First cuts…
Finally got to making the first real cuts tonight. Only one piece so far, but turned out pretty good.
Electricity- finally
Wired up a 40amp 240 volt breaker and outlet so I could run the plasma cutter without needing the generator, my neighbors will be happy.
Metal has arrived!
Made it out to Columbis Pipe and Equipment today over lunch and was able to pick up all of the metal I think I’ll need.
- 5x sheets of 4×8 14 gauge steel
- 3x 24′ square tube (14 gauge 1″, cut in thirds)
- 1x 24′ square tube (14 gauge 2″, cut in thirds)
- 2x 20′ angle iron, 16 gauge 1″
- 1x sheet of 4×8 expanded metal (grates)
The guy didn’t think it would fit in the suburban, but we shoved it all in there. They had an impressive crane with magnet, could do 15 ton!
Plasma cutter!
Found a great deal on a little pilot arc lotos LTP5000d plasma cutter, $399! Just arrived and got it all hooked up and made a few practice cuts. My 20amp breaker at home was tripping on the gfci- maybe the surge when creating the arc? Works fine off the 20amp on my generator though. Will continue to tinker on using household power to avoid annoying the neighbors.
3D renderings!
D$ hooked me up with a great 3D rendering to help finalize design and build a supply list.
Home sign
One last project while finalizing the smoker design, the wife wanted a sign that said HOME where the O was the state of OHIO. I purchased some thin sheet metal and used some aviation tin snips to cut it out, then welded it to some 1/4″ bar.
Welding a model biplane
I purchased a small Hobart and a few tools from harbor freight and decided I needed to test everything prior to starting on the smoker as well as practice my newly learned welding skills. I found these plans on Lincoln welding site.
Learned to weld!
The inception of the idea to build a smoker required me to learn some new skills. I took a class to learn how to weld and made a small water fountain feature in the class. Basic knowledge- check!
