Tom’s brother, Jim, purchased a new Kubota LA 854 tractor last spring. He brought it down to the shop so Tom could build and weld on a few accessories before using it. Tom fabricated a hook and chain holder for the front end loader. The holder is made out of half inch hot rolled steel that was cut using a plasma cutter. Tom then ground down the edges and drilled a hole using a drill bin in a milling machine.
Jim chose a 4740 Kubota tractor. It has 49 horse power. It came with an LA 854 front end loader. Jim also added the backhoe attachment, snowplow attachment and a set of fork lift forks.
There are a few things you should keep in mind when shopping around for a new tractor. First of all, look for a brand name. There are some off brands out there, but you will want to make sure and insure your investment by choosing a reliable company that will stay in business for years to come. I is also good to purchase your new tractor from a local dealer. This makes servicing and maintenance a lot easier. If you are in doubt about what size of tractor to buy, go with a little bit larger machine than you think you’ll need. It is better to have a tractor that does the work, rather than trying to push a smaller one. Most high altitude owners usually go for a turbo engine. It gives the extra power needed, although they will be pricier than a non-turbo. If you live closer to sea level it might be good to purchase a tractor with a bigger engine without the turbo. Tractors also come with a gas or diesel option. A diesel will typically last longer. They tend to be harder to start in cold climates though. They are also better on fuel mileage, but tend to be more expensive to rebuild.
Finally, never rule out purchasing a used tractor. Pay attention to the mileage on the machine, who the previous owners were and how they used the tractor. Also, ask to look at the service records.

The classic teardrop trailer is making a strong comeback in the camping scene. It is a smaller trailer that can be pulled by most any vehicle. It is lightweight and aerodynamic. Most teardrop trailers consist of a small sleeping unit with a little storage and an outdoor kitchen that opens up from the back.
Tom was asked to fabricate this small trailer frame for a guy who is going to build a custom teardrop on the top. Tom started with some 2″ square tube for the main metal frame. He added 2″ X 2″ X 1/8″ angle for the cross bars. He also used a 2 1/2″ X 1/8″ piece of steel for the tongue. The customer wanted a heavier axle, so Tom went with a 3500 lb. axle. This leads to a little bit heavier spindles and wheel bearings. The customer also didn’t want a rough ride, so Tom added 2000 lb. leaf springs. The leaf springs are light for the axle, but will work great with the weight of the trailer.
Tom attached some bent diamond plate to serve as fenders. He fastened the fenders by fabricating basic flat strap metal and welded them to the frame of the teardrop trailer.

It is that time of year again when our attention turns to the outdoors and the curb appeal of our homes. One easy way to give your front porch a quick face lift is to add or replace an outdoor stair rail.
A few things to keep in mind, along with design, have to do with observing city and county codes.
Residential properties generally have to have at least one handrail along a flight of stairs. The height of the handrail should be mounted somewhere between 34″ and 38″ above all of the stair nosing.
The grip-able area of the handrail should measure between 1 1/4″ and 2 1/4″.
If the handrail is to be hung along an existing wall, like the example in the photos, a 1 1/2″ clearance between any projection in the wall and the handrail should be observed. Sometimes this gets a bit tricky if the wall has an uneven surface like stone.

Tom built this handrail to fit a new home. The handrail needed to bolt to a stone faced wall at the top and also bolt to a stone faced concrete planter at the bottom of the stairs. Tom used a lag screw that fit into the metal railing bracket and sunk it through the stone and wall behind. The bottom bracket was fastened using a concrete anchor through the stone into the concrete planter underneath. Tom used 1 1/2″ .109 wall E.W. round tubing bent using a Shop Outfitters Universal Fabricator.

Here is a common tire question I received from Dave in Colorado:

“The guy at the tire place said he can’t plug this tire because the
bolt is too close to the side. Is that true?”

It looks like he should be able to plug the tire it is not that close to the sidewall… The tire should be plugged to keep rocks/sand from getting into the tread, but after plugging, to fix correctly, a patch should be used on the inside of the tire to keep tread from delaminating from casing. Before patching the plug will need to be sanded off, inside the tire. If only a plug is used it is possible that the plug seals the tire at the tread, not in the casing, then air pressure is allowed to work between casing and the tread forming a bubble rendering the tire trash. This is not as big of a problem with radial tires (such as yours), as it is with older bias-ply and re-capped tires. Wow TMI. Hope this helps!
Tom

Tom likes to keep a close eye on all of the surplus auctions and sales that occur near the shop. The University of Wyoming usually has several items either up for bid or on sale several times a year. Tom looks for items that he can either use right away or transform into something usefull. Last winter a simple electric conveyor was offered through the surplus website. The electric conveyor was located in the basement of one of the buildings and served as a transport for books and other items from the storage area in the basement up to the main level of the building.
Tom picked up the electric conveyor for less than fifteen dollars, with the stipulation that he would remove it from the basement. The conveyor had to be removed shortly after the sale. Needless to say, Tom removed the long elevator with a little help from family.
With a little ingenuity, Tom transformed the electric conveyor into a wood elevator for use outside his metal and welding shop.
The first thing Tom did was to weld angle iron up the sides of the conveyor so that the wood could travel up the rubber belt with out falling over the edge. Tom used one inch by two inch steel angle iron.

