Kozzy

Without seeing the actual existing frame, take these comments as only generic-- Use self drilling/tapping screws, preferably hex head, and you can zip panels over that aluminum frame in no time at all. Basically it's how those carports and such in mobile home parks are whipped together in a day. Don't forget that panels will add LOTS of wind load so the structure needs to be able to take that without collapsing or flying away. If it was designed for glass originally, it can probably take it but there are also those really crappy chinese versions sold now which a hard sneeze will take down so I wanted to mention the issue. So..the real problem is finding and choosing cladding. Metal roofing/siding material is pretty easy to get but adds up quickly when purchased retail. It might be worth it to use new material for looks and ease. Around here there are enough people taking down old clad buildings that one can put out feelers and get used material cheap. That option may or may not apply in your area. Same self drilling screws can work with wood siding like T-111 (the USA designation for a type of plywood sheet siding) also. That would give some stiffening to the frame that might be of benefit--but wouldn't work as roofing. Cutting panels to size depends on what you can get hold of so I won't address it here.

A # 10 screw is .190" dia so that might be what the 3/16" actually is. Comes in both 24 and 32 TPI standard. As to the 7/16", standard for that is either 14 or 20 TPI depending in whether it's NC or NF. Or of course it might be an oddball.

That's a nice little mill---and appears to be a combination horizontal with a vertical head mounted on it. In theory, there should be a bit more junk to properly operate in the horizontal mode---some sort of overarm system to hold the H shaft in place. Looking closer--it looks like the H goodies might be there in the pile. Vice on it is junk---but might get you by briefly. Vice below is a drill press vice and would likely not work well for any milling. As TP said, make sure that it either has all the collets you need if it's a bit unusual or that it uses R8 collets (the universal standard for machines in this size range). Collets are probably still available if this one is a bit unusual but the cost can add up quickly. It wouldn't be a deal breaker but would affect pricing. Doesn't look like R8 but they make R8 collet to DA (double angle) collet holders so it might actually be set up that way (makes tooling quicker to change and is a common "upgrade") At a anything less than a grand, I'd probably jump on that in my area. 2 grand is likely high unless there is more to it than can be seen. I've seen similar listed from anywhere ranging $ 600 or so to $ 2K or so so there is too much variation to give much help on the price. A very similar one with just the horizontal and no vertical head (and a little better machine) was recently listed at $ 600 in my area and didn't fly out the door.

There is no law that you need the full loop "stirrup" here--I have seen versions that were more like a squared off S hook with only a single leg to the cutting edge on one side--excellent at getting close to garden plants and you can even do a reach-around to the other side of plant stems with the proper geometry--something that's a pain with a full stirrup style. Those really need a left hand version for left handed users. Maybe your lack of material can result in a version like that. I haven't used one so can't speak to the negatives but at least it gives you something to ponder in addition to the other designs Also a "Winged weeder" where a "tang" rod from the handle comes down and is welded centrally to a wing-like blade. I have used one of those and it works quite well. Commercial versions tend to cheap out on the tang/handle connection but you might be able to improve on that, smithin' skills being what they are.. Go with your own style and if you develop an improved version, you might be in the scuffle hoe business

The very large factories I work with now require someone to watch the area (without leaving) for 2 full hours after any "hot work"--grinding, welding or anything that generates heat. Additionally, you can't do "hot work" alone: A second person is required to watch the general area while you are working. And of course you have to file a "hot work" permit and get it signed before you even proceed so they have a record in the main office of where it is going on. Total pain in the neck for maintenance crews. I understand but it sure does increase maintenance costs...and worse, much maintenance is hodgepodged to avoid making something like a 10 second weld to do the job right. On a side note, these are food production plants and they've all absolutely positively completely on pain of being fired that very second banned ANY wire brushes of any kind. Apparently the metal detectors don't hit on the tiny broken brush wires well. Makes weld cleaning a bit more of a chore---but you can still grind to your heart's content (with that hot work permit).

