Bought a welder, let the projects begin

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DIY_guy

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Not every project needs to be a sewing project. Some projects have a little more testosterone. I have several projects requiring welding so when welders went on sale at Farm and Fleet I was all over it. I got a tank of 75/25 gas as well. There is a local steel place that sells every shape and size imaginable and at reasonable prices.

I bought up some 1/8 inch sheet stock to make a suitable welding surface framed with 1 ½ x 1 ½ x 1/8 angle and converted an old gas grill cart/frame into a welding table. I bought some 24 foot sticks of 1 x 1 16 ga square tube and a bunch of angle and rod.

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The first project was making more trail cam boxes. So that’s what I did. I made a few last year by borrowing a friends welder. Those cams and boxes are up north on bear baits right now.

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The next project is climbing sticks. I bought a set last year and found them perfect for one of my leases and since I like making stuff and wanted more of them, I copied the ones I bought. Each section is 4 feet in length.

The steps will have drain holes at the weld joint to let ran water out since the tube ends are not sealed. The sticks I bought last year did not have this feature.

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Since the tubes insert inside one another as you climb I had to make a tool to crush the tube ends in my vise.

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The brace from the sticks to the tree is ½ rod and ¼ rod.

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After welding the sticks are cleaned up to remove all the hot rolled mill scale prior to painting.

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The sticks will be attached to the tree with webbing a cam buckles. I found a low cost source online as well as 50 feet of webbing.

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Ok so I guess every project ends up as a sewing project. I get a lot of use out of this machine for hunting gear.

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One down, lots more to go. 5 Sticks will get me up 20 feet.

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Lookin' good! Just be aware that welders are a "gateway tool"; soon you'll be after all manner of other implements. I, too, started with only my Snap-On 250A MIG. This is what it has turned into over a decade:

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Mills, lathes, plasma cutter/TIG, Oxy-Acetylene, more. Still have some of my earlier, smaller machines too, which are great for secondary operations (visible far right).

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And multiple vices, , presses, grinders, etc that aren't visible in either photo.

The only reason I'm lacking some other large pieces of equipment is 1) space and 2) I have access to all manner of benders, breaks, water jet, CNC VMC and other equipment through friends.

You'll never regret it, though. In addition to the utility of being able to make most of the things you need/want, it can be very enjoyable and rewarding. I absolutely love running the mill & lathe, watching the progress.
 
to keep it gun-related

Oh, it's definitely gun related. I've used the welders, plasma, torches, mill & lathe to repair, modify and completely fab gun parts. Just last week, I milled a new extractor for my Remington M51 .380. You can't buy one anywhere, and it would have been nigh impossible to make without a relatively precise mill and a good cutter (.020" x .030" flanges on either side that engage grooves in the locking block).

I have yet to manufacture a complete repeating firearm from scratch, but it's on the list, right after a running, gasoline-powered 1:8 scale Mopar 440 V8 :D
 
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