Albiemanmike
Well-known member
So I recently picked up a mig welder finally to do all the things I always need to do around the shop. Little did I know what other things would be needed once I purchased a welder. Like a welding table for one thing? So I get on CL and look around and I find a guy about 20-25 min. from me that has a welding table. So I pick it up paid $75 for it which wasn't bad considering everyone else wanted hundreds for a steel welding table. It isn't fancy just a nice good sized steel 1/4" top with steel angle iron legs and supports. I added four casters as one of my first welding projects.
Next was to make a welding cart. I had a mechanics cart from my wrenching days that seemed like a good candidate. So I go to the local steel place 5 min. from the house and go through the bargain barn and pickup a bunch of 2" square tube they had and a piece of thin plate. I figured I could make a shelf on the cart to hold the gas bottle. I get the stuff back to the shop and start the project only to realize I don't really have anything to cut metal accurately? I wanted to cut 45 deg. miters and make the frame of the shelf look decent but after screwing around with several different tools attempting to cut the tube I just gave up and welded them square as best I could.
So I went on the search for either an abrasive cutoff saw or bandsaw. Back to CL and I find one not too far from me. The guy wants $350 but also says the thing probably needs bearings? No problem I can replace the bearings but I ain't paying $350 for a saw that needs work. Long story short I go meet the guy and he has an awesome shop where he builds race cars and street cars. So we BS for quite a while and he shows me the saw and runs it. The gear drive sure was wobbling a lot. So I tell him I will give him $125 and he says sure. We load into my truck and off I go. Last night I took the gearbox all apart and that was a bit of a PIA because one of the bearings had completely blown up. I got it all disassembled and looked it over. Just didn't seem right to me like something was missing?
Anyway I call MSC this morning to ask them where I can get parts for this thing. It was made in 1995 and was in pretty good shape for such an old machine except for the gearbox. I got in touch with Nancy in the machine parts dept. She sends me the drawings for the saw and there are parts on the drawing that I don't have, and parts I have that aren't on the drawing??? So I ask her how much is the gearbox assembly complete? She says $270 and she has one in stock. So I am stuck do I just order up the bearings etc. and the missing part on the drawing and try and put it back together or do I drop another $300 into this saw which the wifey isn't going to be pleased about??? I am inclined to just buy the gearbox and be done with it. The used ones I have seen on CL and Ebay are all listed over $750 so I would still be ahead of the game.
Next was to make a welding cart. I had a mechanics cart from my wrenching days that seemed like a good candidate. So I go to the local steel place 5 min. from the house and go through the bargain barn and pickup a bunch of 2" square tube they had and a piece of thin plate. I figured I could make a shelf on the cart to hold the gas bottle. I get the stuff back to the shop and start the project only to realize I don't really have anything to cut metal accurately? I wanted to cut 45 deg. miters and make the frame of the shelf look decent but after screwing around with several different tools attempting to cut the tube I just gave up and welded them square as best I could.
So I went on the search for either an abrasive cutoff saw or bandsaw. Back to CL and I find one not too far from me. The guy wants $350 but also says the thing probably needs bearings? No problem I can replace the bearings but I ain't paying $350 for a saw that needs work. Long story short I go meet the guy and he has an awesome shop where he builds race cars and street cars. So we BS for quite a while and he shows me the saw and runs it. The gear drive sure was wobbling a lot. So I tell him I will give him $125 and he says sure. We load into my truck and off I go. Last night I took the gearbox all apart and that was a bit of a PIA because one of the bearings had completely blown up. I got it all disassembled and looked it over. Just didn't seem right to me like something was missing?
Anyway I call MSC this morning to ask them where I can get parts for this thing. It was made in 1995 and was in pretty good shape for such an old machine except for the gearbox. I got in touch with Nancy in the machine parts dept. She sends me the drawings for the saw and there are parts on the drawing that I don't have, and parts I have that aren't on the drawing??? So I ask her how much is the gearbox assembly complete? She says $270 and she has one in stock. So I am stuck do I just order up the bearings etc. and the missing part on the drawing and try and put it back together or do I drop another $300 into this saw which the wifey isn't going to be pleased about??? I am inclined to just buy the gearbox and be done with it. The used ones I have seen on CL and Ebay are all listed over $750 so I would still be ahead of the game.