Couple of notes on this because I use one all the time--it's my weeder of choice in many areas. 1) Be sure the profile is designed to allow for easy sharpening. These work 500 times better when well sharpened and DO tend to wear the cutting edge quite a bit. Odd shaped versions can be a pain to sharpen and a simple stirrup shape with fairly square corners is pretty easy. 2) Fairly square bottom corners makes it easier to get close to the "good" plants when whacking out weeds. Those with hugely rounded corners on the "stirrup" are frustrating when trying to weed close to the good stuff. Since weeds seem to have an evil brain, they love to hide close to the good stuff and make themselves harder to get. 3) No matter what you do, the stirrup will come a little loose on the handle over time. Handles shrink, stuff wears, etc. I'd attach it similar to the photo above but use bolts that can be re-tightened as needed--Lock nuts are probably best but you have to chase a wrench. Wing nuts are handy to tighten in the field but that's sort of chasing your tail because they are also self-loosening, even with lock washers. Many versions of these actually have the stirrup a little loose so it can tilt a hair between the pull and push stroke, keeping the blades in a cutting mode digging downward a hair). One common name is "Hula-Hoe" due to this movement. I'm not completely sold on that "action" but it might be something to play with when designing. 4) Longer handle than you think is necessary---shorter handles will turn you spine to pudding quickly so these work best when you can stay in a fairly upright position. Most handle lengths commercially make you hunch over too much. Be sure the angle of the stirrup to the ground matches that upright position fairly well so that it can cut both push and pull without much handle joggling. Oh...and an addendum--handle diameter that works with gloves on. These things are blister makers.

After the previous thread and seeing the beautiful restoration of a Champion 400, I got the bug to start fiddling with mine a bit again. I had never noticed until I got some of the grime off but they do have a serial number on the top of the casing (flat spot on the removable top to the crankcase in case yours is grimy also). I was wondering if anyone had a way to decode information from the number or if there is some reference out there to help use that to narrow down a production date/decade. Mine reads "No 649509". Would also be curious what other's have just to see what the range is or possibly make a guess that the last 2 digits might be year. Sorry, no way to include a photo as it's hard to see by eye and I had to chase a magnifying glass as it is.

Thanks for this whole topic--it got me back on top of my personal one as well as "saving" the one from the museum from abuse to that bronze gear. I've still got a stuck cover screw that is soaking so I don't break it off in disassembly but your results have inspired me.

You want a layer of something---and I suggest laminated hardwood. Hear me out here---what it does for you is allow you to seek a perfect anvil height, no matter whether you change your mind about proper height or whether someone else eventually ends up with your anvil stand. By planning the stand to have that hardwood layer (or whatever), you gain options.

Just making a guess here--on some wire mills they have to hammer a bend on the end of the wire (and similar items like narrow strip from slitters) when starting them on a coiler--basically a hook to get the coiling started. Remember--wire to a steel mill is often 3/4" diameter or larger--it is coiled before "straighten and cut" operations that give the familiar straight round bar people usually see. For example, all that large diameter wire for auto and railroad springs comes off coils--not long straight pieces. For our own operations, we buy 5/16" dia round bar as coiled wire and do the straighten and cut operation ourselves. I've personally seen as big as 3/4 come in coil form--and I know there is larger but I don't know the top end of practicality for coiled stock.

This actually gets into a bit of voodoo. Those figures are for belts with slight elasticity so might be a bit much for an inelastic sanding belt. Additionally, too much crown can cause what is called an "approach bulge", where the belt bulges as it nears the pulley face--causing some of it's own problems. If this was being done for tracking only without any of the odd uneven loading on the belt of grinding work, the crown should actually be only about 1/5 of the belt thickness--which is too small when you add in the uneven tension issues. A crown of about the belt thickness is where you normally want to be because more than that on an inelastic belt means the edges are not normally touching the pulley face unless tension is distorting the belting. But...belt grinders get hammered by users putting a lot of pressures and tensions on--And since it's basically a one-shot deal to have a pulley crowned, I'd probably go for about twice the belt thickness. If you need more than that, it's likely that something else is out of whack and instead of trying to force the pulley to compensate, that problem needs to be chased down and corrected. But as I said, it's a bit of voodoo---many will disagree with my figures above and I have seen pulleys with a LOT of crown work just fine. Be sure to chase the other stuff first, no matter what else happens: Even slight skew of the flat pulleys can cause an effect that emulates a reverse crown when 2 flat skewed pulleys are interacting (the closer together they are, the more they act this way when skewed). 3 dimensions, not just one here. An effective reverse crown caused by slightly skewed flat pulleys will also reverse tracking control--kind of an anti-tracking pulley. Also look for flex in the structure on which the pulleys are mounted as this can be a common problem when the belt is under tension: They don't build the expensive versions with heavy structure just for looks.

