Jason L

I tested out my new welder today. I bought an Arccaptain Mig130 because I needed a light duty welder to tack things together from time to time. I got everything out and started with the wire and I was horrible. I couldn't see the joint and the welds were all over the place. It was as ugly as a mud fence. I wear bifocals and the bottom of my glasses weren't high enough for me to see through the hood lens. After trying to prop up my glasses with paper towel under the bridge, I was just about to give up when I noticed my hood had an adjustment on the top strap which I hadn't paid attention to before. I didn't even notice there was a top strap. After adjusting it, I almost got that stack of dimes I was looking for. 100% improvement. I haven't welded in many years so there's still lots of room for improvement but now that I have everything dialed in, I'm going to work on it. That's one great little welder for the money. I'm a happy guy.

I've read a lot about crowned wheels and the consensus seems to be only one wheel needs to be crowned. I read the article on tracking and it seems the drive wheel is the preferred crowned wheel. I've looked at as many places to buy wheels as I can find and it seems the drive wheels and tracking wheels they sell are both crowned. Obviously I can just buy a regular wheel that isn't crowned and attach it to a tracking mechanism, but why do they sell them like that in the first place if it's not ideal? I trust the people here because they take the time to explain the reasoning behind something in a way that makes sense, so I'm going to replace the crowned tracking wheel with a non crowned wheel. Does anyone know why wheel sets come with two crowned wheels when only one is necessary? I feel like it's the classic 10 hot dogs/8 buns scenario.

It's a head scratcher all right. It's ok though. It works but I haven't put a load on that one so I have no idea if it's still factory strong. It has a three step pulley on it though so I might be able to scavenge that off of it, if it'll come off. My biggest concern with the pulleys is that the set screw is stripped or the shaft rusted and swelled to the point that they are effectively fused on. Won't stop me from trying. I've had them so long whatever I paid for the whole lot has long since paid for itself. I can't remember what it was but $20 seems to pop into my head for some reason. It'll be no loss to me if they get destroyed trying to take them off. They came with a setup that has a grinding wheel on one side and a wire wheel on the other with a single pulley so I might use it to power that. It also came it a large cylinder that has a shaft running through it with a drill chuck on one side and a cutoff wheel on the other. I have no idea what to do with that though. The chuck is rusted but still functions and I can't think of a reason to have a stationary cutoff wheel with no guard whatsoever. It seems like a bad idea to use that. Besides that I have no idea how to mount the cylinder to anything.

I'm not sure who made these motors but I'm guessing they are some sort of alien technology. They have sat outside in the weather for about 12 years just since I had them because I never thought I would use them. I didn't even know they worked till a couple of years ago. I have no idea where they were before I got them. I was going to throw them away originally because I didn't want them but the guy made me take them with the rest of the stuff. One has a 4 step pulley on it, which I only noticed today, I thought it was three up till now. It runs like a champ though even though it's old and has a nice coating of rust on the housing. One of the others I did find a plate on. I thought it was blank but upon closer inspection it's just very badly faded. I can't read anything at all on it but I'll post a pic and maybe someone with better eyes can make something out. I've searched the others and can't find any identifying marks of any kind. One is considerably heavier than the others even though it's about the same size. The one I've been using has a plate covering the wiring and it looks like someone lost the original plate and replaced it with sheet metal. It doesn't look like it came on it anyway. I have three total so I'll try them all and see how they perform. They might not work for a grinder but I'm sure I'll think of a use eventually.

