Old Man Roger
Well-known member
Dammit Bob, you wait till I leave south Florida, then you decide to donate tools?
Show us your welding projects
- Thread starter neonnblack
- Start date
Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Roger, I didn't mention tools -- just stuff. I may lose the occasional tool but the tools I MIGHT donate go to the workshop at the bottom of the back yard instead. A crappy tool in hand is better than a good one requiring a 100-foot walk to retrieve.
shortykorte
Well-known member
Great idea. The two arms give access. Bike is only probably around 400#. The clip on casters are the cherry on top. Good job. Wonder if this would work for my elephant (Valkyrie Interstate)
shortykorte
Well-known member
Good thing it doesn’t shoot back. 
Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I'm getting better at setting up for a project, welding and then putting everything away. Got the welder, table and chair out, unplugged the 240v compressor, plugged in the HF MIG and started tack welding a couple of detailing supply racks in less than 10 minutes. Grinding took longer than the welding. Ran out of time so one rack still needs mounting holes drilled and rack mounted to cabinet door. Could have avoided this project if I were not so easily tricked into buying another 'miracle' product.
hbabler
Well-known member
How did this project end up? I need a new Y pipe for my GMT 900 3/4 suburban and I’m not having luck finding one. If I’m being honest I’d like to think I could tackle making it but it’s most likely way outside of my ability!
sqznby
Well-known member
In short, it ended up in the scrap bin.
If it's your cats, I'd recommend replacing them before trying to fab a new y-pipe.
In the end, that is what I did and will be doing again. First one I sold to a local enthusiast I met on the forums, so I have to make another for mine. I found a factory Escalade y-pipe for the larger diameter tubing and cut out the stock cats out and replaced them with MagnaFlow spun metalic hf cats in their place.
If you want, shoot me a PM and I'd be more than willing to chat about it.
mark-NJ
Well-known member
@sqznby, I don't use the handles on most of my grinders but I can't bring myself to throw them away. Threaded holes in a piece of steel strap and screwed the handles in so they don't roll around in the drawer. Of course the day I finished making the strap, found another handle.
Honest question...not trying to be a jerk or troll:
Why keep the all of the handles? The storage idea is cool, but why? Like you, I rarely need the handle (I have 4 grinders)...but on the INfrequent times that I do use a (single) handle, I do so. Which is to say "I need one". The day will never come that all my grinders all need handles all at once. Since they're all the same size & thread, I really figure I only need one handle. So I kept two (just in case one breaks) and pitched the other 2.
In the photo I count 9 handles & 5 grinders. I don't' "get it".
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Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
@mark-NJ, you're not being a jerk or troll and you shouldn't get it. I was going to throw them all away when I remembered I did use one every once in a while when grinding on something important. The extra four handles are for the buffers in the garage. My sane brain hemisphere should spend a minute picking the best one or two and tossing the rest. The easily distracted insane brain hemisphere focused long enough to gather all the handles together in one place. If the squirrels sleep for a few minutes I may actually thin the herd.
Thanks for the wake-up call.
Don’t feel alone Bob. With each new grinder goes all the extra hardware in the drawer.
Ya know, it’s an original equipment quirk kinda like saving the dealer sticker with your new car registration cept they eat up waaayyyy more space.
Ya know, it’s an original equipment quirk kinda like saving the dealer sticker with your new car registration cept they eat up waaayyyy more space.
Bigblue&Goldie
Well-known member
I'm guilty of it also. I even have the belt clips I removed from my Milwaukee drills/impacts. The one I'd love to get rid of, but I can't come to terms with, is the big blow molded case my port-a-band came in. One day, I'll find a use for it.
kaymccampbell
Well-known member
I've saved my cheapaband case, too. I keep all the hardware you swap on n off to switch from portable, to vertical, to chop, inside it.
budo55
Well-known member
Same!
rockinacummins
Well-known member
Couple small projects I did last weekend. I had my welder loaned out to a buddy so I have several small projects around that need welding.
Skid steer tiger tooth. I usually lose these rather than break them, but they cost $25 and I found both pieces so I figured it was worth a shot.
Trailer jack replacement. I wanted a bigger, stronger jack for this trailer since I load it with 1.25 or 1.5 tons of feed and then unhook it in the barn. This jack was $75 on Amazon and is so far improved over the top-wind swivel jack it replaced.
Skid steer tiger tooth. I usually lose these rather than break them, but they cost $25 and I found both pieces so I figured it was worth a shot.
Trailer jack replacement. I wanted a bigger, stronger jack for this trailer since I load it with 1.25 or 1.5 tons of feed and then unhook it in the barn. This jack was $75 on Amazon and is so far improved over the top-wind swivel jack it replaced.