The conveyor came equipped with a 208 three phase motor that needed to be converted to 110 single phase. The first step was to remove the 208 motor from the gear box. The gear box had a spline shaft so Tom had to take the 208 motor with a dual shaft and fit a shaft coupling on the output end to add the 110 motor onto the electrical conveyor belt. The 110 motor now runs through the dead 208 motor into the gear box to run the electric log elevator.
One other unique feature to the log elevator is its ability to raise either end for easy access to difficult locations.
The new log elevator now comes in handy when Tom is splitting and piling fire wood.

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The Today Show has been covering the Winter Olympics from Vancouver Canada for the past couple of weeks. They have hosted great athletes, chefs and other guests at the Grouse Mountain location NBC remodeled for the games. I, for one, couldn’t help but notice the dramatic fireplace screen that has flanked Meridith, Matt, Ann and Al.
I have been searching for a photo to post along with this article, but can not seem to find on on the internet. I did, however, find this three minute discussion between Ann Curry and Kristi Yamaguchi. Interestingly enough, Kristi seems to want to cut to some “B roll” as they chit chat about various figure skaters. It seems someone in production checked out early. The entire three minutes is spent watching the two women talk. Good for my purpose. Get a great look at the custom metal fireplace screen that someone must have handcrafted for the television set.
The frame of the fireplace screed looks like it is made out of 3/4″ square tube. The curves in the metal frame could have been shaped on a metal bender and the sharp corners were possibly mitred together. Small pieces of 1/4″ cold rolled round stock have been welded onto the frame to hold various cut metal designs. The metal designs were most likely cut by hand out of pickled and oiled flat stock by a plasma cutter. There are also several sizes of flat stock that have been cut and ground off to form the icicle figures in the metal fireplace screen.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see this type of fireplace design pop up in custom homes around the world.

It takes time, effort and energy to learn how to do something new. A recent post prompted reader, Sylvia, to write in and ask if I could do some posts on simple welding projects and share a few tips. Sylvia has taken on the task of learning to weld at the wonderful age of 58. Females actually make better welders than their male counterparts at times. I thought I’d begin with a post outlining some of the simple tools one might need to get started in a new hobby of welding.
I would suggest that if you are looking at starting with small garage projects, you might want to look at investing in a good mig or wire feed welder. When you find a brand you like, it is good to look online and search the welder by its specific name to find the best price. Most online outlets will include free shipping. Look for a make that is ready for shielding gas. These can be used with a solid wire and shielding gas. Your end result weld will come out without slag, less splatter and an overall better appearance. The other route is to go with a flux-cored wire. As you weld using this wire, the flux in the core of the welding wire produces a slag and protects the weld bead from the atmosphere. This would require you to clean the slag off of your final weld.
A minimum of a 165 welder would be one of the best to begin with.
If you choose to use shielding gas then a cylinder will be needed. Welding cylinders can either be purchased or leased from a local welding supply outlet. Also, the recommended safety equipment should be on your shopping list as well, like gloves and a welding helmet. Auto darkening helmets are a bit pricey, but might be worth the upfront expense. Another safety precaution would be to purchase a welding mask that fits on your face and under your helmet to help alleviate welding fumes and grinding dust to your lungs.
Along with these suggestions, a few small power tools will complete your start up welding shop. I would suggest a 4 1/2″ grinder with grinding wheels, cut off wheels and flap wheels. Flap wheels are great to use when blending in welds and rounding corners. An abrasive cut off saw or chop saw is a good addition as well.
It is a good idea to connect with a local welder or supply shop to find the best deal on steel.

Dave recently sent this picture in via our facebook page, while he was on vacation on the east coast. His question for Tom had to do with the type of weld used on this underwater exploration vehicle.
Tom thought the machinery looked like it was built out of steel with an aluminum or zinc paint applied. The weld looks like an arc weld that was done with either 6010 or 6011 welding rod. Tom thought the weld looked “cold”, meaning that whoever fabricated the piece did not have the amperage turned up.
The object looks like a deep sea retriever device. Something used to remove debris from a sunken ship or perhaps even take pictures. Tom wasn’t sure on second look weather it was made out of steel or not. He thought it could be aluminum with a bad mig weld.

Sometimes the only way to fabricate a custom metal handrail is on the job site. This handmade handrail was welded partially in the shop and finished off at the custom home.
There are several things to remember when considering on site welding. It is best to be well prepared before leaving your shop. A few things to bring along might include a couple of grinders, one with a cut off wheel, chop saw, welding helmet, welding gloves, tape measure, square, and leathers if you doing some overhead welding.
Tom built a small dolly for his wire feed welder to take along when doing on site welding jobs. The dolly holds his bottle and welder. It is a little cumbersome to get out of the truck due to weight, but once Tom gets it out it can be wheeled around to wherever he needs to take it.
Tom used a regular dolly that can be purchased at any do it yourself store. He welded on a metal loop for the cylinder tank and also welded on hooks for the welder so he can easily bungee it on.
Don’t forget a few silver sharpies for marking up your steel as well.

It is also convenient to have a simple five gallon bucket for tools as well.