Well, that escalated quickly. I'm afraid most of that knowledge is above my paygrade. I'm actually not sure what sort of motors I have, they have no markings of any kind anymore. They are pretty old. The one I've been using is not very big but it's powerful enough that I don't stall it under normal circumstances, unless the belt slips. I'm not going to make that the permanent motor more than likely, I'm just going to use it to fine tune whatever contraption I end up with and see if I like using it. If everything goes ok, I'll upgrade the motor, and maybe a few other things that I haven't thought about just yet. Right now I'm going for proof of concept. I don't know that the motor doesn't have enough power to run a grinder, I'm just guessing on the power it has by the size of the motor and the fact that the shaft isn't 5/8". For reference, it's about as big around and half as long as the 3 hp motor that Harbor Freight sells. It drags when I first turn it on so I relieve tension until it warms up or spins up to speed or whatever it does. Usually less than ten seconds. Once it's running though, it keeps running. I think it'll do well enough to make sure I've lined everything up properly and got everything where it needs to be. I started working on it a week or so ago and so far all I've had time to do is cut two pieces of square tubing to length and use a couple of small cutoffs to test some measurements for a tracking mechanism. The measurements were good but my drilling was off. The holidays and work are killing my time on this thing but hopefully after next week it will calm down with the Christmas parties and shopping and all that other time eating stuff and I can do something. Out of curiosity, is there a way to ballpark the HP of a blank motor without special testing equipment or a fully functional brain?

Buzzkill, I've never used a variable sped grinder, I've always just adjusted the pressure and it's worked pretty well for me. Except of course if the right song pops up on my playlist, then I get a little aggressive. VFD's sound like a good idea but it seems a bit complicated for me. Like Frosty I am electrically challenged. After thinking about it a little more, 2 HP may be more than I really need. I don't have 220 available to me and I really don't want to mess with installing an outlet only to find out it would go better over there. Maybe a single pony is all I need. Not sure what I have but I doubt it's even that. Probably no more than half a horsepower. Frosty, I'm fascinated by people making CAD plans, blueprints or even drawing it out on paper. It drives me nuts that people can think in two dimensions well enough to draw out something that has a third dimension perspective. I've tried to do it and just can't. When I was young, my dad was lead electrician for the power company and he would bring home these huge schematics for substations and he would tell me he needed copies. I could draw those accurately enough but it was just straight lines and symbols. I had no idea what I was drawing, I was just copying what was already there. My electrical knowledge has not improved much. Like you, my experience lies in electrical outlets, maybe replacing a pigtail on an oven or refrigerator or something. Even then I don't do it enough to retain what I've learned so I have to look it up again every time I start to make sure I'm remembering it right. As for someone else's drawings, I always get in a hurry and miss a step. That's why I do it in my head over and over again. That way I can see most of the mistakes and correct them before I ever lay hands on it. It's always worked for me pretty well and I always use exactly the amount of materials that I did in my head. Ok, maybe slightly more, but not much. My biggest problem is the little stuff. I usually go to get screws or washers or something and for some reason I always get half of what I actually need, so I have to go back and get more. I've never been able to get past that hump, even when I make a list and take it with me. I can convince myself that I figured wrong. It never occurs to me that having extra isn't a bad thing. I think I try to have the precise amount so that I don't have to think about it while building, I just use them till they're gone and I know I'm done. My mind doesn't work quite right I guess.

Gee Frosty, I was hoping you wouldn't ask about which plans I'm using, I'm not using any. I've spent a long time looking at every grinder build I can find and I've noticed that there doesn't seem to be two identical grinders anywhere in the world unless they were store bought. I can't work from plans very well and I certainly can't draw them, so I build it in my head over the course of a year or two then set to work on it. As far as what I'm going to need, it's not very much. I mostly hand sand everything. It lets me get out of my head and go on autopilot for a while. This is more something to occupy my time and at the end I'll have something to show for it. My plan is to use a 2hp motor with a bolt on faceplate but I might use what I've got for the moment and see if I like the idea. I'm leaning towards a 4" drive wheel but my bump it up to 5". I'm thinking that will do most everything I need unless there's something I haven't come across. You're right about many answers from few people Frosty. I guess that's why every grinder seems to be different from every other one. Having never seen a 2 x 72 grinder in person, I'm relying on pictures, videos and the few sparse measurements I could find to come up with something that I hope will suit my needs and I feel confident that I'll be able to do something. I've never not successfully done it yet

