What did you do "IN" your garage today?

[Murby]

Yep, add the options and shipping and you're just under $10k for the table itself lol

Hypertherm's are absolutely great plasma cutters and even though I've got the small one (45XP), it's commonly referred to the best of the bunch out of the XP series cause it's so underrated. Same could be said for that 1000 before the XP series came out!

Having several years of experience with CNC plasma (self-taught), I would strongly advise that you seek a turn-key setup. Building one doesn't really save you much if at all compared to many tables out there with the only real benefit being that you're drawing out the cost over a longer period of time versus paying all up front for one.

But, I'd even argue that building your own can go against you in a few ways -

1. Time spent building, troubleshooting, researching, that could all be spent on actually using the table and getting things dialed in. Just because you've built one (or bought one) doesn't mean it's going to print you money right off the bat. There's still plenty to do and learn after you start cutting.

2. I too have looked at and wanted laser, but I have a small "shop" that's really just a 2-car garage not to mention I'm on a fixed income so it's out of my price range. Just the proper compressor to run fiber laser can set you back over $3-4k, and we haven't even touched on power requirements.

3. Controller software limitations - while a few companies use outdated software like Mach 3, others have fully designed their own controller software with CAM that rivals that of other companies. This by itself can be worth checking out one company over another.

As great as laser is, since it truly is better than CNC plasma in every way in terms of cut quality, I've been very successful with any and all the things I've ever made at home on my table.

This is my 3rd table as I had owned 2 others before this when I first started out - it was just for fun when I first got into welding and once I started doing work for pay, I made it a point to invest money made back into the shop to purchase better quality tooling. My whole niche is offering affordable services to 'everybody else' and I do more than just cut parts out, I've put together and designed a lot of stuff for people only to bring it to fruition.

I spent a carrier designing, engineering, and building very specialized machinery for processing in the automotive industry. I actually built an 80 foot long 12ft tall x 12 ft wide pick-and-place robot using servos and CNC controller software. The thing was basically an overhead bridge crane that zipped back and forth moving racks from one chemical tank to the next going down the line based on a menu selection for the specific rack of parts. Jeez.. when I built that thing I didn't know squat about servos or CNC controls.. I dealt with everything from the loaded tram being too light and over-shooting its destination, to figuring out how to get it to slow down without the rack below it swinging all over the place.
I even had problems with the hoist motor causing a feedback pulse every time the brake would engage.. Stupid thing kept getting screwed up because of a high frequency pulse being sent back into the controllers.. Bunch of ferrite coils and a big a$$ diode solved the "don't taze me bro" problem.

I'm good at building this kind of stuff.. it's kind of my wheel house. Kind of funny.. I can solve all the complex engineering problems of an automation machine, but I had to join this forum to figure out how to align the steel siding on my barn... which is very much not my wheel house..

I was looking at your other thread that's linked in your signature line(?).. Pretty cool stuff. Nice work. very nice work. Good craftsmanship. Looks like you're making the best out of that table. Now all you need to do is to get hooked up with someone who needs 5000 parts cut a week. And slap some solar on your roof or backyard to keep the power bill down. And when you start spending $1000 a week on plate steel, find yourself a sales guy to make friends with and get him to drop the price. A lot of steel suppliers treat individuals very differently than production folks.

 

[bugnut]

Unpacked an amazon box. Cobbled 2 new deer feeders with steel rings to make them easy to remove. Backstory, new coppertop 6v lantern batteries are $24 each, new feeder that runs on 4 AA is $34, so i bought cheaper to keep feeders. Assembled ready to install. Fired up the 3d printer and organized a bit. Prepped for working in the woods Saturday.

