Few more recent pick ups. Bought an iGaging 4" digital calipers off eBay for around $20. This one remembers where it's at if you slide the jaws while the display is turned off.
Also picked up some heel clamps for the mill. Recall paying about $30 for these.
Picked up a Thermolyne model FA1730 heat treat furnace yesterday. Happened to hit Craig's List with a search for "heat treat oven" and this one for $300 showed up about 100 miles away. I have a Thermolyne model 2000 which is a 110V unit with a max temp of around 2000 F and a 8" x 4" x 4" chamber. This one is 220V with a 15" x 9" x 9" chamber. I fired it up but didn't wait for it to get to any significant temperature. The smaller one takes about 30 minutes to get to 1575 F or the hardening point for steel. I used to harden punches and dies with an oxyacetylene torch; last time I hardened 2 punches 3" x 1/2" diameter and 2 dies 1 1/4" diameter x 5/8" thick. They used about 25 psi out of my acetylene tank which I recall costing about $100 to fill to 300 psi, so about $8.30 to harden those punches/dies. Our electric rate is around $0.10 per kilowatt hour, the small furnace costs about $0.20 per hour to run. The bigger one draws 24 A at 220 V or 5.3 KwH or $0.53 per hour to run. The torch goes a lot quicker, but is significantly (factor of 70 for the 2 punches and dies) more expensive.
Below are photos of my rigging (not my day job). I made up a base out of 2 x 6's and slid it under the furnace while still in our Traverse. Shot 5/16" lags at the corners to keep it from sliding on the base. Then made a plank out of a couple of 2x10's for sliding the furnace onto a 16" x 30" cart for its temporary home. Lagged some ratchet straps to the plank and the base and inched it out of the Traverse onto the 16" x 30" cart. Lifted it with a couple of straps and an engine hoist to slip the plank out from underneath, then set it down on the 16" x 30" cart. I think Mike Rowe said it on the old show "Dirty Jobs", "safety may not be our top priority, but it's in the top 50" . . . The furnace weighs close to 300 lbs. and was really tipsy on the 16" x 30" cart. So plan B was to clear some space off a 24" x 36" cart and drop the furnace on it. Much more stable, I'll end up making a specific stand for it, or easier yet buy a 24" x 36" cart like it ended up on for the time being and put both heat treat furnaces on it.
Thanks for looking.
Bruce
Slid a 2x6 base under the furnace while still in the car
Used a couple of ratchet straps lagged to the 2x6 base and a plank to slide the furnace out of the car onto a cart.
The ratchet straps worked really well for inching the furnace onto a 16" x 30" cart.
Nope, no fire in the shop. They say "May is Morel (mushroom) month in Michigan". I think it's really "May is Mosquito month in Michigan)". Man, they loved me opening the 16' slider shop door. I keep a fogger in the shop just for these occasions . . . Used an engine hoist to lift the furnace enough to slip the plank out from under it. Holy cow, was it really tipsy on that 16" x 30" cart! So on to plan B . . .
Cleared some space off a reinforced 24" x 36" cart and lifted it in place.
I'll still primarily use my smaller Thermolyne 2000 furnace with a small 8" x 4" x 4" chamber, but nice to have a 15" x 9" x 9" option.
The controls are pretty simple: Two breakers control the power, one for the electronic control, the other for furnace power. The temp control is set by pressing SET, then work up/down to the desired temp for each digit of the target temp.
My plan is still to downsize .