That's one huge can of worms question you are asking. With these chinese machines, none are very good but it's hit and miss as to whether they are terrible or tolerable. With most, the spindle run-out is so bad that they will tend to snap small bits easily. Most often on this class of machine, most of the runout is because they use rock-bottom drill chucks. So...my advice (without having the presses in front of me) is that your best bet is to pull the chuck off the existing drill press (usually they are on a tapered shank so can pop right off) and then check the runout on the spindle itself. If the spindle is not bad and runs fairly true (preferably as measured with a proper dial indicator), put your money into a better chuck rather than a new drill press. Sometimes a non-chinese-junk chuck can make a huge difference. Power wise, you shouldn't be bogging down as much as you mentioned so something else is likely going wrong there--most likely using poor quality drill bits. NEVER use the Chinese, taiwanese, or similar low end bits, no matter how tempting they are. Most "home center" bits are not much better. What you want are drill bits that are marketed to the machinist trade and from quality makers. Mcmaster.com is one source as is mscdirect.com. Get USA made in a couple of sizes you use and they will be like night and day vs "home center" and infinitely better than the Chinese junk. As to upgrading to the "firestorm"...at 50 bucks, maybe, but I wouldn't expect a huge difference unless the current drill press is truly a complete dog. Basically you are upgrading levels of junk at that price point. It'd be wiser to save for a more significant upgrade if that's an option for you---so at least try the better drill bits and possible chuck replacement on yours first. The better drill bits cost you nothing because that's what you need anyway--and the chucks are not that expensive (and can sometimes be found as orphans at swap meets and similar) Drill chucks and the tapers they have sometimes gets to be a sticky area so you might do some internet research to learn a little more. I can't go into more about that without knowing he HF model and looking up the current spindle tapers it has.

Appreciate that video---I also have one at our local museum that was on my list of eventual "projects" to get to and wasn't aware that he had made a video of this. Helps a lot to not have to bumble my way through it. One question to add to this discussion---color? Our 400 is currently red and the paint actually looks "factory". However, that doesn't make a lot of sense considering others I have seen over the years. So...was there a factory color? Is this great old paint job after-market by someone who took their time many years (decades) ago? Seeing the insides, I'm thinking this one needs to come off the floor also--currently, kids like to crank, some like maniacs. That now seems pretty risky for that bronze gear. We have a cheaper one with straight cut gears that can be used for the kids instead.

Good advice for most Chinese made equipment. They're getting better in many ways but the HF stuff is definitely all about low cost so should be fully inspected/repaired before use. They sometimes fill casting "holidays" with bondo and paint over for instance...and there is often grit from sand casting left in the gear boxes. As to the O.P's saw question, I can't really think of a time I needed a portable bandsaw. Might be handy in the field but for shop work, the larger horizontal has been more than adequate. Heck, I had to split a piece of 14" long 4.5" dia heavy walled tubing the long way the other day accurately and was able to scab together a way to clamp that with the H. A few years back, I picked up a Boeing Surplus vertical metal cutting bandsaw (14" style similar to the one many woodworkers have but specifically for metal cutting) for a song and a dance. It sat for a long time until something came up that only it would do and I now find that it's a tool which gets a lot of use. Point is, I wouldn't dismiss the benefits of at least one of those vertical table conversions for a H saw these days. Once you have the option, it's surprising how your work flow can change to use it's benefits. I thought I'd use the 14" abrasive saw more but It's an annoying and noisy thing to use, while giving mediocre results. The tiny (chinese cheap) 6" version abrasive cut-off saw has actually been remarkably handy as I cut a lot of small diameter rod and tubing. It too is a HF special...but doesn't seem to want to die so I've gotten my money out of it 50 times over. Working on a cold saw conversion now from a commercial "jump saw". We'll see how that pans out. Specific use will be cutting small profile bars to length and square for further machining. In any case...you can never have too many toys.

I did a partial write up on tracking belts a long time ago here Reading back, it's a bit rambling but might give you some things to look for. Remember that those pulleys have to be squared in ALL 3 dimensions, not just one. My initial comment from the photos is that your structure is too light and slightly flexible in many places---which will make tracking quite difficult, especially as you increase belt tensions. I'd also replace that lightweight hinge you are using for tracking adjustment with a proper weld-on version that is much heavier--like the weld-on bullet hinges (adding your own thicker plate for the adjusting face).

