De Ranged Posted September 28, 2019 Share Posted September 28, 2019 Been gathering up supplies so when I finally build the new workshop I'm better setup and organized, at the same time I'm working away so have a bit of time on my hands so I'm designing and building (the smaller things that I can bring home) I decided to throw this up as it may be of interest to some..... now for those that suffer OCD I'm eclectic so I chase an idea till another pops into my head or I get distracted so this thread will be like most of my projects a bit all over the show lol So to get the ball rolling here is a little design project an Automotive wire coil rack, I've got to do a new loom for my 40 series cruiser so I figured why not sort the rolls of wire so ordered a heap of new wire (30m rolls) and here's what I came up with since there isn't anything that really fits the bill on the market Made from a couple of sheet metal hammer forms and I'll have to machine up a new dimple die to make the spindle holder section I designed a hook into one end so I can clip it over the end of the MDF top of the bench and stand it up when I want to do loom work on the bench, stackable with a handle and it will hold 12 30m rolls so I'll need 3 or 4 of them This is how it will sit on the end of the bench 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
De Ranged Posted October 24, 2019 Author Share Posted October 24, 2019 Back home.... was a hard roster lol 6 weeks with only one day off and some of the weeks were 80hrs..... Time to build some cool stuff lol Done a wee revision on this found a cheaper wire supply and they use the same dia reels for 100m and 30m so I've made these a bit smaller Designed up the dimple die so I can form the dimple for the spindle, I'm using a bit of guess work here.... I'm designing the die so it matches the model (something I haven't done before) so I'm going to throw a bit of guess work into this, I want a 6mm step up at 15 degrees, now because I've got a two stage dimple (a flat on the raised section) I'm making the angle greater but I'm keeping the bend "lines" in the same place, so I've designed the die at 20 degrees with just a 2mm clearance, will see how it goes I'm also making another die set to form a shoulder for the spindle, this is also something I've never done before so should be interesting Real pictures coming soon lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lo-fi Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 Prototyping stuff in 3D cad is a joy, isn't it! Looking forward to an engineering stream of consciousness 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
De Ranged Posted October 25, 2019 Author Share Posted October 25, 2019 22 hours ago, lo-fi said: Prototyping stuff in 3D cad is a joy, isn't it! Looking forward to an engineering stream of consciousness As part of my work I'm modeling up all the mods I make to equipment, getting to see what is in my head is cool and to mod it before I build instead of "Oh this would have been better"lol But I have to say the biggest joy is after all the swearing CAD does what I want it too lol.... slowly teaching myself how to use the program Was my first day in the workshop was driving in thinking there is bugger all traffic for a Friday..... wasn't till I'd gotten into the shop and I'm working out the steel I need (and was planing on going to buy) that the radio starts talking about the long weekend lol public holiday.... roster work you loose track of things lol so decided to see what off cuts I had in the shop 160mm is close to 120mm dia lol not much material to remove to get it down to size And this is what I got for all of that Started machining and the 20 degrees didn't look good enough to bend it to 15 degrees so I changed to 30 degrees and I've cut a 10 degree back angle on the flat to over bend it, I'm going to make both halves of the die thicker than normal so I can chuck them back in the lathe and "tweek" them This is going to be the male, so I'm going to press in a 15mm dia centering rod from an offcut of 4140 just because I have it A little tip for those that have considered making there own dimple dies.... don't stress about material lol all this hype on the net about using special tooling steels etc I have a set of of die's I made somewhere around 10yrs ago, 50mm dimple, 45 degrees and a 12.5mm rib... I made them to a 3mm clearance and I've used this on up to 5mm plate in my 60ton press and if you look at my buggies battery box it still presses a nice crisp dimple in 1mm sheet.... and it is made from free machining bar stock Oh and remember how I said this thread might get a bit eclectic.... a little summer project a shop scooter lol It was seriously rough lol but we suspect it was setup for scooter racing.... so I'm going to give it some style.... "Cafe racer wrong" style lol having a drink with a mate yesterday bouncing ideas, I'm getting some parts from his junk pile, a dead motor to fit in, a rotten tank and a triple clamp and handle bar that might even line up on the forks..... the idea is something that looks so fake its funny lol More to come Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lo-fi Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 I've found it saves me a ton of time, grinding, swearing and wasted wire, gas and grinding wheels. Also useful for printing out drilling templates, which I stick on with spray glue, then centre punch through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
