just thought id post a couple of pics up of the way i save time on prep, A shapper saves a mountain of time and gives you perfect 30 degree root preps every time, i have a couple both came from auction for under a tenner,
I must confess snowy, I have no idea what a shapper (or maybe a shaper) is, other than a reciprocal machine for basic steel shaping (spent too much of my apprenticeship on one), also known as a planer. Your photo shows something different (but very useful, it would appear)
Also interested to know why, in the bottom photo, you take your welds away at 45 degrees, rather than turning the weld.
Oh yes si i used to have a B****D shaper, spent two days on it once makeing a gear up on a divideing head only to get too gready on the last pass dig the tool in and ruin the work, gave it to a mate of mine to keep my sanity or at least try.
The 45 degree trick was taught to me by an old school welder, when your capping it stops you geting blow or slag entrapment in the corner as you know very easy to do when changeing direction I cap the ends first then fill over them carrying on down onto the work piece to get a perfect slag free T joint.
Yep MMA job, proberbly what you call a plate beveller, the guys at the auction called it a weld prep tool, and the box of dies has shaper on it? so dont know what the real name is, basicly si its just an oversized nibler with a 1500watt motor you bolt the correct packer in it for the size of meterial your useing the nibbler jaw ismounted at 30 degrees so as you push it along it just chews the edge of the plate off 1 pass job done. it will work about as quick as you can push it so compared with grinding its a godsend.
We used to use plate bevellers for prep, think it was a Trumpf make if i remember correctly, but the thing just bounced about and made a bit of a mess, making fit up of the weldments difficult. Just use 9 inch grinders now - You don't find a grinder easier?
And oh yes! we have a shaper. A nice machine, slow as hell, and as you say, easy to knacker up half a days work in seconds. Milling machine taken over now!
No hate grinders when i did the railway work id get the p**s taken out of me as id drag the oxy down the track to beval up prior to welding, dont know who makes that beveller but works well on the whole. yep my turret mill was the final blow for the old shaper.
Iv got a lowloader in at the moment with sprung counter balance ramps which they want made hydraulic those lumps are the top clevis points, when I get em finished and working il tag the picture on the post, on anything good at the mo paul.
Anti ram raid posts at the moment. 200 mm dia chs posts, 15mm wall. welding on caps and base plates. Boring bread and butter work, but steady away.
18 sets of gates to get through this week. Can see the weekend shift looming!
Anti ram raid posts at the moment. 200 mm dia chs posts, 15mm wall. welding on caps and base plates. Boring bread and butter work, but steady away.
18 sets of gates to get through this week. Can see the weekend shift looming!
just thought id post up the finished job, It turned into a pig as i always find with hydralics, loads of protential clash points, but ramps go up and down and the cheques in my hand so all ends well.
Yes yes id trust you, mr drains, or weldequip to spot a mistake, the fairys came and slackend the jic adapter into the rod ends, It must of been them because i would have tightened it wouldnt I
cheers paul aww arr, yes its plumbed to plug into the aux spool valves, I wanted to put a spool block someware on the trailer so the traccccttttooorrrrr aww arr could be put into pump then the ramps could only be controled outside, but they didnt want to pay the money so f**k your luck if your standing near those ramps when they decide to drop em.