When I opened the vid and saw 46 minutes, I wasn't sure I'd make it all the way through. But I think the commentary, level of detail, and overall pace was just right. Now I'm in the part 2 waiting room.
The gimbal helps for sure, but I have seen plenty of videos shot with a gimbal that made me sick. This one on the other hand was very comfortable, so well done!
I bet more people get sick when a gimbal shot is combined with a wide-angle lens. Also, I am sure it depends on how fast the gimbal moves around and other settings on the gimbal. I am sure this has been written about extensively in some film school books. 😀
This was a huge help. Basically it's tool test reviews. After seeing it, I will decide to buy different equipment than I had been thinking about. Also, you space is probably more like 90% of the people watching. I also like the references to other people tools, because they have also done sort of reviews. Thanks.
Really enjoyed that video James. Stephan does them and even goes through every drawer! Seeing how others set up their home shops and economize on space is very interesting and helpful. Keep up the great work. You have helped me many many times with my own projects.
I really enjoyed the detailed commentary and you're audience-awareness on whether it was a good purchase and whether people in different situations would consider it as well. Also when I heard "when harbor freight had 25% off coupons" I had to wipe my tears, long gone are those days, lol. I purchased my first mini-mill while in high school with a 25% off coupon.
I absolutely love my Evolution Saw, Instead of vacuum attachment, I used magnets to collect the chops, its like a box that i put a bag in and pull the bag out after I'm done and all the chips are contained. I do use vacuum along with it more to help direct more chips in.
I completely agree with you about the horizontal band saw in every aspect you discussed except for one. For cutting blanks for machining and diy fabrication it's great. You can load it and walk away and do something else. When you hear the clunk on the floor you go back and set up the next cut. Nice and quiet... no crashing gears or arcing brushes and high frequency wind noise. No odors from burning metal and abrasive discs. No metal chips flying everywhere. I would never give it up for a wall mounted porta band saw. I also agree with you about the woodworkers drill press not being a true metal working tool. No matter how big the woodworkers press is it is completely Mickey Mouse compared to a slow speed gear head metal working drill press. The gear head drill press completely changes the way one looks at drilling in metal. You go from, "Oh, I don't know if I'll be able to drill this" to "Oh , hell yes, I can drill this".🐬
The chop saw is great if you need ultra portability like throw it in the boot of a car and your off but the bandsaw is so nice and quiet. Not to mention here in ozstralia its $150 for chop saw blade and $30 for bandsaw blade. I would give up my hobby if it wasnt for the bandsaw. It saves so much mundane work and you dont even have to watch it while it does its business. I think the bandsaw is the most underrated tool in the metal shop. Its like a light, you take it for granted until its broke.
Liked the video a lot. Normally when you do a video, your shop looks perfectly clean and organised. Its good to see a little bit of tools piled up on machines and stuff like that. Makes it look more real.
It is very interesting that my most used and loved tools are a luxury item in your presentation. Indispensable to me are my equivalent to a NSK grinder, my 3400 rpm baldor with 3m abrasive wheel, my Burking 2 x 60 inch belt grinder and a bead blasting cabinet. I can’t remember a project I didn’t use all of these on. I have a mill and lathe too but the above tools finish off the projects made on these machine tools. Of coarse as a hobbiest like you I can’t financially justify them but it is hard to justify a bar tab, golf club membership, a boat etc. I mention that just in case you have to have a conversation with your spouse!😉
James, I very much look forward to future videos in this series. I like seeing which machines you like and which you're merely OK ok and which you wouldn't buy again. The belt grinder is an obvious win: building a machine yourself is very satisfying.
This video really demonstrates and defines exactly what rapid prototyping is about The use of CAD and 3D printing and Slicing programs along with a practical need, project and problem to solve while we follow the journey of the various iterations Well done. I would recommend this exact video to anyone trying to see the value proposition of 3D printing as a hobby and skill to learn Well done and thanks.
Love this type of video. It is really hard to get this type of real world, user information except from people who actually use the equipment. Add the experience of 'would I buy it again' make this extremely interesting.
I've been watching your channel for years now and seeing all the tools was a little walk down memory lane. It would be nice for you to do a similar video covering the the metrology, tooling and shop storage: drawer organizers, your new tray organizers, useful things you've printed for shop use, etc. I also find your personal transformation over the life of the show to be inspiring, so thanks for being a good example.
Love my Evolution cold saw! I almost always use it with a big "catcher box"behind and, for steel, lay a big magnet on the table behind to catch most the shavings/dust/whatever. It is loud, you're right, but I use hearing protection with pretty much every tool in the shop.
Thanks for the walk thru and narrative. I appreciate your honest opinions about your usage and the cost of the tools you use every day and the speciality tools you have purchased. As a hobby machinist I am particularly pleased to note that my tool selection is remarkably similar to yours. I also purchased a G0704 to use while I upgraded my primary mill. The fact that I got it for only $800 made it particularly sweet. I would have CNCed the G0704 but instead got an amazing deal on a Denford Trident Pro VMC with an 8 place ATC, all ball screws, linear bearings, servos, and auto oiler for only $750. I also started out with a HF 9x20 bench lathe and have been quite happy with it after 14 years of mods. I recently moved up to a Clausing 5914 bargain lathe ($250) that needs a complete refurb but will make a great shop project as well as a great lathe upon completion (and the addition of a Clough42 ELS). I'm looking forward to part two of your shop tour and hope you have time to discuss your video setup as my dream is to also start a RUclips channel to share my shop adventures as I get my shop and mostly salvaged tools into working order. Thanks for the inspiration.
Nice run through video James. I liked the "would I buy it again" angle, too often people show off tools but never say if they would buy them again months or years later. I mainly fabricate automotive stuff, but have machines to aid in my fabrication and I don't have a chop saw. I've considered it several times but can't pull the trigger on one because I don't see the value with the stuff I build. I either use a clone of your saw or the DoAll for all my cutting needs. Slower, but more accurate and I'm not deaf when I finish using them.
