Boostinjdm's Tools

[Boostinjdm]

I thought I would post the tools I use.  Some I bought and some I built.  I am going to try one tool per post so bare with me.

[Boostinjdm]

Big Press

It's not mine but I built it at work and it's one of my favorites.  It's approx. 117 ton with about a 5' stroke.  The bed is 24" by 50"  and the Cylinder slides from side to side.  The power unit next to it has Momentary as well as Normal switches to run up/down.  It also has a pendant so you can get the hell out of the way.  In the pics you can see the heavy plates on the table and hanging down from the table.  Those as well as the uprights are all 1.5" thick and have bracing under them so they don't bend like butter.  Most of this machine was built from scrap including the cylinder and power unit, cuz that's all they would let me have to work with.  The press is rock solid and extremely heavy.  Oh ya, the yellow cap is held on with a set screw and can be replaced with a number of attachments.

[Boostinjdm]

My Press

This is still in the making, but this is what I got so far.  I am aiming for 45 tonish, but if that isn't enough I have another cylinder that mount the same as this one with a booster on top that I think will put me in the 65ish range.  It's got a 16"x 38" bed and about 13" of stroke.  the cylinder will roll from side to side on this one as well.  Power will be supplied by a electric over hydraulic power unit.  I'm thinking it will be 115v so I can plug it in anywhere and it will have a pendant.

[fabr]

All you need now for it is a set of dimple dies.

[Boostinjdm]

I don't think the dies will do me any good till it's done....

[fabr]

Well hurry the hell up then!

[Boostinjdm]

ya, house comes first.  I need to quit dickin around on here and finish the house....I just can't seem to stay away though.  Maybe it's cause I'm borderline hermit.  This is the only way I "get out".

[fabr]

LOL! same here.

[Boostinjdm]

Welder's and "The Fridge"

Millermatic 251 and Miller Synchrowave 200.  These two welders handle all my MIG, TIG, Stick, and spoolgun needs.  The 251 has a 30A spool gun I use for aluminum when I really need to lay down a lot of weld.  I bought it to rebuild a 53' double deck hog trailer a few years ago and it was worth it's weight in gold.  I think I went through about 30 of those little spools of wire.  The 200 has a smith dual flow regulater on it so I can purge tanks and stuff to weld them up for a more sanitary weld.  In my opinion,  these are the best to welders for the buck. 

The fridge is where all my paint is kept.  it has a thermostat controlled light bulb to keep the temp consistant through the winter when the garage gets cold.

[Boostinjdm]

Drill press

Ok it's a cheapy, but it was a good buy.  It was about $450 from Harbor Freight.  It has a 20" swing, and with a little tweaking the belts don't slip.  I recently had to replace the chuck with a better quallity one, but overall I don't regret buying this tool.

[Boostinjdm]

Plasma Cutter

Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 81.  Since I got this, the torch only comes out to heat stuff up.  I had the same one at work and can vouch for it cutting very good at 3/4"  and will cut thicker if you take your time and don't need great results.  I am mostly using 1/8" and 1/4" material, so this more than meets my needs.  I have personally used it up to 1 1/4".  Over that, I get out the torch and turn up the oxy.

[SPEC]

Your shop is too clean...your fridge works backwards...But hey,
Thanks for inviting us into your shop
You got a nice setup there

[Boostinjdm]

Bender

This isn't the same type bender that is most commonly used, but I have had good results after learning how to use it.  It is a Masterbend exhaust bender with expander.  I got it in pieces for $800 with dies.  The guy I got it from had it all torn apart thinking it had valve problems, but after 3 days of trying to get it back together to diagnose it myself, I found the microswitches just needed adjusting.  Near as I can tell the die sets cost about $400 for two flats and one curved one.  I got all sizes from 1 1/2" up to 2 7/8", some with three different radius dies.  I also got a bucket full of expander dies to expand, flare, and make ball joints for different size tubing.  So I would say I came out like a bandit.  It will however only bend up 170 degrees, but I don't need that much most of the time anyway.

[Boostinjdm]

My garage ain't that clean, if I would have turned around you would see that the driveway looked like I was having a yard sale.  Plus  I got a 36x56 steel building packed full of "projects"  when I am not working on them.

[Boostinjdm]

Bead Breaker

I built this several years ago for atv wheels.  Works better than screw drivers and I also made some "spoons" to peel off the tire once the bead is broke.