Annie and Hallie when they were initially brought in together.
It's a huge ask here but if anyone wants to donate a few bucks, it'd help to get her some things like a bed, kennel, food, toys, etc.
Those items would be given to anyone who does decide to keep Annie so it wouldn't be for us to keep.
Glad he's coming to me right away for more work so in turn I dropped off some steel for him to powdercoat.
The project - create this assembly as one piece (or as few pieces as possible).
Perfect match from the get go.
Mocking up the second piece of cardboard, ensuring I maintain the required inside width.
Ooooh yeah.
So just one side has to get welded.
Whereas the other side is bent.
I would love to bend this all out of one piece but two issues come into play - my press brake is limiting as I'd need taller punches (along with a gooseneck setup), and the second being that I don't want to complicate my end for creating this.
As in, I could incorporate a bend in the center to allow better clearance for the flanges. Then flip the assembly over to flatten that bend. But I don't want to screw anything up so a two-piece design is much better for both parties.
On a more serious note, which I haven't mentioned here at all, is that the "supposed" sibling to our recently adopted dog is on death row.
I mentioned here and in another thread how I foster dogs from time to time. Thing is we've never had more than 2 dogs at a time (and now we have 2 permanently).
Well Hallie came from a shelter that euthanizes dogs that don't get adopted and the dog that arrived with her is next to be put down.
We don't have the means of giving her a permanent home but I'd be willing to foster her. Just need to figure out a quick item I can make and sell and I haven't had time.
It's a shame too and I've shared her post on social media for over 2 weeks.
This is Annie's most recent pic.
And the pictures of Annie and Hallie when they were initially brought in together.
It's a huge ask here but if anyone wants to donate a few bucks, it'd help to get her some things like a bed, kennel, food, toys, etc.
Those items would be given to anyone who does decide to keep Annie so it wouldn't be for us to keep.
M.Brane
ALLIANCE MEMBER
My last dog was a Newfie mix that I inherited from my X. He was such a good dog that I can't do another dog until I retire, and can be it's constant companion. Part of the pack so to speak. Little over a year to go. Till then it's just the cats who pretend not to care if you're there.
My wife just got home and it's a conversation we just had right now.
She is fully supportive of all I do, but is also in agreement about the added costs and such that come with the foster.
This is because we always had a second bed, kennel, toys, etc from our dog that we had to put down over a year ago. He had two back surgeries, and finally succumbed to internal bleeding from something cancerous.
We've never had 3 but I'm willing to put in the work to train and integrate her into a pack - the shelter environment is really hiding her true potential which I think is a big reason why she's not getting any interest
Hallie was exactly the same way, and she has really turned things around.
Annie has found a foster and potentially a new home
I had posted one last time on social media last night asking if anyone would want to donate a kennel, bed, etc.
Interestingly enough I received more criticism than anything else.
But someone reached out on there as well as here and I was happy to inform those willing to help that she will no longer need that help.
I believe my post having been shared made someone step up to offer room in their home as today/tomorrow was her day to be euthanized.
I had posted one last time on social media last night asking if anyone would want to donate a kennel, bed, etc.
Interestingly enough I received more criticism than anything else.
But someone reached out on there as well as here and I was happy to inform those willing to help that she will no longer need that help.
I believe my post having been shared made someone step up to offer room in their home as today/tomorrow was her day to be euthanized.
Old Man Roger
Well-known member
Nice
It is for sure - we don't have the real-estate really for a 3rd dog but would've done what we could to house her until she found a new home.
Way better than allowing her to be put down.
Just crazy how many got on the defensive in general, where I repeated multiple times what my intentions were.
For anything raised, it would've gone to a kennel (new home, she can't be left roaming the house while everyone's asleep), a bed to call her own, and most importantly flea medication.
We buy a 6 month supply each time we need to and that's over $400+ alone for our two dogs.
