The Do-it-Yourself Thread: A Home for Handymen and Artisans - General

Bought myself a mig welder, can't wait for it to turn up and to mess about with it. I'm buying some steel plates to make a few bits and bobs with, but what's the easiest way to cut through them? Mostly 3mm, maybe a little thicker. Hacksaws can do the job, but I'm worried I won't get a very precise/straight cut so I'm looking into angle grinders.. but my budget isn't very high.

[QUOTE=chaz13;43452328]Bought myself a mig welder, can't wait for it to turn up and to mess about with it. I'm buying some steel plates to make a few bits and bobs with, but what's the easiest way to cut through them? Mostly 3mm, maybe a little thicker. Hacksaws can do the job, but I'm worried I won't get a very precise/straight cut so I'm looking into angle grinders.. but my budget isn't very high.[/QUOTE] You'll be there for bloody ages with a hacksaw. Should be able to pick up a reasonable 4.5" grinder fairly cheap (~£40). Don't go for rock bottom end of the market, the bearings fail ridiculously easily (although I suspect they generally are abused, but it's not a sign of good build quality, sometimes they arent sealed against dust)

[QUOTE=metallics;43452378]You'll be there for bloody ages with a hacksaw. Should be able to pick up a reasonable 4.5" grinder fairly cheap (~£40). Don't go for rock bottom end of the market, the bearings fail ridiculously easily (although I suspect they generally are abused, but it's not a sign of good build quality, sometimes they arent sealed against dust)[/QUOTE] Thanks for the reply. Do I need it as large as 4.5"? It seems like I can get smaller yet similar quality ones for a better price.

[QUOTE=chaz13;43452456]Thanks for the reply. Do I need it as large as 4.5"? It seems like I can get smaller yet similar quality ones for a better price.[/QUOTE] Links? 4.5"/115mm is a pretty standard small size, didn't think they made smaller. Not sure I'd buy smaller though, I suspect getting discs would be a pain.

[QUOTE=metallics;43453423]Links? 4.5"/115mm is a pretty standard small size, didn't think they made smaller. Not sure I'd buy smaller though, I suspect getting discs would be a pain.[/QUOTE] Ah right you are, I've been looking at mm for them all and assumed 4.5" was a bit larger. It's not going to be used very often so I'm kinda tempted to get on for around £25 and see how well it serves me - for the more precision stuff I can hopefully convince someone at my uni to laser cut for me.

[QUOTE=chaz13;43453570]Ah right you are, I've been looking at mm for them all and assumed 4.5" was a bit larger. It's not going to be used very often so I'm kinda tempted to get on for around £25 and see how well it serves me - for the more precision stuff I can hopefully convince someone at my uni to laser cut for me.[/QUOTE] Upto you, they just create a lot of vibration the cheaper ones and it gets progressively worse as the bearings get worse. Whatever happens, let us know how it goes!

Not sure if this is the place to ask, but I'm looking to buy a knife online for carving and other misc tasks. I'm not sure what I could best use (and I can have in MA). [url]http://www.knifeworks.com/kershawleekplainedge.aspx[/url] ^ What I was interested in

[QUOTE=DoctorSalt;43502999]Not sure if this is the place to ask, but I'm looking to buy a knife online for carving and other misc tasks. I'm not sure what I could best use (and I can have in MA). [url]http://www.knifeworks.com/kershawleekplainedge.aspx[/url] ^ What I was interested in[/QUOTE] I'm assuming you'll be using it for wood carving? Or on other materials? I'd personally prefer a knife with a shorter blade. Have a look at whittling knives: [thumb]http://static.axminster.co.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/4/7/475879_xl.jpg[/thumb][thumb]http://static.axminster.co.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/480x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/5/0/502722_xl.jpg[/thumb]

I'm going to be building a desk out of beech, what should I treat it with to protect it from dirt, the occasional spill?

[QUOTE=XL5;43512248]I'm going to be building a desk out of beech, what should I treat it with to protect it from dirt, the occasional spill?[/QUOTE] If you like the colour of beech just a couple of thin coats of clear varnish? Im no wood expert but iirc birch is pretty light so you could always stain it first or use a darker varnish.

Water-based rub-on polyurethane. It dries clear, shiny, and hard.

rub-on polyu sounds promising... Is there a less-shiny alternative? I really like the 'untreated' look of the wood, but I know I need to protect it..