De Ranged Posted October 27, 2019 Author Share Posted October 27, 2019 I like the fact I can mod before I build so hopefully less time staring at projects trying to work it out lol at work its about validation and repeatably and managers need pretty pictures with lots of irrelevant detail so they can picture what I'm doing lol So finished the Dies and pushed a couple of test pieces in the ARB press I was a bit out lol I thought because of the large amount of panel I'm moving up that there would be more spring back the alloy near on matched the die the steel has about 10% less height on the main form, the counter angle for the flat on top again the alloy near on matched but I'm only a couple of degrees out for the steel The warpage I was expecting thats a big shape to just force into a panel in one go.... I'll just pre-stretch the panels before I force the die now I have the test measurements I can CAD out the die and I should be able to machine it to provide what I want On a side note I was surprised I cut the alloy Once I was at the stage of that I needed the computer again I had some time so sorted a bit more on the shop scooter, here's the parts I got Straightened the frame, had a slight bend in the frame just below the head tube. The triple clamp matches the shocks so I'll machine up a couple of tubes to slide in over to make it look like they are full length forks. The tank is getting gutted so I can fit the dash from the scooter in it. I've gutted the motor and taken a grinder to its base as well as the back so it would fit lower and in around the oil tank. The only thing I haven't worked out yet is what I'm going to do for paint.... I don't want a flash finished look I'd love to keep the patina of the tank and match it round the bike but thats way beyond my painting skills 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddy Posted November 16, 2019 Share Posted November 16, 2019 Wont it handle badly with that pipe bender wedged in the forks?😐 It looks rather like an oversize monkey bike! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
De Ranged Posted November 17, 2019 Author Share Posted November 17, 2019 13 hours ago, muddy said: Wont it handle badly with that pipe bender wedged in the forks?😐 It looks rather like an oversize monkey bike! lol no its a performance aid its there to help cornering in the bendy stuff It does lol especially with me on it I need to update my threads on here thanks for reminding me lol tomorrow night Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
De Ranged Posted December 1, 2019 Author Share Posted December 1, 2019 A wee update...... Stage one of the tool station, made from cast offs and scrap that has come off a worksite..... that base weighs in at around 80kgs lol The red box is just there for moving (I'm moving sites), the blue boxes are Total Tools brand tool boxes, HRD brand roll cabs $399 each 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arjan Posted December 1, 2019 Share Posted December 1, 2019 Very, very Nice ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Team Idris Posted December 1, 2019 Share Posted December 1, 2019 Sweet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
De Ranged Posted December 5, 2019 Author Share Posted December 5, 2019 Had a fun day in the shop..... Decided to do a bit more on the scooter.... since I had the fake front forks done I decided to have a go at the headlight started with the front hammer form.... not as simple as it first looks lol because the sides are so close the wood wouldn't have the strenth to form the steel so had to do it in stages First form the inside shoulders so a pair of bucks.... with good shoulders to clamp Next, the outside of the hammer form..... shaped up the forming buck, because the edges were so weak I fitted the centers back in With them in I made a new clamping buck and formed this A few hrs later using asorted offcuts of pipe and my high crown pannel hammer on the wood bench I've got a body almost there.... Got one more hammer form to make a dome for the rear and then sort some sort of mounting setup and the bezal mount for the front hamerform 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
De Ranged Posted December 6, 2019 Author Share Posted December 6, 2019 Formed the rear from another hammer form Welded it all together and ground back the welds Now i just need to sort how I'm going to mount things, the bezel to the rest of the body the light into the body and then the body to the bike 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnoK Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 Blimey! Some sharp skills there, Hat's off to you, sir. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Team Idris Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 Top gun metal bashing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lo-fi Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 Always learn something from your threads. Thanks for sharing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