That drill press is perfect in your shop. Many of us get along with a lesser Sears Craftsman. Just keep a drill set close by and you will likely find yourself using it more.
My biggest mistake in purchasing machine tools were a cold saw (too slow) and a used surface grinder which is ok but doesn’t have the precision I want and I don’t have the skills to make it better. Glad you bought the new surface grinder!
Enjoyed the video. I am a tool junkie, I just welcomed a Baldor 6" buffer to my shop. Arrived today, it is still in the box, waiting for me to sort out a home for it. For a long time I wanted the 8" model you have, but realized it is serious overkill for my anticipated uses.
That was great! I own one of those harbour freight bandsaws. I made a nice 6mm steel plate thats big enough to use it professionally in the vertical orientation, and also works fine in the horizontal mode. I cut some 3”x6” mild steel stock a couple of days ago. It did a great job and I love how you can turn your back on it when adjusted right. 🇦🇺🤜🏼🤛🏼😎🍀
My favorite aspect of this wasn’t 👍 vs 👎… it was WHO each and every tool in the shop would and would not be well suited for. That’s a first, in shop tours / reviews and it’s makes this video incredibly valuable to all of us with our different needs. … I primarily do metal fab and mechanic work in my shop, absolutely no machining. Tool desires for me = polar opposite.
Thanks James. I sat down to watch this on a Sunday afternoon which is usually my “nanna nap” time! I watched & actually stayed awake! I really appreciate your honest & common sense approach to “would I buy this again”. Very interesting video. Probably I prefer your ‘Project’ videos but having said that I am also I’m looking forward to Part 2!
I appreciated the heads up overview shots across the shop from different angles. Other topics of interest: 1. Storage systems for materials and hardware. 2. Any task lighting/magnification equipment recommendations? 3. Storage systems for machine supplies and tooling. 4. Metrology show-and-tell. 5. Storage systems for electronics parts, supplies, equipment. I suspect that you have a lot of organizing goodness that isn’t immediately apparent. Also, preferred vendors for tooling, materials, supplies? Do you have an overflow area for storing bulk-purchased supplies? What is your policy for keeping materials on hand? Purchase exactly to project requirements? Buy extra?
I've used that NSK rotary tool all day every day for the last 12 years. They are incredibly well built and are hands down the single best rotary tool you can buy. There are a lot of different attachments for it as well- the filing attachment is really nice.
Thanks James, I benefited more than expected from this video. It definitely takes time to establish the love/hate ratio for many tools, and the downside is less often told. Looking forward to Part 2! 👍
a useful video format for sure! most of the machines featured i wouldn't buy after seeing this, so many thanks for showing their shortcomings. most of what we get out of china and taiwan are as you so eloquently put it: castings kits. they have to be upgraded out of the box in order to be a useful addition to the shop
Speaking of grinders.. one of my most used toools is a 6" grinder with a flap disc on one side and a wire wheel on the other. Wear PPE. But it is very usefull too cllean up edgeds and stuff like you use your baldor for. Crazy what i find to use that thing for
A vote for the portaband and another thing with the cold saw. A bandsaw of any type is a massive quality of life improvement. First time you have to cut something like a 4" round of aluminium, you're going to want to go buy one! As a starter, Milwaukee do a 2½" 12V portaband that's great for cutting almost all the stock you'll use to length. There's a larger version but I'm even more space-constrained that James so I actually found it difficult to wield without hitting the wall...your space may vary :D If you're cutting flat stock, you're quickly going to run out of throat (stock hits the column) on a portaband. I've got a smaller hand-held Bosch metal cutting circular saw. It's good and contains most of the chips for the first ten seconds until the bin is full. After that, James is spot on....with the extra issue that if you're cutting ferrous materials (maybe just this one plate I had, I'm not sure) the chips become quite magnetic so everything ends up constantly covered in them.
Nice introduction of your video. What I have heard a lot of, and is very accurate for me, is that the initial investment on your machinery, does not compare to the continual cost of tooling your machines. The good thing is you don't have to buy it all at once. So, from an initial investment of your mill and lathe, I would spend the money and get the most optimized equipment you can afford. Getting a lathe with a quick change gearbox and cross slide power feed is huge. Buy once and cry once. Same goes for your mill. Rigidity helps a lot.
I bought a Vevor portaband saw that comes with a detachable horizontal milling stand which works great in my tiny workshop making small metal parts and occasionally tube steel frames. I intend to build a wall mount vertical sawing table for it so it can be used in three modes: handheld, horizontal, and vertical.
I totally agree with you on the band saw vs the Evolution. I ended up selling my Evolution and making a bunch of upgrades to my HF band saw. I did a 4 part video on the band saw upgrades if you're interested.
For a hobbyist maybe, if you are earning money from your fabrication and/or you don't have time to burn, a cold cut saw is indispensable. I have both, the horizontal bandsaw gets very little use any more, sweeping up every day is normal, it needs doing regardless.
I have a PM-949TV and I have to agree it was a challenge to move, yours would be much less daunting. But boy is it a nice machine! I love your quill DRO, I’ll definitely be looking into that as an upgrade!
I fitted my horizontal band saw on top of a tool drawer. Paired with two foldable roller stands. Ergonomically much better. No problem with 20 feet stock. The roller stands also used on woodworking machines.