 

[zimman]

Almost killed myself. It's hard at 70. LOL Got it out of storage, cleaned up and put in place. Tools are boxed up and going in maybe tomorrow.
Zim

 

[KwikFab]

I spent a carrier designing, engineering, and building very specialized machinery for processing in the automotive industry. I actually built an 80 foot long 12ft tall x 12 ft wide pick-and-place robot using servos and CNC controller software. The thing was basically an overhead bridge crane that zipped back and forth moving racks from one chemical tank to the next going down the line based on a menu selection for the specific rack of parts. Jeez.. when I built that thing I didn't know squat about servos or CNC controls.. I dealt with everything from the loaded tram being too light and over-shooting its destination, to figuring out how to get it to slow down without the rack below it swinging all over the place.
I even had problems with the hoist motor causing a feedback pulse every time the brake would engage.. Stupid thing kept getting screwed up because of a high frequency pulse being sent back into the controllers.. Bunch of ferrite coils and a big a$$ diode solved the "don't taze me bro" problem.

I'm good at building this kind of stuff.. it's kind of my wheel house. Kind of funny.. I can solve all the complex engineering problems of an automation machine, but I had to join this forum to figure out how to align the steel siding on my barn... which is very much not my wheel house..

I was looking at your other thread that's linked in your signature line(?).. Pretty cool stuff. Nice work. very nice work. Good craftsmanship. Looks like you're making the best out of that table. Now all you need to do is to get hooked up with someone who needs 5000 parts cut a week. And slap some solar on your roof or backyard to keep the power bill down. And when you start spending $1000 a week on plate steel, find yourself a sales guy to make friends with and get him to drop the price. A lot of steel suppliers treat individuals very differently than production folks.

You're the exception to the rule then!

Even then before you commit to such a build, consider digging around the net to check out the different controllers available out there for DIYers.

These companies that sell turn-key kits will use a proprietary controller and software that could surprise ya, and not in a bad way either.

I'd rather spend more time doing actual production vs messing with software and trying to get the table to do as it's supposed to.

As for those 5,000 parts? I'll tell a customer to source the job from a large shop (whether locally or online) because from a turn around stand point, laser would be much faster. Laser would also be more consistent from part to part because as plasma consumables wear out, parts can slowly go out of spec as the kerf value changes and beveling occurs. It'll also require a bit of post processing as laser will leave parts much cleaner and pretty much weld or bolt-ready.

I'd also rather make a few items for regular people, a few bucks at a time than churning parts out in large quantities for more $$$.

I got into the whole thing because I wanted to try something new which was welding and fabrication, without intending to ever make any money off of it. I only made any money from it when requests came in from friends, neighbors, etc only for it grow as people spread the word. Started sharing stuff online and demand only grew

I'm still just a guy in a garage, so it'll never get to "production" level nor do I want it to.

 

[niget2002]

Oil and air filter change on the truck. Waited a little too long on the air filter.

Now pumping some music through the stereo with the ac on trying to figure out how to fit an 11" box in a 10" hole.

 

[Beerhippie]

new coppertop 6v lantern batteries are $24 each

I didn't have any idea Duracells were that expensive these days. I bought a four pack a few years ago for more like $30 total.

Next time, it'll be these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Y68H7M5/?tag=atomicindus08-20

If they last half as long as Duracells, they're still a great deal--and Duracell doesn't have the best of reputations these days.

Come to think of it, all that's inside a 6V 903 batt is four D cells. You can get battery holders for 4 D cells intended to replace the 6V cubie.
4 Copper-top D cells are $10.

 

[Beerhippie]

Showed up at 7:30 AM and snaked drains in the pub kitchen. Ran some sulfuric acid drain cleaner (nasty stuff) down the now-unblocked drain to be sure. Getting notified of a clogged drain after I'm clocked out and enjoying my first beer *****.

Cleaned up and puttered in the shop. Once I clock out, I'll be back to finishing the last details on Project Hi-Lift.

 

[badmatt]

Finished this BS.

 

[KwikFab]

Cut out 6 orders







Small break before I clean them up and throw them on the press brake

 

[OccupantRJ]

Finished this BS.

Looks great from North Carolina USA!

 

[manwithtools]

Finished this BS.

Looks fantastic! Enjoy...

 

[niget2002]

Finished modifying the 3d printer stand to fit the new dryer. I bought a sheet of 3/4" plywood thinking I'd need to rebuild the casing, but I didn't need to.

What I "did" need to rebuild were some new drawers. But those are only 1/2" and I don't have that in stock. It's not worth driving to town to swap it out, so I'll do it the next time I go in.

Before



After.


