Daily Fabrication Thread

[mike_belben]

The higher you can get the cable to pull from the better is all i can say for sure.  Tested it out today actually.. Dragged a pair of 20 foot+ firewood stems through my stump dump just to see.  I couldnt pull them straight through or without the stabilizer log but once in the air and braced against that post they walked right over.  





Im calling it the "Redneck Skyline."

[Puffergas]

Picked up another junk Cub Cadet today and had to push the crossover out to bring the cub in. Thought I would take a photo out in the sun light. Finding or making a hydraulic tank has become a problem. Maybe out of a PVC pipe. Largest size I have is only 4" but I have two elbows. Could make it U shaped. A 12" length of 4" pipe is only about half a gallon. Six inch pvc pipe would be nice but hard to find and expensive. The tank needs to fit under and or along where the hydraulic motor/capstan-winch is.

[Ljohnsaw]

Finding or making a hydraulic tank has become a problem.

What about using an old disposable helium tank?  I've seen some bigger ones that might be close to 2 gallons.

[Bandmill Bandit]

I have used and expired 20lb Propane tank for a hydraulic reservoir. Worked very well.
 

[mike_belben]

I have a pair of case 400 series tractors, one runner and one roller.. That im gonna combine like you did.  Be like a mini iron mule.  For all the hype, it was a really disappointing machine as a tractor, lot of potential but poor ergonomics.  the transaxles are the cats meow though.

[mike_belben]

While back i made this hickory handle and am finally fitting the head onto it.  My kid found it in the dirt all rusted up and mushroomed real bad from driving a steel wedge.  I cleaned it up and cut out the notch to make a firewood pick (think copperheads) to keep with me at the splitter.  Head still has almost an inch to go downward, hope to finish tomorrow.  Theres no knob on the handle and its real flat to stuff in my belt or painters loop on my pants.  





I also think i have got my parbuckle rig done pretty well and ready for a test run when kids and weather permit.  I notched the ramps to go on the rub rail, and sacrificed most of my few pieces of rusty channel to make the rest.  Pulley is a rusty wheelbarrow rim i stepped on out in the woods.  One chain and binder holds it to the trailer as tight as if it were welded, a pleasant surprise.

[Puffergas]

I don't have a helium or freon tank but I do have a propane tank. The problem is that it is too big. Hmm, maybe I could cut it in half....

Mike, the case looks like a nice tractor. The Cub I bought didn't roll worth a dang!

[mike_belben]

Havent tried it yet, but i made an alaskan mill for my 395 out of a panel from a big square D electrical cabinet i salvaged, and some threaded rod.  Its a 36" bar and theres 22" between the rods.  Should get me some decent oak boards for the kids tree fort.  Still have to weld up a "ladder" for the first cut, and make a push handle and rope winder winch.







My quad's been apart for a starter issue.  I finally put in a new brush holder and got it running.  Adapted the little winch tower off my garden tractor skidding attachment onto the backrack and tested it out with decent results.  







Its much, much cheaper to operate a quad vs my skidsteer, and the quad is well suited to go in first, make the trail, pull out the limby stuff and prep things for the bobcat so i can get a lot more done when i do bring it.

[mike_belben]

Milled my first slab ever today. 

[teakwood]

it's looking good mike!

[mike_belben]

Thanks man.  Treehouse planking.

[barbender]

Mike, that is a sweet "make do with what you got" slabber! To be honest, I'm humbled by your "stick with it-ness" and how you figure out how to get things done with what you have on hand!👍👍👍 Shoots, I'm still geeking out over that "Redneck firewood kiln" of yours👍

[mike_belben]

Thanks for the kind words sir.  I owe my wife a house so gonna have to just keep plugging away.  This is the first time in my life ive really had a metals shortage.    You should have seen me today waffling over whether to cut up a piece of bedframe to make the track mounts.  I felt like some guy on a raft deciding to drink his pee now or save it for later.   :D


Yeah the kiln is on hold until i come across some stainless fire tube and can replace all the wood down near the bottom with steel.   As i sealed up the leaks, combustion kept getting hotter. it melts stove pipe and splits clay flue liners in a few hours now.  Runs orange all the time.  the nearby wood smokes.  destined to burn down without some changes.   Its where i hide from the kids now when i need a break.  

