superbovine
Well-known member
Hey everyone, I need some help deciding what (if anything) to do with some material.
If you've seen my other threads, I like reusing scrap material for practical stuff whenever I can. I tore down an old car alignment machine this week and have two things I can't decide what if anything to do with.
First off, I did make use of the machine caddy... the base I just ground off the rivets and got an instant dolly. It's rather decent as is apart from the paint and a little rust... its 14-16ga folded steel, plus it has an I-beam through the center too.
The box got a pressure washing and is in relatively good shape. There is considerable paint flaking in random areas, but no major rust. I built a cheap (bed frame!) frame for the bottom and 18ga floor then bolted it up to my roll-around work bench.
And that brings me to my problem.... the boom for the machine offers a sizable amount of material, but I can't decide what to do with it.
I have a counterweight made of 4" round bar steel, 28" long. Estimating the weight around 130lbs. Odds of resizing this are near to zero... I do not have a band saw.
I have two sections of what appears to be extruded aluminum with slot channel construction. I say appears to be, as that while it looks, feels, and sounds like aluminum as well as not sticking to magnets... it just feels abnormally heavy for aluminum. Might just be me. Anyway, they are both approximately 8' 6" long.
The profile of the two sections are identical, so I could weld up a set of braces to utilize the slot channels and join them for full length. I had though of maybe making it a post for a windmill or something, however due to my elevation and basically hitting water if I dig two feet, I would have to do substantial bracing or pour a concrete pad for it, which I am not interested in doing.
Worth noting, I do have (not pictured) a pulley and cable to mount to the top, and a wheeled carriage assembly meant to ride up and down one of these (and of course the counterweight). If I were to double up these sections, I could lengthen the cable to make use to full height.
So GJ, what say you on these two items? Any ideas or should I just recycle them for $5
If you've seen my other threads, I like reusing scrap material for practical stuff whenever I can. I tore down an old car alignment machine this week and have two things I can't decide what if anything to do with.
First off, I did make use of the machine caddy... the base I just ground off the rivets and got an instant dolly. It's rather decent as is apart from the paint and a little rust... its 14-16ga folded steel, plus it has an I-beam through the center too.
The box got a pressure washing and is in relatively good shape. There is considerable paint flaking in random areas, but no major rust. I built a cheap (bed frame!) frame for the bottom and 18ga floor then bolted it up to my roll-around work bench.
And that brings me to my problem.... the boom for the machine offers a sizable amount of material, but I can't decide what to do with it.
I have a counterweight made of 4" round bar steel, 28" long. Estimating the weight around 130lbs. Odds of resizing this are near to zero... I do not have a band saw.
I have two sections of what appears to be extruded aluminum with slot channel construction. I say appears to be, as that while it looks, feels, and sounds like aluminum as well as not sticking to magnets... it just feels abnormally heavy for aluminum. Might just be me. Anyway, they are both approximately 8' 6" long.
The profile of the two sections are identical, so I could weld up a set of braces to utilize the slot channels and join them for full length. I had though of maybe making it a post for a windmill or something, however due to my elevation and basically hitting water if I dig two feet, I would have to do substantial bracing or pour a concrete pad for it, which I am not interested in doing.
Worth noting, I do have (not pictured) a pulley and cable to mount to the top, and a wheeled carriage assembly meant to ride up and down one of these (and of course the counterweight). If I were to double up these sections, I could lengthen the cable to make use to full height.
So GJ, what say you on these two items? Any ideas or should I just recycle them for $5
