To go along with my cool tool post I started a few days ago I thought cool fab tips would be a good learning experience. The first one I will share is for welding tabs on tubing. My pal Randy showed me this while I was tacking a tab on the Touring frame. I always just put a couple tacks on the side of the tab to hold it in place, then welded a bead over it during final welding. This not only pulls the tab into the weld due to heat but it makes a bump in your weld bead when you go over the top of the tack!. What do you do? I learned to tack on the outer edges of the tab!!!!!!!The tab stays true that way. The second tab tip I learned from my good pal Randy is to weld along the outside of the tab, wrap around the edge of the tab THEN A small amount on the backside, leaving a large chunk of the backside unwelded. It is stronger with less heat affected area that way. Whatayu got?????
My tip would be to think about what the part you're making has to do. You have to be able to understand what it does, what forces or stresses it's going to be subjected to, and how it's going to fit. I also tend to design adjustability into my parts, especially mounts. The motor on my bike can be tilted, raised or lowered just by adjusting the nuts and plates on the studs that they mount to, and there is a hinge on the front mount to allow for adjustment. Alot of people look at the design and think it's pretty trick, but it has more to do with allowing for error or future parts changes than anything else! I also strive to make things better than they have to be...stronger mainly!
this might turn out to be a little too simple for this post, but here goes. when i am fabbing things, i use permanent sharpie markers to make lines and whatnot. if you put the markers cap down in your pocket, you wont run out of ink as fast. also, keep them cap down when they are in your empty soup can that holds the rest of them. it works.
Measure twice, cut once. Believe me, you will save a lot of headaches if you follow that rule. If its something critical, its not a bad idea to have one of your Buddys check your measurements. I don't care how good you think you are, everybody ****s up...
I try to make everything bolted. Meaning using tabs and plates to thrubolt and some at both ends.When most people first get a welder they weld everything! Then if it fails they reweld it or have to cut or grind it out to repair it.I guess you could say fab yourself into a corner.So when your fabbing something take some time and think it through.Install and remove it in yer head first.-Feder
[ QUOTE ] I try to make everything bolted. Meaning using tabs and plates to thrubolt and some at both ends.When most people first get a welder they weld everything! Then if it fails they reweld it or have to cut or grind it out to repair it.I guess you could say fab yourself into a corner.So when your fabbing something take some time and think it through.Install and remove it in yer head first.-Feder [/ QUOTE ] BINGO.......Give that man a CIGAR.....
Holy ****, FEDER...I thought only I did that! (Mainly for lack of a welder and/or knowing how to use one...but also because it's alot easier to make changes if you don't have knock the piece off of your work with a sledgehammer!) Everybody tells me I need to learn how to weld, but it would RUIN me, I think! Besides...it's cool to actually engineer a way to attatch something...rather than to just weld it on!
When building a frame, a box, or any structure always measure diagonals to check for squareness. I like to put some small center punch marks in the corners so I am always measuring to the same points. If it is something large, like a frame, get someone to help measure. Neal
Heres one I only learnt today-when doing a wire beaded edge on a piece of ally or steel, measure back from the edge 3 times the thickness of the wire,and a little bit, this is your fold line to allow enough material to wrap the wire completely. probably has something to do with Pi (3.142 isnt it?)
when fabricating anything with sheet metal, use cardboard templates first. they are easy to trim, shape, bend and unbend. then just copy it on the sheetmetal.
When making hood sides for the thin fendered cars, cut them a little long on the horizontal for accurate fitting. The vertical measurement needs to be right on so the correct distance is covered from top to bottom including material required for the folds and belt line - or character line as some say. Once you get your radiator/grill shell where you want it you can shorten the front and back of the hood sides so the hood will fit exactly how you want it. Including at an angle if necessary. The big trick is to get a piece of 2 x 2" x .125 or .187 angle steel. Cut it to length, clamp it to the hood side - with two padded clamps - at one end making sure to match the scribed mark. (The clamps can be padded with a piece of hardwood where they bear against the hood side metal.) Use a 4" grinder with a Pearl Wheel - some call them flap wheels - and grind the excess 1/16 - 3/16" off the end of the sheet metal using the steel angle as a guide. The commonly used hood side metal is usually 20 gage and it cuts fast. The steel angle keeps the cut straight and where you want it. You can do a whole bunch of cuts before the steel angle needs to be turned to the other edge. Trick is to grind all you can on the hood side and not too much on the angle. When you get close to the finish size, run the Pearl Wheel flat on the angle and bring the hood side flush with the steel angle.
