projectphotos pt.2

[Tony]

hello all
since this photobucket trick went so well, thought i'd share another idea or two.

my plasma cutter has been a mixed blessing.
its a godsend to have, but it always managed
to trip me up in the shop... cables/cords everywhere, always under my feet. finally gave it the respect it deserved. threw together a "swing arm" .. sort of like you see TV sets hanging from.

the arm is 40x40x3 (mm) tubing, with two pivot points. air and power supply moved to ceiling. i can nowswing it in over the bench and i get good reach from the corner its on. with the 12' cables, i can do
damage just about anywhere in the shop!

photo1: hanging happily about 4' in the air, midway between its swing. folds into the corner and hides away.
http://www.photobucket.com/albums/0903/knucklehead/machineshop/2853bd93.jpg

photo2: same thing, different view
http://www.photobucket.com/albums/0903/knucklehead/machineshop/ec221a9e.jpg

photo3: detail of the 'base'.. put a nylo(g)
washer in the mix to smooth the motion.
pins/bushings are all turned a bit tight to keep the cutter from swinging on its own when using(pulling) the cables.
http://www.photobucket.com/albums/0903/knucklehead/machineshop/f482f9f3.jpg

bonus picture!: anvil/vice hybrid. had an oldpiece of railroad around that i used for pounding. lights up the little blacksmith in me. chopped off a piece of the tail to make a movable vice jaw (laying on top) milled slots/drilled holes, mostly for fun, but also for driving pins through. more to come as progress continues.
http://www.photobucket.com/albums/0903/knucklehead/machineshop/3423ed84.jpg

hope all is well
and safe
and sound
-knuckletony

[wierdscience]

Excellent idea,at work we have a 6'boom overhead that has our wire feed whip,stick leads,and tig all in one,off the floor is the best,much easier on both the feet and the equipment.

Neat Idea on the anvil,I have about 150'of old rail and that one more idea of what to use it for.

[G.A. Ewen]

Looks like a first class job. How much weight will a rigg like that hold?

[Tony]

you know, i'm not exactly sure how much it will hold. the plasma cutter weighs about 30lbs, and that causes the arm to deflect a bit .. maybe 1/2" over 4'

the 40mm tubing was scrap from another job, i would have probably used something a bit heavier if i had it.

both hindges have 20mm pins in 45mm bushings, so they're not going anywhere.
the mounting plate is 6mm and anchored with 4 120mm long bolts, so that wont move. i didnt want to drop the expensive plasmacutter!

i probably weigh ~180lbs.. i can stand on that mounting plate, but i wouldnt try hanging on the swing arm. (thats my personal design test, by the way, hanging on things to see if they break http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net//smile.gif

-tony

wierd: i've always wanted to do something like that! like a welding boom. problem is my shop is an odd size, and the welding equip needs to move around alot. what i have thought of: hardwiring the ground to all the workbenches (about 4, including the old vice stand we sometimes weld in) ... run the wires under the floor and leave a "common" connection on the wall somewhere (out of tripping hazard range)

a strange feeling telling me this is a safety hazard has kept me from doing it.. though i'm not sure why

[wierdscience]

Tony,go for it,we have a common ground trough out the building,I can stick weld anywhere in the shop on any vise,for the tig torch I ran it to one vise that is not grounded,the reason being the old dc machine has no polarity swtich so we have to switch leads when we tig.

I ran a ground lead and a positive lead over head about 45 feet total,That much welding lead is expensive in a #2 guage,but an electrician friend told me to use #2thnn house wire instead,like he said its rated at 100+amps at 600volts lots more than the welder needs and its a lot cheaper,I ran it underneath one of the beams overhead to a teriminal block I made out of plastic so I could divide the leads up between the mig,tig and stick,the boom is only six feet long,but it swings in an arch and each lead extends 12'from it,it covers everything around the welding table and then some,in addition I still have 75' of regular welding lead that is on the dc machine so I can pull it out the back door and weld the big stuff out side.

We also have an old 700 amp dc machine in our back shop,all the buildings on the block make ground with each other,if I need to weld something on the opposite corner or across the street I just run the positve over the roof,actually since its reverse polarity it would be the ground and the building would be positive.