My homemade metal shaper is a tool for cutting metal from a work piece along a linear stroke. In addition to my home built metal lathe, I am using the shaper extensively as I build a horizontal milling machine. I also edited more extensive footage and discussion of the build in individual videos. There is…
My wife has been begging me to build her some furniture. I figured a C Table was a great place to start since it could be as a slide-under sofa table or an end table. Turns out it is a GREAT starter project for someone interested in furniture making with welding and woodworking aspirations. Design Does this qualifies…
In this article, I am going to show you how I personally installed a mini split ac in my garage: the whole process…just me. I am going to discuss: Why I chose a DIY HVAC route Selecting a minisplit air conditioning system or heat pump, sizing and performance Pre-installation preparation Installation details Avoiding mistakes and…
I cleaned up the lost foam casting to mate the ram cap and ram for my Gingery Shaper. During this step of the project, I turned an arbor and used it to face the ram using my lathe. As you know, the ram facing is an operation that pushes the Gingery lathe’s capacity to its limit. I…
I use the lost foam casting method to create the ram for my Gingery Shaper. The first time the casting FAILED. But after remaking the pattern, using more sand, and packing the sand in I found SUCCESS! Thanks to a recommendation from Giaco Whatever and the support of Makercise patrons I now have a camera…
Your aluminum foundry operation should be efficient. Optimizing your feedstock pipeline is critical to profitable casting regardless the size of your foundry. Don’t let your process rob you of time or money. If you process scrap aluminum, you need to use the steps below to instantly improve your foundry’s efficiency. I go into detail below, but here are the…
This week I released the column assembly video, finished the ram cap pattern, finished the a ram pattern, cast the ram cap, cast the ram, and attended the Atlanta Woodworking Show. In case you missed it, I released Part 2 in the shaper series this week. Here is the video. I finished up the ram cap…
As you know I started building a Gingery Shaper recently. In this part of the series, I use the lost foam casting method to create the column front. Then I add the vertical ways and assemble the column front. I now have the initial column assembly completed. Note that only two fasteners are used because…
Last week’s update: I ordered hardware for the project including fasteners, bushings, bushing stock, ANSI 35 roller chain, bull wheel sprocket, pinion sprocket, set screws, and shaft collars. I probably missed some hardware, but this should get me through most of the shaper build. I cleaned up the column sides and the column front. I scraped the…
This week’s update: I spent a fair portion of my time this week continuing the modeling of the shaper. I released the first video in the shaper project series. I purchased steel for the shaper and mill. I built a hot wire foam cutter and used it to make the column front pattern. I used…