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The Shop |
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My shop is quite small, a one car garage. I have a rather modest collection of tools, but they are enough so that I can do most of what I want to. I would of course like a full size lathe, a Bridgeport, shaper, TIG welder, etc, etc. In the meantime I enjoy myself out here and I am of course always looking for new and better equipment. |
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The machine shown here is a Craftex B2229 combination lathe/mill. Grizzly Industrial sells the same machine in the United States. In Canada, Craftex products are carried by Busy Bee machine tools. I bought this machine, barely used, from a gentleman in Nova Scotia. His price was very reasonable, less than half the cost of new, and it included a considerable amount of tooling he bought. He was an interesting gent, a free lance prospector, but he'd bought a machine he had little use for and no time or inclination to learn. Most of the accessories and equipment were still in the original, unopened, packages.
It has the usual limitations of combination machines, but is still very versatile and fits well in a small shop.
I built the stand for it out of 2x3x1/8" rectangular steel tubing. The original, also homemade, stand was very flimsy and the new more rigid stand has proven well worth the time and effort. The cross plates the machine feet are bolted to are 1" thick steel plates that are shimmed to acheive a level mounting surface. |
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Most of the shelving and cabinets in my shop have been cobbled together out of scraps and the remains of materials/furniture that are no longer considered suitable for the habitable areas of the house.
The small hydraulic press is a cheap one from a travelling sales show that came through the area last year. I've found it very useful and I would be hard pressed to build one, even using junkyard materials, for what it cost. |
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My welder is a Lincoln Handy Core. It is a little flux core unit. I would eventually like a 230 volt MIG, but in the meantime this has proven to be a very useful unit.
It can weld up to 1/8" steel and has the advantage of being extremely portable.
I used it to build my lathe stand which is a fairly robust piece of work.
It's main disadvantage is the discrete power settings which can make some jobs a little tricky.
The other welding tool very high on my wish list is a proper set of torches. |
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Thought I'd include one shot of myself at work, courtesy of my son Devon. |
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My clean up crew hard at work. What child labour laws? |
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