What welding projects are you working on? Are you proud of something you built?
How about posting some pics so other welders can get some ideas?
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So I've got this build buried up in my TIG n00b welding journey thread. I started out with some plates, and after about 3 weeks decided it was time to build something to cut more test plates, begin cutting parts for my future projects, and have them all cut evenly without having to vice things up or stand in some awkward position as you try to navigate a saw that wants to jump a bit weighing in at 16 Lbs and achieve a perfect straight cut.

I saw Jody's video about the portaband saw stand and borrowed some of his ideas. Out of all the ideas I've seen so far I just saw gundog's after I finished mine and am kinda jealous at the elegance and simplicity.
Gundog's build is here:
http://forum.weldingtipsandtricks.com/v ... and#p68948
Our guide Jody's build is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4kTUPB4HZM

My project is 100% TIG with a few cuts from a plasma.

So I built mine out of 1 1/4 with 1/16 wall square tube and 3/8 rod that I bought. The rest was scrap pieces I bought from the metal yard when I first started with Stick. A $20 sampler/learner pack they sell :)

The frame is basic and stout and the saw slips in and snugs up evenly with little effort. I considered heat distortion when putting this together which did pay off for the uprights, and not so much on the base extensions (where I started and first time w/ 1/16 welding).

The guide plates are an even 90 degrees with the saw blade which is about the most important thing I coulda done :) The guide plate is attached to 1 1/2 with 1/16 wall square tube so it slips over the front upright and again sits flush with the blade resting on the tool guide bar that came with the Harbor Freight saw so no need to remove it.

The best part about this build is the bar and cable setup for the trigger. The Harbor Freight saw does not have a trigger lock so I used some 3/32 stainless steel cable and some ferrules. I created a loop that I can fit a ferrule stopped cable through to create a noose and loop it around the trigger. Once looped around the trigger, I run the cable through on eye-hook that is almost parallel to the trigger on the rear stand in the far corner. The cable then runs up and the final cable stop sits on the other side of 1/8 plate with a groove for the cable to slide into so the cable can be removed i.e. the whole saw can be used as it was originally intended.
Then there's the 3/8 bar that I bent with a slight handle that sits in a hole I drilled just below the front upright. I autogenously welded two small pieces of 3/8 bar to the main bar so they sit horizonal to earth and then grinded and smoothed a path for the cable to sit in and have plenty of side to side movement. Finally there is the lock bar which points out from the side of where the cable stop rests in to create the tension. The lock bar has a groove for the on/off bar to rest in and points slightly downward but not too far that the floor would stop you.

So now I can just push the control bar down, bring it back and the saw is on and I can lock the saw in the on position and use both hands to cut. OR I can just use my foot to press on the control bar or just the cable and operate it that way. If anything goes wrong, the lock bar kicks out easily if you hit it.

I'll add a larger plate on the top with some drill points and pegs for it to lock into for larger pieces but will keep it removable since these plates are more than enough for most things.
I'll add some folding legs too, perhaps with extension legs that slide/lock into place on the future legs so I can double the height but still fold it all up and keep it the same floor space size it has now. Fun stuff!
Attachments
Underneath control and lock bar
Underneath control and lock bar
DSC03794.JPG (33.61 KiB) Viewed 2130 times
Control and Lock bar locked
Control and Lock bar locked
DSC03793.JPG (30.51 KiB) Viewed 2130 times
Noosed trigger cable
Noosed trigger cable
DSC03792.JPG (34.74 KiB) Viewed 2130 times
Side Complete
Side Complete
DSC03789.JPG (31.99 KiB) Viewed 2130 times
Front Complete
Front Complete
DSC03788.JPG (32.09 KiB) Viewed 2130 times
90 degree to the saw and plate
90 degree to the saw and plate
DSC03787.JPG (30.01 KiB) Viewed 2130 times
Nearly Complete
Nearly Complete
DSC03783.JPG (33.45 KiB) Viewed 2130 times
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So after several cuts this stand is paying off! The on/off lock bar definitely makes life easier and gives me a chance at cleaner cuts :)