I also added some rounded over cutouts on the sides at the back. Eventually filament will be routed through them from the dryer up to the printer.

 

[KwikFab]

Cut out 6 orders







Small break before I clean them up and throw them on the press brake

Done for the day.

I typically keep my workdays short at about 3hrs per day.

I'll weld these up tomorrow, cut 3 more sets, and work on the next batch of orders.

 

[GrayFlattop]

You're the exception to the rule then!

Even then before you commit to such a build, consider digging around the net to check out the different controllers available out there for DIYers.

These companies that sell turn-key kits will use a proprietary controller and software that could surprise ya, and not in a bad way either.

I'd rather spend more time doing actual production vs messing with software and trying to get the table to do as it's supposed to.

As for those 5,000 parts? I'll tell a customer to source the job from a large shop (whether locally or online) because from a turn around stand point, laser would be much faster. Laser would also be more consistent from part to part because as plasma consumables wear out, parts can slowly go out of spec as the kerf value changes and beveling occurs. It'll also require a bit of post processing as laser will leave parts much cleaner and pretty much weld or bolt-ready.

I'd also rather make a few items for regular people, a few bucks at a time than churning parts out in large quantities for more $$$.

I got into the whole thing because I wanted to try something new which was welding and fabrication, without intending to ever make any money off of it. I only made any money from it when requests came in from friends, neighbors, etc only for it grow as people spread the word. Started sharing stuff online and demand only grew

I'm still just a guy in a garage, so it'll never get to "production" level nor do I want it to.

If you are happy with your niche, you’re doing just fine. If you scale things up more the neighbors or your municipality might notice and make your life exponentially more difficult (IIRC, you are in a residential neighborhood). Sure, you could grow this into a larger business, but you’ll want a larger space, material handling equipment, added insurance and utility costs and before you know it the business owns you. Larger customers bring larger problems- no bueno.

After spending decades of my life in the automotive supply chain, I don’t miss it and cannot recommend it. It will eat you alive if you aren’t careful. I do miss having a near endless supply of metal and a fully equipped machine shop at my disposal, but I am perfectly content puttering in my home and garage shops.

Funny thing is, this morning I was talking to an old friend (now living in Florida) who will be in town next month and he mentioned that the IMTS will be here in a few weeks and that we should go. Honestly, I have no interest. I don’t want to dive back in - even for a few hours. Don’t want to see any of the vendors I used to have, nope - I’m done. I gave it everything I had, I know what I accomplished and that’s that.

 

[Jagmandave]

The switch for the Kobalt workbench (Model #SHS3DWBB245 is the latest model number - not sure the power strip switch is the same though as the strip now has USB ports and mine does not) I posted about below came in today.

What did you do "IN" your garage today?

A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. And an access panel in the floor is better than dropping a grand with a shop to drop the tank and replace. I'll have to make it look nice once I'm back in the shop, for now back to catching fish.

www.garagejournal.com

Rust from some water damage caused one of the metal contacts in the original on/off switch to fracture making it non-functional.
I found a "direct" replacement on Amazon after a few failed search attempts. This switch snaps into place through the molded plastic power strip cover and even fits in the cosmetic recess on the outside. I pasted the name/description from Amazon as well as the physical dimensions for future reference if anyone is trying to locate a replacement.

Oh man, thanks for the link - that's exactly what I need to fix my old bench grinder!

 

[KwikFab]

If you are happy with your niche, you’re doing just fine. If you scale things up more the neighbors or your municipality might notice and make your life exponentially more difficult (IIRC, you are in a residential neighborhood). Sure, you could grow this into a larger business, but you’ll want a larger space, material handling equipment, added insurance and utility costs and before you know it the business owns you. Larger customers bring larger problems- no bueno.

After spending decades of my life in the automotive supply chain, I don’t miss it and cannot recommend it. It will eat you alive if you aren’t careful. I do miss having a near endless supply of metal and a fully equipped machine shop at my disposal, but I am perfectly content puttering in my home and garage shops.

