Wobblycogs CNC Mk1

[Wobblycogs]

In the future (possibly a couple of years in the future) at least some of this frame will be welded. I'll probably weld it into three sections - 2 sides and the bed. That will reduce it to just 20 or 30 bolts rather than the hundreds it current is. I've not got anywhere to store the welding equipment at the moment and I wanted to get going so bolting seemed like the least worst option. I suppose I could have got it welded for me or hired equipment etc but I quite like this approach as I'm learning about metalwork as I go.

Shortly after breaking the first centre drill and then wrecking the hole I broke another one (rushing) but I learnt from my first mistake. I grabbed a knackered old spade bit which has a hardened steel point and just drove the broken off tip of the drill clean through the steel. It had broken off most of the way through so it was fairly easy to just force it the rest of the way. That left me with the counter sink intact so it was easy to follow up with the main drill. I'll try drilling down next to it if I break one shallow though.

[Wobblycogs]

So far I've not snapped at tap and touch wood when I do it'll happen on something easy to replace.

I could certainly have welded some of it but I sat down with pen and paper and worked out the additional cost of equipment plus where I'd store the kit afterwards (especially the shield gas tank) and the difficultly with getting the frame up and down the stairs and then crossing my fingers waiting for dry days to do some welding etc etc - I decided to just get cracking with bolting it together. With any luck LOML will get a new job in the next couple of months and we can get cracking with building an extension that includes a garage / workshop, at that point I'll get a MIG welder I think as I've got a few projects I'd like to do.