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Anything welding

Discussion in 'Garage / Workshop' started by EL TACOROJO, Sep 17, 2010.

  1. Dec 20, 2020 at 5:48 PM
    GHOST SHIP

    GHOST SHIP hates you.

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  2. Dec 20, 2020 at 7:28 PM
    Guerrilla

    Guerrilla L(.)(.)K@G(.)(.)Dz

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    Where did I see that grinder before recently? Did you get it off a site?
    Everybody please read. You might save your finger/s.

    I'll never forget a few years ago, I was up at the Wood Workers Guild.... I had been using this big ass JET Belt Sander similar to this one [​IMG][​IMG] .
    After I finished I grabbed up the eraser block thingamajigler like this [​IMG] cleaned it off as best as I could, then shut off the machine, but the belt was gummed up from previous users so it didn't look very clean...



    Well next thing I know the volunteer shop supervisor fella, a older gentleman at least in his 70's (and woodworker all his life, probably retired from it twice over), walked up behind me grabbed the eraser block and turned the machine on (guess he was thinking the belt wasn't clean enough, before I could tell him I'd already done it and it was gummed up).. He stuck the eraser to the belt (wide Open) and it caught the belt and yanked his thumb right into the belt, he quickly turned and took about three steps and turned back around facing me holding his hand....
    When I looked at it, his thumb had been ground at a 45 degree angle from the cuticle to the tip mid way deep into his thumb...:eek: It looked like somebody swiped it off with a sword or something... It literally took a half a second if that.

    I felt sick for him, but I tell you what he handle it like a dam champ, walked over to the first aid box and did what he could to bandage it up...

    Moral of the story fellas, RESPECT THE SHIT OUT OF A BELT SANDER, or ANY TOOL for that matter.!
     
    Last edited: Dec 20, 2020
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  3. Dec 20, 2020 at 8:14 PM
    snowboard704

    snowboard704 Well-Known Member

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    Check Build thread
    The worst. Has happened to me multiple times

    Even worse when you buy multiple spools and everyone is broken
     
  4. Dec 20, 2020 at 8:23 PM
    81Trekker

    81Trekker Well-Known Member

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    Too many to remember
    8hrs later my beater is all welded up and under it’s own weight

    839C0BE3-A254-4C21-BE1B-0EBDD97A2A33.jpg
     
    deadhed61, irayfz6, Tacotm and 14 others like this.
  5. Dec 20, 2020 at 8:32 PM
    Tacman19

    Tacman19 Well-Known Member

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    As many as I can fabricate
    Those "A" pillar bars are on point! Nice work.
    Zim
     
  6. Dec 20, 2020 at 8:44 PM
    GHOST SHIP

    GHOST SHIP hates you.

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    I bought the grinder off Lowes.com. For some reason the Wen grinders are harder to find- possibly a result of being phased out. It’s actually a HD brand as far as I know. This particular model had a few bells and whistles that made it attractive for the price point. I was upgrading from two previous hand-me-down grinders that finally gave up the ghost after a few decades.




    I think there are enough skilled people here that have had close calls or even some scars from lapses in judgment. I know I have a few. Always a good reminder to be safe and use proper PPE in the shop.
     
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    Guerrilla[QUOTED] likes this.
  7. Dec 20, 2020 at 8:55 PM
    Mojo Jojo

    Mojo Jojo Well-Known Member

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    I learned the hard way the right way to use a miter saw. I was cutting some baseboard trim with my right hand on the trigger and my left hand holding the trim to the right side of the blade. That's a no-no, never cross your hands on a chop saw, left hand stays to the left of the blade and the right hand stays to the right. I ended up dropping the blade into the top of my left hand pinky which resulted in a trip to the ER. Fortunately I didn't cut any tendons and it just required stitches, but I still think about that mishap every time I use the chop saw.
     
    Guerrilla[QUOTED] and gpb like this.
  8. Dec 21, 2020 at 5:35 AM
    Old Marine Cal

    Old Marine Cal Well-Known Member

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    As long as we are sharing lessons learned......

    About 12 yrs ago, I was building a base cabinet for my contractor saw.

    I had been in the garage for about 12 hrs, no food, just coffee. Was cutting some 4x4s so the blade was fully raised.
    Dry fit everything together, finding I need a thin piece of stock, perhaps an inch wide.
    Last piece for the day.
    I grab a cut off of 1/4 plywood, set my fence up 1 inch away from the blade.
    My left hand was pushing the stock into the blade.
    Piece between the fence and blade binds and kicks back.
    My left hand went into the blade.
    Lucky for me I only lost about half of my left index finger 1st joint. It didn't actually cut it, more of cut small pieces off.