I ordered some grinder wheels last week, very late night purchase, and they came in today. What had happened wuz, I was about to go to bed and I had been looking at grinder wheels for a couple weeks and, well, I ordered the wrong size. Daytime ordering from now on. I had a set pulled up but apparently I clicked on the one NEXT to the one I actually wanted. I realized it the next day but by then it was too late, they had already shipped. That led me down the rabbit hole of grinder wheels and looking at lots of grinder builds, I couldn't stop myself. So it turns out, the set I ordered came with four wheels, one drive wheel, one tracking wheel and two idler wheels. As luck would have it, the drive wheel and the tracking wheel are both crowned. After having gone through many pages of builds I noticed that several people were suggesting that only one or the other be crowned since they would cancel each other out. So my idea is to now order a non crowned drive wheel and see if someone else can use the crowned one that came in the set. The problem is that the shaft size is .94" so I don't know if anyone will want it. That said, it would probably cost me an arm and a leg to return the set, then I'd have to wait for the new set to arrive, and since all the other wheels are the correct size, I figured I would keep them and just replace the drive wheel. The wheel is 4" which brings me to my main query. What is a recommended size drive wheel? Shaft size seems to be standard 5/8" but it looks like people differ on drive wheel size. Also, is there an advantage or disadvantage with rubber coated drive wheels? My uses are going to be random, mostly smaller stock, 3/4" or less, just general purpose. I haven't ordered the motor yet, still saving up for that. It'll probably be after Christmas before I pull the trigger on that. I know Frosty weighed in on a lot of the grinder builds and I'm thinking about just going back to the 4" non crowned wheel for the drive wheel but if someone has a better suggestion, I'm all ears.

You could name it Gordon, after Gordon Ramsey. He's pretty abrasive but he's all about finesse. It would also cover the slightest mistakes causing the harshest penalties. Can't wait to see the results

Great ideas. The Jai Alai racquet is similar to the ball tosser we have but the one we have is on a smaller scale and made of plastic. The tennis racquet is a pretty good idea too. I'm still intrigued by the sling shot though. Now I'm thinking of making one that I can play with on my own. I got pretty good at shooting rubber bands at flies at work so it seems like the next logical step. I wonder if I could make one strong enough to eventually hunt squirrels or rabbits with. Meat is getting expensive. Does anyone have experience with slingshot hunting?

That would probably work Irondragon. I don't know if I'd be able to use a sling shot because of my arm but I think I might. I know I can't shoot a bow anymore. I tried to shoot my wife's bows and I couldn't even get half draw on them. One is a compound bow and the other is a recurve. I was never any good with a bow anyway. I haven't even shot my guns since the accident. I'm not sure I could handle the recoil from my .308 and 12 gauge slug gun. Both are single shot and kick like crazy. The .308 has the added disadvantage of having a bull barrel with a hollow polymer stock so it's really front heavy. Bench shooting only if I ever get up the nerve to shoot it again. The 12 gauge isn't very heavy but it's got a rifled barrel so I only put slugs through it and usually people only shoot it once and give it back with words that I can't repeat here. I laugh every time. I haven't tried to pull a sling shot in a long time though. The bicep on my left arm has withered to almost nothing so all my muscles are in my forearm now. I may try that on a smaller scale and see how far I can pull it back. Of course only the back yard is fenced in and I can get it about halfway before it hits the ground and rolls the rest of the way. She usually catches it before it gets there though lol.

I like the way you think Frosty. I can't use any artificial propulsion methods where I am but I am friendly with local LEO's, including the animal enforcement. I made him a couple of snake hooks several years ago and he loves them. My throw leaves a lot to be desired. I can manage maybe 50 feet on a good day so even a weak spud gun would put me to shame. My strength lies in lifting and hitting. Due to an injury, my right arm is much stronger than my left. I believe it compensated. When a new kid would come to work they always thought I was just a broken down old guy until they saw me curl 100lbs of feed up onto my shoulder with one hand, shift it to my left shoulder, then curl another 100lbs on my right shoulder then walk out with it. I don't miss that job.