The only similar myth I have heard is a coin placed face up under the stump (when it aint gunna be moving) to bring either good luck or prosperity..or both. Face up is important--face down is bad luck in certain circles. As to bringing out the grain, I don't think that's going to be a great long-term goal. You might get it to show more early on but the dust and scale over time will likely obscure most of your efforts at beautification. If your heart is set on it, use a low angle block plane--the kind that was designed to cut end grain on butcher blocks--for preliminary smoothing. Follow that up with a properly sharpened cabinet scraper (that's a VERY simple tool which is not in everyone's knowledge wheelhouse so you might need to look it up along with how to properly sharpen and draw the edges). Follow that with whatever finish you feel heightens the contrast of the grain.

I'm in the same club--Decades of it coming and going with occasional forays into some really deep quicksand. Often, atypical Seasonal Affective Disorder can play a part for people (I've spoken to many on the subject over the years): Instead of the typical sink-hole over winter, those pits occur to varying degrees at the seasonal transitions or even at the peak of summer. Not that you fit that pattern but it might be worth keeping track of in the back of your mind to see if you can see any pattern over time. Since doctors and patients tend to look for typical SAD, they often dismiss the atypical variations. St John's wort--remarkably effective for many people but it is also remarkable just how much it can make one prone to burns. Although the sunlight (sunburn) aspect is well documented, I found that I also was more prone to scalding from things like hot coffee spills. Anyway, just something to watch out for, especially since you might be hanging out near a forge. After a lifetime of this crap and seeing that everyone is completely different in what works for their body, I no longer try and give suggestions other than do what you have learned works for your body... or simply try something different if the old "fixits" aren't cutting it. Just know that you are not alone and there are a ton of others who understand (in a general sense) what you are going through-- Oh...and you have my permission to kick the stuffing out of people who say things like "Just pull yourself up by your own bootstraps" or "Smile on the outside and pretty soon you'll be smiling on the inside too".

Wrong path to take. Your potential liability would be extreme on many fronts---from injury lawsuits to back taxes to back unemployment and disability. What you need to do FIRST is get totally legal while still remaining profitable---and if you can't do both, it's a hobby and not a business. As a hobby you should NEVER have someone working for you except maybe the rare "help me move this box" kind of stuff from a friend. Getting legal and doing that while still making a profit is a job unto itself. If you can eventually turn this into a legal and profitable business, be aware that adding an employee is still nightmarish to your wallet and administrative time. It's not something to do on a whim but when you have no other option and that employee can generate at least 3 times their pay rate in actual PROFIT (not simply gross sales). And there is NO SUCH THING as "paying under the table". All it takes is one irritated worker or that annoying neighbor to complain and it'll all come crashing down -- HARD and COSTLY. I've seen too many times where someone thought this was low risk only to have it blow up in their face.

I can't speak directly about that particular hunk of iron and it's herbs and spices but my anvil was cast by a company that makes crusher/shredder hammers---they cast a dozen or so actual anvils as an experiment a couple of years back. 265 pounds. I don't know the exact grade as the little I was able to find out the metal was that they considered it a "proprietary" version of stainless steel, likely with a bucket of manganese in the mix. It hasn't shown one bit of denting or wear on the face. Rebound is about 85%. Anyway, the point is that the materials used for crusher/shredder hammers these days can make a fine anvil...and probably the same is true of older versions. I don't know about the negatives or positives of the shape, but I certainly wouldn't pass on the piece if it physically fits your needs and the piece has a decent weight to it. Some aspects of the shape might actually be useful.