[thecfarm]

Sorry,but all I noticed was a little boy with a little shovel and a big bucket. ;D Priceless,as they say.

[Crusarius]

and his son (I am guessing) to

[Resonator]

They're not just treehouse planks, they're "Rustic natural edge slabs!" 

[mike_belben]

Sorry,but all I noticed was a little boy with a little shovel and a big bucket. ;D Priceless,as they say.

No its okay we can talk price.  Ill give you $50 each to haul these things off.  Will even wash them before you get here.  Have carseats, some clothes and accesories to go with them but probably wont fit for long.   Youll have to provide food and toys.  Just show them your fridge and garage and theyll figure it out.  













Sorry, keeping the dog.

[olcowhand]

I already have three kids, but only one dog; No Dog, no deal....
However.... If one of them did the welding of that front blade, I might take em for say, $100.00 each (with splitting mauls and leather gloves to last till fall), and I can buy another dog.....

[thecfarm]

What's up with the tongues? :D  You know if you gave me $50 each to take them off your hands,you would have to pay me $200 to get them back. ;D  

[OH logger]

What's up with the tongues? :D  You know if you gave me $50 each to take them off your hands,you would have to pay me $200 to get them back. ;D  

now that's the entrepenureal spirit!! ;)

[mike_belben]

Get them back?    Let me patch you through to my financial advisor.  Hold please. 

"Babe, call on line 1, tell em we have no money!"

I built that blade but boy isnt far off.  My dad let me start welding around 10 but i think he'll be there at 7 or 8 if i cant find a buyer first. 


We put my collection of free hand planes to the test today and somethin happened inside me as the grain came out.  Whod have thought id find cabinets laying out in the woods with a chainsaw?

[coxy]

that's what i like about this place 99% of the people on here have one hell of a cense of humor   8) 8) 8) 8)   mike ill send you the specs to build me a new dozer blade for my 350 jd  oh you can use my dozer anytime you want just have to come to ny and get it  :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D  on my way home when i got acrossed the mid Hudson bridge they had DOT check there was a guy throwing his hands up and pointing at his truck  had a red sticker in the window    and thought is that mike ;) ;D :)8) 8)  :D :D the real kicker was it was a white international to but single cab 

[mike_belben]

No, that was some other poor shlub getting a shakedown. 

 If i was a contractor and needed helpers, id ask DOT for a copy of their ticket list.  Theyre always scouting out the working man.  

[mike_belben]

Was able to make some improvements to my Square D chainsaw mill.  Moved the winch handle closer to the powerhead so it balances the whole rig for one handed carry.   Then added that adjustable sling strap so the bar doesnt have to hold the powerhead up.  It was flexing pretty bad. 



Also relocated the eye bolt and 'fairlead' hole so the winch rope pulls from farther away now.  This acts like a partner pushing on the far end and makes it real easy to keep the bar traveling square to the grain.  The squareness looks so much better than ratcheting back and forth. 

I shook the kids down for enough of the coins theyve swiped from me to buy a piece of 1/2-13 allthread on the way back from takin the girl to doctor in town.   im gonna drill the bar holes out bigger and swap to that for the depth adjusters.  Hopefully its rigid enough to control the scalloping ive had from bending the thinner rods.  Also gonna drop a roller bearing on there so the dogs quit grabbing the log.  




The quad dumper trailer got some improvements too.  This thing:






I had bent the frame into a pretty bad saddle from the crane dumping the wood basket.  Too much load for the thin, two-piece,  stamped and spot welded tin shelving struts i made it from. 


 i flipped the chassis upside down and took the saddle out with a chain, binder and some cribbing, then welded a rebar tension strut under the bottom to hold the preload like a semi flatbed. It is much more rigid now when using the crane.







If i were to build another id use sched 40 round pipe for the whole A-frame.  Round shapes handle torsion best.  Swinging the boom off to the side to winch a log in still makes the whole chassis try to twist over.
 

[coxy]

No, that was some other poor shlub getting a shakedown.

If i was a contractor and needed helpers, id ask DOT for a copy of their ticket list.  Theyre always scouting out the working man.  

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D