What’s in your shop (tools)?

650Skull said:
Bit late to the party 😔🎉

Working as a pipe fitter, our saws used a continuous liquid milk.
Wasn't milk but a special fluid, (Milk colour). Could set the weight on the blade for fast or slow cutting. To fast, (heavy weight), would heat and ruin the blade. Slow, ( lighter weight), blades would last quite a while.

Also the machines we had would cut on the pull, lift on return.

On aluminium I would b using more teeth pi not less. Lighter weight on the cut as well. It should take longer than steel. Cutting aluminium by hand with a hacksaw I do light cuts so I would use the same thought to the machine.

Cutting aluminium on my drop saw, the more teeth on the blade the better and again slow light drop onto the peice or the blade will grab. That becomes very dangerous and quick to loose a finger or two
Click to expand...
Thanks for your advice! The belts on my old saw need replacement as they will slip under a moderate cutting load. They are properly tensioned but are hard due to old age and have lost much of their “gription”. I’ll keep the weight near the end for a lighter cut. I don’t want to be burning out blades and I’m not in a hurry to cut stuff. This saw doesn’t have a provision for coolant. I think it would get messy to rig something up so for the limited cutting I’ll do, I’ll leave it as a dry cut machine.
 
gggGary said:
Great tools!
If you are working with polypropylene the welder and sticks of plastic also de rigueur.
A cheap one seems to work fine.
The side boxes on the Africa Twin needed a lot of work. So far the repairs are solid.

View attachment 354199
View attachment 354204View attachment 354205View attachment 354206

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Click to expand...
Nice. The only criticism I have of my kit is the SS wires are supposed to snap off by hand but I find cutters are needed to remove the tails.

Back in my earlier life I spent a lot of time (24 years) around plastics as I worked in the injection molding business. I got to know thermoplastics fairly well and understand all plastics are not equal. There’s some compatibility between different types but when joining or filling repair areas, it’s best to try to use the same material as the part you’re fixing. Sometimes you may be able to harvest some from an inconspicuous area - like a skin transplant or bone graft.
 
bosco659 said:
SS wires are supposed to snap off by hand
Click to expand...
😜 :unsure:
Yeah side cutters or the mini cut off wheel in the dremel.
1752935758108.png

Gotten a lot of use out of this since 2020 still have 3 1/2 wheels.
 
Built myself a proper workbench today.
20250719_142317.jpg


I bought a kit that came with 8 of these plastic injection-molded corner pieces and all the screws you need to build any size workbench.
20250719_142326.jpg


All you have to do it figure out what size bench you want and buy 2x4's and plywood.

I did however, cut off some pieces of angle aluminum I had lying around and used a #5 center drill to make some brackets so I could add feet on the bottom in the middle and an extra support column with extra screws I had laying around as well.
20250719_142331.jpg


For reference, this is my old "workbench". Literally a workbench top salvaged from my workbench before that when the frame folded like spaghetti (cheap ass garbage), that was sitting on some cinderblocks.
20250719_142744.jpg
20250719_142751.jpg

And as an added bonus, I won't be blinded by the sun coming thru the window and reflecting off the stainless steel top in early mornings on weekends anymore. I am going to keep the top, maybe I can reuse it somewhere else. But for the past year I've been secretly ashamed of my workbench and I vowed one day to rectify the situation.

If anyone is interested in the kit, I can post a link. I got it at my local Menards, but you can probably get it at any big box store or on Amazon.
 
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grouchie83 said:
Built myself a proper workbench today.
View attachment 354230

I bought a kit that came with 8 of these plastic injection-molded corner pieces and all the screws you need to build any size workbench.
View attachment 354231

All you have to do it figure out what size bench you want and buy 2x4's and plywood.

I did however, cut off some pieces of angle aluminum I had lying around and used a #5 center drill to make some brackets so I could add feet on the bottom in the middle and an extra support column with extra screws I had laying around as well.
View attachment 354232

For reference, this is my old "workbench". Literally a workbench top salvaged from my workbench before that when the frame folded like spaghetti (cheap ass garbage), that was sitting on some cinderblocks.
View attachment 354233View attachment 354234
And as an added bonus, I won't be blinded by the sun coming thru the window and reflecting off the stainless steel top in early mornings on weekends anymore. I am going to keep the top, maybe I can reuse it somewhere else. But for the past years I've been secretly ashamed of my workbench and I vowed one day to rectify the situation.

If anyone is interested in the kit, I can post a link. I got it at my local Menards, but you can probably get it at any big box store or on Amazon.
Click to expand...

Nicely done!
 
I always wanted a small chain hoist and found this for sale locally. It was brand new in the box. It didn’t appear to be a standard Chinese hoist and the price was very right ($40) so I snagged it right up. A bit of research afterwards showed this hoist retails locally for mid $300’s - $400.

I tried lifting the Supra motor (about 400lbs) and it did that effortlessly. 10ft lift, 1,000 lb capacity. A nice addition to my garage. A good deal always makes you happy.


IMG_0272.jpegIMG_0271.jpegIMG_5847.png
 
gggGary said:
I'd be seeing if I could cover 1/2 that plywood with the stainless. I've been watching for some stainless to cover a wood workbench top LOL
Click to expand...
The sun comes thru that window in the early mornings and when it bounced off the stainless it would blind me when I'd be out there on weekends, so that's why I didn't reuse it.

Yet.
 
A small welding inverter that can do stick (MMA) AND DC Tig welding is very handy to have. And much smaller/ lighter than a conventional welding transformer. If the budget allows, an AC/DC Tig welder will also give you the option of welding aluminum alloys.
 
bosco659 said:
I always wanted a small chain hoist and found this for sale locally. It was brand new in the box. It didn’t appear to be a standard Chinese hoist and the price was very right ($40) so I snagged it right up. A bit of research afterwards showed this hoist retails locally for mid $300’s - $400.

I tried lifting the Supra motor (about 400lbs) and it did that effortlessly. 10ft lift, 1,000 lb capacity. A nice addition to my garage. A good deal always makes you happy.


View attachment 354241View attachment 354242View attachment 354243
Click to expand...


When I built my garage in the mid ‘80’s, I put a triple 2x6 ceiling joist / rafters tie in the building with the intention of hoisting heavy items on the reinforced beam. Even being triple stacked, the joist deflects a bit under load, so I thought I should prop it up when lifting, to prevent damage to the garage structure. I was going to use a 4x4 but went all in and bought a shoring jack post. Pretty slick piece, well built and engineered. I feel very confident I’ll be safe lifting with this.

IMG_0280.jpegIMG_0282.jpegIMG_0283.jpegIMG_0281.jpeg
 
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