poor mans( )?

admin

I have seen a thread for a poor mans level,a poor mans mag drill, and I think a few other poor mans tools.How about a thread on poor men and what they use to get by til the paycheck comes in?Ten thousand dollar welding machines need not apply.tractor,loader.dozer,backhoe,and all the tools to keep em movin
Reply:A 1984 model Idealarc Tig 300/300...the trusty old beast gets it done, no gadgets needed, BTW, it wasn't bought for it's price but rather it's abilities. Oh yeah, and an old Pheonix (sp?) brand 50LB rod box. Like Zap has said, you don't need the fancy chit if you know how to use what you've got.Anything worth doing is worth doing RIGHT
Reply:olddad, 1-800,I don't know what a man can do when he's not close enough to some economic movement so he can trade his skills or skills with his tools for something to keep the house hold supplied?  If it gets slow everywhere, we'll all be looking for something to build.I do know that I have both an older 300/300 Lincoln and a newer Miller Dynasty 300 DX with a cold wire feed TIG Gun and the work I do with it can't be done by hand fed TIG, by anyone, anywhere.  Other machine fed, semi-automated shops can do these welds, but MIG speeds, put down w/ pulsed TIG, in any alloy, is competitive for performance when traditional methods cost "too much" for the client to pay.  No one can put down dip rod/hand held TIG bead at the rate of a wire fed TIG Gun with a pulsed power supply.I'm not saying value isn't in the traditional tools, I'm saying that staying competitive returns more when the work gets tight and everyone is bidding the same few jobs.So, while I don't have THE answer about what to do until a paying job comes by, I do know we've kept busy doing specialty welds that others CAN'T do; for the money.  There is something to be said for keeping our tools at the front edge of the market: you can do work that others can't and when things get tight; the (remaining) work will go where the costs for foot of weld seam are most competitive. If a tank has 25'-30' of weld and one shop does that seam in half to three quarters hour and another spends six hours, well the cost of the tank, or the shop rate has to show the difference.We're not posting on Underwoods, here, we've got to stay with the times, and investing in newer tools to increase capacity does, for a fact, return.  If the area isn't doing any work, I don't have any answers, but if there is work; having the current generation of tools won't hurt when the bidding gets tight.Cheers,Kevin Morin
Reply:Over simplification to follow:1.  Go to where the work is (move, etc.).OR2.  Find different type of work with a more consistent steady demand (nursing, etc.)When life changes..........change with it.Yeah.......I know......this has nothing to do with welding, but, the advice is sound.
Reply:I guess I worded that one all wrong.I was looking for jury-rigged tools and home made make-do applications.The things you slap together rather than going the the local tool store and buying a tool for a one shot use.tractor,loader.dozer,backhoe,and all the tools to keep em movin
Reply:Originally Posted by 1-800minerI guess I worded that one all wrong.I was looking for jury-rigged tools and home made make-do applications.The things you slap together rather than going the the local tool store and buying a tool for a one shot use.
Reply:Uh Matt..............I see some real possibilities other than the intended use of that there thing(Carry on)"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:I'll see your rope braidwork and raise you.......a shipping crate/ weld table, complete with original plywood topper.  Attached ImagesCity of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:Originally Posted by Matt_MaguireDoes braiding back your own slings count?Matt
Reply:Outstanding table there tanglediver!Farmersamm, bad-bad-bad boy! (I think?)I once boasted to my local weld salesman "if you don't see a picture of me under cheap in your dictionary, it's time for a new one". And "doesn't everyone tack their tig stubs together?".Matt
Reply:I am so cheap I save weld rod stubs and drive them into the wall to hang tools on.I am thinking Farmersamm is looking for some velvet rope ( no rope burns) to tie things to that new welding table/chick magnet.tractor,loader.dozer,backhoe,and all the tools to keep em movin
Reply:Originally Posted by 1-800minerI am so cheap I save weld rod stubs and drive them into the wall to hang tools on.