With most drill bits, you will find an order of magnitude difference in the ease of drilling when using good quality bits vs what is normally available at the home center. Even what looks like a "brand name" at the usual home center is generally a pretty lousy quality bit. I'm not sure who handles machinist supplies in your area but typical quality brands are "Precision Twist Drill", "Hertel", "Chicago-Latrobe" and several others. There are mail order sites for machinists supplies but I won't list them here due to the general terms of use that the moderators prefer. Even though you'll pay more, the value from that extra cost more than makes up for it. As to actually drilling your stock, others have covered that pretty well. One mistake people often make is not maintaining enough steady pressure to keep the bit cutting: Once you let a bit spin at the bottom of the hole, you've often ruined the cutting edges and it will end up being a fight to finish the hole or make another. With tiny holes done in a hand-held drill, maintaining pressure can be tough as one twitch can end up snapping the bit. Always use a drill press if it's an option. For the average user, fancy gold or purple (etc.) coatings are usually of little benefit if any at all. Those tend to only help when pushing drills near their limits or for specialized stuff like gummy metals. With average steel drilling, a plain old well-ground finish is adequate. Cobalt bits (not the home center version) can help with some tough to drill materials like 300 series stainless. Carbide bits are horribly brittle but once in a while can solve a bad drilling problem--at a high cost. HSS covers 99+% of most people's needs. Oh...and the same holds true for taps and dies---but with an even greater payback when you buy quality. The difference in ease of use on these is almost to the point of amazing over the usual home center offerings.

Thanks---I already picked up the other book mentioned and will look into this one too. Nothing better than learning new stuff. Was putting together an Eastwood order anyway so wouldn't hurt to toss this in the pile.

I'm not totally familiar with that particular model but it appears to be one that requires change-gears for different threads. If any of those gears are missing, that makes a HUGE difference in value. As TP mentioned, extra tooling coming with it can also significantly increase value over a bare-bones lathe. What should normally come with it in addition to the change gears is a 3-jaw chuck, a 4-jaw chuck and a face plate. You will eventually want all 3. The various tailstock tools like a drill chuck and live or dead centers are good to have but not that costly to replace. That $ 500 you mentioned is not that far off "normal" for a complete working lathe of this calibre---Only a bargain with some good extra tooling and overpriced if incomplete, worn out, or if there is damage to any of the castings. If the seller is tossing in things like drill bits for "extra tooling", check the country of origin (usually imprinted on the shanks). Chinese stuff has ZERO value there so don't let it sway the price upward if that's what he has. And....be sure and consider that you'll put several hundred dollars more into your own tooling for this lathe. You can probably spread that out over time but it should be at least on your mind when purchasing.

Old motors often don't play well with VFDs because the older motors tend to generate too much heat for the old lacquers used on the windings when run at less than the rated RPM. So---it's a shot in the dark whether a VFD would be fine with that old motor or not. I can say that once you start using VFDs on equipment, it's hard to go back---so danged nice in many regards. Adjustable soft start and stop parameters, variable speed, on some you can over-freq and actually get more speed from the motor than it's rated for, you can see exactly what speed you were working at in the display and repeat that every time. Plus they integrate the safety of a "magnetic starter" so that in the event of a power failure, the machine doesn't start back up when the power comes on. They're not horrendous to set up these days. Not completely simple but not bad. Cost has come down enough that they are definitely worth considering.

Was at the mega-farm-store yesterday and they had a large stack of nice looking fire rings at great pricing--all hot dip galvanized quite heavily. I've been pondering the notion of a bunch of 8 year olds crowed up close with hot dogs and marshmallows on their skewers while they snorked up that nice yellow-green zinc smoke of the first big fire. But....at the same time I was wondering just how much risk there really might be from such a thing. In reality, coals aren't all that hot without a good forced draft and the typical camp fire "hot spot" wouldn't be in direct contact with the galvanizing. Curious if you folks would consider a hot-dipped fire ring to be of little risk or a nightmare of a risk...or somewhere in between. I suspect the few people here who have experienced the horrors of zinc poisoning would definitely have adverse opinions of the risk.

Thanks, all. Been tied up a couple of days and didn't get a chance to respond. I'll take another look at the riveting and get a count of "bad" panels--might actually be easier to simply replace them via shear and slip roll fabrication. Otherwise, I'm thinking a hybrid of Daswulf's notion of cutting a form and covering it with something akin to a partial sandbag--making something that is close to the needed shape but a bit forgiving under the hammer. I appreciate the suggestions of soft hammers. I was originally thinking standard body working hammers because I have those sitting around but will seek alternatives. And I'll check out the book--as it was a subject that I wanted to learn more about anyway. Of course, experience is the best teacher in this stuff. I do a lot of normal sheet metal work via break and shear but currently don't have a slip roll. With large radii like this, we usually bump form...but that's always been for one-off parts.