Metalworking Seminar
Another of Bill's seminars that was of particular interest to my coworkers and I was metalworking. There was a day before I arrived that he went over the basics of welding two pieces of steel together with a MIG welder (a skill I already possessed).
In this sort of part two of his seminar he went over some of the cutting tools that can be used to shape steel. Namely he taught us safety and working procedures of a horizontal bandsaw, a miter saw with lubricant and a diamond blade and a plasma cutter. As well as cutting steel we learned a few different bending techniques with a bending machine and the simple route of using mandrels.
Safety is important so he started by making sure we were wearing proper protective goggles (welding and plasma cutter) and safety goggles for the saws. We also wore welding smocks and gloves while handling hot steel as well as ear protection.
First we started with the horizontal bandsaw. This was a saw equipped to drop at an adjustable rate to slowly cut through steel at any angle desired. While it took some time to cut through the steel it was beneficial because it made very clean cuts that did not need to be ground down to make attachment points (also very handy for cutting legs).
The miter saw was similar in structure save for the process require a person be operating the throttle on the saw. This saw was lubricated to assure a clean and relatively fast cut (not too much friction). A good option when cutting needs to be done with a good degree of accuracy as well as be time efficient.
The plasma cutter was a particularly interesting tool to use as it uses some of the same principles of welding steel together to burn it apart. The machine was a small miller plasma cutter that used compressed air and an arc from a ground attached to the piece of steel to cut. You have to hold it about an 1/8" away from the steel you are cutting and drag the torch relatively fast across the steel to cut it.
The bending mechanisms were fairly simple. The bender used a clamp and a series of dies that you rolled steel in between, while compressing the clamp to create more of a curve. The mandrel was the same principle save for you had to rely on the mechanical advantage of your own two hands. In this case we were just bending rings out of pipe and smaller rods (respectively) for practice.
Overall it was an educational experience that I'm glad I now has some base familiarity with.
In this sort of part two of his seminar he went over some of the cutting tools that can be used to shape steel. Namely he taught us safety and working procedures of a horizontal bandsaw, a miter saw with lubricant and a diamond blade and a plasma cutter. As well as cutting steel we learned a few different bending techniques with a bending machine and the simple route of using mandrels.
Safety is important so he started by making sure we were wearing proper protective goggles (welding and plasma cutter) and safety goggles for the saws. We also wore welding smocks and gloves while handling hot steel as well as ear protection.
First we started with the horizontal bandsaw. This was a saw equipped to drop at an adjustable rate to slowly cut through steel at any angle desired. While it took some time to cut through the steel it was beneficial because it made very clean cuts that did not need to be ground down to make attachment points (also very handy for cutting legs).
The miter saw was similar in structure save for the process require a person be operating the throttle on the saw. This saw was lubricated to assure a clean and relatively fast cut (not too much friction). A good option when cutting needs to be done with a good degree of accuracy as well as be time efficient.
The plasma cutter was a particularly interesting tool to use as it uses some of the same principles of welding steel together to burn it apart. The machine was a small miller plasma cutter that used compressed air and an arc from a ground attached to the piece of steel to cut. You have to hold it about an 1/8" away from the steel you are cutting and drag the torch relatively fast across the steel to cut it.
The bending mechanisms were fairly simple. The bender used a clamp and a series of dies that you rolled steel in between, while compressing the clamp to create more of a curve. The mandrel was the same principle save for you had to rely on the mechanical advantage of your own two hands. In this case we were just bending rings out of pipe and smaller rods (respectively) for practice.
Overall it was an educational experience that I'm glad I now has some base familiarity with.
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