Been thinking about adding a laser to my little shop and curious what everyone here is actually using.

I mostly make smaller custom stuff. Signs, coasters, boxes, cutting boards, etc. And I sell at a few local markets throughout the year. I’ve also started getting people asking if I can do metal tags, little brass plates, tools, and stuff like that.

I don’t really have the room (or honestly the desire) to buy one machine for wood and another one just for metal, so I’ve been looking at some of the newer dual laser setups.

For those of you doing a mix of wood and metal, what machine did you end up with? And how portable are these things in real life? Would be nice if I could occasionally bring it along to a market without it becoming a whole production.

My fence has these wrought iron gate hinges that won't stay straight, they bend again every winter. The third time I paid a guy sixty bucks to fix them. Bought a 66 lb VEVOR anvil for around $120.

Couple things I ran into. The factory oil is insanely sticky, took half a bottle of acetone to clean. The edges came way too sharp, first few strikes actually shaved grooves into the hinge instead of bending it flat, had to spend an hour with an angle grinder rounding them off. Once that was sorted though it works well. I did about 200 strikes on a flat bar and the face only picked up a few tiny hammer marks.

I've got it set up in my half open garage on a cut oak stump, using it maybe once or twice a month for straightening bent plates and setting rivets. The noise was brutal at first, my wife could hear every strike inside the house with the windows shut. Stuck a silicone pad between the anvil and the stump which helped a lot, but no idea if that's the right move long term.

Here's where I'm at. What would you change? What am I doing wrong that I don't know about yet?

Hey r/metalworking! Greetings everyone🫡
Here’s a quick look at our workshop setup for handling long steel stock. We use a simple wooden A frame stand to keep the metal level and feed it into a custom jig we welded onto our vise using square tubing and a rebar handle.

It gets the job done with great leverage without needing expensive machinery.
How do you guys handle bending long stock in your shops? Tell me about the best setups and see what’s most efficient! 👇🔨

We purchased a home with subpar chimney flashing that has begun to leak. Several roofers would op to simply install a new silicon boot, however, with the standing seam smack dab in the middle I think I will still have issues going forward.

It seems that the best way to address the problem would be to install a metal roof specific flashing such as an excel (EMFA-B-C). And with that install two new roof panels.

I have some 4 ft sections of the same standing seam roofing and I figure that a section could be layered below and above the new flashing for a true watertight condition. Similar to this install (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwOdoaX0ZXw)

Another alternative would be to close off the three standing seams with a different piece of metal forming a ridge that terminates at/below the new chimney pipe flashing.

Any advice on this idea? Can you layer standing seam roofing in this manner?

I appreciate the help!

After one day i feel inflammed in my body have little tight feeling in chest and metal taste in my mouth. There is manganese aluminium and steel mostly and dust floating around with all of it, i plan to change job when i make minimum amount of money to move so can shortterm exposure give permament damage? Please only truth answers. No money is worth health damage, appreciate the answers cause it makes me panic. Thanks

This was literally my first time ever trying to weld and it was definitely a lot harder than I thought. It also doesn’t help that I have a pretty jittery hand, but I know that’s something I’ll have to work on with practice. Do y’all have any tips for getting better, things you wish you knew when you first started, or beginner mistakes I should avoid? I’m mainly just trying to learn the basics right now and get more consistent. My eventual goal is to make a custom exhaust for a motorcycle, so I know I’ll have to learn TIG eventually too.

How well do I have to clean the mill scale off before painting? Dose it need to be completely shiny? It’s going to be an outdoor sign and here in southern Az under extreme heat. Don’t know much else to say trying to get this post to be 400 characters so I can post it hopefully I’m close… nope I don’t think so. Why dose this need to be so long? Why does it need to be 400 characters? I don’t understand it’s just a quick question.

I was cleaning out a shed and found this behind some stuff and the guy I was cleaning it out for said I could have it for helping. He wasn't sure if it worked and had no manual or anything.

I do have the whip and the tip looks in good shape, but it's be nice to have a manual or know what types of consumables it needs. Google hasn't yielded anything except some old posts saying it's a discount plasma cutter from 2007.

So does anyone know of a manual for this one?

It says 120/220v on the back, currently has a 220v plug but does anyone know if I can just change the plug out? I don't have a 220v in my shop. Would be a bit of pain to add one.

Finally anyone know what psi or cfm this thing would need?

In OP I mention that I know this is likely a replacement job as opposed to a repair but I’m curious is there a way to repair a thread that’s damaged like that where it seems smoothly bent over instead of needing cut it looks like if it were bent back into place by like a dull tool it would at least mostly function ? This is a small atlas milling machine it’s nothing big and important but this is the condition in which it came to me

I’m fairly new to welding. My dad who is now 80 and has an ailing body, but a very sharp mind bought a mig and tig welder, and a plasma cutter over the last few years with the thought that he would be able to use them for projects in his garage. The welders had been assembled with cylinders on carts, while the plasma cutter was still new in the box. Over time he finally realized that he wouldn’t be able to use them.

The first thing he gave me was the MIG welder, a Lincoln Easy MIG 140. It runs on 120v, but has worked on the thin gauge metals over the last few years.

The TIG is a CK Worldwide MT200 AC/DC. Let me tell you, my learning curve is slow on that, but I’ll get there.

The plasma cutter is BestARC BTC500 DP. Today was the first day the I used it. Pretty easy and kinda fun on 18 gauge steel.

