Other What did you fab up today? A thread for the home fabricators!

[OCD Solutions]

Teach me to weld!

Buy a welder and learn, that's all I've done, and don't let me fool you, I have a ton more to learn yet!
I was taught to stick weld back in the day but I learned MIG from watching videos on the Miller welding site and Youtube.

FYI, Friday was the first time EVER welding steel with my MIG. I've owned it nearly 10 years and all I've ever done was aluminum.
I needed to anchor down the new platform so I welded stainless washers onto the ends of 36" steel spikes to make end caps.

 

[aboarder]

I learned the same way. I've been MIG welding steel for years. I recently started to TIG weld aluminum, and I used the miller website. The best page was the one that compares a good weld to what welds look like when you don't have enough gas, wrong filler material, too fast, etc. I would make a weld on scrap and see what went wrong. Try again. Fix what wasn't right that time. Over and over. It didn't take long before I was making decent welds and now I can usually quickly identify if something isn't right.

It's all about practice and watching what the pros do. I'm still learning, but my welder friend keeps telling me how impressed he is with my welds considering I'm not formally trained.

 

[BruceSki]

Stick and mig comes easy to me, do them both at work a lot. The TIG on aluminum has been a learning process for sure. I only do it at home and don’t do it often so it takes me a while to get in the groove every time I fire the machine up.

Just did the pipe wrench yesterday for a buddy at work. Hope it holds up. Did 3 passes on it at 150 amps and still didn’t feel like I had enough heat behind it with that cast.

 

[te4250]

Seems like thicker than 1/8 or 3/16 aluminum you can just throw as many amps as your want at it, I’m usually wide open on a dynasty 210 on 1/8 or thicker, just move slower the thicker and bigger the part gets. Once you get to like 1/2-3/4” you really just gotta get some helium and weld on dc. Dc would be tricky on cast for sure though, or anything not new and clean for that matter

 

[Quinc]

Finally getting around to building an electric beach cart/kid hauler. Top speed of 5.4mph. 24v 500w 6:1 gear reduction motor and live axle.

 

[CD155MX]

Finally getting around to building an electric beach cart/kid hauler. Top speed of 5.4mph. 24v 500w 6:1 gear reduction motor and live axle.
View attachment 418768

This project feels like it deserves a build thread......

 

[Vumad]

When the post telling you to make a build thread gets more likes than your post, you have to do a build thread. It's a forum rule iirc.

 

[Quinc]

This project feels like it deserves a build thread......

Electric Beach Cart build!

Been going over how to build one of these in my head for a while without breaking the bank. You can fill the outside of a barn with what I dont know so if you have an idea or suggestion let me know! Goal: Launch ski into the ocean and leave the cart floating in the water while I ride. Haul kids...

www.x-h2o.com

 

[Sandeggo]

Started to fab up my round nose conversion bracket today. Gonna tig the uprights on once my RN pole gets here. Waterjet followed by a router.

 

[Austin_landers]

 

[OCD Solutions]

I screwed up the math on my last build so I’m doing it over again, only bigger.

The last platform ended up being 7.7sq/ft and the turtles filled it up pretty quick.

This new one will be 13.8sq/ft and a slight improvement in both weight and design.

Since the old platform was built to last and has quite a bit of $$ in it, it will be repurposed as a floating duck house with at least 4 roosts and placed in the back corner of the pond. We have several groups of Mallards that winter in our pond that will love it. More than anything, it’s a peace offering for our neighbor who loves the turtles but thinks we stole them from her by building the platform in front of our house. She lives the ducks too so hopefully this gives her as much pleasure as the turtles did.

 

[X2Kid]

Hope the turtles show their appreciation with at least a Christmas card!

 

[BruceSki]

Fabbed up a little 5’ aluminum ramp with a support leg and two oem stainless bow eyes for strap points. Works perfect for two man loading from a beach cart to a bed rack. Threw some scrap trex decking on it and the skis slide like butta. Completely free material cost, just burned a few hours on a day off building and designing it.

I may not have the best tools or the best skills, but slapping some aluminum together is way more fun than burning stick rods on dirty painted steel from 1957 at work all day.

 

[503701]

Not really a home fab but perks from the company, used the new CNC plasma table at work to make a pole bracket backing plate for the sn. Notched the hole out so it can be installed without pulling cables.

 

[BruceSki]

Not really a home fab but perks from the company, used the new CNC plasma table at work to make a pole bracket backing plate for the sn. Notched the hole out so it can be installed without pulling cables.View attachment 421951

Now make yourself a bracket for a RN pole on the square!

 

[Sandeggo]

I changed some stuff up on my conversion bracket. Got it welded up today, blasted it, and powder coated it. I incorporated a slot for a kickstand like the new HSI pole. Got rid of the holes in the tabs I had on the previous version, and counterbored the hole for the rubber bellow. Also working on a cable conversion bracket. I’ll have pics of that tomorrow. My pre 08 cable showed up today and my bracket is too short.

 

[WFO Speedracer]

I needed a trailer to haul UTV's on, my 5 x 8 just isn't big enough, it will haul them but they have to be loaded backwards and the tongue weight is all wrong, so I am looking through Facebook marketplace and find this gem Saturday morning for $300. I went and got it and drove off , I heard a noise so I pulled over the fender was hitting the tire so I pulled it off and continued my journey home.

I am not a professional welder by any means but I can weld two pieces of metal together where they will not come apart. So the second and third pics are what I turned that monstrosity into Yesterday and this morning. I still have to add the toolbox, paint the rails and treat the floor but it did have a brand new wood floor in it. the fenders are now welded to the trailer and the new top rail, solid as a rock.

 

[Sanoman]

$300 bucks! That’s unreal

 

[Sandeggo]

I got my cable conversion bracket whipped up today. Originally I wanted to make it work without opening up the slot in the pole, but that didn’t work out. I also had to hit the foam with the burr to open it up a bit. Oh well it all goes under the chin pad. Drilled and tapped the pole for it to use 2)1/4”-20 SS cap screws. The clamp is stainless and bracket is 6061-t6.

 

[SteveC]

Drilled and tapped the pole for it to use 2)1/4”-20 SS cap screws.

How much aluminum is there where you tapped it? I.e., how many threads are actually engaging there?