With Hallie, right after adopting her we added her to our plan with our vet and she received a thorough screening and blood work. Come to find out she has Anaplasmosis which can be common in strays as it's transmitted from ticks. She shows no signs of it affecting her, but she must stay on that flea prevention medicine which we intend to keep her on anyway like our other dog has been.
I had established that if we were going to foster her, we would get her on said medication from the get go and get whatever else was needed (at our expense, but with the help from others if possible).
And when she found a home, everything we got for her would go along with her to the new owner.
We did this before for other fosters, but after the results from Hallie's blood work, I wanted to be extra cautious with Annie as they were both together when they came to the shelter.
Old Man Roger
Well-known member
That’s a painful infection, sad to think it went undiagnosed.
Short version - Unknown history, and assumed to have been a stray
Long version - Wife and I decided to make a trip to the animal center in our county. It's a really big one and they're constantly on social media sharing about the many animals in their care. They are constantly looking for fosters or new homes as they are the shelter to go to for all things animal control.
We spent a good time going through all the buildings, visiting every kennel, until we stopped at Annie and Hallie. The paper stated they were there for a month already, arrived together, and are extremely timid.
Going back up to the front office, we signed in as we wanted to do a meet-and-greet with Hallie so we can see her outside her kennel.
Thing is, that by itself took almost a whole hour because they were having tons of trouble just getting her to come out and getting her into the other room for meeting up. When we finally got called up to go see her, she was hunched down and absolutely frozen; you can tell she was terrified.
No treats, nothing from my wife, the staff, or me could convince her to budge a muscle one bit. In talking to the staff while she was in the room with us, they shared how she just looks traumatized along with Annie and that no one has shown any interest in them.
Since the dogs were actually picked up as strays, and were very skinny (dirty, etc), it was safe to assume that they were strays for quite awhile. No history on them, nothing.
It was then that I decided to take Hallie home to foster as we thought it'd be good to get her out of that environment. It'd also be good for our current dog as she gets along with all other dogs.
Coming home I sort of expected the same behavior and I was right.
She had several accidents, she kept cowering to the back corner of our dining room, she didn't take to eating anything. She wanted nothing to do with us and this lasted for days.
I didn't give up though as I would sit on the floor near her, allowing her to come to me and let her open up at her leisure.
Took days but she finally would come to me and see me as a friend and no longer a stranger. She slowly got more and more familiar with my wife and well, that's when I said screw it and told the shelter we'll be adopting her.
She has only gotten better and within a week after that, I had her walking on a leash and everything. Now I can't keep her more than a foot away as she is practically attached to me
Anyway, during this time we noticed Annie being posted on social media still and that she was running out of time which brings us to my above post about potentially fostering her.
Today she would've been put down but fortunately she is now safe at home with another family. Apparently another family did attempt to foster her right when we had gotten Hallie but they had immediately returned her. That's when I followed up with this comment on Annie's post -
But as for the infection, when she got some shots at her thorough exam, they did warn me that if she becomes lethargic or shows other symptoms to go ahead and get her into urgent care right away. The fact that she's been eating normally and acting exactly the same tells me she's good to go with what they gave her, and to simply keep her on the trifexa as it'll keep the infection basically "dormant" in her body.
And looking into it even more shows that it can only be transmitted by a tick itself, so it can't go from her to our other dog fortunately.
Long post but, there are some that enjoy a long read. Sorry for those that don't read much!
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Onto shop related stuff, I got a request for a jerry can holder so that'll be fun to draw up and get to cutting.
Won't be working on it just yet but since I won't be providing the steel, I went ahead and bartered for the powder coating I just got done.
Have to say, I love the way everything came out. The parts below are all part of a truck kit I sell all over the US and Canada.
[One picture missing - this forum will not allow it to be attached even after resizing it and even renaming it]
The next parts are just 3 different options available for the above kit. Got all 3 sets powder coated to show customers what they could expect to receive as I will provide the powder coating at no additional cost.
