To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

Above 1200 Sq/FT LilScorpion’s Fab Space

Wokspaces above 1200 squarefeet.

larry4406

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 27, 2006
Messages
19,154
Location
Northern Virginia
Pre-holiday cheer…

IMG_4947.jpeg

But boxes **** and want to be opened. Alas, a cast iron welding table top.

IMG_4948.jpeg

Which needs legs…glad I have the tractor + forks

IMG_4953.jpeg

Placed and excited…

IMG_4954.jpeg

Some assembly required. Added lower shelf.

IMG_4955.jpeg

Couldn’t help but to mock up the first project just to see…yup, game changer.

IMG_4956.jpeg

Todo: figure out how to get the damn table off of the machine trucks. Haha!!
Nice fab table! Who makes that?
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
OP
L

lilscorpion

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 15, 2010
Messages
3,599
Location
Colorado
Nice fab table! Who makes that?

Looks like a Fireball Tools one.
Yep, Fireball tools 5’ x 30”. Extremely well made and the casting is perfect. I’m on the fence about the coating tho. It’s nice, so nice I don’t want to put anything on the table and maybe scratch it. And I asked - yes, it’ll scratch. Think I’d prefer a non-coated surface but they’re not available in this size/format.
 
Last edited:
OP
L

lilscorpion

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 15, 2010
Messages
3,599
Location
Colorado
Started processing the tube I’ll use to make the press brake stand and material carts. First metalal project in the shop. Cutting on the floor is for the birds. Gonna have to make a buggy for the saw too and soon.

IMG_4942.jpeg

Chips seem to go everywhere. Mess was contained fairly well though. Cleaned up with just a little sweeping and a few minutes with the vac.

IMG_4945.jpeg

Prepped and ready to go. Gonna get some welding time in, super excited.

IMG_4962.jpeg

Barely had enough. 40’ and I ended up with three drops totaling 13”. Man that was cutting it close.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_4962.jpeg
    IMG_4962.jpeg
    1,002.2 KB · Views: 39

Firstram

Well-known member
Joined
May 16, 2017
Messages
1,391
Started processing the tube I’ll use to make the press brake stand and material carts. First metalal project in the shop. Cutting on the floor is for the birds. Gonna have to make a buggy for the saw too and soon.

IMG_4942.jpeg

Chips seem to go everywhere. Mess was contained fairly well though. Cleaned up with just a little sweeping and a few minutes with the vac.

IMG_4945.jpeg

Prepped and ready to go. Gonna get some welding time in, super excited.

IMG_4962.jpeg

Barely had enough. 40’ and I ended up with three drops totaling 13”. Man that was cutting it close.
It’s shocking how much tubing goes into a small cart or stand!
 
OP
L

lilscorpion

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 15, 2010
Messages
3,599
Location
Colorado
Putzing around with the various fixture blocks.

IMG_4964.jpeg

Figured I’d get the vise installed.

IMG_4965.jpeg

Like the idea and will want to make some aluminum jaws for it so I can clamp custom stuff in to temporarily hold while welding.

IMG_4966.jpeg

Some assembly required.

IMG_4968.jpeg

Back to the first part I’ll weld now with blocks in place. I’d burn it home now if I didnt have machine work to do first. Now I gotta quit screwing around and get the vises placed and square on the mill.

Edit/Spoiler: this ends up not the first project on the table. 😂

IMG_4969.jpeg
 
Last edited:

loganb

ALLIANCE MEMBER
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
5,517
Location
Omaha, NE
It will certainly be an upgrade to how I’ve been doing things my whole life as a fabricator. In a year I’ll let you know if it was worth it or not.

In a year I expect you to have a 2nd one or a single larger one....I think you're going to like it that much.

I look forward to when I'll have the space for something similar, but every prototype, small run fabrication, engineering R&D sandbox play area of any regard has them and nobody has anything but good things to say and regrets for not buying them sooner once they get it and learn how to use it. One place I interned doing engineering prototype builds was able to almost double their output thru their couple of weld fab areas when they put in some larger Demmeler fixture tables as it cut down their setup time and lowered rework requirements that much.
 
OP
L

lilscorpion

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 15, 2010
Messages
3,599
Location
Colorado
In a year I expect you to have a 2nd one or a single larger one....I think you're going to like it that much.

I look forward to when I'll have the space for something similar, but every prototype, small run fabrication, engineering R&D sandbox play area of any regard has them and nobody has anything but good things to say and regrets for not buying them sooner once they get it and learn how to use it. One place I interned doing engineering prototype builds was able to almost double their output thru their couple of weld fab areas when they put in some larger Demmeler fixture tables as it cut down their setup time and lowered rework requirements that much.
I agree with you. When I bought this one I actually did so planning to get a second, maybe. I’m curious as to how many times this sized table won’t be big enough. What I do know is that when I had the business I had a welding/assembly table that was 5’ x 5’. I almost always only used half of it mostly because I couldn’t reach any deeper into the table than 3’. Info recall once climbing up onto it with a bigger part but it was only once.

