Everyone posts up their fab successes, how about a failure?

[lilscorpion]

Saturday I built a tubing straightener to straighten out the roll of hard line (0.040 steel) that I purchased to fab the fuel lines in a project I've been working on. The concept was to build one for a fraction of the cost of one of the real ones. I found some rope pulleys at the hardware store which is what got me thinking.

They fit the tubing perfectly.

The pulleys use a steel bushing instead of bearings. Figured it would roll well enough.

The bushing was some freaky metric ID so I drilled it out to 3/8's (just a skim cut)

And reassembled the pulley using the vise on the vise

Then I machined a piece of aluminum 1/4" angle I had (about 10" in length) for the pulleys. Three holes and two slots.

Then made an adjustment bar for the slotted pulleys.

Then a little test fit.

Now I need a way to adjust the top pulleys. Used a smaller piece of angle and welded it to the top. Then drilled a hole for a set screw.

Didn't have one (lol) so I made one out of a bolt and turned the head on the lathe.

And put it I place..

Turned out cool. Materials on hand + $30. Not bad.

So tried it out. 8' of tubing. Ran it through maybe a couple dozen times. Did it straighten it?!? Sort of. It got fairly straight. The pic shown below is deceiving. Some of the bend is the weight of the tubing.

The wheels didn't roll well or even enough so the resistance caused some "tweaks" that I couldn't get out which probably made today's mess partially come to fruition. To make it work, in hind sight, the wheels need some roller bearings so it operates smoothly and allows the tubing to roll through with less effort. The wheels need to be further apart too. Maybe add a few inches to the over all length. The wheels need to have a shallower groove cut into them too. The pulleys offered too much resistance (though with roller bearings it may not matter. I may machine the wheels too so that the groove surface is smoother. The pulley wheels weren't exactly smooth. They were close but Since they're cast, they do have some subtitle imperfections.

So, basically, fail.

 

[racingtadpole]

Its not a fail, its the prototype Mk I version. Which is rather nicely made too.

Maybe some grease might help, bit hard to tell from the pictures if you put some on the bushes or its assembled dry.

 

[lilscorpion]

Its not a fail, its the prototype Mk I version. Which is rather nicely made too.

Maybe some grease might help, bit hard to tell from the pictures if you put some on the bushes or its assembled dry.

Yeah, Mk1. Good point. Usually I know whether a project is likely to succeed or not and I kinda expected this one to work out. I had a feeling I'd be better off with higher quality wheels at the design stages but still was optimistic that it would work well enough to get the job done. My disappointment was more around needing the straightener to do something I'd planned so a Mk 1 today wasn't what the Dr ordered. I guess I should look at it like you're saying though as I did learn.

Thought about grease but when I realized the wheels aren't perfectly true (due to the cast imperfections) I gave up. I considered trying to drop a ball mill in the wheels to see if I could true them up but figured it might just be easier to make new ones instead since chucking them up in the mill won't be easy. There's not much to hold on to.

 

[kazlx]

I just built a folding ramp for a buddy to load his generator in the back of his truck. It collapsed. Back to the drawing board :-/

 

[MillerMav]

Since I am somewhat new to fabricating anything I would say the first version (sometimes even the second) I build of everything is a failure (welder cart, drill press stand, weld table). I have no problem with it. Its all a learning curve. But I only post my success! haha!

 

[A_Pmech]

Nope! No pictures, I'm perfect!

(Until I empty the chip bins at the scrap yard and see every single error flash before my eyes.)

 

[NUTTSGT]

The mini roller stand I made, it doesn't roll like it should but it does hold the steel at the right height, that was the main goal. Not a total failure but it's not 100%.

 

[Diesel Dan]

Nice concept.
I would just make the rollers out of some 1018 round stock on the lathe. Hand grind a radiused high speed tool steel bit for the groove.

On the bushings, where those steel or bronze?
I would think bronze would turn easier under load than a steel on steel setup.

That mini roller stand could benefit from a cheap 20lb round bench weight welded on for a base.

I wish I had your shop!

 

[Imcrazy]

That mini roller stand could benefit from a cheap 20lb round bench weight welded on for a base.

FWIW

I recently came the idea of using some 25# bags of #9 lead shot. The original shot bags are not very good so I bought one of the cheap HF black cloth tool bags for each bag of shot (the shot is still in the original bag but inside of the HF bag for protection). The carrying handle makes it easy to move around or stack. The shot will conform somewhat to whatever shape is needed.