Funny thing is, this morning I was talking to an old friend (now living in Florida) who will be in town next month and he mentioned that the IMTS will be here in a few weeks and that we should go. Honestly, I have no interest. I don’t want to dive back in - even for a few hours. Don’t want to see any of the vendors I used to have, nope - I’m done. I gave it everything I had, I know what I accomplished and that’s that.

Guys like you are often the ones giving the best advice here, aren't you

And I don't mean that sarcastically either.

But yes you are 100% right about operating in a residential neighborhood as well as the "attention" it could bring. However, I do have a license to operate per the city with the only real limitations being -

I cannot have more than 7 customer visits per calender month, and I cannot have any advertising outside my home.

Which means, I can go on about my day making any and all parts I want without issue!

And you're also right about getting too big. I've seen it happen so often especially with these off-road shops that it can be scary who you're giving your money to when ordering something.

Look up Pelfreybilt, Shrockworks, Resz Fabrication, Ruffstuff Specialties, and more! Unfortunately, lots of people lost hundreds or even thousands with orders that were never fulfilled.

 

[KwikFab]

This actually reminds me of a thread that was recently posted that sold lifts - orders going unfulfilled only for the shop to close up.

Happens a lot in the off-road community, especially with shops getting too big and taking too many orders at once.

 

[kaymccampbell]

Intended to bring in the Escape.
Rode the chair.

 

[mbatarga]

Today I got the Craftsman lathe mounted on my Marketplace purchased workbench with the wrenches and other tools readily available on the pegboard!

 

[SMOKEYBEAR]

Almost killed myself. It's hard at 70. LOL Got it out of storage, cleaned up and put in place. Tools are boxed up and going in maybe tomorrow.
Zim

Clever use of the hitch/ cargo carrier with the straps to help carry the weight of the load. A+

 

[Murby]

I got into the whole thing because I wanted to try something new which was welding and fabrication, without intending to ever make any money off of it. I only made any money from it when requests came in from friends, neighbors, etc only for it grow as people spread the word. Started sharing stuff online and demand only grew

I'm still just a guy in a garage, so it'll never get to "production" level nor do I want it to.

Wait.. huh? You mean I'm supposed to charge my friends and neighbors for the stuff I do for them?

Damn.. I repair farm machinery, mowers, cars, sump pumps, generators, washers and dryers, furnaces, and hot water heaters.. and I sharpen all their chain saw blades and mower blades.. and I'm the computer, internet, and phone super geek of the neighborhood.. I've never charged anyone a dime for anything.

I'm supposed to be charging money for all this stuff?

On the upside, when I asked a couple neighbors to help me pour the concrete floor in my barn, pretty much everyone showed up to pitch in.

 

[Outlawmws]

Got the other 3 tires mounted and checked balance on all 4 this afternoon with my son's help.

All four were perfectly balanced with zero weights added. That's one thing I love about modern tires. Almost always perfectly balanced.

My son also delivered the Blade positioning fixture for my Ken Onion Work Sharp MKII I had him 3D Print for me - It fits perfect, and comes with 2 heights of platforms.
I need to get the 2 screws and 1 nut it needs to complete it.






The piece that keeps the platform set in position:

 

[Beerhippie]

My son also delivered the Blade positioning fixture for my Ken Onion Work Sharp MKII I had him 3D Print for me

When he's ready to sell some of those, make sure I'm on the list!

 

[KwikFab]

Wait.. huh? You mean I'm supposed to charge my friends and neighbors for the stuff I do for them?

Damn.. I repair farm machinery, mowers, cars, sump pumps, generators, washers and dryers, furnaces, and hot water heaters.. and I sharpen all their chain saw blades and mower blades.. and I'm the computer, internet, and phone super geek of the neighborhood.. I've never charged anyone a dime for anything.

I'm supposed to be charging money for all this stuff?

On the upside, when I asked a couple neighbors to help me pour the concrete floor in my barn, pretty much everyone showed up to pitch in.

Bold assumption, then again I can see how that was made based on what I posted so I can't hold that against ya.

For friends, even now I still don't charge them (the very few I have anyway when they ask for anything). One such example were the end caps and bed mounts I made for him.



One neighbor moved, and the other two I've done stuff for free which I've posted in my thread.