The worst part of this project actually turned out to be the welding but I figured I'd throw it on here anyway. I picked up a Tirfor/Griphoist cheap on Craigslist but it didn't come with a handle. Tractel sells them new for $300 but that's way more than I paid for the hoist, so I decided to cobble something together.
A quick test fit with some 1-in black iron pipe I had showed the ID was perfect to fit over the power lever. I could have just picked up a 48 inch stick and been good but I decided to see if I could make it collapsible/telescoping like the factory handle. I knew from past projects that three quarter inch pipe would fit inside of the 1 in if I could get rid of the weld seam. I have a step reamer that was perfect to take out the weld but I had no way to stick it into the pipe. So, like many projects, this began a sub-project to fab an extender.
I started with a piece of 3/4" inch bar from my scrap bin . I drilled a 3/8" hole on the end and then drilled and tapped it for three set screws 120 degrees from one another since the reamer has three Flats on the arbor. I then turned the end down to 1/2" to fit my drill chuck. With plenty of thread cutting oil, removing the weld seam was almost uneventful once the tool was made.
I toyed with several ideas for how to lock the extendable piece of the handle in place and it finally dawned on me to use a compression fitting. I cut it in half on the bandsaw and it just so happened that the ID of the middle part of the compression fitting was a perfect slip fit over the OD of the 1-in pipe. So now it was time to weld. Unfortunately I apparently did not remove all of the galvanizing because it spit and spattered something fierce. In addition to making for some ugly welds, I probably inhaled some less than savory fumes.
I tested the fit of the sliding handle after welding the compression fitting on and the rubber insert was so grippy it was very difficult to slide the handle in and out. After noodling on how to remove some of the little rubber piece, I decided to make another one out of something not quite so grippy. I had some 1" PVC handy so I replicated the size and shape of the little rubber grommet (including the chamfer) and then cut through one side so it could shrink when compressed. It worked like a charm and the handle slides easily but locks down solid when the nut is tightened.
The handle is retained on the power lever by a little pin. There's supposed to be a flange with a notch in it so the handle can slide on in only one orientation but otherwise won't come off. I cut the threads off the piece of the compression fitting I had welded on but left the little flange there. I notched it to match the pin and it holds perfectly.
I still need to touch up the welded spots with some galvanizing spray but it's otherwise done and I'm very happy with it. It collapses down to the same length as the Hoist if I want to put them both in a small bag or box but it extends long enough to provide plenty of leverage.
A quick test fit with some 1-in black iron pipe I had showed the ID was perfect to fit over the power lever. I could have just picked up a 48 inch stick and been good but I decided to see if I could make it collapsible/telescoping like the factory handle. I knew from past projects that three quarter inch pipe would fit inside of the 1 in if I could get rid of the weld seam. I have a step reamer that was perfect to take out the weld but I had no way to stick it into the pipe. So, like many projects, this began a sub-project to fab an extender.
I started with a piece of 3/4" inch bar from my scrap bin . I drilled a 3/8" hole on the end and then drilled and tapped it for three set screws 120 degrees from one another since the reamer has three Flats on the arbor. I then turned the end down to 1/2" to fit my drill chuck. With plenty of thread cutting oil, removing the weld seam was almost uneventful once the tool was made.
I toyed with several ideas for how to lock the extendable piece of the handle in place and it finally dawned on me to use a compression fitting. I cut it in half on the bandsaw and it just so happened that the ID of the middle part of the compression fitting was a perfect slip fit over the OD of the 1-in pipe. So now it was time to weld. Unfortunately I apparently did not remove all of the galvanizing because it spit and spattered something fierce. In addition to making for some ugly welds, I probably inhaled some less than savory fumes.
I tested the fit of the sliding handle after welding the compression fitting on and the rubber insert was so grippy it was very difficult to slide the handle in and out. After noodling on how to remove some of the little rubber piece, I decided to make another one out of something not quite so grippy. I had some 1" PVC handy so I replicated the size and shape of the little rubber grommet (including the chamfer) and then cut through one side so it could shrink when compressed. It worked like a charm and the handle slides easily but locks down solid when the nut is tightened.
The handle is retained on the power lever by a little pin. There's supposed to be a flange with a notch in it so the handle can slide on in only one orientation but otherwise won't come off. I cut the threads off the piece of the compression fitting I had welded on but left the little flange there. I notched it to match the pin and it holds perfectly.