I thought the lock bar was the best feature but now I'm hard pressed to say the saw blade retention plate might be the most important feature I added. I just had a blade pop on me and what do ya know, the blade remained in the saw almost like it didn't break :D

That lil chunk of scrap metal just saved my face because to make my cut I had to be right up on the part looking straight down and had that retention plate not have been there, that blade would have surely popped out and with my luck would have given me a villain face scar. IT WORKS!
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dmcnally
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Congratulations on the stand and especially on not getting hurt.

I wear one of these religiously.
shield.jpg
shield.jpg (89.52 KiB) Viewed 2049 times
Dave
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Hey Dave! Thank you for the concern! I've been considering one of those for a while. I could take a band saw blade in the face and not worry so long as my eyes are protected however I'll still buy one soon because a clear view full protection mask will have more benefit than a #5 shade welding helmet on grind mode or even just a pair of good safety glasses. The metal flakes from bein cut are fairly hot :D
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Charlie337
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I've been thinking of getting one of those portable band saws..I've got a Evo rage 3 on a portable folding miter saw stand that I dig..nice job keep it up!
Saz
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entity-unknown wrote:
I have the same Jack Daniels rocks glasses, pretty sure they came from a holiday box of Gentleman Jack. They get used quite often.
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Thank you Charlie! It was a fun build and I've been using it a lot. I'm very pleased with the results and would recommend a portaband saw stand project for anyone new to welding and is trying to decide what to build first. I'd almost say this would be better to build first than a cart simply because machines weigh a lot and if your n00b welds fail, well you could be replacing an entire machine but to each their own and it all depends on needs :)

Hey Saz! I hope you have fun with your TIG'in experience! I love the JD holiday set glasses because it's usually the same price as a normal bottle and I'm not one to go out and purchase fancy glassware plus I hate plastic cups so glass it is! My lovely girl broke a couple (I've broken more) so she bought me about 8 more from a consignment place. We're down to about 4 left after 3 years so time to re-up :)
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Saz
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I am having fun with it! Need lots of hood time. I'm a burbon drinker, but I always wind up with a bottle of Gentleman Jack around the holidays. Not sure why, the flavor just says Christmas to me. Yeah, my wife says I'm weird too.....
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Ha flavors of Christmas or perhaps sour holiday cheer ;) I prefer Jameson for the general go to but Maker's Mark does a wonderful job. I'm still questioning consumption simply because it offers only a degree of comfort and has little help in my mechanical/welding career but when it comes to coding/analysis it has it's ups but still plenty of downs. Regardless there's not a much of a bad reason to wind down after a successful completion of a job with a lil post courage shot :)
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ex framie
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Nice job on the stand, you'll learns lot.
Get a face mask, yeah chicks supposedly like scars but not if you look like the understudy for Frankenstein after reassembly, stops you eating high speed grit while grinding as well.
The battery powered Milwaukee portabands have only just made an appearance down under, which is why I bought a horizontal band saw about 3 years ago. Pointless building a stand if the tool to put in it wasn't available.

Try the Jim Beam 1795, fantastic.

Cheers
Pete

God gave man 2 heads and only enough blood to run 1 at a time. Who said God didn't have a sense of humour.....
Saz
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ex framie wrote: Try the Jim Beam 1795, fantastic.

Cheers
Never heard of Jim Beam 1795. Is it available outside the US?

