Technical Little tips and tricks for garage hobbyists.

That's all that I did for today, I'll work on it a little more tomorrow and see where I get.
The scoop's width isn't the same front to rear, so it's tricky setting up the jig loose enough to slide the scoop back and forth without it getting sloppy or to tight and chewing metal where you don't want to.
I'll do a couple updated photos though when I get one side done.

 

I converted a band saw that is probably over a hundred years old to run off of a treadmill motor.

 

A little more done, slowly getting there and yes there's a couple screw ups on my part but it's looking pretty good.
The table needs to be bigger, it would be easy enough to build something out of wood but when have you seen an even piece of wood lately lol

 

That does a surprisingly good job! Good thinking there, @swade41!
Oh... and thanks again for the avatar!!

 

Love that HTP MIG140! I've been selling that welder for years.

 

Here's a tip. I am doing some overhead welding and find that after the first 2 or 3 welds, I start having problems. There is a layer of brown oxidation that forms on the metal. If you run a wire brush over it and do a few more beads and keep repeating like that the job will go a lot better. The brown oxidation doesn't form in normal welding it just drifts up and away. Overhead it can't go anywhere and coats the metal.

 

Cool tip... would never have thought of using holesaws like that. I have holesaws and a drill press... queue footage of me destroying something because I can't slide the part straight across the table.

The context is driving me nuts though... why are you milling the top of the scoop?

Cheers,
Harv

 

What are you using for a controller/power supply?

 

Good eye, that welder work great too

 

There was a casting flaw or something in the fins



I took a file to it to straighten the lines up but it still wasn't right so I decided to get rid of them all together, might even cut that section out and put yellow plexiglass back in

 

I did one to a bandsaw and used the control panel from the treadmill. Can’t do it well with all of them but snagging the right treadmill makes it easy. Everyone get a kick out of it.

 

That's a neat idea. I had a pair of Edelbrock valve covers that some moron drilled a hole for a PCV right in middle of the script. I wanted to add a Moon breather to salvage the covers, so I built a wood cage for the cover and used my router with a carbide burr to make a flat area; then I clamped the box to my drill press table and tilted it to 45 degrees and used the router bit in the press to cut the end of the fins at an angle. Worked out OK.

 

Aaah.... thankyou. When you said the milling technique was good for clearance, I started wondering what you would need to clear up there. I had visions of some kind of barrel valve or hat injection. The real answer is a lot simpler.

Cheers,
Harv

 

For the bandsaw conversion, I used a variable speed controller and rectifier bought on Amazon. I watched some YouTube videos from this guy, and I used information from his web site. variable.html

 

I bet you get a lot more use out of the band saw than you would from a tread mill.
I know I would

 

Don't recall ever seeing a bandsaw at a garage sale but on those multi neighborhood sales you can swing a dead cat and hit a treadmill.

 

I have a pair of M/T covers I need to cut the fins for some breathers and a router that came in an auction lot I bought, maybe I need to learn how to use it.

 

I've had the scoop on my blower and tunnel ram engines, but yeah nothing crazy like mechanical injection stuff.
Just removing some ugly is all

 

Here’s my treadmill powered band saw.
with treadmill control panel

 

Now I'm sitting here wondering what would be a good use for the elevation mechanism.

 

I couldn’think of one at the time either,
so I just left it there.

 

A good conversation starter at the garage sale.

 

I’ve been wanting to repower my drill press with a treadmill motor too. That’s a spare time project though.

 

SAFETY POINT: As an old machinist who has seen what can happen when parts in a machine aren't secured to the table, I'd like to comment that I don't recommend trying to hand feed any part while cutting it with a powered cutting tool. All it takes is for the tool to grab slightly and the part will get damaged or ruined and you may get hurt. Seen plenty of parts that moved when clamped but not clamped tight enough......but if the tool bites in a little too much, things happen very quickly. A router with guides to control where it cuts could be used to remove fins gradually and would be safer. Just don't want to see anyone get hurt .

 

I see you've found my adjustable hammer!

 

What about router on steel?
I’ve ran a hand held plate beveler , smooth and it cuts metal like crazy. Too light of pressure and it chatters, too heavy pressure and it chunks up. Learn the sweet spot and it’s an incredible tool. Plus you take it with you anywhere and run it out of position.
I caught my self thinking with a guide and different cutter I could mill stuff, router could too? Maybe?

 

I have never tried to cut steel with a router. My best guess would be that the speed of the cutting tool would be too high for steel. Generally steel uses slower rpms than aluminum. Also, cutting aluminum often uses a tool with more space between the flutes (coarser) to allow chips to fall away. I'm not saying it could not be done, but don't think tools will hold up very long. I had an online conversation with a fellow who wanted to machine chromemoly tubing ends to prefab an airplane fuselage so it would have precise fits for welding. He was convinced that just taking lots of very light cuts would work.
When a cutting tool touches metal it peels away a chip......just like a chisel does, but in a more controlled fashion. If the tool doesn't have sufficient pressure against the metal, it just rubs instead of raising a chip. I can't say that it never works when tried, but in general I would not expect to get good results trying to cut steel with a cutter turing high speeds and no coolant. Again, thats just an opinion.

 

2nd your opinion...

 

I can tell you if you run into a hidden remnant of a nail with a router it will kill the edges of the carbide bit.

 

What type of metal are you welding and what electrode?