That does sound like a great place to wear out a high octane dog. Our dog is small and fast. She can usually catch up to the ball before it bounces more than once. Thus far I haven't been able to dampen her enthusiasm for the chase. I always wear out first. I'm sure she would die of a heart attack before she let up. She has a terminal case of energy that I can't compete with. We've taken walks with her that went on for hours and she never gave up on pulling us forward unless something grabbed her attention. Being a terrier, she's made of muscle and determination with no quit whatsoever. She also likes to sit in my lap and probe for tender spots with her bony little paws and elbows. She loves to find a particularly vulnerable area and concentrate her assaults on that one spot. But we wouldn't take anything for her, she's our baby.

We have a flea market near me that sets up Wednesdays and Saturdays and they often have really cool old tools for sale. I always want something when I go there but I can't talk myself into buying it. My wife always asks me why and I don't really have an answer other than I won't use it often enough to justify buying it or I can't use it right now. The other day they had lots of antique axes for some reason. Next time it might be antique sledge hammers or wrenches or something. I've found that I've developed a preference for hand tools these days. Unlike most people I can get lost sanding something or whittling down a piece of wood with a pocket knife till I get the shape I want. It's peaceful and I love it. I think that's why if I finish something to my satisfaction, I give it to a friend so I'll have an excuse to make it again. I never sell anything because I don't want a "want to" to become a "have to".

The motors I have are probably older than me. I got them in a bulk deal at a flea market off of a guys trailer. I think I have three or four of them. They are probably some of the first generation to have rubberized insulation on the power cords. No plates or markings of any kind left on them. I think a couple of them were seized up so I tossed them. I can't remember what else I got from him but the motors were thrown in on the deal if I remember correctly. The only tool that I have from Walmart is a drill and I only bought that because the drill I had died and I needed one to drive screws for something on the honey-do list. Driving screws is about all it can do though and only short ones at that. It bogs down drilling through a 2x4. I never thought about hot tub motors, although living near the river, I don't know anyone that has one. My motor came with a step pulley already attached so I don't even know what size the shaft is. I never thought about changing it out so I never pay attention to it. I may upgrade when I build a grinder but I'll wait and see if I need to first. Like I always say, if it ain't broke, fix it till it is, then replace it.

I know what you mean Tim. My wife actually bought one of those ball scoops but I'm not skilled enough with it to reach the ball before the dog grabs it and runs away with it lol. I have to act like I'm walking past then dive for it. She's a high octane dog. But I did solve the problem. I keep a ball in my pocket and I throw a different one. When she catches the first one I let her play with it till she loses interest then I throw the one in my pocket. She chases it and I retrieve the other ball while she's occupied. So far it works pretty good. Wish I'd thought of it sooner.

I look at Walmart branded things as a warning label. I understand that Walmart has contracts for name brand items but corners are cut so quality suffers for a lower price. I don't know how true that is but I heard it somewhere. As far as tools go, Harbor Freight has better quality these days it seems. I don't buy any tools from Walmart, but I am considering those wheels. I got my belt sander from Harbor Freight but the first thing I did when I got it out of the box was take the motor off and throw it away. I've got several old motors with much more power. The one I put on the sander weighs more than the whole sander, box and all. No idea what it's rated at, it has no labels on it. I'm guessing half a horse maybe? I have a hard time bogging it down. I guess they got horsepower from Clydesdales back then and Shetland ponies today.

I was quite surprised when I dove down the rabbit hole. I couldn't believe some of the crazy things Walmart sells. Of course a lot of it is from outside vendors, usually cheaper than manufacturers prices. This is one of those things I miss about my day job. We had hardware and tool vendors that we ordered from all the time so I could get stuff at wholesale prices and sometimes even free if I talked to the rep just right. Now I have to buy my hats as well. Oh well

It's online Frosty. They are Vevor wheels for a 2" x 72" grinder and they are slightly cheaper than Vevor's website. Walmart has almost anything you can think of on their website. They even sell caskets online. Not sure if they get a lot of business on those but they have them. Check them out sometime and see if there's something you can think of that they don't have.