    The bad news, in order to flap the skin, the bone had to be cut down.


    I counted five mistakes all made in a hurry to cut one last piece.
    Blade too high
    Push stick too far away to grab and use
    Cutting small pieces on the wrong side of the blade.
    Working when tired.
    And of course, rushing to get done...


    Signed
    9 finger nails
     
    deeezy, GHOST SHIP, Guerrilla and 2 others like this.
  9. Dec 21, 2020 at 7:46 AM
    YamaDirtrider

    YamaDirtrider Custom bumpers @FORT-ifyRigs

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    What hasn't been modified?
    gpb likes this.
  10. Dec 21, 2020 at 8:07 AM
    svdude

    svdude Well-Known Member

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    How do you even begin to design that? Impressive!
     
  11. Dec 21, 2020 at 9:48 AM
    Guerrilla

    Guerrilla L(.)(.)K@G(.)(.)Dz

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    Thanks.
    Yeah I know there's some skilled people here. But it seems like it's almost always those that get lax and seem to end up with some NUBedge.. Which is why I like to occasionally share a story as a reminder, in hopes it will float around in everyones minds, so they don't make the same mistake.

    Just like that.
    That sucks.
    My neighbor/friend, has been doing cabinet stuff his whole life... Last year he sawed the tip of his thumb off... I know another older gentleman in his 70's (life long woodworker) took a finger off with a table saw.

    I like to keep that back crawling feeling with a piece of machinery that can permanently disfigure me, that way hopefully it never does.
     
  12. Dec 21, 2020 at 9:49 AM
    Guerrilla

    Guerrilla L(.)(.)K@G(.)(.)Dz

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    Looks good man.
     
  13. Dec 21, 2020 at 10:05 AM
    GHOST SHIP

    GHOST SHIP hates you.

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    Getting lax will hurt even the most experienced tradesman. Reminds me of the video from Perkins Brothers Builders where one of them lost most of his fingers while getting careless around a planer:

    https://youtu.be/AZMe0QIET6g

    They actually followed up with some real commentary of the surgery/recovery all the way to the mental hurdle of getting back in the shop and using the planer again. I appreciate that because nobody really talks about the mental/emotional recovery of an accident of that nature. There’s about 4-5 videos total it worth a watch even as a warning.

    I had a close call when using an angle grinder without a guard. I took the guard off to get into a tight corner with a cut off wheel. I was concentrating on the cut and didn’t realize my hand was sliding up the grinder. Cut through my leather work glove and into my second knuckle deep enough to see my tendons in the joint. Luckily I avoided any serious damage but now I keep the guard on my grinders all the time and if it doesn’t fit where I’m trying to work, I look for a tool better suited to the job.
     
  14. Dec 21, 2020 at 1:53 PM
    gpb

    gpb Well-Known Member

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  15. Dec 21, 2020 at 2:16 PM
    Tacman19

    Tacman19 Well-Known Member

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    As many as I can fabricate
    I did not see any magnification option. Mostly based on the Walmart reading glasses method tho. (1-2.75) I have found regular glasses are best and I have a special pair just for welding based on about 15-18" vision distance. If you need glasses for any reason you need them to weld.
    Zim
    Zim
     
  16. Dec 21, 2020 at 2:45 PM
    la0d0g

    la0d0g Its 4 o’clock somewhere

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    running for the hills
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    Those are death machines lol!
     
  17. Dec 21, 2020 at 2:51 PM
    EMR

    EMR Well-Known Member

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    Bought my first welder and welded my first thing ever. Just practicing straight lines and welding a few things together after a 1,000 hours of YouTube videos. I definitely have a new appreciation for quality welds it’s a Lincoln 140 120v. Hoping some day I can make an over landing trailer from scratch.

    DCFF0E16-B504-4FA2-93B1-44545BE6131B.jpg
     
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  18. Dec 21, 2020 at 3:43 PM
    svdude

    svdude Well-Known Member

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    Not bad, don’t forget to clean your material before you weld. You’ll get a better ground and a better weld.
     
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  19. Dec 21, 2020 at 3:47 PM
    EatSleepTacos

    EatSleepTacos Well-Known Member

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    What diameter wire are you using? I found that .030 works great in the 120 machines. I started with .035 since that’s what came with it and the switch to 030 was awesome. Either way, those are some decent welds for your first go around. A lot of us are self taught, so just stick with it and practice practice practice.
     
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  20. Dec 21, 2020 at 4:27 PM
    GHOST SHIP

    GHOST SHIP hates you.

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    It’s all practice and patience. Keep at it, we were all new to everything at one point.
     

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