[QUOTE=XL5;43513825]rub-on polyu sounds promising... Is there a less-shiny alternative? I really like the 'untreated' look of the wood, but I know I need to protect it..[/QUOTE] Rub-on poly doesn't have the same sheen as a high or semi-gloss poly. It's flatter, more dull. Almost waxy.

Any advice/gotchas for application? Seems pretty straightforward.

[QUOTE=XL5;43514652]Any advice/gotchas for application? Seems pretty straightforward.[/QUOTE] Cheesecloth works pretty well, apparently. Just pour it on the cloth, and rub it on. You'll have to do a couple of coats, sanding lightly between each. That's pretty much it.

[QUOTE=woolio1;43513363]Water-based rub-on polyurethane. It dries clear, shiny, and hard.[/QUOTE] Water-based anything does not dry clear, shiny or hard. I'm still flabbergasted as to how one gets a water based polyurethane. Also do not go for a hand rubbed finish on something that is meant to be a constantly used surface. Thin out some real oil based urethane, and then go from there. Put it this way, if you get frustrated trying to clean your brush out after you use it, and opt to throw it away instead - then you were using the good stuff. And if you want it less shiny you just use a satin, of lightly sand the clear coat when you're done. Just get a $1.00 throw away brush, use a wire brush to rip out all the loose strands, and then thin it, and brush it on. Simple - easy -effective.

Today I bought 6 new plastic small 4 gallon bins for recycling different materials. Feels good replacing old paper bags. Used my label maker to label them as well. Not super exciting but it makes life easier. I also shured up my basement stairs today, they have been wobbly since I was a kid and I finally buckled down and jacked them up with a car lift, and then shimmed them and dropped them back down. No more wobble. [editline]13th January 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=woolio1;43514392]Rub-on poly doesn't have the same sheen as a high or semi-gloss poly. It's flatter, more dull. Almost waxy.[/QUOTE] You can wipe on any poly, but you might need to thin it first. But I can tell you that wiping on and brushing on doesn't have that huge of an effect on the ultimate finish. This coffee table of mine was done with high gloss poly, wiped on, and it's got a perfect mirror finish. [img]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a345/ajackss/null_table.png[/img]

[QUOTE=Serj22;43517928]Water-based anything does not dry clear, shiny or hard. I'm still flabbergasted as to how one gets a water based polyurethane. Also do not go for a hand rubbed finish on something that is meant to be a constantly used surface. Thin out some real oil based urethane, and then go from there. Put it this way, if you get frustrated trying to clean your brush out after you use it, and opt to throw it away instead - then you were using the good stuff. And if you want it less shiny you just use a satin, of lightly sand the clear coat when you're done. Just get a $1.00 throw away brush, use a wire brush to rip out all the loose strands, and then thin it, and brush it on. Simple - easy -effective.[/QUOTE] What water-based polys have you used? I know I brushed two coats of Minwax High Gloss Water-based Poly on my desk when I made it, and I can actually see my face in the thing. I guess it depends on the brand, right? In my experience, oil-based polys always dry with a yellowish tinge, which he might not want. I've not had a water-based poly dry yellow on me, but perhaps I'm just not trying that hard. I got all this from /r/woodworking's finishing guide, by the way, if you'd like to go take a look. Or correct them.

I'm designing a bolt action for an airgun but I've got a bit of a problem. The current design is nice and simple, and I'm pretty sure it'll work. The issue is the receiver tube is only 10mm in diameter so cutting out the hold for the magazine and the bolt on such a small thing will be a nightmare, so I need to use a much bigger tube. The issue is it's currently design such that the barrel fits directly inside the receiver, so the receiver can't be bigger without the barrel being attached in a different way. Any ideas? My one thought is to weld a reducer on to the barrel so it expands into the new receiver, and the ammo will slide up the incline of the reducer into the barrel when the bolt is slid forward, but I'm not convinced (and getting a reducer that'll fit the inside diameter of the receiver will be a challenge). [img]http://imgur.com/IM5u32i.png[/img] The additional issue is, if I increase the receiver diameter to say 15mm, I need to find a pipe that has an outer diameter of 13.6mm to fit perfectly inside the receiever - but when it was 10mm, an 8mm pipe would do that just fine. Hm.