Won't be working on it just yet but since I won't be providing the steel, I went ahead and bartered for the powder coating I just got done.
Have to say, I love the way everything came out. The parts below are all part of a truck kit I sell all over the US and Canada.
[One picture missing - this forum will not allow it to be attached even after resizing it and even renaming it]
The next parts are just 3 different options available for the above kit. Got all 3 sets powder coated to show customers what they could expect to receive as I will provide the powder coating at no additional cost.
Man, ain't that the truth.
I'd have a whole house dedicated just to dogs if I could.
Just got done making a few signs.
The TEQ signs I made as a 'Thanks' to the two members on another forum for their generous Hot Wheels donations.
I had inquired on the Tacoma forum to ask if there was anyone willing to sell me a small bunch of Hot Wheels cars. Mainly because the stores we frequent all had the same stuff he has already.
I know there's Ebay and Marketplace but the Ebay listings would consist of lots of loose and "dirty" cars whereas Marketplace had lots of premium/collectibles.
Not one but two members asked for my address and I was surprised with this.
The Welcome sign is just something I decided to cook up for my MIL. Mainly because I want her to know we didn't forget about her and because I'm glad she let's us have our privacy
Anyway, just got done spraying the backside with some primer before I flip them over later for primer/paint.
As for this all being easy? It really is! But I think that has more to do with the fact that I enjoy it so much.
To add, my MIL only lives about 12 minutes away.
My wife's family is crazy close so we normally just visit them versus them coming out to our house.
But I'm one of those "need to know in advance if you're coming over" types, unless you're one of my good friends
Always have time for those...
My wife's family is crazy close so we normally just visit them versus them coming out to our house.
But I'm one of those "need to know in advance if you're coming over" types, unless you're one of my good friends
Always have time for those...
I don’t really know anything about your cutting
but
I thought You need - In cut & Out cut?
or
does your cutting just blow through your thinner materials
can you give the Class a small tutor on your cutter - How does it all work ?
thank you in advance
but
I thought You need - In cut & Out cut?
or
does your cutting just blow through your thinner materials
can you give the Class a small tutor on your cutter - How does it all work ?
thank you in advance
No one should expect anyone else to! It's how I view most things in that, anytime I bring up a new topic about something, I share enough that will either generate interest, or just not make someone feel dumb for not knowing what I'm talking about.
I find it really simple to look at something in 2D, and visualize what will remain and what will fall out.
Something I learned some years ago is that there are people in this world that don't have an 'inner voice'. That means that a person can't think or read something and imagine their own voice speaking in their head. This is where sometimes you find people speak out loud too or something like that.
The same goes for visualizing things.
If you've ever played the latest Mario Party, or any brain teasers, you may have seen those 3D puzzles that are missing a piece and you need to know visualize which way your 'separate' piece needs to rotate to match the example shown. That or choosing the correct piece of out many.
Plasma just consists of a high volume of air and electricity to create a cutting flame to cut through steel.
Important part is that a circuit must be completed for that arc to generate - a work clamp is attached to the metal you're cutting, and the torch (where the flame is emitted) is the other end of that circuit. As long as there's metal underneath, you have a completed circuit.
The thicker the material, the more current you need!
At 45 amps my setup I think maxes out at 1/2" or 3/4". I've only cut as thick as 3/8" in both aluminum and steel.
Well, hope all the information above covers the majority of it!
Everything I described was just on the plasma end.
Getting into CNC by itself is really just knowing CAD and CAM.
In short, CAD (computer aided design) is the drawing or designing of whatever you're trying to create. Where I have the most fun is when someone comes to me and asks "hey, can you make this?" or "I have an idea, can you make this happen?"
Unfortunately, the majority of CNC actually stems from the CAD part of the process in that you are using a computer to draw whatever it is you need to design. Many people give up right away as they can never get passed this step.
A most recent example is the part above with the large bolt. But let's go back to an earlier project here.