De Ranged Posted December 10, 2019 Author Share Posted December 10, 2019 lol na.... I have some skill, no where near where I want to be..... Lo-fi, sweet.... thats so cool to hear..... if you or anyone else wants more info on what I've done I'm more than happy to answer why, how, etc I can't garrintee how I explain things will help lol I can be very bad at communicating at times, but I like to help..... this sort of stuff is my passion, its cool to see others try and succeed with a little help Got a couple of cool little shop projects coming up that you guys might want to copy.... if anyone is interested in copying something I've done, I have a fair bit on CAD, I use my shop projects as training to improve my CAD skills for work so I'll be able to give plans and details.... the scooter tho is a eyeballing job lol no plans, just a vague idea in my head and a build it, bit by bit aproach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
De Ranged Posted December 30, 2019 Author Share Posted December 30, 2019 Lol tis the season to not be in the shed..... helping out a mate (he rocked up with a box, I need to stop falling for this one lol) I agree'd to rebuild the mower deck on his ride on mower.... got a couple of cracks and few holes lol after it was cleaned up it turns out its been patched before and it worn out, the little pin holes are where its worn out to tin foil thickness, 3hrs in and I'm only half way and because I'm doing spot weld and wait technique the pre and post flow on the mig has drained my gas bottle so Mig is now out of action Add in Christmas and New Year and its summer here so that means next to no industrial shops open till the 6th lol So I've been playing with shop projects I've been working on a set of corner scales (I have a design I've done), now this hasn't gone to plan either lol I have designed these so that the pressure gauge I use will translate to the KPa scale being the weight in Kg's. Catch is this requires a 112mm dia piston, all good there is a listing and dimensions on the SKF cataloge.... but they arn't open till the 6th lol, I have found another hydraulics shop locally that can supply seals and at a fair price $35.22 (+GST and freight) per scale, catch is it is through a supplier they don't normally deal with and there catalogue only lists the major dimensions lol so we can't be certain they will be the same as the SKF ones my designs based on..... so I don't want to start the machining till I have a price comparison from SKF or these seals in hand.... oh and talking with the owner of the shop there is no supplier for 112mm hydraulic shafting so no chance of a cheap chrome plated off cut... going to look at options in steel (possibly with a case harden), alloy or stainless.... my concern is I don't want the piston to rust while they are sitting between jobs (my place is less than a km from the coast so I don't really want to rely on oil film.... probably won't get these price options till after the 6th lol But I do have one project I can work on so I've started on these Oh and I'm out of sheet metal so decided to make these out of alloy I have a couple of sheets of "flashings" grade, that the local alloy supplier sells to the roofing companies unfortunatly it doesn't come with any more details lol we are guessing its 1050 (if I want a specific grade.... I have to order it from out of town) its the same material I have used for the buggy panels Right time to garden lol and enjoy that box since its New Years eve..... have a good New Years yal 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
De Ranged Posted January 10, 2020 Author Share Posted January 10, 2020 Finished a few things last night I've needed a decent welding 3rd hand for a while and welding the mounting tabs in the headlight for the scooter kinda pushed the issue lol so..... The main arm is a length of solid (possibly CroMoly) but its an odd size 31and a bit mm (I picked it up along with a heap of solid stock in a closing down sale).... the pionts are old broken or worn out drill bits, and yes that is chrome on the legs.... thats the offcut bits from the fake forks on the scooter lol It works a treat.... heavy enough and the sharpened pionts stop it moving With the 3rd hand done I was able to finish the Headlight for the scooter Now I have to mount it..... that had me scratching my head for a while last night.... there's not much to mount too and trying to do it with style, but I have an answer now I have to see if I can build it, it is going to be the most complex hammer forms I've done to date lol gotta love a challenge 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lo-fi Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 I took some inspiration from you and made myself a hammer form for making a piece of bulkhead. Looking forward to seeing your next one! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
De Ranged Posted January 11, 2020 Author Share Posted January 11, 2020 Good on ya, its pretty simple and easy to do...... Nice work Just a couple of pionts (I don't know if you know any of this.... but it may help someone else if you do know) Using steel bucks can cause a problem when forming over an outside corner (the far end of your picture) when you hit steel on steel (steel hammer, steel buck) you stretch / thin the sheet metal, this is only after you've bent it around.... on an outside corner you are shrinking so you don't want it to fold over and then stretch.... the trick is to listen to the note of the hammer, it'll ring when its finished shrinking and starts to stretch. Another option is a soft face mallet (wood or plastic).... personally I prefer to use a good steel panel hammer as I'm better able to force any ridges (either side of a tuck) down and I use a sweeping (sort of sideways strike) this planishes (smooths) at the same time Now as for tucks, ripples, folds etc I know there