Category: Machine Shop

  • Moving the milling machine into place

    Now that the band saw is on it’s stand and working with temporary power connections, it was time to move the milling machine from the driveway into the shop. First, clean a space to move this large, heavy machine. Next I removed anything that was easy to remove from the milling machine such as the […]

  • Hooking up mill and saw

    Our milling machine and the band saw both require 380v, 3 phase power. This is very common in industry but rare in residential buildings. Our electrician left a wire hanging from the wall so I could complete the connections. Today I did that…almost. First I determined where everything would go. The circuit breaker enclosure is […]

  • Band Saw Stand

    We’ve been working on this a little at a time, we’ve been very busy lately. Here’s what it currently looks like. The wood has been coated with a protective finish and the steel painted. There will be a thin metal cover over the top shelf as that will have the cutting fluids running onto it. […]

  • Band saw stand

    It’s time to stop kneeling on the floor to use the bandsaw, so I’ve started making the stand. Not done yet, can only work part of a day on it at a time due to other things that need to be done. This stand will have a flat top with a lip to catch the […]

  • Hoist installed

    I finished welding and cleaning the trolley and then Sharon painted it. After the paint was dry, I bolted the trolley onto the hoist. In this picture it’s upside down because the other side of the hoist is round and it would roll over. The hoist is heavy, so I used two ratchet straps to […]

  • Hoist Trolley

    We got really busy so I haven’t had time to work on the shop until today. I finished cutting and drilling the steel for the hoist trolley. This allows the hoist/winch to roll back and forth on the I-beam we have over our outside work area. At the moment the wheel brackets are only “tack […]

  • Fake Welding

    Just like lots of things on the Internet, there are fake videos of welding. They pretend to show you a magical way to weld. Here a welding instructor explains why this method can’t possibly work and then shows how to make your own fake welding video. This also shows how MIG welding actually works, very […]

  • Souvenirs from The Workshop

    Hello ,dear friends ! Jerry and Sharon pleased us with the results of the last lesson at their Interstellar Home Learning Center. Admire your laser-made business cards and smooth metal circles made on a lathe machine which you not only saw but worked on yourself. I am waiting for you to visit me. Your souvenirs […]

  • Hands-On Lathe Demo

    We had a demonstration of a metal cutting lathe. Then, every participant was able to cut some steel. At the end we cut discs off that rod and every student will get one. The lathe is on the floor along with our other tools as we haven’t built the benches for them yet. That should […]

  • LASER!

    Yesterday I gave a demonstration of an engraving laser. This was intended to be hands on but there were too many people and too little time to let each person run the machine themselves. Most of the video is audio only, I need to find a better place for the camera where nobody will bump […]