Nice shop. You've, so far, left out all the tooling, accessories & measuring stuff needed! Where our shops compare, our points of view are very similar. I have a 1440 , DRO. Too big for hobby work? A jet 949 VS , feeds & DRO, I really like it. A Shars that required considerable work to make it useable. It is difficult for me to adjust. A Grizzly 8" VS that is pure junk. A Jet 8" that seems excessively expensive but is powerful. I've got an old, modified, with a metal working belt that works fine. An Italian 14" slow speed, 50+ years old, that is great, Fast & quiet. that I have modified the: vice, stop, stand and put a larger table for vertical use. OK for hobby use. Old 20 Ton bottle jack some modifications. 3 ton Vevor ratchet with some mods. Much faster to use than the hydraulic press for lighter work. US General roll-around , very good. Old Jet bench with some mods, the belt system is a PIA and limited slow speed offerings. Lots of (Rotary table, BS-1 Indexing head, Spin Indexer, Collet blocks, 7x10 tilt table, 5C & ER40 chucks ....) that have provided entertainment and learning experiences. Have fun.
Enjoy your channel, just discovered it. I have a PM lathe and mill and the comment about weight with the mill is true but I don't move mine around so yes it was a bugger to get from the truck to the inside of my shop (had to rent a fork truck) but it is lovely to use and rock solid.
Thanks for the video! I’ve been going back and forth between a harbor freight band saw and an evolution cold saw, and you have definitely confirmed my choice. I think the latest harbor freight saw has a coolant tank and pump which is also very desirable for me.
Thank you for a great video. I mainly love the maker content that you normally do but this was great and I look forward to another installment with yet more tools. Merry Christmas to you and you family.
If you have space, and funds I would highly recommend a 12x36 gear head lathe. I have the PM version with the single phase motor and it is a beauty. Still not super heavy, but a joy to use.
Really appreciate the details and overview on each machine. James, would you be willing to do a video on your shop infrastructure? Square footage, electrical, lighting, HVAC, air system, dust collection, air purification, material storage, shop supplies, etc. Thanks!
My HF bandsaw 24:00 will not cut straight at all. And it wants to throw the blade with the least provocation. I was able to fix the blade throwing by offsetting the drive pulley about a 1/4". But despite numerous attempts at aligning the guide rollers, it still insists on cutting cockeyed. The issue seems to be the result of how much they twisted the blade along its path.
According to the MSC catalog, as they sell the Bridgeport, the 49” machine weighs 1995 pounds. Shipping weight is more, of course, 2075 pounds. I don’t mind the loudness of a cutoff saw. Yes, I keep hearing protection near the saw. But then, I use angle grinders and they’re just as bad, so protection is needed there anyway. But until you need to cut a number of parts, you can’t appreciate how much time this saves. I did build a stand with foldable in and out tables, the out table with measuring to duplicate parts. I also built it with a rotatable table for 90 to 45 degree cutting. Yes, it does throw chips everywhere. I can contain maybe 60% of them and have to vacuum up the rest. A bother, to be sure. But both metalworking and wood working is a mess no matter how you look at it, so I just think of it as part of the mix.
I have seen a lot of upgrade vids for the 4x6 horizontal bandsaw. ALL of them miss one of the best additions. A folding chair. And one of the advantages of this saw. Clamp the stock in, turn on the saw. All of this is done while sitting down. Then wait for the saw to do its work
That Jet Drill could be used as a Blanchard grinder with some easy modifications especially with the VFD conversion to lower the speeds, One simply has to convert that round table to be free spinning on adjustable tapered bearings or even angular contacts as grinding loads are light. Then one makes an adaptor to add a cup type grinding stone to the spindle and because the table is now free spinning with the table offset from the centreline axis spin the table up by hand bring the newly fitted grinding stone down in contact with the table and you will have a perfectly square to the stone table surface with that blanchard ground finish used on flywheels and disk brakes among other items. A commercial flywheel grinder to do the same job will cost upwards or $10,000 and probably a couple of thousand used
James, The two nicest lathes I have ever used were a Monarch EE, and the Hardinge HLVH. I have passed up on a Hardinge for my home hobby shop for reasons similar as yours, plus as nice as it would be to own one it would not add to my capabilities. I use a a Bridgeport, and a 9A South Bend lathe both from 1948.✌
It will do something that no other tool can do: cut threads and threaded rod without destroying the ends. The abrasive saw, the band saw, and any grinder will flatten the last thread so you have to run up a nut on both sides of the cut.
I have a portaband on a stand (purchased first), and bought a similar 4x6 afterwards. The 4x6 is a much better purchase. Not even a comparison. Portaband was purchase due to space constraints (I’m tighter then you). It’s hardly used now. I mounted my 4x6 on a pivoting swing out in my welding table, and doesn’t take up any room in the shop when it hides underneath.
I have an Atlas/Craftsman 12" lathe, roughly equivalent to yours, and it was a royal PITA. I was really happy to replace it with an ERL-1340, which is a beast.
My Chinese 9x20 looks very similar to yours, but the power feed is via a slot in the leadscrew rather than the threads. It's a rather clever way of not wearing threads when using power feed.
Make a quick lock lever for the tailstock of the lathe. I made one for my benchtop lathe and it is one of the best things i have done to it. And it is a pretty easy mod. Just drill a hole in the casting, press in a bronze bushing, and make a eccentric shaft for the lever.
Just sayin.. one other potentially great option for the horizontal bandsaw would be to make it into a roll-in bandsaw, where the saw rolls into the work.. you could then cut long stock easily because the stock is stationary, and setup for small jobs becomes easier, like with a roll-in table. Not sure how it would be mounted to the wall, but might work.. Have considered this for my Grizzly 4" saw, which I love, & have done some complicated setups on to get around excessive milling which is great, but would be much easier with a vertical table and the roll-in feed.. Just a steel frame to hold some slides (or tracks & rollers?), figure out where to connect slides to saw, & an L- shaped table to let the unit roll in about 6 to 10 inches but still clear the frame of the saw. If someone is considering major rehap of a single lip cutter grinder, they should consider restoring something like the old KO Lee B600 grinder- they come up now & then... I came upon a Scripta single- lip tool grinder, & did even sharpen some end mills.. but setting up things are so much easier when you can set up the tool on either side of the grinding wheel, & can move & set real stops with linear travel. I now use the Scripta workhead, which was really nice, on the KO Lee grinder table.. Love this video... helping people starting up make more- educated decisions... Thanks!