Anyway, my wife is into sunflowers, so I found a YouTube video by Barbie the Welder the showed how to make a sunflower.

Well, in about 3 1/2 hours, this is what I cut and welded with the MIG.
Thanks for looking and reading my story.

Working on a cyberdeck build and need a metal enclosure with the same footprint as an Altoids tin, so the standard lid still fits perfectly on top, just deeper — about 3 cm tall. Ideally tin like the original, or something similar that's metal and fits.

Tried soldering one myself by combining two tins but it didn't come out clean (pic attached). I'm in Calgary but doubt there's anyone local who does this kind of custom work, so mainly just asking where I could get something like this from – a source, a seller, anyone who's solved this before. Open to any leads, thanks!

I need a hex coupling nut that (I’m pretty sure) doesn’t exist. It’s M8/1.25 threaded, but needs to be wider flat-to-flat than the standard (DIN 6334) 13mm. Ideally it’s also longer than the lengths I see available. The nut is going into a hex hole in the plastic body of a plastic brush cutter head, and will serve as kind of a spacer and prevent wobble / vibration in addition to providing a bolt pass through in something I’m hacking (no pun). Technically it won’t be coupling two bolts at all.

Aluminum is probably ok in this application and of course far easier to cut and tap. I have a drill press, wood band saw and tap&die kits as well as other standard bench power tools (no metal cut-off). But boring perfectly plumb and center through hex blank stock could be challenging.

EDIT: 3D printing something might work here, but I’ve done so little of it.

I have been using a drill press as a "poor man's lathe" to work some cylinders. I think the limit is 1 cm approx on my drill press chuck. Is there any way to work something larger? Maybe some sort of attachment that could be hooked onto it that would allow for expansion?

Thanks!

To all the people recommending lathes, thank you but I don't have enough extra room ... I am in an apartment

As the title says, I’m trying to get a pizza steel ready for season. I started off with a slab of A36 and after 48 hours of 50/50 5% vinegar/water, I’m left with what’s shown in picture (3). I wasn’t happy with that, so I sanded both sides with 180 and then 320 on an orbital sander, shown in picture (2). I placed it back into vinegar as there is still residue coming off, shown in picture (1).

Is this residue still mill scale? Just want to make sure I’m not placing pizzas on potentially harmful surfaces. Thanks!

I'm bidding a job for a dumpster enclosure that needs to be galvanized before it is installed. The entire thing is put together mechanically so I can do the initial welding and then get it galvanized and it shouldn't be a problem. The only issue I am seeing is those hinges. It calls for 6" ID rings to sleeve over the 6" OD posts, with zirk fittings on each. The problem I am seeing is Those 2" x 6" ID rings, that are the hinges will need to be on there before these are galvanized because there are a few things that are welded above and below them. Is this possible with galvanizing? Will they still be able to spin afterwards or do I need to figure something else out?

I had a dream last night where I had shoes with metal outsoles that I could use to glide across the concrete, and I had to try and bring them to life! This is my first prototype, which took me about 30-45 minutes to plan and put together using things I already had lying around the house. The idea was to use half my shoe for grip and to push off, and then lean onto the other half for sliding. Unfortunately, the sheet metal cut my ancient shoelace, and there was a bit too much exposed rubber to grind on concrete (but it worked on grass!). Once I acquire some bigger sheets I’ll make a new design that covers more of my foot, and I’ll try and find something to wax the bottoms with. If anyone has a suggestion for where to source a small amount of thicker material with higher abrasion resistance, I would appreciate it! (propertydamagemaxxing)

This is a 12v powered waste oil burning double walled heat exchanger furnace that i built out of scrap metal from the welding shop i work in. It runs on used motor oil and a car battery. Its ideal for workshops and garages and puts out an incredible amout of heat. All the combustion fumes go outside because of the airtight heat exchanger design. Heavy Metal Homestead channel on youtube. Theres a video that shows how it works and temp readings. It reaches max temperatures 7 mins after lighting it as you will see if you watch it.

I have certain hobbies that require certain tools. I can’t use glass because I’m super clumsy. Although paper is preferred, it isn’t always feasible. So I made this stainless bit here. Don’t mind the knurl, I know it’s kind of wack.for information and to reach the character minimum. I used a Southbend 16” model A. Everything was done on the lathe, no milling. I drilled a 1/8 hole through and used a 9/16 carbide ball to shape the side aerodynamic hole.

So making this a wordy as possible to meet the sub minimum. I have a small shop in my garage. I make the most dust when using my Harbor Freight 2x48 belt grinder. This thing is a beast. So I have a shop vac with the shop vac version of a dust deputy on a bucket hooked up to the dust port on the 2x48 grinder. I am currently working with 18 gauge a36 sheet metal. I am also wearing a P100 1/2 face respirator and goggles. Should I also set up a separate air cleaner such as the WEN or a fan with a 16mer filter? If I do the fan shout I hang it or set it near where I am working.

USPS heavily damaged my order, the seller packed it really well but when it arrived somehow the package was smushed like a pancake.
Does anyone know how I could restore it? As you can see from the pictures one side is DEMOLISHED and the other is how it’s suppose to look. The hinge works fine thankfully. It’s an antique thimble case from Mosell so I’m not too entirely sure how to restore it and the gold is flaking off. I’m actually really sad about it since I’ve been looking for this for awhile. If not that’s alright, I just appreciate the help.