If I ever decide that I don't like this idea I can use the shot for reloading.

 

[bullnerd]

Scorpion...do you know the trick for hand straightening tubing in a lathe. Not sure if it would work for that length, but I've done 5ft. easy.

I'm a two vise guy too.

 

[Diesel Dan]

25# bags of #9 lead shot.

That's a good idea, never though about using lead shot or where to get it even. We have a bunch of our sons old 1" steel weights laying around in 5-50lb ranges.

 

[bullnerd]

That's a good idea, never though about using lead shot or where to get it even. We have a bunch of our sons old 1" steel weights laying around in 5-50lb ranges.

Dont forget about good old concrete too, easy to cast in any shape or size and cheap.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Nice concept.
I would just make the rollers out of some 1018 round stock on the lathe. Hand grind a radiused high speed tool steel bit for the groove.

On the bushings, where those steel or bronze?
I would think bronze would turn easier under load than a steel on steel setup.

That mini roller stand could benefit from a cheap 20lb round bench weight welded on for a base.

I wish I had your shop!

Nuttsgt has no lathe

 

[lilscorpion]

Scorpion...do you know the trick for hand straightening tubing in a lathe. Not sure if it would work for that length, but I've done 5ft. easy.

I'm a two vise guy too.

I've heard about it and seen a couple of posts by those saying it works. You chuck the tube in the lathe and, while turning rather slowly, you pinch your fingers and "draw" it out right? I assumed it only worked on Aluminum. Will it work on 3/8 steel tubing? I could give it a shot this weekend, a big a$$ lathe I have and I don't even need a big one.

 

[lilscorpion]

The mini roller stand I made, it doesn't roll like it should but it does hold the steel at the right height, that was the main goal. Not a total failure but it's not 100%.

Some of the things I get the most use out of aren't 100%. That little stand is sweet and does just what you needed it to. I might even argue that it doesn't need to roll. Mine, on the other hand, needed to roll and is useless otherwise.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Some of the things I get the most use out of aren't 100%. That little stand is sweet and does just what you needed it to. I might even argue that it doesn't need to roll. Mine, on the other hand, needed to roll and is useless otherwise.

You're exactly correct, the main thing I needed it for was to hold up the other end of the steel I was cutting. It does that well enough that I really don't care about it rolling.

 

[bullnerd]

I've heard about it and seen a couple of posts by those saying it works. You chuck the tube in the lathe and, while turning rather slowly, you pinch your fingers and "draw" it out right? I assumed it only worked on Aluminum. Will it work on 3/8 steel tubing? I could give it a shot this weekend, a big a$$ lathe I have and I don't even need a big one.

Yup,I use a shop rag in the drawing hand.Once you get the hang of it, its pretty cool.

 

[zkling]

My shop failures, and there have been alot, are quickly destroyed to hide the evidence. Either the scrap bin or cut it up and put it in the "to good to toss pile" They will never know. I do have a small display shelf that holds cool pieces of scraped parts. To the unsuspecting eye, they me be nice parts, but really I missed a critical dimension and had to start over.

 

[jamesc]

I just hate when you weld something up and then you realize that it is crooked I always seem to do that when I am in a hurry.

 

[R.Anderson]

****! Now I need a new garage

I have made many mistakes, do I have pictures of em heck no they pissed me off enough when I made em

But the guy that built this shed earns an award of some kind or a stupid fine
http://www.bcsportbikes.com/forum/s...Fail-Fail-to-Build.-What-is-this-I-don-t-even.....

 

[Hal]

No pics available, but I cut two identical reinforcing plates for my truck frame, instead of mirror images, which was what I needed. Cut the flange off one and re-welded it to the opposite side. Waste of time and consumables, but got it done.

 

[lilscorpion]

I just hate when you weld something up and then you realize that it is crooked I always seem to do that when I am in a hurry.

...or when I'm taking my time, measuring a dozen times before cutting, dry fitting more than once, working from a drawing that was well thought out only to find the measurements it was all based on had a mis-calculation and the failure hits you like a 2 ton heavy thing.

 

[mjb]

...or when I'm taking my time, measuring a dozen times before cutting, dry fitting more than once, working from a drawing that was well thought out only to find the measurements it was all based on had a mis-calculation and the failure hits you like a 2 ton heavy thing.

