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Build Log, Day 2 (01.18.2005)
| The steel from OnlineMetals came today, so I was able to cut the last little pieces for this side. All the half-thickness parts have been cut and added in this picture. You can see one right in the middle, and another at the bottom right corner. A third small piece is at the very front, but it didn't fit in the picture (my garage ceiling is too low to get the camera high enough). |
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| The second side is coming along nicely. Here I've taken the pieces as I cut them and laid them on top of the ones I already had to make sure everything lined up just right. Pictured here is enough steel for both sides. I still haven't ground anything to its final shape or cleaned up the newly cut pieces. |
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| The yield for the day: a bucket full of future work. I didn't have time to clean these pieces, but it's getting late, and my neighbors probably wouldn't appreciate an all-night work session. I'll take these in and mark them for grinding. I can clean them after that step. |
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| All the pieces from the bucket have been marked for grinding and piled in a slightly more organized fashion. These, as well as the other pieces out in the garage, should be ready to be ground to shape during my next work day. Then I clean up the half that haven't yet gotten that treatment, and weld everything together. Things are going pretty well. |
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| One thing about welding that has rather surprised me is the fact that there is very little actual welding involved. I've now spent 26 hours making templates, cutting, grinding, and brushing (all activities that fit into the "manufacturing" category), and I have yet to weld anything. Hopefully in the next two work days I'll have enough pieces ready to actually crank up the welder I paid so much for. Of course, once I do, I'll just be laying down beads that have to be ground down themselves. |
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| End, Build day #2 (01.18.2005) |
| Progress: |
Cut all of the remaining steel for the chassis sides. Marked all pieces for final fitting. |
| Time: |
4 hours |
| Total Time: |
26 hours |
| Next Steps: |
Grind all pieces to final shape. Double check all fits and tolerances. Evaluate PAD/PAM process -- validate procedures or refine the process for future structure manufacturing. Clean dirty pieces. Weld, grind, and clean. Assemble into chassis framework. |
| Status: |
On schedule |
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