I still need to touch up the welded spots with some galvanizing spray but it's otherwise done and I'm very happy with it. It collapses down to the same length as the Hoist if I want to put them both in a small bag or box but it extends long enough to provide plenty of leverage.
Attachments
PugetDude
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Used those griphoists one summer when I worked construction, moving a floating dredge around.
Very useful once you get the hang of it.
Very useful once you get the hang of it.
I've wanted one for a long time, but they're crazy expensive. Even used and beat up they show up on ebay for between 500 and 1,000. This one popped up on OfferUp for $160 so I figured I would roll the dice. It was used by a pipeline contractor, and you could tell it had been down in a trench. When I opened it up, it definitely has some mud in it where it had sucked a muddy cable in the inlet, but when I got it all cleaned up, it was still in amazingly good shape with almost no wear. I regreased everything and reassembled and it's as smooth as butter.
Attachments
Old Man Roger
Well-known member
I have no use for that big of a step reamer, but I want one..lol
jblnut
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Time to make a thing for the lawnmower !!
Om non nom munch munch munch. Sure do like this bandsaw.
Measure, cut, measure, cuss, cut a new piece and repeat until it looked like this.
Lower chunk tacked together. Now to attach to the top point ….
That’d be neat but it’s too short and too long …..
Cut and ground pieces until they were just right. Figured I’d try out my new Irwin welding clamps.
Tacked together. I honestly thought I’d hate this round bar loop more but I sort of like it. It was simple and I had it laying around so I figured I’d start with it. Enough for Easter Sunday, time to go do family things.
Om non nom munch munch munch. Sure do like this bandsaw.
Measure, cut, measure, cuss, cut a new piece and repeat until it looked like this.
Lower chunk tacked together. Now to attach to the top point ….
That’d be neat but it’s too short and too long …..
Cut and ground pieces until they were just right. Figured I’d try out my new Irwin welding clamps.
Tacked together. I honestly thought I’d hate this round bar loop more but I sort of like it. It was simple and I had it laying around so I figured I’d start with it. Enough for Easter Sunday, time to go do family things.
iagsxr
Well-known member
Time to make a thing for the lawnmower !!
Om non nom munch munch munch. Sure do like this bandsaw.
Measure, cut, measure, cuss, cut a new piece and repeat until it looked like this.
Lower chunk tacked together. Now to attach to the top point ….
That’d be neat but it’s too short and too long …..
Cut and ground pieces until they were just right. Figured I’d try out my new Irwin welding clamps.
Tacked together. I honestly thought I’d hate this round bar loop more but I sort of like it. It was simple and I had it laying around so I figured I’d start with it. Enough for Easter Sunday, time to go do family things.
Why can't the lower tube be straight?
jblnut
ALLIANCE MEMBER
It sure could. Mostly I wanted to play with some angle cuts after messing with a new fence on my bandsaw. I also figured having the pivot point closer to the tractor wouldn’t be a bad thing, even if it is only a little closer. I’ll be building at least one more for my Pops and he wants his straight as “that looks goofy” lol.
iagsxr
Well-known member
I've gotten real lazy and figured out how to move trailers without taking the 3pt blade off my 430 Case. Yesterday I was moving a bigger trailer, let the clutch out and did a little wheelie. I was like, yeah the attachment point is a long ways back there.
jblnut
ALLIANCE MEMBER
jblnut
ALLIANCE MEMBER
The weldering part is finished, mostly. Gotta go after it with a grinder and some green paint now to make it pop. May also put another tube above the other two to have another place to stick something weather it’s for storage or to use it there.
Did you sleeve the top of the hoop to be thicker or what is the reasoning for the cuts/welds ?The weldering part is finished, mostly. Gotta go after it with a grinder and some green paint now to make it pop. May also put another tube above the other two to have another place to stick something weather it’s for storage or to use it there.
jblnut
ALLIANCE MEMBER
That’s a solid chunk of round bar all the way around. If you can follow the mental picture train …….
The side vertical pieces had another 18” or so on them with 6” or so threaded at the ends. I’m thinking they were intended to be concrete anchors of some kind. They’re nice and girthy lol. I liked how the smooth corners looked so I cut the vertical pieces the lengths they needed to be and added a chunk in the middle to fill in the gap. I think I have another 300 or something bonkers of those anchors to use for something. Maybe I’ll put in a giant billboard with some or wind turbine lol.
I gotta smoothen them all out and make it look seedless yet. That’s a project for older Mike though. Good thing it’s all rusty and looks like **** or I’d be tempted to leave it like it is. I noticed I have two more welds to lay down looking at the last picture. Or something else to weld on yet. Someone suggested a pair of D-Rings or a couple welded on chain hooks to attach stuff to and I like both ideas so I may booger some of them on yet.