My friend, who works in HVAC, told me about these assemblies that sit on top of a pipe jack. Apparently they allow one to run a bolt (with bearings on each end) to allow the end user to easily and safely rotate pipes of various sizes to mate up with a flange.
Never having made one, I looked online at one and came up with this.
Now, the version I found online had but two crappy images so I had to simply visualize what I need it to do, and how to make it happen.
In the screenshot above I made a number of circles in different diameters, simulating the various pipe sizes found. I also played with spacing of the bolt holes to allow the assembly to clear any pipe size when other holes are not in use.
After I drew that, then came the means of sitting it on the pipe jack itself.
The whole thing was really easy actually and took no more than an hour to design, cut, and well make it a real thing.
I'm also a welder and fabricator, which means I'm not only welding/repairing/making stuff but also designing stuff as I go.
Anyway, so that explains the design portion of it.
Next up comes CAM (computer aided manufacturing) and this is the other part that many find difficult.
Now that we have our design (a vector file), we need to convert this image into a bunch of commands for our table to follow. As much as many of us would like to simply hit a button and just go, there are many rules and parameters that need to be adjusted in order to achieve the best cut possible.
If you cut material too fast, you can get really bad beveling. If you cut too slow, you risk fusing your metal after being cut. This is just summarizing the two really as various speeds can also attribute to "dirty" cuts with dross sticking to the backside of the material and more.
Then you've got "piercing" which many don't even account for.
Take something like this for example. The green arrows there are an example of a pierce point, and while it may look rather big compared to the cut line itself, is actually as small as you can get it. But if you also look at the purple arrow, that is also evidence of a small pierce (and lead in).
The part is much smaller than it looks but many people struggle with the appropriate settings for making these things as hidden as possible. Another one of my examples.
There are times where pierce points are not only really big, but they also have such short lead ins that actually disrupt the cut path it's on as well.
Often times you will never notice it as many items get painted, but anyone that's into CNC will look for these things in their own work along with others.
Then there's also the importance of having your table completely dialed in. This means your table was assembled absolutely square, your gantry is perpendicular to your cutting material, your Z-axis is trammed precisely, and your movement is fluid in every direction.
Pair all that with what I mentioned above about cut speeds, and you still need to ensure you have the proper amp setting on your plasma cutter, as well as air as dry as possible.
This is because the number one killer of anything plasma-related is moisture and any moisture in your air will quickly destroy consumables (and affect cut quality by a large margin).
I'm deviating a bit because I got to talking about air and other stuff.
We didn't even cover rules but in short it means, a change of cut settings to achieve the best quality possible in any given situation.
Below is a great example of that.
I created this piece as my own test cut piece. I use it for everyone I teach CNC to and use it myself when I've dialed in tables.
It is a simple 5/8" hole, in a 2.5" x 2.5" square with a radius at two corners from 3/16" steel.
If cut speeds are too fast on your outside cut, it is possible to experience severe beveling especially on the radius corners. Too fast of a cut in the center will also lead to massive tapering. Having a table that isn't square will mean a square that doesn't measure evenly along both sides. All of that beveling will also mean that your part cut will not be true to size.
But there's one more thing I didn't mention! You also have cut height and pierce height to be set correctly.
You'll notice just how tiny the lead in mark is on that square cut out, as well as how true to size the overall dimensions are. This is because every part of everything I mentioned was right on point.
The center hole?
It measured at 0.628", just a hair over the 0.625" desired hole size we programmed. This is about as close as you'll get with plasma based on the nature of how it cuts.
So yeah, there's a lot to it but I'm going on now 3 years doing this and it's been fun as hell.
Completely self-taught too!
If this was long and boring, I apologize
If you found it to be helpful and informative, just let me know below!
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Also, maybe something I can incorporate at some point with the work I do but I just got a 3D printer about a day ago.