Keep em coming. I buy large 4x5 sheets of matboard instead of just posterboard for templates. About $5 at the art store. It is way thick and lasts a long time if you are saving the patttern for future,repeated use. Also, carpenters SPEED SQUARES are great for layout. They are the triangle shaped "squares" Find a welding shop that will sell you ****m,or another brand of layout fluid in a spray can. I cant believe how many guys dont know about this???? Not only is ios good for layout, you can mist it over your metalwork and see the low spots better after filing with a Vixen file.
****m is ok, but I've pretty much given up on both types - the spray on and the brush on. What works well for me are Magic Markers and Carters permanent marker - similar to a Magic Marker. Use the 1/4" or so wide chisel tip and lay the color down about where you want to scribe. It makes for a much cleaner scribe line that doesn't chip along the line like ****m does. Carter's black works well and the blue probably does ok, but my favorite is the red. Especially on aluminum. The red stays a bit transparent, but the scribe line is still easy to see. If you try to run parallel scribe lines, say 1/32" or 1/16" apart the ****m is brittle enough that the scribe line is compromised. Not so with the Carter's and Magic Markers. And no, I don't put the ****m on overly thick. Best part? You can get the markers just about anywhere. Not so with the ****m. I use Sharpies as well. Mostly on bare metals. From what I've been told, the Sharpies are not a good marking device to use on primer or painted surfaces. Seems like the Sharpie line bleeds through the succeeding paint layers no matter what you do. I don't think there would be a problem with bare metal. Lacquer thinner takes the Sharpie lines off quite well.
To piggyback on C9, when fitting panels or parts..Sneak up on it, file test-fit, file test-fit. I also use the blue marker and scribe inside that line. When marking a piece of metal, I reference off one straight side for everything. Just in case my workpiece is not square. Lastly I write on the part; Top, Outside, Drivers side, etc.
C9, we cant buy ****m around here anymore. The brand I actually use is called NISSEN Layout Dye. It doesnt chip liike ****m (a term I used generically) One I used a lot today was while fabbing some brackets. I needed nice radiused corners. So I took my trusty Sharpie and traced around a piece of tubing held close to the edge of the work, using the ink like layout dye. I then used my air grinder and "snuck up on" the crisp inside of the line.
I use magick markers for layout too but you need to remember another use for it, Grafitti! Why? Because once it's on a surface it will bleed through just about any kind of paint known, no matter how many coats of paint. SO, If you use magick markers to do layouts make sure you remove every speck of it before you prime or paint.
Which brings me to my next tip. LACQUER THINNER!!!! I use it for everything. Especialy cleaning layout mark and notes off of parts.
[ QUOTE ] when fabricating anything with sheet metal, use cardboard templates first. they are easy to trim, shape, bend and unbend. then just copy it on the sheetmetal. [/ QUOTE ] Good tip. However, cardboard can be all different types of stuff, including corrugated, which doesn't work. Instead, ask for "chip board." It comes in about three different thicknesses, depending on how stiff or flexible you want your template to be. And definitely use a Sharpie on bare aluminum instead of scribing a line that could become a stress point.
I've layed out patterns on paper and then had them laminated at the local Laser Print shop. Cut the Laminated pattern out with a good pair of sissors and your good to go! Pattern is stiff and lasts a long time...when your finished you can just wipe it with a damp cloth to clean it up. (If you plan on reusing it that is.) Hmmmm....that reads like an ad for ******! LoL Bill
James, you can get poster board and matte board at craft and hobby shops as well as art supply stores. I use matte board for templates quite a bit cuz Sweetie uses it to frame her pictures and there's always some of it lying around that I can steal....
hey James, I don't know of local stores that carry it, but I always order lots at a time and I get it from here: **** Blick art supplies The 28 x 44 is the best deal, I always have a handful of sheets, both single and double thick, lying around.
