The Home Machinist!

Your first booboo was having the welder set too high when you don't quite know what you're doing. You need to practice first...put a joint together that you want to weld. Start the machine at low amps...max out the footpedal and see if it will make a puddle. Keep turning it up til it makes a puddle ...

Russ, that things gives me a headache every time I see it. Don't get me wrong, I like it, and I love the thought process that went into it, but... I need some asprine... ;) LOL! Hey Russ...it gives me a headache everytime I try to adjust it. It's got waaay too many adjustments available. I have a n...

Or you could gather a bunch of junk parts and build one of these. Don't laugh too hard...it works! I've only sharpened the ends with this thing and am still learning how much it will do.

Russ

Opening the bottle valves very slowly can go a long ways toward keeping your regs healthy. Mainly the O2...if you crack the 2000 psi of a full bottle to the reg it'll bang it up for sure. I have both Victor and Liquid Air regs. The Liquid Air are very good but the Victors seem almost as good. The Vi...

I've started using oil based Hi-gloss floor enamel. It comes in a good looking "machine tool" grey. Kinda cool....the floor and my machine are the same color. Seems pretty tough and after a year of being soaked with oil from my drippy old Ohio #2 there is no evidence of oil damage to the p...

I use these all the time. They are mostly for tacking. They do make the arc wander. Tig and light mickey wire are very badly affected by the magnets.
You can't beat them when they are needed.
Blow the crap off them with compressed air before use and you'll love them.
Russ

Looks like I'm a little late with this one but here's what I've learned with SS welding. From what I can remember...303 isn't all that weldable...Harold is right...too much sulfer. Use 308 if you have to weld it. 304 welds very nice. Use 308 or 309. 309 is THE prefered rod for welding SS to mild ste...

dgoddard...I was warned about the column "crushing" where the tightening clamps tighten to it. That was the main reason I filled it with cement. The "tube" isn't what most people think it is. It's actuall a casting that is turned down (on mine anyway). The inside is very rough an...

Here's maybe a different way to do it...I filled the column on my mill/drill with cement (and a big piece of 3" diameter steel rod). There's really no reason why you can't drill holes in the column and insert bolts or threaded rod to use as the lugs (using nuts on them to hold whatever) then fi...

I may have missed what size machine you are running but I've found a good deal in carbide for my "lowly mill/drill". I use a 2" indexable end mill for almost everything I can use it for. All the experts told me it wouldn't work...blah, blah..etc....but it works VERY well/ It actually ...

J, I'm getting it..finally. I got fooled with the end play. The spindle/bull gears etc. are very heavy and don't easily allow the spindle to slide back in the bore...without a lot of force. Anyway...I have this cutter on it now http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v210/torker/DSC00003-8.jpg And the fin...

Thanks J! Nice to have something difinitive to go with. I may have it a bit tight right now then. I'll have to put a DI on the spindle and check it out properly.
Thanks again!
Russ