Corky's Build

[Corky]

Here's some of the basic steps I've been using to build the engine stand,platform and eventually the rigging....In this case it's 1/2 inch EMT conduit...First I put index marks on the top and the bottom of the tubing at each end...This keeps my "fishmouth" cuts at the same angle for each end...

[Corky]

I wanted to show the size of the carbide burr I'm using for the cutting duties...It's a big one...I can buzz even the 3/4 inch tubing in short order...

[Corky]

And with some practice you end up with the correct angle needed...In the case with this burr it's just a matter of laying the burr on the tubing at the correct angle and letting it do the work...I found it better to leave the piece a little long and work up to the correct length after the angle has been found for each end..

[Corky]

And if all goes well you end up with a nice, tight joint between the two...This fit makes the welding ceremony easy...And the difficulty level goes up as the gap gets bigger........I've been measuring the main rails on each side and marking them so each side support is in the exact same spot from one side to the other...

[Corky]

And if all goes well you end up with a nice weld...Not too hot to blow holes in the tubing, not too cold to lay the weld on top of the joint...Just right for good penetration and makes the clean-up easy...I'm using a lincoln 110 volt welder with .023 wire...It makes some nice looking welds that I would'nt get using my larger welder...This is a pic before the brush cleaned it up...The galvanize coating does throw some black soot when welding but not enough to say it's interfering with the quality... I wanted to touch on this part of my build while I was in the process and show how I'm doing this ...I'll have some more pics of the main engine stand and platform coming in another day or two...