The other neighbors? They're of a...different nationality so they ignore the majority of everyone else unless it's their own kind. Fortunately (unfortunately) 99% of all my business is online.

I say it that way because I really enjoy making larger items, which can only be done at the local level. At the same time the cool thing about doing business online is that I get to really experience genuine support from those that truly want to support small business.

 

[Outlawmws]

When he's ready to sell some of those, make sure I'm on the list!

PM sent!

 

[dwasifar]

I made a cutting jig for Soma cube blocks:



It fastens to the saw by removing two of the cutting insert screws and using those screw holes. Adjustable stop block held by recessed T-nuts.

Tried it out successfully by making a Soma set:



This one is a commission from the same lady who got the last one. She ordered another to the same size so she can use both sets together. Fortunately I had some cut stock left over from that project and was able to match the size precisely, but in different wood, resulting in these interesting multi color pieces.

It was also the first time using my new Jorgensen 4" mini clamps:



Quite an upgrade from the HF ones I was using before. I bought 10. Wish I'd spent the money years ago.

 

[GrayFlattop]

Bold assumption, then again I can see how that was made based on what I posted so I can't hold that against ya.

For friends, even now I still don't charge them (the very few I have anyway when they ask for anything). One such example were the end caps and bed mounts I made for him.



One neighbor moved, and the other two I've done stuff for free which I've posted in my thread.

The other neighbors? They're of a...different nationality so they ignore the majority of everyone else unless it's their own kind. Fortunately (unfortunately) 99% of all my business is online.

I say it that way because I really enjoy making larger items, which can only be done at the local level. At the same time the cool thing about doing business online is that I get to really experience genuine support from those that truly want to support small business.

When you have 10 large invested in a piece of professional- grade equipment, don’t feel too bad about charging. You probably aren’t charging enough, but you can do that with the way you look at things - and that’s ok.

I’m also happy to learn that you have your bases covered with the local authorities. It just helps to keep surprises and disruptions to a minimum. Once semis start rolling up to deliver steel and you unload with a forklift, people will notice. Of course if you lived out in the country, that might be a different story. You are doing it right at this stage and have thought this out. I admire you for that.

 

[bmwrd0]

After many errands about the two towns, I spent my limited shop time clearing space, and then starting to work on how I want to set up to mill the keyseat, and, seeing that this is on a shaft and thus will be below the top of the &$%@ing "exact copy of a small Craftsman mill vise" POS, I need to do a little more research on how to be the most ridged.

In other words, stood and stared at a small and old piece of steel for an hour or two.

 

[Old Man Roger]

In other words, stood and stared at a small and old piece of steel for an hour or two.

I’ve done a lot of this over the years.lol

 

[Beerhippie]

little more research on how to be the most ridged.

Well, this is a good place to get more ridged:

 

[2001ZR2]

$5 Facebook buy... practice for cleaning up and trying teaching metal work.

1st picture is as found and if you look at the lid in 2nd that is after degreaser and steel wool.

Got 35 wood handle screw drivers including a Stanley Hurwood, Bell Systems, Matco and 2 Mac.

Really bought it for Craftsman 7/16" nut driver. Been missing mine since the boys were little over 20 years ago.

Edit added these photosof it cleaned up

 

[bugnut]

@Beerhippie quick summary, i have tried d cell holders with most available d size, including rechargeable d cells, have bought and used the interstate they failed to cut the mustard.

Over time and thru testing when a 6v gets to the 5.7v range it fails to do the job. I have been pleasantly surprised with the life of the lithium AA in a pair of test feeders. And a shout out to @Outlawmws for the pointing to lithium, which has stopped the battery leakage from ruining trail cameras, flashlights and feed slingers.

Today I put the last of the feeder parts in the shop after doing 3 more. Just outside the shop I washed mud off a tote box and misc feeders and parts, as the tote tumbled off a stuck atv into one of the puddles from the tire ruts left in the woods by the logging operation.

 

[OccupantRJ]

After many errands about the two towns, I spent my limited shop time clearing space, and then starting to work on how I want to set up to mill the keyseat, and, seeing that this is on a shaft and thus will be below the top of the &$%@ing "exact copy of a small Craftsman mill vise" POS, I need to do a little more research on how to be the most ridged.