Just did this last week.

 

[rodm1]

I need to make a bender like that someday, I will add it to my to do list. For brake line I've found using a role of kunifer (cunifer) is way easier then using steel and priced between steel and stainless. It bends like copper and won't kink and is DOT approved sow no worries of safety.

http://store.fedhillusa.com/

 

[Kevin54]

Like I learned from my mentor...."If you aren't making mistakes, you aren't doing anything". And I've been a busy sumbitch ever since!!!

 

[2mJps]

I have built alot of stuff even worked in R and D for a company. They would tell me what they wanted i would build it they would make blueprints of what i had built. Out of all of the 1000s of things i have built i am still amazed when i think of the things that worked. One thing that i built that didnt work years ago was a press brake. I thought that 12 tons would bend 72 inches of sheet metal. I look at fab failures as steping stones to sucess builds.

 

[ilovevocs]

Like I learned from my mentor...."If you aren't making mistakes, you aren't doing anything". And I've been a busy sumbitch ever since!!!

Lmao!!!

 

[lilscorpion]

Like I learned from my mentor...."If you aren't making mistakes, you aren't doing anything". And I've been a busy sumbitch ever since!!!

Yep, this is very true. Guess that's we when I want to build something I buy enough material to make 2.

 

[Heavymetalmechanic]

I just lost 4 hours of my life reading that whole "Shed of Doom" link from BCSportsBikes. Nothing I have ever failed at is half as incredible as that mans landlord.

 

[neonnblack]

anyone accidentally build something to large to get out of where the built it?

 

[lilscorpion]

anyone accidentally build something to large to get out of where the built it?

No but I did build something to large to get into the place it was going. At my old house I had a 2 car in the front of the house and a 2 car shop behind it with a single door between the two that has a few steps up. I wanted this 8-foot long steel bench in the shop (where I have my machines) for tooling and if I made it just narrow enough to fit through the door, it would be a perfect fit where it needed to go. I built it in the garage because that's where the welder is. I really spent he time cleaning it up to to make it look really nice. Called up a buddy to cone over and help me carry it back there and I led the way (doing he backwards walk. Got 4 feet inside the shop and...damn it if I didn't need to turn it to clear the wall but it was too long. Ended up cutting it I half to get it in. Lol

 

[R.Anderson]

I just lost 4 hours of my life reading that whole "Shed of Doom" link from BCSportsBikes. Nothing I have ever failed at is half as incredible as that mans landlord.

Yup same here, I got a kick outa some people watching the weather and posting weather reports for storms passing through that might bring it down.
First graders could of built a better shed.

 

[2mJps]

anyone accidentally build something to large to get out of where the built it?

A buddy built a inclosed trailer in his shop and it will not go out side untill the axle is removed. He built it to haul stuff for a job and before it was done the job ended. I think it has been their of around 15 years.

 

[lilscorpion]

A buddy built a inclosed trailer in his shop and it will not go out side untill the axle is removed. He built it to haul stuff for a job and before it was done the job ended. I think it has been their of around 15 years.

That's awesome.

 

[silentpoet]

There is not enough space on the internet to post my failures.

 

[superspec]

I have failed at fabing something yet but I did fail to get off the loud pedal of the 2 man 6" auger recently. We buried it to the base of the motor. i got to put my welding skills to the test making a t handle to turn the auger backwards out of the hole. I then though about trying to sell it back to the rental company.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Mine are to numerous to mention and something I would not normally take a picture of, I just discreetly throw my failures in the scrap heap. I will keep it in mind for a future post however.

 

[larry_g]

One of my early projects in the shop was to build a fly cutter that had an R-8 shank on it. All went well until I tried to use it. Drawbar would not grab. Discovered that I grabbed the wrong drill and tap and put a 1/2 - 20 thread in it. Standard R-8 is 7/16 - 20. Some weeks late I stumbled on the fact that one of the threads inserts used a 1/2-20 thread for a 7/16-20 insert. Problem solved and I've been using that fly cutter for years.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[silentpoet]

I made an extending magnetic retriever. Used some parts from an old target stand, some square metal tubing for the handle, and a hard drive magnet for the head. Not a total failure, but not as handy as I had hoped. The head is a little big to make it totally convenient in tight spaces. But it does work in more open areas and it was the first tool I made with a welder.