Trying this setup out will give me time to get the remainder of shop order and free up the space I’ll need to have a second anyway.
 

Bad Mojo

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 2, 2012
Messages
113
Struggling to post with end of year (work and shop scramble), no lack of progress tho. Its now 14 months since taking possession of this house and I’m still not up and running, but getting closer every day now.

Got the upper cabinets made and hung on the other side of the shop, the machine shop side.

IMG_4787.jpeg

A pair to split the windows. Had to cut in provisions to allow the cabinet to fit around the conduit. Stuffed some of the things I’ve been pecking away at on it to get them off the bench.

IMG_4792.jpeg

Starting to be easier to walk around the machines now too.

IMG_4800.jpeg

Easier to walk around the shop as a whole actually.

IMG_4799.jpeg

Got a good deal on a big boy vacuum for the router table. The one I had works well but I find myself spending way too much time screwing around trying to cut little parts primarily because the table has a hard time hanging on to UV coated/prefinished plywood. This thing is a 9hp 3phase Becker Vacuum Pump. It’s footprint is actually smaller than the F4 I was using but much heavier do to the massive size of the motor.

IMG_4857.jpeg

About 850lbs I think. Used a tree strap to lift it off of the pallet.

IMG_4858.jpeg

Used the machine trucks to pivot it into position. Basic PVC ducting went quick.

IMG_4870.jpeg

Built a relay box with with a home automation controller for switching.

IMG_4860.jpeg

While I was at it, I added an electric valve to the router table so I can shut the air off to the table itself.

IMG_4935.jpeg

The spindle has a little jet in it to keep dust out on tooling changes but it’s permanently open so it’s more or less a 15 cfm leak always. Having a permanent leak which causes the compressor to cycle a lot, gets super annoying when doing stuff in the shop. Now I can turn it off.

Here’s the switches that control all this stuff. Once I get everything tuned, I’ll set up the vac switch to first turn on the phase converter, pause a few seconds, and the. Turn on the Vac. Same with off burning reverse order.

image.jpg
Congrats on the pump, having one that size is a nice upgrade! I have a run a couple of similar pumps and I would keep an eye on the PVC. On one of our machines we had to change out to high temp pipe because the pumps got so hot that the pipe eventually fails. I can't remember for sure, but there might be a way to adjust those pumps to compensate for higher altitudes. Lastly, Becker sells a noise enclosure for those pumps.

I can't wait to see and hear more about the press brake and welding table. I would be lying if I haven't been on both of those websites in the last week.
 
OP
L

lilscorpion

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 15, 2010
Messages
3,599
Location
Colorado
Congrats on the pump, having one that size is a nice upgrade! I have a run a couple of similar pumps and I would keep an eye on the PVC. On one of our machines we had to change out to high temp pipe because the pumps got so hot that the pipe eventually fails. I can't remember for sure, but there might be a way to adjust those pumps to compensate for higher altitudes. Lastly, Becker sells a noise enclosure for those pumps.

I can't wait to see and hear more about the press brake and welding table. I would be lying if I haven't been on both of those websites in the last week.
Thanks for the tips. I’ll look into the enclosures, didn’t know there was such a thing. I wasn’t sure about the PVC. Shop Sabre instructions show it directly threaded into the vac but I was a little concerned about heat so I instead used a pipe into a coupler, then PVC. I keep an eye..
 
OP
L

lilscorpion

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 15, 2010
Messages
3,599
Location
Colorado
Got the tapping head set up. Wanted a flex arm but I just couldn’t justify the difference in cost and based on YouTube videos, there’s not a material difference between (which couldn’t be addressed for a little $$). After playing with it, I’m not sure I need anything more and it’ll be WAY faster than the mill or by hand.

IMG_4973.jpeg

This will be primarily used to insert threaded wood inserts and clean previously tapped holes after powder coating and will be mounted to one of the benches against the wall (I’m thinking).
 

loganb

ALLIANCE MEMBER
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
5,517
Location
Omaha, NE
There is a **** ton of stuff on Printables and Makerworld to help you work thru the learning curve and see the type of stuff others have designed. Think printables are doing or just finished a design contest on Festool MFT add-ons so probably a few things up your alley there
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

moab11

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 22, 2015
Messages
555
Location
Thunder Bay, Ontario
Good choice on the X1C, did you get the combo with the AMS?
The AMS is great for storing filament and keeping it dry too.

PLA is good for toys and prototypes, but may want to look into ASA for tool holders and such. Easy to print with the printer sealed up and glue stick applied to the build plate.
 
OP
L

lilscorpion

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 15, 2010
Messages
3,599
Location
Colorado
Good choice on the X1C, did you get the combo with the AMS?
The AMS is great for storing filament and keeping it dry too.

PLA is good for toys and prototypes, but may want to look into ASA for tool holders and such. Easy to print with the printer sealed up and glue stick applied to the build plate.
Yeah, got the combo. For filament I didn’t get any PLA, only asa and PTEG. Don’t have plans to make toys. Haha
 
OP
L

lilscorpion

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 15, 2010
Messages
3,599
Location
Colorado
WestWeld grinder rest showed up. I like deals but to me, the $35 he’s asking for them is extremely cheap.

