One thing you should also learn is how to float your wrist. It doesn't matter what metal you're welding, this is pretty helpful since you say you can't get your torch hand going. Using something like a wood block or something even smoother while you run along the smoothest path you have will help bu...

Thanks guys! Not necessarily the confidence inspiring posts I hoped for but at least you're honest ;) I was going to buy 2" angle iron and create a base plate for it to sit on so maybe I should just do that and per the recommendation no wood ;) I'm not a licensed fork lift operator so I can't r...

I'm about ready to purchase a Grizzly G0757Z mill. This thing is huge and I'm about to drop a lot of cash but I'm not finding many reviews of Grizzly's larger mills. It also has the full 3 Axis DRO setup from Dro Pros already attached. It's the ES-10 model from what I can tell which looks really ful...

Did you put the cup on by hand or with a tool? These are hand tight and not automotive or Grizzly Adams hand tight. If you use the tips of all but your pinky finger to screw them on, you should reduce your leverage a lot so you get a snug fit, not a tight fit. Putting them in the "o-ring" ...

Consider the Optrel e684 as well. I and a couple other users have them and I don't think you can find a bad review for them out there.

I am VERY happy with every Everlast purchase I have. I've got three torches from them and the 256Si with the W300 water cooler. I upgraded to Jody's gas lenses of course. Seriously happy with this machine and I've welded SS, Al, Steel of various thicknesses and even had to take it up to 250A a few t...

We also have Adobe Bridge these days but yes Export is the easiest method

Back to AutoCAD pre-2k, OpenSCAD is definitely in the ballpark. Still it should fit the bill if you know coordinates and geometry. This is how true CAD is anyways so it's a worthy learning curve.

Hey Josh! Going around Thingiverse I find a lot of people use OpenSCAD and OpenSCAD just came out with Customizer which has really revolutionized CAD. I've seen it floating around for a few years now but it's really taken off the last three years in the user space. It's also Free! I've done mostly m...

I love mine too! With all the arc light changes you get with TIG, it's perfect. Just don't buy from Amazon unless you wanna pay an extra $150.

I know I'm late but I've got the Optrel e684 too and it's perfect for TIG with the auto tint level adjustment just like that Viking lens. Viking is blue Optrel is green but once you're lit up it's hard to notice the shading. You can't go wrong with either and if you TIG more than any other process, ...

I bought a Grizzly Mini Lathe a month and a half ago and I'm really happy I bought this thing! I always thought turning round parts was pretty limited but that's not all you can turn and these things a very versatile. I've already built a few things for my mini lathe with my 3D printer to help out w...

Using the RV coolant in a brand new Everlast W300 cooler like Rambo, I've still got nice green coolant. I go from heavy daily use to it not being used for a day or week and it's all good. Been like this for about 5 months now. One thing about the #20 torch is it has small holes for the water to pass...

Rambo! We're both tearin up this thread :D His Gasket Cutter never had issues for the longest time but it finally started not liking life so much. It was a 90s HP plotter with 15 years of service in the end despite the re-branding. It required more cutting force than vinyl due to material and thickn...

Another thought... Blender does great at axial and rotational validations. This means you can setup a part virtually to ensure they do not collide with others. From there the exported formats can go to AutoCAD formats so you can do your pre-checks and then export with AutoCAD. Considering the versat...

I can say Adobe products are not capable of this because I was using Illustrator CS6 which is 100% vector and can print directly to a plotter using HP proprietary G-Code. Adobe does interpret correct ARC paths but it will not export them no matter what format you use. I learned this the hard way and...

AutoCAD can interpret ARC (G02 and G03) G-Code commands unlike every other CAD/3D design program out there. When you're working with vinyl and/or gasket cutters, ARC is very important since you're almost dealing with an x-acto knife. The reason is because it's not uncommon you need 2-3 passes for a ...

And I see Rambo replied with some more relativity for you

Before we go anywhere.... I am just a really smart guy with computers and have a knack for figuring things out. I have never been trained in CAD. I use CAD for my 3D printing and I've worked with my friend at his motorcycle shop to come up with a way to cut custom gaskets using a basic scanner and C...

And there we go! Yep mine are boolean cuts on complex shapes. It usually works out up until a certain point. Thanks for that tip and it really makes sense :) I've got 16GB of DDR4 and a GeForce GTX960 which handles that model well. Most edits and renders occur in real time for me. The RAID array, an...

It's likely the models I'm using. They are highly complex geometries I'm mixing with simpler ones. The worst was my motorcycle because I did a 3d scan of it. Trying to polish up a 1.3GB true to life scale size model like that that was piece parted together using 3d stitches was a PITA. Had to do mul...

Nice! I've been working with various CAD programs over the years with many hours spent trying to pirate AutoCad across the years and their version lines. Blender really is the ticket if you wanna be legit n legal without the uber-expensive licensing! I think I've been to that site a few times as I l...

I designed a couple chip guards for my 7x12 mini lathe that you can print out if you've got a 3d printer or know someone that does. We've got a local community hacker shop that lets anyone that walks in use their 3d printers so even if I didn't have one I could get it printed locally. My understandi...

The main point was that if the same issue is occurring with an alternate part, usually that means the part you're attaching to has issues. The other indicator is if you can put ball joints in without a press, you've got major issues. If you've ever hammered them in, you will have issues. With knuckl...

If it appears to be the same amount of wear I'd almost have to wonder if it's not the knuckle but where the knuckle connects to the axle. It's starting to sound like the ball joint bushings on the axle are now rounded out. You'd know if they are if you can hand press some ball joints in them. If it ...

Rock on! I'm loving my Everlast setup! I don't know any other equipment except the Lincoln AC 225 but that's not fair to compare anything to except how long it's lived. Everlast sells replacement torches and they're pretty reasonable to work with. They also ship fast and it comes from California so ...