are alot of videos on the net saying they are good and they are they will speed up things alot, but if you want to fold a big lip, a sharp corner or a complex shape they will slow you down and possibly stuff you up.... I like to do lots of subtle pass's around the corners avoiding any ripples (on some stuff I've gone so far as to dolly ripples that have started to form) if you do it this way you can manipulate a larger lip and do it smoothly.... Now Lo-Fi how'd your end corners go? I bet you got a little bump above your fold, because its an outside corner your shrinking so the metal has to move somewhere, because your top buck (the Box section) doesn't match the curve of the bottom buck your allowing the metal to push up into the top surface as it shrinks. Its why I use MDF alot its quick and easy to cut to shape, cut your first pattern shape it and when your happy clamp it on another piece of MDF and use the jigsaw to trace another one for the top Then over winter the offcuts burn in the shop fire place lol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lo-fi Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 Priceless knowledge Yep, you're absolutely right on the end corners. I didn't care much here as the ends of the corners are hidden under the pillars and easy enough to knock down, but next time I come to do something like this I'll refer back to your comments and improve my method. Thank you! If you were going to buy (or make) a metal folder, would you go for a box and pan type, or a press brake? The Binky boys have a great box and pan type that's clearly home brew and I'm quite tempted to have a go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellaghost Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 (edited) Lo-fi I would have a go if I were you, you certainly have the skills and machinary to do it just a case of obtaining the right materials I have two home made plate folders one fits in the vice and will fold 2mm plate over about 20" and the other one is floor standing and will bend 2 mm aluminium over 43" but not substantial enough for steel sheet it was made to form aluminium when I made my wifes dog agility equipment. I am at some point looking to make a heavy duty box and pan folder so have started collecting materials, for the fingers I have a 4 Foot long loading shovel bucket tip that really just needs cutting into fingers, as with everything too many projects and too little time regards Stephen Edited January 12, 2020 by Stellaghost 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
De Ranged Posted January 12, 2020 Author Share Posted January 12, 2020 12 hours ago, lo-fi said: If you were going to buy (or make) a metal folder, would you go for a box and pan type, or a press brake? The Binky boys have a great box and pan type that's clearly home brew and I'm quite tempted to have a go. you want two different ones a press brake for thicker stuff and a box and pan bender for sheet (a straight bender will frustrate you) I'm with Stellaghost, I'd suggest you build a press with a brake fitting.... its what I did years ago, I happened to end up with a 60 ton hydraulic jack left over from a job so I designed a press to use as much offcuts as I could, and minimal stock from the rack lol I'll get a pic of it, she is a little rough but it works. Hardest job its done so far is a 550mm piece of 10mm Bis80 bent to 45 degrees on an 80mm wide anvil and from the way everything was protesting including the jack.... I broke the pivot pin on the jack handle fitting! I think its safe to say, thats its limit lol The box and pan bender I'd suggest you buy and this is the one I'd suggest https://www.machine.co.nz/product/folder-sheetmetal-4-ft-box-pan-benchmount-1-5mm-capacity-new/ And no not from these guys lol, its a chinese made unit that gets re-badged by a number of companys...... I have got one, got it through our version of ebay brand new from the importer for less than $800 delivered (think your exchange rate would make it half that) for that price its just not worth building one..... The biggest issue with it is you won't bend 4' of 1.5mm steel cleanly lol not even close..... if you crank the center tension bolts up past where you think you'd need to it will bend 4' off 1.1mm steel nice and sharp. but given most car panels are made from alot thinner steel I don't see this as a problem, I've bent a bit of alloy in it and even had it crack the alloy due to makeing the bend too sharp I have considered strengthening it (there are a few Utube and I think possibly a thread on pirate) where people have strengthend them I just haven't seen the need yet..... I have a couple of times considered modifying it to reduce the depth of the clamp, so it can fold short "U" shapes That said I've added a stand for it thats on wheels with a drop down step so when you bending long stuff you can put your foot on this to bend against without tipping it over, I've extended the lower levers and added a vertical weighted lever at one end and a tool rack on the stand for all the teeth I don't have fitted 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lo-fi Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 Thanks both. Looks like another project to add to the list! Definitely interested in some pics of the brake if you can find. If I can get 2mm steel 90o over 650mm, I'll be happy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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