Here's another one I use quite a bit. Specially so on - can I say it? - billet aluminum. This pic shows the start of an aluminum throttle pedal I made. The 1/4" aluminum is covered with 2" 3M masking tape laid parallel and with minimal gap. The pattern is drawn on with a soft pencil - the little pencils golf courses give out are ideal. Great for woodwork as well. Sharpen them to a fine point before using. Nice part about doing it this way is you can erase the pencil marks fairly well if you want to redraw the line. For accurate drilling, X marks the spot, center punch and drill right through the masking tape. For cutting, run the band saw blade just outside the lines. Then use a stationary disc or belt sander with table set at 90 degrees to bring the workpiece into compliance with the pattern. You can grind accurately right up to the penciled on lines without the masking tape coming off due to heat. Perhaps steel would gain too much heat from the grinding process and the masking tape would lift, but it would probably work ok. For aluminum though, the penciled pattern on masking tape works great. An additional benefit is the aluminum is protected to an extent from scratches. It doesn't hurt to tape both sides if the finished product will be exposed both sides. One other trick with masking tape is using it to drill through finished surfaces. Like paint on a body or fibergl*** on a re-pro car. It works especially good on fibergl***. (I had to drill a whole lot of holes in my sailboat and nothing got scratched.) Lay the tape in the desired to drill a hole area. Mark with an X. Use a handheld center punch to make a depression in the X - hammer not required or wanted. Just push the center punch with your hand. Drill a very small pilot hole, 1/16" or so. The tape will keep the drill from wandering off and the small size drill stays centered on the masking tape quite well when starting the hole. Then drill to desired size. As slippery as fibergl*** - and painted surfaces - can be, and sometimes you have to drill on a convex surface the masking tape bit will do the trick.
If you are fabbing small parts I find that file folders work great. They are just stiff enough to hold shape but can be bent to whatever configuration you need. They are thin so you get a good edge to transfer your pattern to the mat'l your using. They can be cut with sizzors so you get a really sharp outline of your part. I bough a box of 100 at Office Max years ago for about $5 and use them constantly. Frank
When using a tape measure and you need an accurate measurement, start at the 1 inch mark. The agled thing on the end isn't always accurate. Clark
When using a plasma cutter make a pattern of what you want to cut out of 1/4 inch plywood. Just remember the difference from the edge of the tip and where it cuts. Mine is about a 1/4 of an inch. I have a pile of saved patterns that I use from time to time. Onother tip on the same line is, I used my hole saws and cut holes in peices of 1/4 inch plywood. Whenever I need a hole in a peice of steel I use thes patterns and the plaz. My hole saws stay sharp now. Now if I could just get my plaz back from Gl***hole. Clark
[ QUOTE ] Onother tip on the same line is, I used my hole saws and cut holes in peices of 1/4 inch plywood. Whenever I need a hole in a peice of steel I use thes patterns and the plaz. My hole saws stay sharp now. [/ QUOTE ] That would also keep the hole saw from 'wandering' as I've found out while drilling holes in my dash for guages.
So you don't have a 5000 sq ft shop filled with equipment and you need to cut a piece of tubing or pipe. You need a wrap around... This is a commercial one. 4" wide made from a material similar to linoleum. You can make one from a pizza box lid.(I'm too cheap for chip board ) Cut a 4" wide strip long enough to wrap a round the tubing and over lap on itself. Start by over lapping the tool. It looks like this when it's loose. wrap the strip tightly around the pipe aligning the factory cut edge of the pizza box on top of itself were it over laps. Mark around the pipe with soapstone or a sharpie. You can use any tool to cut the pipe following the line. You don't need thousands of dollars worth of tools to get accurate cuts and you can make one in 5 min. when the need arises.
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