Very enjoyable thanks. I’m in a similar situation as I have converted garage and I’m just an amateur as well. I’m also tossing up whether get rid of my cold saw and keep just my horizontal bandsaw due to space constraints. Also the blades for the cold saw are not cheap but it cuts fast. I find getting rid of tools extremely difficult. One big difference is most of my machines I purchased used as new was unaffordable. I’m looking forward to part 2 as I’m interested in your opinion on the electric brake. I purchased mine about 8 months ago (used) thinking it would be really helpful but I’ve only used it twice so far. I’ve had a bead roller for several years and only used it once. Cheers mate, Stuart 🇦🇺
Good walkthrough, thanks for sharing that. It would be awesome if you could list the other channels that you mentioned in your video description. I had to skim back through to find the reference to blondiehacks (and appreciate it, her videos look interesting). I'm very curious to see how that Avid Benchtop Pro works out for you. I almost bought one when I saw your project starting, but then the Langmuir MR-1 was announced and I went in that direction. Now I have a very modified MR-1 with LinxuCNC and a CNCDepot FM30F spindle (thanks again to your videos there) -- it's great for my needs. On the 10x22 lathes I would also recommend to your subscribers that they watch for Emco Compact 10 and Super 11. Both are really 11 inch machines, can be had with large bores (my Compact 10 has a stepped spindle that can take 36mm stock until the left bearing, then it drops down to 25mm), optional camlock chuck mounts (D1-3 on my Compact 10), and the Super 11 has power feeds in X and Z. I have a full cabinet, but they can easily be bench mounted, the cabinet contains no electronics or motors, just storage.
Excellent video as usual James. I just got a Vevor 2x82 belt grinder in my shop and did a bunch of creature comfort mods to it (2x72 conversion, roll cart, water mist, LED worklight, glass platen, larger work-table, etc) I just love this machine. Looking forward to part 2 of your video. BTW you should really check out the Harbor Freight "Hercules" stand for the porta-band band-saws, they are magnificent (just got one in here too)😅❤
Hi Clough, great vid! However, I will take issue with you on the evolution saw. I have the 10 inch miter evolution saw on one of their stands and on Bora casters to move around easily, and I absolutely love it! If one is doing projects with super strut or anything requiring angles, you just cannot beat the precision of the cuts, absolutely exquisite and very easy to cut. I will agree with you that it does produce a lot of those chips, even with a vacuum hooked to it. So yes, hearing protection, and enclosed eye protection are a must with this thing. But that is a small price to pay for the ease of cutting metal and the precision that you get. And finally, this is probably one of the cheapest tools in your shop, and in your case does not take up any room, so why not have it for the appropriate use cases? By the way, evolution just released a new model that appears to be a little smaller than my miter saw, and also might solve one of the other small detractors with my saw, which is that the chips get into lots of nooks and crannies on the saw. I don’t think this is particularly applicable to your table top evolution chopsaw, but it is a minor nitpick that I have with my evolution miter saw. This new model may fix that issue. Enjoyed it and thanks!
I need to see the all rogue gym setup, I see some sandbags over there too. I bet you are strong as hell!! Loved the video style by the way, keep up the great content.
I found with the band saw, if a few teeth on the blade are bad it will not cut straight and no amount of adjusting will make it cut straight. I take the chop saw outside and then a lot less clean up in the shop. But I live where that is not a problem.
I have torn teeth off the blade when cutting thin aluminum extrusions that slipped in the vise. And you're right: a blade missing a few teeth in a row is not a fun time.
Bandsaw is great accurate from the word go. In UK about £400, however the blade lasted 4 cuts, then I got a good blade. STEVE SUMMERS did a good video on making a coolant system and chip tray for one of these.
I have a Holzmann FD400 which would qualify as a minilathe. 8" swing, 16" bed. I certainly don't do watchmaker stuff, and I consider my lathe size quite adequate for a first lathe.
I do like your comments, but many of these tools IE grizzly lathe or the vertical mill have had so much custom enhancements done to them that they really aren't the same machines any longer. Love your videos & have subscribed.
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When I opened the vid and saw 46 minutes, I wasn't sure I'd make it all the way through. But I think the commentary, level of detail, and overall pace was just right. Now I'm in the part 2 waiting room.
Time flies - (specially at double playback speed)
Me too 😃
This is one of the few times the hand held camera did NOT make me sick. You have steady hands, good taste, or both.
Also, a gimbal.
The gimbal helps for sure, but I have seen plenty of videos shot with a gimbal that made me sick. This one on the other hand was very comfortable, so well done!
I didn't even notice, so good job!
I bet more people get sick when a gimbal shot is combined with a wide-angle lens. Also, I am sure it depends on how fast the gimbal moves around and other settings on the gimbal. I am sure this has been written about extensively in some film school books. 😀
This was a huge help. Basically it's tool test reviews. After seeing it, I will decide to buy different equipment than I had been thinking about. Also, you space is probably more like 90% of the people watching. I also like the references to other people tools, because they have also done sort of reviews. Thanks.
Really enjoyed that video James. Stephan does them and even goes through every drawer! Seeing how others set up their home shops and economize on space is very interesting and helpful. Keep up the great work. You have helped me many many times with my own projects.
I really enjoyed the detailed commentary and you're audience-awareness on whether it was a good purchase and whether people in different situations would consider it as well. Also when I heard "when harbor freight had 25% off coupons" I had to wipe my tears, long gone are those days, lol. I purchased my first mini-mill while in high school with a 25% off coupon.
Great video, it's particularly good to hear about how useful you find each item rather than just how good it is at its job. Can't wait for part 2.
I absolutely love my Evolution Saw, Instead of vacuum attachment, I used magnets to collect the chops, its like a box that i put a bag in and pull the bag out after I'm done and all the chips are contained. I do use vacuum along with it more to help direct more chips in.