IMG_4983.jpeg

Nothing cheap about it tho. Magnet makes it really difficult to pull off which is a good thing.

IMG_4986.jpeg

Not perfect for the Milwaukee existing how the paddle sticks out. Works awesome on my thumb switch dewalt

IMG_4984.jpeg
 
OP
L

lilscorpion

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 15, 2010
Messages
3,599
Location
Colorado
Gridfinity bins???
Yep. Slow as hell gridfinity bins. Each is ~57 minutes which means just one of my drill bit drawers is a week of printing. It’s frickin neat but it’s slow. I’m tempted to buy a couple more but my spidey sense tells me that’s what they want me to do…

It’s the age of the machine…

IMG_5032.jpeg
 
OP
L

lilscorpion

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 15, 2010
Messages
3,599
Location
Colorado
Print once, cry once?

I think you'll like those bins. But they do take forever, so I've got a lot of drawers left to print (as do you). Your cabinets are looking good!
Yeah, I think the customization and extreme organization of them make it worth it. That said, I’ll need half a dozen printers to get done by summer. I can read my wife’s mind - hell no. Maybe it’s a “it takes time” or “Rome wasn’t built in a day” thing.

Now I need to find the labels that’ll
Work with these things. Need them to have really good 3m super double side tape…

Thanks.
 

Firstram

Well-known member
Joined
May 16, 2017
Messages
1,391
You can bump the speed up to Sport, 125%, and still get a nice looking finish. Ludicrous, 166%, is pushing it! The limiting factor is the volume of plastic that can extruded with the Bambu hotend.

If you’re really interested in speeding things up, do a little research on aftermarket hotends. From what I’ve read, you can increase the flow by up to 40% with better hardware. This guy discusses speed v strength v quality.

 

nicholam77

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 18, 2016
Messages
2,655
Location
Minneapolis, MN
So it has begun, a 3D Printer…

Nice!

That said, I’ll need half a dozen printers to get done by summer.

What size nozzle are you using? If you're on a 0.4mm you could jump up to a 0.6mm to speed things up.

No idea what you're putting in them but you could also try to optimize infill percentage, number of walls, and top/bottom layers based on how strong and durable you think the bins will need to be. If they are more light duty, I'd probably be doing ~5-8% gyroid infill, 2-3 walls, and 3 top/bottom layers. Idk, play around with settings in the slicer and see how it changes the print time and filament usage. Might be worth it to do some tests or optimization if you have a million to print!
 

loganb

ALLIANCE MEMBER
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
5,517
Location
Omaha, NE
For labels....I'm labeling all mine with a standard label maker using 1/2" label tape and it's worked pretty well.

I've seen some online where they made 3d printed labels with color changes in the slicer, but I never went that far.

As for printing speed...agree with @nicholam77, if you're not using a .6 nozzle and have it, make the swap, otherwise get it on order. I print most of my bins with 2 walls but it generally ends up being "solid" wall once it goes vertical. I'm using the bin generator at https://gridfinity.perplexinglabs.com/ and have turned off the magnets in the bottom and most of the other features that weren't relevant to me to improve print time as well
 

Firstram

Well-known member
Joined
May 16, 2017
Messages
1,391
Nice!



What size nozzle are you using? If you're on a 0.4mm you could jump up to a 0.6mm to speed things up.

No idea what you're putting in them but you could also try to optimize infill percentage, number of walls, and top/bottom layers based on how strong and durable you think the bins will need to be. If they are more light duty, I'd probably be doing ~5-8% gyroid infill, 2-3 walls, and 3 top/bottom layers. Idk, play around with settings in the slicer and see how it changes the print time and filament usage. Might be worth it to do some tests or optimization if you have a million to print!
Gyroid infill is the ticket for sure.
 

loganb

ALLIANCE MEMBER
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
5,517
Location
Omaha, NE
I understand that you can use a .6mm nozzle, up the line width to .65mm and keep the height at .2mm to maintain a nice finish. This way you can print a 2mm wall in 3 passes instead of 4.

For functional items like bins, I start with layer height at .30 to .40 on a .6 nozzle. You're cutting your layer qty in half and for me it still delivers a great finish.
 

Firstram

Well-known member
Joined
May 16, 2017
Messages
1,391
For functional items like bins, I start with layer height at .30 to .40 on a .6 nozzle. You're cutting your layer qty in half and for me it still delivers a great finish.
You are on point! I don't want to derail this fantastic thread beyond this post.
I ran a volumetric test print to find my hot end's limit, it's about 18mm3 for a stock Bambu nozzle. The stock setting is 12!

Swapped in a .6mm nozzle and printing a part to compare. The slicer tells me it's going to save 2 hours on a 9 hour print! Im sure I could knock more time off but. I'd rather have a successful print!
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
Top Bottom