I took the metal shop class / MIG welding with James and it was great, but it was a month before I could come in to practice using the tools, and so I have a few novice questions in case anyone has a moment to help me.
Horizontal Band Saw:
I had a hard time figuring out the best way to clamp a rod (metal dowel). I used the adjustable wrench from the bin in back to tighten/loosen the bolt and close the vice jaws, but I couldn’t figure out a good way to get any tightening force. So, when I tried to cut a dowel, it spun and chattered pretty freely when the blade hit it. What did I miss? Any good strategies to clamp tightly?
Bench Grinder/Belt Sander:
I want to cut a bunch of dowel section cuts down to the same length (say, 1" sections). Is my best bet to approximate on the horizontal band saw, and then use a grinder to make them the same? Any advantages to the bench grinder vs belt?
Mig setup
I couldn’t remember the setup and cleanup steps for the gas canister. Do I leave the canister main valve (the big horizontal wheel) open all the time, or open when I use the welder and close when I’m done?
Do I need to ever adjust the smaller valve for the gas, and/or check the pressure for specifics?
1: There is a crank handle on the left side of the band saw. Use it to tighten the vice.
2: Use the aluminum block that fits on the bandsaw to help set a stop to increase accuracy of your cuts. The belt grinder has a platen and work table. It will increase your accuracy vs an angle grinder or bench grinder.
3: Turn the big knob on the tank on. Shut it off when done.
The ball has an arrow where it should be set. Most of the time you don’t need to adjust the regulated flow rate.
If you’ve taken the class, the milling machine would be much faster and far more precise.
But while we are on the subject:
The coolant for the horizontal band saw seems to work automatically but only sporadically. What should we do to use that and keep it working?
How should we do cooling on the vertical bandsaw? Small-medium aluminum pieces can get quite hot during cutting there. I used a spray bottle marked as metal shop coolant a couple of times, and it helped, but then I saw rust spots on the surface later. Those spots mostly came off just by rubbing with a paper towel, but I still found that concerning. There appears to be an air cooling hose there, but either it’s not working or I don’t understand how to use it.
I think the reservoir needs to be cleaned out. The chip tray doesn’t get cleaned after every use like it should. I’m also thinking of changing the tube from plastic to copper so the shape of the nozzle can dispense the coolant more evenly on the blade and help conserve some coolant.
There is a coolant tank on the back of the saw. I would like to add a coolant. I haven’t had a chance to do it or test it.
I looked over the saw this morning. The reservoir got refilled and some coolant concentrate got added back in. The chip tray got cleaned out. The saw is cutting pretty straight in both directions. The coolant is flowing properly. Someone turned the coolant valve completely off. You don’t need to do that. You can turn off the coolant pump instead
The vise screw got some lubricant. The lubricant helps the quick release mechanism move properly allowing the quick release to work.
The blade is starting to show some wear. If it starts to fail. Use the QR code to let the stewards know that the blades needs changing.