I completely agree with you about the horizontal band saw in every aspect you discussed except for one. For cutting blanks for machining and diy fabrication it's great. You can load it and walk away and do something else. When you hear the clunk on the floor you go back and set up the next cut. Nice and quiet... no crashing gears or arcing brushes and high frequency wind noise. No odors from burning metal and abrasive discs. No metal chips flying everywhere. I would never give it up for a wall mounted porta band saw.
I also agree with you about the woodworkers drill press not being a true metal working tool. No matter how big the woodworkers press is it is completely Mickey Mouse compared to a slow speed gear head metal working drill press. The gear head drill press completely changes the way one looks at drilling in metal. You go from, "Oh, I don't know if I'll be able to drill this" to "Oh , hell yes, I can drill this".🐬
Great video. Best advice in all hobby shop videos so far. Frank
The idea of the metal pads hanging down for camera mounts alone made this worth the watch. 💡💯
You might like the ones that Inheritance Machining and Marius Hornberger made too.
The chop saw is great if you need ultra portability like throw it in the boot of a car and your off but the bandsaw is so nice and quiet. Not to mention here in ozstralia its $150 for chop saw blade and $30 for bandsaw blade. I would give up my hobby if it wasnt for the bandsaw. It saves so much mundane work and you dont even have to watch it while it does its business. I think the bandsaw is the most underrated tool in the metal shop. Its like a light, you take it for granted until its broke.
Liked the video a lot. Normally when you do a video, your shop looks perfectly clean and organised. Its good to see a little bit of tools piled up on machines and stuff like that. Makes it look more real.
It is very interesting that my most used and loved tools are a luxury item in your presentation. Indispensable to me are my equivalent to a NSK grinder, my 3400 rpm baldor with 3m abrasive wheel, my Burking 2 x 60 inch belt grinder and a bead blasting cabinet. I can’t remember a project I didn’t use all of these on. I have a mill and lathe too but the above tools finish off the projects made on these machine tools. Of coarse as a hobbiest like you I can’t financially justify them but it is hard to justify a bar tab, golf club membership, a boat etc. I mention that just in case you have to have a conversation with your spouse!😉
James, I very much look forward to future videos in this series. I like seeing which machines you like and which you're merely OK ok and which you wouldn't buy again. The belt grinder is an obvious win: building a machine yourself is very satisfying.
This video really demonstrates and defines exactly what rapid prototyping is about
The use of CAD and 3D printing and Slicing programs along with a practical need, project and problem to solve while we follow the journey of the various iterations
Well done. I would recommend this exact video to anyone trying to see the value proposition of 3D printing as a hobby and skill to learn
Well done and thanks.
Love this type of video. It is really hard to get this type of real world, user information except from people who actually use the equipment. Add the experience of 'would I buy it again' make this extremely interesting.
I've been watching your channel for years now and seeing all the tools was a little walk down memory lane. It would be nice for you to do a similar video covering the the metrology, tooling and shop storage: drawer organizers, your new tray organizers, useful things you've printed for shop use, etc. I also find your personal transformation over the life of the show to be inspiring, so thanks for being a good example.
Yes: Please do a show-and-tell of all your 3D prints in the shop, and whether each was worth while.
Handheld cameras do often make me sick, but sometimes sacrifices must be made. This wasn't as bad as some. Thank you!
Love my Evolution cold saw! I almost always use it with a big "catcher box"behind and, for steel, lay a big magnet on the table behind to catch most the shavings/dust/whatever. It is loud, you're right, but I use hearing protection with pretty much every tool in the shop.
I did a similar exercise about a year ago. I sold half my machines since then.
I need to do what with 3D printers.
@@Clough42hey, at least those fit on shelves. I sold 2 extras mills!
now I'm getting workshop envy, great video thanks for sharing
Very interesting. Looking forward to part two.
Thanks for the walk thru and narrative. I appreciate your honest opinions about your usage and the cost of the tools you use every day and the speciality tools you have purchased. As a hobby machinist I am particularly pleased to note that my tool selection is remarkably similar to yours. I also purchased a G0704 to use while I upgraded my primary mill. The fact that I got it for only $800 made it particularly sweet. I would have CNCed the G0704 but instead got an amazing deal on a Denford Trident Pro VMC with an 8 place ATC, all ball screws, linear bearings, servos, and auto oiler for only $750. I also started out with a HF 9x20 bench lathe and have been quite happy with it after 14 years of mods. I recently moved up to a Clausing 5914 bargain lathe ($250) that needs a complete refurb but will make a great shop project as well as a great lathe upon completion (and the addition of a Clough42 ELS). I'm looking forward to part two of your shop tour and hope you have time to discuss your video setup as my dream is to also start a RUclips channel to share my shop adventures as I get my shop and mostly salvaged tools into working order. Thanks for the inspiration.
I was glued from start to finish! I admire your likings.
Nice run through video James. I liked the "would I buy it again" angle, too often people show off tools but never say if they would buy them again months or years later.
I mainly fabricate automotive stuff, but have machines to aid in my fabrication and I don't have a chop saw. I've considered it several times but can't pull the trigger on one because I don't see the value with the stuff I build. I either use a clone of your saw or the DoAll for all my cutting needs. Slower, but more accurate and I'm not deaf when I finish using them.
Well done and very informative! Thank you for putting the effort in to produce that!
That drill press is perfect in your shop. Many of us get along with a lesser Sears Craftsman. Just keep a drill set close by and you will likely find yourself using it more.
I love these kind of videos... I really like your projects, so I like to see what tools do you use for them, that's for sure! Thanks for sharing!
My biggest mistake in purchasing machine tools were a cold saw (too slow) and a used surface grinder which is ok but doesn’t have the precision I want and I don’t have the skills to make it better. Glad you bought the new surface grinder!
Good concept. Too may videos are made in the initial excitement phase of getting a new tool versus after real use.
