Anything welding

I was going to order one after al the talk on here about them... and then all this happened and the price doubled.

 

I'll sell you mine if you like

 

The man came and picked up the welder, I said are you interested in the torch, we can do some trading. Swapped him the torch and he’s going to get and replace valve cover gaskets on my Tacoma. Fair enough to me!

I swapped my torch head and gauges, kept this 33’ drop cord and made $150. I like those deals

 

Just be careful if you use that extension cord.

Those Male and female plugs have a bad habit of coming loose where the wire attaches to the blades.

Then you might already know.

So often customer says"my welder does not power up" Those plugs are a Major cause.

 

Must be Quite Expensive to machine a new piece if it is by Hand.

Lots cheaper to repair

 

I had the same plug on my welder previously. I had a hard time keeping the stranded wire landed on the screw posts. Every once and while I would lose a 120 volt leg. Let me tell you, the welder will still work, but you will vaporize the contact tip.

Sending all those amps thru one leg is not a good thing.

 

Made a painting jig lol. Also made these custom 10 degree blocks to help correct opinion angle on a lifted truck

 

I know this doesn't have anything to do with welding but have a question concerning holes lol. Im going ask here because y'all are real builders/fabricators.

I have a project I'm working on that will require me to drill a bunch of 3/4" holes in 1/8" wall mild steel for inserting bronze flange bushings. Is there a breaking point for hole diameters were it would make more since to use a hole saw vs drill bit? I will be drilling with a press if that matters.

Thanks!

 

That’s a really interesting question, and I’m curious to hear the more experienced guys input. I would assume a hole saw but we’ll see.

 

You could try a step bit or an annular Cutter

 

The easiest way is with a punch

 

Some tips on drilling. Learn about speeds and feeds with larger diameter bits. I know it says for knife makers but the tips carry over.

https://youtu.be/NaZIoYfYKXQ

 

If it helps at all I drilled 10 3/4” holes In 1/4” steel with cheap step bits while building my bumper and I broke two of them. It would have been cheaper for me to buy a nice hole saw to do it and it would take less time.

I would say if you are drilling 10+ holes then a hole saw is worth it, just make sure it is something for steel and you have the drill press spinning at the right speed so you don’t burn up the bit.

 

I'm a big fan of step bits, if you want the exact hole size and a good finish. The next step gives you a free deburring chamfer too, just don't get carried away. Nothing works better on thin sheet. Especially if drilling by hand, but even on a press it would still be my choice. But 3/4 is on the upper range of where this seems reasonable. Either way I would NOT recommend using a regular 3/4 twist drill on sheet steel, even in a press, it is going to be less fun.

You can get a good step bit for a lot less than a good hole saw set. It will definitely be slower, and you will build up a LOT of heat turning the entire 3/4 disc of steel into metal shavings. The step bit will wear out fast unless you cool it liberally!

 

Thanks for your advice. I have a good step bit and cheap hole saw on hand. I think I'll give that a try first. If needed I'll pickup quality hole saw. I didn't mention if before but drilling rectangle tube.

 

Are the bushing press fit, if not, what holds them in?

 

I just re read the post and I have the same question^^^

In my opinion it will need to be pretty precise to put bushings in (I’m going off experience with 1-1/8” bearings in aluminum, closest experience I got.)

When we used anything other than a twist bit (or CNC mill) the hole wouldn’t be accurate enough to fit the bearing and retain it.

 

The bushings have a flange to keep them in place and a half inch bolt will will hold everything together.
Probably a poor description of what I'm doing but basically building an adjustable height tent rack that will work like a big motorcycle jack.

 

Gotcha, if you’re using a drill press a 3/4” drill bit should work fine. May have to step it so the big bit doesn’t grab as bad when it breaks through.

Have any friends in a machine shop? They could drill and ream it for you.

 

Just how many is a bunch 100 plus 500 or more .

My first choice would water jet or plasma .

Only a few under 50 a good quality hole saw kept cool would be better then a 3/4"drill bit

If you can slow your drill press down slow enough and chuck a annular cutter that is a good way as well.

Slow and lots of coolant no matter how you go.

Comes down to just how many holes you need