Back in the 70's I was still in the single digits so the only "job" I had was working on my grandfathers farm. He would give me a broom handle and I would poke holes in the ground, drop whatever seeds he was planting and cover it up. Come harvest time he would give me a bucket and I would pick beans and peas. He had several acres to plant so it took a while. When I got a little older he would take me to his produce stand and I would load cars and crack pecans with his four crackers. My dad worked for the power company so I wasn't involved in that. We had about 3 kids in my neighborhood that were in my age group, one was slightly older. I think only one of them had a bicycle so we mostly roamed around in the woods. My first car was a '74 Volkswagon and I drove that thing like I stole it. My friends called it the big yellow turd. It spent a lot of time on dirt roads doing donuts and drifting on wet pavement. We'd take it to the drive in movie and pack kids in the trunk, on the running boards and everywhere else to get them in since they charged by the carload. It was like a clown car. Once we got in it would erupt with kids. Boy times have changed

We never had any extra bikes to piece together one. We lived far enough from town I only got to go two or three times a month. We lived in a little town but we rode for miles every day. My friends lived a couple miles away and we would meet in their neighborhood because they had speed bumps! Like built in ramps. We might wander down to the train tracks and see who could ride the furthest on a rail, so how far we could ride down the center without falling over or knocking the tire out of alignment, or sometimes grab a slow moving train and ride it to the next crossing. If we were lucky the train would be stopped and the engineer would give us all little bottles of juice if we asked him. Thinking back, I don't know how we survived childhood. We did some really stupid things and we didn't wear helmets!

The sledge hammer head is a pretty good idea. John Switzer (Black Bear Forge) just put out a video on that not too long ago. It apparently makes a pretty good stump anvil. I would imagine it would help with learning hammer control as well. The scrap yard near my house wouldn't let me look through their stuff but I found a loophole. Try taking a load to sell to them and while they are unloading root around. The workers don't seem to mind and they will usually sell you whatever you want. You can also ask them if they have anything in particular and they will usually tell you and sell it to you if they do. The upshot is, they dig it out and load it for you. Another option is to go with the cast steel anvils like Vevor sells. They are super cheap as far as anvils go and the reviews seem to be pretty good for a starter anvil. They have the horn and hardy hole as well. I think Harbor Freight even sells a cast steel anvil now, not sure. If you haven't yet, check out Black Bear Forge on Youtube. He is making a series on putting together a budget shop using readily available items on the cheap. He made a knife using a cinderblock forge and a hammer head anvil last week I think. You could probably get everything he was using for way under $100 minus the blower and a hairdryer or small shop vac would take care of that.

We were still a few years away from the fat wheel bikes. BMX bikes were starting to come on the scene and most of us still had the old banana seat bikes with no name. One kid had a Huffy with a big puffy seat. It was a girls bike but it was lighter and faster than most of our bikes and boy could it jump! I think it was one of the only ones that had tight handlebars and a chain that stayed on all the time. That may be because we weren't trashing it on frozen creeks or railroad tracks. It was a different time I guess. We were put out of the house first thing in the morning and left to our own devices all day with no supervision. Kids these days don't know how much fun there is outside.

Yeah Billy, that us basically what it is. I want to hammer out at least one metal one. I've got a cheap old Stanley rolling tool box that no longer serves it's purpose so I've been cutting sheet metal out of it for different things, I thought I might make some small lamps or candle holders out of that. It's too thin to use for much but I can't bring myself to throw it away. There's a good bit of sheet metal in it. I drilled out the rivets on one of the drawers, cut out a piece of it and tried to dish it for a small lamp but it didn't go well. I think I'll just cut out pieces and see if I can braze it together or something. My dishing skills are not what you would call good. I do have material to practice with though so there's that.

That does sound like fun. We used to try and ride our bicycles on frozen creeks when I was a kid. Unsurprisingly we were not even close to successful. I may be weird but I don't mind the power going out. I've got flashlights but I only use them in the bathroom because I want to stay married. I have flashlights but I don't use them much. I prefer the soft glow of a candle paired with a good book. I should really make some candle holders. I'd really like to make a Betty lamp but I feel like there is some little thing that I don't know about that would cause it to dump burning oil all over the place.