Enjoyed the video. I am a tool junkie, I just welcomed a Baldor 6" buffer to my shop. Arrived today, it is still in the box, waiting for me to sort out a home for it. For a long time I wanted the 8" model you have, but realized it is serious overkill for my anticipated uses.
That was great!
I own one of those harbour freight bandsaws.
I made a nice 6mm steel plate thats big enough to use it professionally in the vertical orientation, and also works fine in the horizontal mode.
I cut some 3”x6” mild steel stock a couple of days ago. It did a great job and I love how you can turn your back on it when adjusted right.
🇦🇺🤜🏼🤛🏼😎🍀
My favorite aspect of this wasn’t 👍 vs 👎… it was WHO each and every tool in the shop would and would not be well suited for. That’s a first, in shop tours / reviews and it’s makes this video incredibly valuable to all of us with our different needs.
…
I primarily do metal fab and mechanic work in my shop, absolutely no machining. Tool desires for me = polar opposite.
Would I watch a video like this again? Mmmmmyeah, I would, in a heartbeat, if you made another. Thanks, thoroughly enjoyed it.
Thanks James. I sat down to watch this on a Sunday afternoon which is usually my “nanna nap” time! I watched & actually stayed awake! I really appreciate your honest & common sense approach to “would I buy this again”. Very interesting video. Probably I prefer your ‘Project’ videos but having said that I am also I’m looking forward to Part 2!
I appreciated the heads up overview shots across the shop from different angles.
Other topics of interest:
1. Storage systems for materials and hardware.
2. Any task lighting/magnification equipment recommendations?
3. Storage systems for machine supplies and tooling.
4. Metrology show-and-tell.
5. Storage systems for electronics parts, supplies, equipment.
I suspect that you have a lot of organizing goodness that isn’t immediately apparent. Also, preferred vendors for tooling, materials, supplies?
Do you have an overflow area for storing bulk-purchased supplies? What is your policy for keeping materials on hand? Purchase exactly to project requirements? Buy extra?
I've used that NSK rotary tool all day every day for the last 12 years. They are incredibly well built and are hands down the single best rotary tool you can buy. There are a lot of different attachments for it as well- the filing attachment is really nice.
Thanks James, I benefited more than expected from this video. It definitely takes time to establish the love/hate ratio for many tools, and the downside is less often told. Looking forward to Part 2! 👍
a useful video format for sure! most of the machines featured i wouldn't buy after seeing this, so many thanks for showing their shortcomings. most of what we get out of china and taiwan are as you so eloquently put it: castings kits. they have to be upgraded out of the box in order to be a useful addition to the shop
Can't wait for part 2
Speaking of grinders.. one of my most used toools is a 6" grinder with a flap disc on one side and a wire wheel on the other. Wear PPE. But it is very usefull too cllean up edgeds and stuff like you use your baldor for. Crazy what i find to use that thing for
Great episode. Would I watch it again? Uh... yes, definitely.
A vote for the portaband and another thing with the cold saw. A bandsaw of any type is a massive quality of life improvement. First time you have to cut something like a 4" round of aluminium, you're going to want to go buy one! As a starter, Milwaukee do a 2½" 12V portaband that's great for cutting almost all the stock you'll use to length. There's a larger version but I'm even more space-constrained that James so I actually found it difficult to wield without hitting the wall...your space may vary :D If you're cutting flat stock, you're quickly going to run out of throat (stock hits the column) on a portaband. I've got a smaller hand-held Bosch metal cutting circular saw. It's good and contains most of the chips for the first ten seconds until the bin is full. After that, James is spot on....with the extra issue that if you're cutting ferrous materials (maybe just this one plate I had, I'm not sure) the chips become quite magnetic so everything ends up constantly covered in them.
Loved the walk around and the machine vs use case analysis. Opened my eyes on some aspects of the shop. THANKS!
Nice introduction of your video. What I have heard a lot of, and is very accurate for me, is that the initial investment on your machinery, does not compare to the continual cost of tooling your machines. The good thing is you don't have to buy it all at once. So, from an initial investment of your mill and lathe, I would spend the money and get the most optimized equipment you can afford. Getting a lathe with a quick change gearbox and cross slide power feed is huge. Buy once and cry once. Same goes for your mill. Rigidity helps a lot.
I bought a Vevor portaband saw that comes with a detachable horizontal milling stand which works great in my tiny workshop making small metal parts and occasionally tube steel frames. I intend to build a wall mount vertical sawing table for it so it can be used in three modes: handheld, horizontal, and vertical.
I totally agree with you on the band saw vs the Evolution. I ended up selling my Evolution and making a bunch of upgrades to my HF band saw. I did a 4 part video on the band saw upgrades if you're interested.
For a hobbyist maybe, if you are earning money from your fabrication and/or you don't have time to burn, a cold cut saw is indispensable. I have both, the horizontal bandsaw gets very little use any more, sweeping up every day is normal, it needs doing regardless.
I have a PM-949TV and I have to agree it was a challenge to move, yours would be much less daunting. But boy is it a nice machine! I love your quill DRO, I’ll definitely be looking into that as an upgrade!
I fitted my horizontal band saw on top of a tool drawer. Paired with two foldable roller stands. Ergonomically much better. No problem with 20 feet stock.
The roller stands also used on woodworking machines.
Nice shop. You've, so far, left out all the tooling, accessories & measuring stuff needed!
Where our shops compare, our points of view are very similar.