Reply:Originally Posted by jrw159Matt,  What is the intended purpose of the sling? jrw159
Reply:Originally Posted by 1-800minerI am so cheap I save weld rod stubs and drive them into the wall to hang tools on.I am thinking Farmersamm is looking for some velvet rope ( no rope burns) to tie things to that new welding table/chick magnet.
Reply:Originally Posted by tanglediverI'll see your rope braidwork and raise you.......a shipping crate/ weld table, complete with original plywood topper.
Reply:Man where to start. You've really opened a can of worms now. Well here's a sampling of my poor boy solutions. Let's start with poor mans press brake since I had to use it today. The first two show it in the press and the third is the results. Then there's the poor mans leaf brake I built years ago. Many of the tool boxes on my truck where made with that brake and a SIP wire feed welder using flux core. I must admit that I overhauled it nearly two years ago just before I went to a auction and scored the big brakes in the back ground. But here's links to info I put into the RCM dropbox a long time ago.http://www.metalworking.com/DropBox/...iles/brake.txthttp://www.metalworking.com/DropBox/...les/brake1.jpghttp://www.metalworking.com/DropBox/...les/brake2.jpghttp://www.metalworking.com/DropBox/...les/brake3.jpghttp://www.metalworking.com/DropBox/...les/brake4.jpghttp://www.metalworking.com/DropBox/...les/brake5.jpghttp://www.metalworking.com/DropBox/...les/brake6.jpghttp://www.metalworking.com/DropBox/...les/brake7.jpghttp://www.metalworking.com/DropBox/...les/brake8.jpghttp://www.metalworking.com/DropBox/...les/brake9.jpghttp://www.metalworking.com/DropBox/...es/brake10.jpghttp://www.metalworking.com/DropBox/...es/brake11.jpghttp://www.metalworking.com/DropBox/...es/brake12.jpg Attached ImagesMillermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Now let's move on to the poor mans lathe. I built that years ago when all I had machine tool wise was a drill press. That's the third incarnation of it. I had it geared to where I could go slow enough to do metal turning with a home made heavy duty graver. I would really have to go digging to find the graver, bell chuck, and other accessories I built for it. It's powered by a washing machine motor.  Also in this batch is the cheap and simple bearing separator I built. Attached ImagesMillermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Originally Posted by irish fixitNow let's move on to the poor mans lathe. I built that years ago when all I had machine tool wise was a drill press. That's the third incarnation of it. I had it geared to where I could go slow enough to do metal turning with a home made heavy duty graver. I would really have to go digging to find the graver, bell chuck, and other accessories I built for it. It's powered by a washing machine motor.  Also in this batch is the cheap and simple bearing separator I built.
Reply:Here's my chop saw I built years ago. I've upgraded the motor a couple of times over the years. Currently it's a 3 phase motor. I only had the simple lathe and the drill press I got for my junior high graduation present when I built it. The spindle is actually out of a unusual alternator that came off a tractor. Attached ImagesMillermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Next is my poor mans maintainer. Lots of work and upgrades have happened over the years. Attached ImagesMillermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Last in this series but not least is my current project. A poor mans dump truck. As you can see we've managed to strip the to the frame. Now it's time to start building. It should turn out as a heavy duty version of my trash trailer which follow it in the last two pics. I did that as quick and dirty and possible as well.  Actually my shop is poor boyed as well. I tore down the old Chevron station building in town and using it with some old line pipe and other scrap built my shop. I'm pretty sure there's some pictures of the build in the dropbox section of my web site. Attached ImagesLast edited by irish fixit; 06-22-2010 at 09:52 PM.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Originally Posted by little JeepWOW!! That is one major size press you have....... I was surprised to see all your tools sitting outside..... then I saw where you are.....
Reply:Anybody going to go up against the Irish_Fixit?
Reply:Originally Posted by rlaggrenAnybody going to go up against the Irish_Fixit?
Reply:I will thow this in the pota still unpowered rotary positioner 10" chuck 2 3/4 thru hole riding in the body of an old forklift tilt cylinder Attached Images250DXMM251MM175225G plus 251D-1Outstanding Irish!Matt