Getting shop togeather?

[hamitduk]

I'm looking for consumables, wire sizes, potting stuff, tooling, equipment, electronics, if had to build a shop what would be in it?

Hami

[dudevato]

  I'd put together some kind of wood stove.  It's Really nice to be out there with a temp of 70-75* F or so.  A 20 gallon drum and some sheetmetal piping and some work with a saber saw will do it.  If you keep the 'burn' clean no one will ever know, but expect the kids to be out there with their toys and sure as heck the wife will want to set up a 'craft corner' Use some thought and common sense and you'll be all set.  

   I've got some shelves full of empty coffee cans and plastic fruit juice containers with their tops cut off.  Boy, they fill up fast.  'got one with washers / nuts / electrical connections / springs.  Before I 'toss' anything I  take off the reuseable stuff.  So I never have to stop production to go buy something.  

   If you are into welding (I've got a 110 volt wire feed and some oxy/acc tanks) a row of 5 gallon buckets will let you seperate  the different metals you find.  Keep an eye out as you drive past neighbor's trash cans.  You'll find a nice-straight-clean piece of tubing or an old bed frame, etc.  I never buy metal either.

   I'll tell you this also:  You'll find you have more friends when word gets around that you weld      

[dudevato]

   I recently made myself a 'motto' for the shop.  'Printed it and found a frame at the Good Will for $1.  I HATE spending $  

                          This shop produces 3 kinds of work

                                          Good

                                          Fast

                                          Cheap

                                         Choose 2

[luv2weld]

I think it would depend on where you live, whether

you need a wood stove or not.

The tool choice also depends on your body and preferences.

Do you have bad arthritis in your hands??  

Then you probably won't want to do a lot of hand sanding. So

I would recommend some kind of sander (either battery or plug in)

You can use it for cleaning up rotor plates  before gluing the

magnets on. Also for cleaning up the edges of the stator after casting.

And for the obvious, smoothing out the blades you carve.

Some of the recommendations will depend on whether you are

grid-tied or not. A large bandsaw and tablesaw is very handy

to have for making blades. But if you are not grid-tied, then

you need a generator to run them.

Or you could use a reciprocating saw and a saber saw.

You can also use Oztule's method with a chainsaw.

If you have power available, a belt sander is really great

for smoothing things out in a hurry.

If you have a drillpress (pillar drill), makes it really easy to

drill the holes in rotors. You can use a handheld drill, but

it takes a lot of arm strength.

Or do you really enjoy using old fashioned hand tools???

Lots of time to think and enjoy the quiet. And when you

finish making a blade, the satisfaction is overwhelming.

A good drawknife will quickly endear itself to you.

Consumables??? An assortment of nuts, bolts, screws.

I used baby powder as a filler in the resin when I cast the

rotors and stator. An assortment of sandpaper. There are probably

some more things, but I just can't thing of them right now.

Ralph