I have a 1440 , DRO. Too big for hobby work? A jet 949 VS , feeds & DRO, I really like it. A Shars that required considerable work to make it useable. It is difficult for me to adjust. A Grizzly 8" VS that is pure junk. A Jet 8" that seems excessively expensive but is powerful. I've got an old, modified, with a metal working belt that works fine. An Italian 14" slow speed, 50+ years old, that is great, Fast & quiet. that I have modified the: vice, stop, stand and put a larger table for vertical use. OK for hobby use. Old 20 Ton bottle jack some modifications. 3 ton Vevor ratchet with some mods. Much faster to use than the hydraulic press for lighter work. US General roll-around , very good. Old Jet bench with some mods, the belt system is a PIA and limited slow speed offerings. Lots of (Rotary table, BS-1 Indexing head, Spin Indexer, Collet blocks, 7x10 tilt table, 5C & ER40 chucks ....) that have provided entertainment and learning experiences. Have fun.
Enjoy your channel, just discovered it. I have a PM lathe and mill and the comment about weight with the mill is true but I don't move mine around so yes it was a bugger to get from the truck to the inside of my shop (had to rent a fork truck) but it is lovely to use and rock solid.
Can’t wait for part ✌🏻
Thanks for the video! I’ve been going back and forth between a harbor freight band saw and an evolution cold saw, and you have definitely confirmed my choice. I think the latest harbor freight saw has a coolant tank and pump which is also very desirable for me.
Thanks for a closer look. I’ve always been curious about your lathe bench!
Great video James, Thanks!
Thank you for a great video. I mainly love the maker content that you normally do but this was great and I look forward to another installment with yet more tools. Merry Christmas to you and you family.
If you have space, and funds I would highly recommend a 12x36 gear head lathe. I have the PM version with the single phase motor and it is a beauty. Still not super heavy, but a joy to use.
I've got smaller versions of most of the stuff you have, used to use them lots when I was making aluminum stuff.
Really appreciate the details and overview on each machine. James, would you be willing to do a video on your shop infrastructure? Square footage, electrical, lighting, HVAC, air system, dust collection, air purification, material storage, shop supplies, etc. Thanks!
Bridgeport is your best bet. for long running and quality. I had a industrial hobbies 12z mill wont do that again.
I got a full-size Bridgeport mill into my basement. I had to take of the ram, the X-axis to get it in.
Yes moving 3500 lbs around is a challenge.
My HF bandsaw 24:00 will not cut straight at all. And it wants to throw the blade with the least provocation. I was able to fix the blade throwing by offsetting the drive pulley about a 1/4". But despite numerous attempts at aligning the guide rollers, it still insists on cutting cockeyed. The issue seems to be the result of how much they twisted the blade along its path.
Nice collection! It's amazing how many machines one can ammas over a few years 👍
Great shop James. Mine is a closet 8' x 16'
According to the MSC catalog, as they sell the Bridgeport, the 49” machine weighs 1995 pounds. Shipping weight is more, of course, 2075 pounds. I don’t mind the loudness of a cutoff saw. Yes, I keep hearing protection near the saw. But then, I use angle grinders and they’re just as bad, so protection is needed there anyway. But until you need to cut a number of parts, you can’t appreciate how much time this saves. I did build a stand with foldable in and out tables, the out table with measuring to duplicate parts. I also built it with a rotatable table for 90 to 45 degree cutting. Yes, it does throw chips everywhere. I can contain maybe 60% of them and have to vacuum up the rest. A bother, to be sure. But both metalworking and wood working is a mess no matter how you look at it, so I just think of it as part of the mix.
Always interested in watching your videos!
I have seen a lot of upgrade vids for the 4x6 horizontal bandsaw. ALL of them miss one of the best additions. A folding chair. And one of the advantages of this saw.
Clamp the stock in, turn on the saw. All of this is done while sitting down. Then wait for the saw to do its work
That Jet Drill could be used as a Blanchard grinder with some easy modifications especially with the VFD conversion to lower the speeds, One simply has to convert that round table to be free spinning on adjustable tapered bearings or even angular contacts as grinding loads are light.
Then one makes an adaptor to add a cup type grinding stone to the spindle and because the table is now free spinning with the table offset from the centreline axis spin the table up by hand bring the newly fitted grinding stone down in contact with the table and you will have a perfectly square to the stone table surface with that blanchard ground finish used on flywheels and disk brakes among other items.
A commercial flywheel grinder to do the same job will cost upwards or $10,000 and probably a couple of thousand used
Very good video James, 100% agree on the knee mill...
Merry Christmas 🎄🎄
James, The two nicest lathes I have ever used were a Monarch EE, and the Hardinge HLVH. I have passed up on a Hardinge for my home hobby shop for reasons similar as yours, plus as nice as it would be to own one it would not add to my capabilities. I use a a Bridgeport, and a 9A South Bend lathe both from 1948.✌
Great channel. Awesome shop update. I have a Evolution saw and do agree that even thought its cuts good, the noise is way irritating.
It will do something that no other tool can do: cut threads and threaded rod without destroying the ends. The abrasive saw, the band saw, and any grinder will flatten the last thread so you have to run up a nut on both sides of the cut.
although it doesnt aid my tool addiction, i LOVEthese typer of videos... never new i wanted a d-bit grinder 😂😂
Really enjoyed this video James.
I have a portaband on a stand (purchased first), and bought a similar 4x6 afterwards.
The 4x6 is a much better purchase. Not even a comparison.
Portaband was purchase due to space constraints (I’m tighter then you). It’s hardly used now. I mounted my 4x6 on a pivoting swing out in my welding table, and doesn’t take up any room in the shop when it hides underneath.
I won the same nakanishi grinder at the 2022 Summer Bash, it’s one of my favorite tools as well.
I have an Atlas/Craftsman 12" lathe, roughly equivalent to yours, and it was a royal PITA. I was really happy to replace it with an ERL-1340, which is a beast.
My Chinese 9x20 looks very similar to yours, but the power feed is via a slot in the leadscrew rather than the threads. It's a rather clever way of not wearing threads when using power feed.
Make a quick lock lever for the tailstock of the lathe. I made one for my benchtop lathe and it is one of the best things i have done to it. And it is a pretty easy mod. Just drill a hole in the casting, press in a bronze bushing, and make a eccentric shaft for the lever.