As promised after getting delayed with painting. As far as splits there are none LOL. This is wood that has followed me for 3 years from previous house as we never run the firepit.
Silly Rabbit
Member
I'm not a great welder but this came out ok.
danielbuck
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2014
- Messages
- 919
looks great! It's extremely satisfying to make things that you can look at and use every day
kyrbz
Well-known member
A shade structure my wife and I designed and built for a local playground/park. The project was fabricated at the architecture firm I was working for at the time, so I had help from the CNC operator in terms of making me various wood jigs for many of the complicated angles and cuts involved and cutting the acrylic leaves. Many of the cuts involved were compound miters so angled wood blocks were cut on the CNC router and used in the cold saw vice to achieve this. Most of the tree was made from square steel tube, but what I refer to as the main branches were laser cut out of 1/4" steel plate and welded up. The original renderings done by my wife were in Rhino. To simplify fabrication, there is actually a repeat pattern of the branches. The 4 lower branches are identical and the 4 upper branches are identical. Once assembled the repeat pattern is hard to discern due to the way the branches and leaves overlap.
kyrbz
Well-known member
Some more pics of the shade tree fabrication and installation
rockinacummins
Well-known member
Yesterday’s project: welding the ramp on the trailer. Bought the ramp and had to make the hinges for it. Also bought 2 springs to make it easier for the wife to lift but only ended up needing 1. Still gotta fab up some latches for it.
rockinacummins
Well-known member
Today’s project: some skid steer repairs. The step on the quick-attach broke off from fatigue due to the latching mechanism twisting it back and forth. For some reason the latches would just barely scrape against it. I should have ground a notch in it for clearance a long time ago, but here we are. Got it all welded back in place. You can see in this first picture that I ground a notch where the latching mechanism was contacting the step so that I don’t have a repeat issue.
While I was at it, I made a new cover plate for one of the access holes on the bottom of the frame. The original one apparently got lost sometime in the last year and I discovered it to be missing a few weeks ago. I called my Kubota dealer and asked for a price. The lady said it was $149 and asked if I wanted her to order it. No thanks. A piece of scrap 5/16 plate, a cutoff wheel on the grinder and a 5/16 drill bit and I ended up with this:
I also stopped at the local farm supply store and got a can of primer and what I thought was the closest gray paint they had. I primed everything and painted the cover plate first since it goes under the machine and really doesn’t matter what color it is. As you can see, the gray wasn’t even remotely similar to the Kubota gray. So I’ll leave the quick-attach primed until I can get something that matches closer. The guy at the Kubota dealer said they sell it for $20 a can so I may end up giving them a little money after all.
While I was at it, I made a new cover plate for one of the access holes on the bottom of the frame. The original one apparently got lost sometime in the last year and I discovered it to be missing a few weeks ago. I called my Kubota dealer and asked for a price. The lady said it was $149 and asked if I wanted her to order it. No thanks. A piece of scrap 5/16 plate, a cutoff wheel on the grinder and a 5/16 drill bit and I ended up with this:
I also stopped at the local farm supply store and got a can of primer and what I thought was the closest gray paint they had. I primed everything and painted the cover plate first since it goes under the machine and really doesn’t matter what color it is. As you can see, the gray wasn’t even remotely similar to the Kubota gray. So I’ll leave the quick-attach primed until I can get something that matches closer. The guy at the Kubota dealer said they sell it for $20 a can so I may end up giving them a little money after all.
rockinacummins
Well-known member
Well, just as soon as I got everything put away I remembered I had another cracked bucket tooth to fix. So I got everything back out and welded it up too.
Okay, that’s all the welding for the day.
Okay, that’s all the welding for the day.
iagsxr
Well-known member
Livestock shelters attempting to sell locally. Right now I got 10 bacon seeds in that particular one. Thought about pulling a PR move and parking my ATV on top to show strength of them. Might still do that, BTW the ATV weighs 1100 plus lbs.
How are you bending the hoops?
Nice license plate.
sqznby
Well-known member
Heck yeah buddy, nice.
Livestock shelters attempting to sell locally. Right now I got 10 bacon seeds in that particular one. Thought about pulling a PR move and parking my ATV on top to show strength of them. Might still do that, BTW the ATV weighs 1100 plus lbs.
Probably a roller
Hah noticed to
Thanks, not many read the license plate through and when they do you can see it sink in for a minute before catching it, fun to watch. Yeah I got a Hulk roller here which is what built the ribs on the pole barndominium behind it.
Thanks!