In other words, stood and stared at a small and old piece of steel for an hour or two.

Can you protrude the part off the side of the vise with the part clamped low in the jaws for rigidity to machine the overhang? I tend to machine such with the rotation of the cutter pulling away from the vise if possible.

 

[OccupantRJ]

$5 Facebook buy... practice for cleaning up and trying teaching metal work.

1st picture is as found and if you look at the lid in 2nd that is after degreaser and steel wool.

Got 35 wood handle screw drivers including a Stanley Hurwood, Bell Systems, Matco and 2 Mac.

Really bought it for Craftsman 7/16" nut driver. Been missing mine since the boys were little over 20 years ago.

Does the nut driver handle smell give you a flashback to that time?

 

[BonzoHansen]

I mowed the back half the lawn yesterday, but the old lawn tractor died right at the end. No compression. So its either terminal or I need to pull the head off and check valves. That's another day. Pushed it back into the shed. Edged & trimmed, son did the front lawn with the push mower.

Replaced part of a sill plate in another shed, so that felt useful. Also brought the avalanche into the garage to start the front wheel bearing process. She's all setup on the quick jacks ready to pull the wheels off.

 

[Outlawmws]

seeing that this is on a shaft and thus will be below the top of the &$%@ing "exact copy of a small Craftsman mill vise" POS, I need to do a little more research on how to be the most ridged.

Can you protrude the part off the side of the vise with the part clamped low in the jaws for rigidity to machine the overhang? I tend to machine such with the rotation of the cutter pulling away from the vise if possible.

Bore a block the exact size of the shaft. Bandsaw the block in half lengthwise and use those 2 half round shells as jaw holders for the shaft.

 

[Motorman55]

Made some big progress in the garage yesterday. Started by removing the steel shelf and its contents from the left side wall after which I filled all the holes and gave it a coat of white primer.

Next I painted the verticle corner trim red, the drop down top and bottom half of the wall light gray, then nailed a piece of horizontal trim to the wall and painted it black to continue the garage's paint scheme.

I unloaded all three top boxes of their tools, and moved the Craftsman matching 3-drawer and 7-drawer top box onto the drop down bench followed up by moving the Dayton top box onto the big tool box cabinet.

Lots more to do today, so its back to work and I'll post some more pics later tonight.

 

[PhantomEB]

Ain’t been online for weeks due to work.

since I leaving town today, tidied up the shop floor a bit and put Bronco‘s battery on the floor To be trickle charged up today.

here’s my latest garage project done.



FINALLY got lights put on the sides of the cargo box for any late night adventures then put the Color matched topper back onto the Ram3500. total cost: $250.

Now saving up for new front fenders and deeper tint all around on the Cab. 35% added to all 4 side windows and will tell the shop I want the side windows of the topper to match the rear windows. Limo tint on the windshield from the rear view mirror up.

One last piece to order next week to get the steering wheel controls to work with my new Alpine Deck. Backup camera will be installed too soon.

 

[niget2002]

Ended last night back in the garage when the wife asked me to cut the word "Home" out of some 1/8" plywood on the laser.

I had never finished putting it back together after the last round of upgrades, so what should have been a 5 minute job took 45.

I need to order more airline tubing for the air assist. The stuff I have and was going to use was older than I thought and has little pin holes in it.

 

[Jgaz]

Made some big progress in the garage yesterday. Started by removing the steel shelf and its contents from the left side wall after which I filled all the holes and gave it a coat of white primer.

Next I painted the verticle corner trim red, the drop down top and bottom half of the wall light gray, then nailed a piece of horizontal trim to the wall and painted it black to continue the garage's paint scheme.

I unloaded all three top boxes of their tools, and moved the Craftsman matching 3-drawer and 7-drawer top box onto the drop down bench followed up by moving the Dayton top box onto the big tool box cabinet.

Lots more to do today, so its back to work and I'll post some more pics later tonight.

Those 3 drawer mid boxes are perfect for on, or built in a bench.
i wish I hadn’t sold my 90’s vintage Mac mid section when I bought my large roller cabinet