Just sayin.. one other potentially great option for the horizontal bandsaw would be to make it into a roll-in bandsaw, where the saw rolls into the work.. you could then cut long stock easily because the stock is stationary, and setup for small jobs becomes easier, like with a roll-in table. Not sure how it would be mounted to the wall, but might work..
Have considered this for my Grizzly 4" saw, which I love, & have done some complicated setups on to get around excessive milling which is great, but would be much easier with a vertical table and the roll-in feed.. Just a steel frame to hold some slides (or tracks & rollers?), figure out where to connect slides to saw, & an L- shaped table to let the unit roll in about 6 to 10 inches but still clear the frame of the saw.
If someone is considering major rehap of a single lip cutter grinder, they should consider restoring something like the old KO Lee B600 grinder- they come up now & then... I came upon a Scripta single- lip tool grinder, & did even sharpen some end mills.. but setting up things are so much easier when you can set up the tool on either side of the grinding wheel, & can move & set real stops with linear travel. I now use the Scripta workhead, which was really nice, on the KO Lee grinder table..
Love this video... helping people starting up make more- educated decisions... Thanks!
I like the video and look forward to seeing the Advid CNC router again.
Very enjoyable thanks. I’m in a similar situation as I have converted garage and I’m just an amateur as well. I’m also tossing up whether get rid of my cold saw and keep just my horizontal bandsaw due to space constraints. Also the blades for the cold saw are not cheap but it cuts fast. I find getting rid of tools extremely difficult. One big difference is most of my machines I purchased used as new was unaffordable. I’m looking forward to part 2 as I’m interested in your opinion on the electric brake. I purchased mine about 8 months ago (used) thinking it would be really helpful but I’ve only used it twice so far. I’ve had a bead roller for several years and only used it once.
Cheers mate, Stuart 🇦🇺
Good walkthrough, thanks for sharing that.
It would be awesome if you could list the other channels that you mentioned in your video description. I had to skim back through to find the reference to blondiehacks (and appreciate it, her videos look interesting).
I'm very curious to see how that Avid Benchtop Pro works out for you. I almost bought one when I saw your project starting, but then the Langmuir MR-1 was announced and I went in that direction. Now I have a very modified MR-1 with LinxuCNC and a CNCDepot FM30F spindle (thanks again to your videos there) -- it's great for my needs.
On the 10x22 lathes I would also recommend to your subscribers that they watch for Emco Compact 10 and Super 11. Both are really 11 inch machines, can be had with large bores (my Compact 10 has a stepped spindle that can take 36mm stock until the left bearing, then it drops down to 25mm), optional camlock chuck mounts (D1-3 on my Compact 10), and the Super 11 has power feeds in X and Z. I have a full cabinet, but they can easily be bench mounted, the cabinet contains no electronics or motors, just storage.
Enjoyed this video. Thanks James.
Terrific! Much appreciated.
Excellent video as usual James. I just got a Vevor 2x82 belt grinder in my shop and did a bunch of creature comfort mods to it (2x72 conversion, roll cart, water mist, LED worklight, glass platen, larger work-table, etc) I just love this machine. Looking forward to part 2 of your video. BTW you should really check out the Harbor Freight "Hercules" stand for the porta-band band-saws, they are magnificent (just got one in here too)😅❤
This is great! Would also love to see the tool cabinets. Those are an important part of shop design.
Hi Clough, great vid! However, I will take issue with you on the evolution saw. I have the 10 inch miter evolution saw on one of their stands and on Bora casters to move around easily, and I absolutely love it! If one is doing projects with super strut or anything requiring angles, you just cannot beat the precision of the cuts, absolutely exquisite and very easy to cut. I will agree with you that it does produce a lot of those chips, even with a vacuum hooked to it. So yes, hearing protection, and enclosed eye protection are a must with this thing. But that is a small price to pay for the ease of cutting metal and the precision that you get. And finally, this is probably one of the cheapest tools in your shop, and in your case does not take up any room, so why not have it for the appropriate use cases? By the way, evolution just released a new model that appears to be a little smaller than my miter saw, and also might solve one of the other small detractors with my saw, which is that the chips get into lots of nooks and crannies on the saw. I don’t think this is particularly applicable to your table top evolution chopsaw, but it is a minor nitpick that I have with my evolution miter saw. This new model may fix that issue. Enjoyed it and thanks!
Nice collection of tools.
Good job. Well done.
I need to see the all rogue gym setup, I see some sandbags over there too. I bet you are strong as hell!! Loved the video style by the way, keep up the great content.
Thanks! I don't talk about it much on the channel, but I do all right: usapl.liftingdatabase.com/lifters-view?id=127909
@@Clough42 hell yeah, this is awesome!
I found with the band saw, if a few teeth on the blade are bad it will not cut straight and no amount of adjusting will make it cut straight. I take the chop saw outside and then a lot less clean up in the shop. But I live where that is not a problem.
I have torn teeth off the blade when cutting thin aluminum extrusions that slipped in the vise. And you're right: a blade missing a few teeth in a row is not a fun time.
I added a third step pulley on a drill press I bought that turned way too fast. Works really good at low speeds now.
Bandsaw is great accurate from the word go. In UK about £400, however the blade lasted 4 cuts, then I got a good blade. STEVE SUMMERS did a good video on making a coolant system and chip tray for one of these.
Excellent video very informative
I have a Holzmann FD400 which would qualify as a minilathe. 8" swing, 16" bed. I certainly don't do watchmaker stuff, and I consider my lathe size quite adequate for a first lathe.
Video is great. I didn't notice it was hand held.
Great show.
If you where going to do the roll in saw conversion I would make the saw slide in not the table even though that would be harder to build.
Really enjoyed the vid, more like this please
I do like your comments, but many of these tools IE grizzly lathe or the vertical mill have had so much custom enhancements done to them that they really aren't the same machines any longer. Love your videos & have subscribed.