[QUOTE=Ajacks;43518142]Today I bought 6 new plastic small 4 gallon bins for recycling different materials. Feels good replacing old paper bags. Used my label maker to label them as well. Not super exciting but it makes life easier. I also shured up my basement stairs today, they have been wobbly since I was a kid and I finally buckled down and jacked them up with a car lift, and then shimmed them and dropped them back down. No more wobble. [editline]13th January 2014[/editline] You can wipe on any poly, but you might need to thin it first. But I can tell you that wiping on and brushing on doesn't have that huge of an effect on the ultimate finish. This coffee table of mine was done with high gloss poly, wiped on, and it's got a perfect mirror finish. [img]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a345/ajackss/null_table.png[/img][/QUOTE] That is a beautiful table, buddy.

This is just in: Garry Newman is having a skyscraper built, just so he can have the penthouse! Viva la Rust!

I took some pictures of my growbox [t]http://anotherprophecy.com/files/greenbox-1.jpg[/t] [t]http://anotherprophecy.com/files/greenbox-2.jpg[/t] It's itty bitty and falling apart, but hopefully I'll have rebuilt it by the time they start flowering. [edit] there are three switches on the outside mounted to a panel that control the light, fan and warming mat.

What is that? Doesn't look like anything that would normally grow in a growbox...

[QUOTE=woolio1;43548004]What is that? Doesn't look like anything that would normally grow in a growbox...[/QUOTE] Strawberry plants.

[QUOTE=false prophet;43548143]Strawberry plants.[/QUOTE] Ah, cool. What sort of harvests do you get with that method?

[QUOTE=chaz13;43520323]I'm designing a bolt action for an airgun but I've got a bit of a problem. The current design is nice and simple, and I'm pretty sure it'll work. The issue is the receiver tube is only 10mm in diameter so cutting out the hold for the magazine and the bolt on such a small thing will be a nightmare, so I need to use a much bigger tube. The issue is it's currently design such that the barrel fits directly inside the receiver, so the receiver can't be bigger without the barrel being attached in a different way. Any ideas? My one thought is to weld a reducer on to the barrel so it expands into the new receiver, and the ammo will slide up the incline of the reducer into the barrel when the bolt is slid forward, but I'm not convinced (and getting a reducer that'll fit the inside diameter of the receiver will be a challenge). [img]http://imgur.com/IM5u32i.png[/img] The additional issue is, if I increase the receiver diameter to say 15mm, I need to find a pipe that has an outer diameter of 13.6mm to fit perfectly inside the receiever - but when it was 10mm, an 8mm pipe would do that just fine. Hm.[/QUOTE] Cant you just lath it down a bit?

Just got this fan hanging here for a week now [T]http://i.imgur.com/qkcurzf.jpg[/T] I would like to install the light kit of the old fan which I had hanging here on it though. I opened up the switchbox (the housing below the flywheel) yesterday, and saw the molex connector for a light kit is available and fits. Only issue is, the switchbox cap of the light kit is smaller than the case itself. Is there any way I could install this one without drilling holes into the standard cap?

[QUOTE=woolio1;43549420]Ah, cool. What sort of harvests do you get with that method?[/QUOTE] No idea, this is the first time I have done it. I expect about the same if not more than letting them grow in a garden bed. They sit in paper coffee cups right now while they grow, but will be moved to a larger container (as seen in that first picture) once they start flowering.

[QUOTE=false prophet;43571029]No idea, this is the first time I have done it. I expect about the same if not more than letting them grow in a garden bed. They sit in paper coffee cups right now while they grow, but will be moved to a larger container (as seen in that first picture) once they start flowering.[/QUOTE] What are you doing for pollination? Are you planning to give them access to pollinators/wind when they are ready or are you going to artificially pollinate?

[QUOTE=imptastick;43572315]What are you doing for pollination? Are you planning to give them access to pollinators/wind when they are ready or are you going to artificially pollinate?[/QUOTE] I have some old CPU fans that will provide simulated wind (I built a circuit to allow adjustable speeds) that would help with pollination, but I don't think air flow will be very good at pollination. I was planning on removing the flowers on all but 2 plants so they can adjust to the permanent container and then pollinating by hand with a Q-Tip like a big fat bee. :v: During spring and summer though I might set them outside during the day. That probably won't help much either.