I've printed quite a lot of stuff already but I still need to get into learning how to slice, as well as drawing 3D items as my 3D experience is more as an assembly.
Just got done printing this out, for no reason other than I can
I've printed quite a lot of stuff already but I still need to get into learning how to slice, as well as drawing 3D items as my 3D experience is more as an assembly.
Just got done printing this out, for no reason other than I can
Haven't posted here lately, on account of being busy doing side work in and out of the house.
So thought I'd post a little project I started yesterday and just finished earlier today.
Since I had bought myself not one, but two 3D printers recently, I needed to make myself a stand. Thing is, I'm frugal and don't want to spend much on one.
I also need it to be strong, as 3D printers move quite a bit. Lastly, I need it to be narrow but have two tiers (one for each printer) with the lower tier not requiring me to bend over much.
Used 1.5" square tube in 16 gauge, cause it's plenty strong and plenty cheap.
Since I don't do wood work, I opted for prefab tops from Home Depot.
Would've started a day earlier but I as I was about to tack things up, I checked my spool and saw it was practically empty.
After some errands and trips out of town, got some stuff tacked up and welded.
Next up were the misc parts I'd need such as the mounts for installing the adjustable feet, and the wood mounts.
These are some heavy-duty, CNC machined feet I had laying around that I never used. Got them for free.
Since the wood panels are 0.70" thick, I opted to make a flange just as small.
This would allow for a flush fit against the 1.5" tube as the mounts need to be offset slightly.
Used the appropriate shims too for welding them in place. Opted for plug welds as it'll keep them from distorting one way or another.
So thought I'd post a little project I started yesterday and just finished earlier today.
Since I had bought myself not one, but two 3D printers recently, I needed to make myself a stand. Thing is, I'm frugal and don't want to spend much on one.
I also need it to be strong, as 3D printers move quite a bit. Lastly, I need it to be narrow but have two tiers (one for each printer) with the lower tier not requiring me to bend over much.
Used 1.5" square tube in 16 gauge, cause it's plenty strong and plenty cheap.
Since I don't do wood work, I opted for prefab tops from Home Depot.
Would've started a day earlier but I as I was about to tack things up, I checked my spool and saw it was practically empty.
After some errands and trips out of town, got some stuff tacked up and welded.
Next up were the misc parts I'd need such as the mounts for installing the adjustable feet, and the wood mounts.
These are some heavy-duty, CNC machined feet I had laying around that I never used. Got them for free.
Since the wood panels are 0.70" thick, I opted to make a flange just as small.
This would allow for a flush fit against the 1.5" tube as the mounts need to be offset slightly.
Used the appropriate shims too for welding them in place. Opted for plug welds as it'll keep them from distorting one way or another.
With the mounts in place, it was time to work on the legs.
These feet sure are beefy as hell, they use M14 nuts for mounting.
Tacked up then welded the legs.
Followed by tacking up and welding the remainder.
Not bad!
Both printers running and this thing barely moves at all.
I had intended to paint it but after seeing the wood in place, both my wife and I agreed it looked good as is.
These feet sure are beefy as hell, they use M14 nuts for mounting.
Tacked up then welded the legs.
Followed by tacking up and welding the remainder.
Not bad!
Both printers running and this thing barely moves at all.
I had intended to paint it but after seeing the wood in place, both my wife and I agreed it looked good as is.
With the mounts in place, it was time to work on the legs.
These feet sure are beefy as hell, they use M14 nuts for mounting.
Tacked up then welded the legs.
Followed by tacking up and welding the remainder.
Not bad!
Both printers running and this thing barely moves at all.
I had intended to paint it but after seeing the wood in place, both my wife and I agreed it looked good as is.
Nice work!
If you want a little design/printing project to start with and have some fun learning the printer....tubing caps could be a good one. Yes they're cheap to buy, but if you need a ******* size one...or a custom one....or want to make a cute pull out storage drawer for a tube end instead of just a cap....it's a great tool for it!