Blanton's is my absolute favorite, along with Four Roses single barrel and Booker's in the next two. EVERYTHING I try gets compared to Blanton's, and it still remains my all time favorite. (Even compared to 16 and 23 year Pappy)
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ex framie
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Its definitely available in oz, but its around $170 for 700ml.
Its almost single malt scotch like in its smoothness.
Apart from Bookers, I haven't heard of the rest of your favourites, probably not brought into this country, which is strange as we seem to like a drink or 3 :D
Pete

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ex framie wrote:Its definitely available in oz, but its around $170 for 700ml.
Its almost single malt scotch like in its smoothness.
Apart from Bookers, I haven't heard of the rest of your favourites, probably not brought into this country, which is strange as we seem to like a drink or 3 :D
I heard they let you make your own down under. Or is that New Zealand? I make my own and it's better than what I can buy in the store. I am not much of a whiskey drinker but my wife absolutely loves it and gave up store-bought for my stuff. At $15 dollars for 3 gallons of finished product, the price alone makes it taste good :lol:
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Coldman
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Yes you can buy kits, distill your own alchohol then add flavour essence from a little bottle you also buy to make whatever you want. Scotch, bourbon, rum etc. Apparently tastes good but to me its just flavoured metho. Not the real thing like cheap booze. I wouldn't touch it.
Flat out like a lizard drinkin'
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Coldman wrote:Yes you can buy kits, distill your own alchohol then add flavour essence from a little bottle you also buy to make whatever you want. Scotch, bourbon, rum etc. Apparently tastes good but to me its just flavoured metho. Not the real thing like cheap booze. I wouldn't touch it.
Hang on a sec, are you saying you have a problem with flavoured metho? Once you put one of those little umbrellas in it, it's actually pretty nice! :lol:

Kym
Coldman
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If I'm gonna drink metho no point trying to disguise it. Life is too short for cheap wine cheap beer and cheap spirits. For me there's a difference. Cheap stuff gets me angry and gives me a hangover. Good stuff gets me happy and no hangovers. I like being happy... :)
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Coldman wrote:If I'm gonna drink metho no point trying to disguise it. Life is too short for cheap wine cheap beer and cheap spirits. For me there's a difference. Cheap stuff gets me angry and gives me a hangover. Good stuff gets me happy and no hangovers. I like being happy... :)
With apologies to the OP I'm going to continue the threadjack for just one more post, since we're talking booze.

I had a pretty severe brain injury back in late 2011 but I got away with a lot and my recovery has been great. However just prior to the injury I was fast growing a love of decent red wine - Barossa shiraz in particular.

After the injury, even a couple years after, as much as an egg cup of red wine would destroy me - life wouldn't be worth living the next day. However...in just the last 3 months or so that seems to be changing and I'm now enjoying a glass now and then without any awful side effects. Neurosurgeon says this is normal and 'full' recovery (whatever that turns out to be) can take 5 or even 10 years.

I was kinda prepared never to drink again but I gotta say I'm really savouring it now. Another win!



Kym
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Hey Framie! Thanks for the props! Fortunately I'm not finding a need for the face mask with the portaband since I have that saw blade retention plate which works well but for grinding, especially with a wire wheel I learned the valuable use of a welding mask in grind mode and I'm all for buying the clear face splash/spark shield that was suggested since there's no tint.

Hey Kym! This is for learning, and whiskey is educational :D I'm sorry for the medical snafu since any trip to a doc is never fun especially when they gotta cut your skull open. Was that a racing crash? I wish I didn't drink often even if I do drink often. I can't deny life overall would probably be better without it but it's hard to trade off when a good glass of red wine or whiskey has so many positives (with so many more negatives). We all kill ourselves at our own pace in our own way, so might as well enjoy it ;)

Nailer! You make your own whiskey? That just perked my interest and looks like I've got more research to do.... Perhaps weld my own distiller ? You guys are full of all sorts of good/bad ideas :D

Never heard of that Jim Beam 1765 but I drink expensive whiskey almost as fast as I do cheap. JD and Jameson are what I go for when it comes to flavor/price. I'm not classy or responsible enough I guess ;)

This thread definitely got interesting and despite the jacking, I appreciate all the feed back even it wasn't related to my build :)
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