# What kind of projects are you all doing while it`s slow?



## STARBABY (Apr 12, 2012)

here is a small project I completed last week.


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## STARBABY (Apr 12, 2012)

more


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## STARBABY (Apr 12, 2012)

more(1)


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## STARBABY (Apr 12, 2012)

more(2)


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## Southreefpp (Jan 6, 2016)

Looks good. What are you using it for? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## madxtreme01 (Mar 5, 2015)

lucky, I wish I could fit my trailer in my garage.....I should have paid extra for the single 2 car door instead of 2 single car doors. Trailer is too wide to fit.


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## STARBABY (Apr 12, 2012)

Southreefpp said:


> Looks good. What are you using it for?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


trash outs, hauling bush


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## bigdaddy (Mar 3, 2013)

Looks good.
But why did you use 2x6 instead of using 5/4 decking?
Would have been allot lighter and cheaper.


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## STARBABY (Apr 12, 2012)

bigdaddy said:


> Looks good.
> But why did you use 2x6 instead of using 5/4 decking?
> Would have been allot lighter and cheaper.


did use decking at the top I use 2x4`s to help stiffing it up.


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## IPS (May 24, 2015)

Winter was spent running around to get more work since it didn't snow... got no projects done! But I could use that lift in your shop!


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## safeguard dropout (Apr 21, 2015)

Some of you will call me crazy. I've always been a half a bubble off plumb. :vs_worry:

For some dumb reason I've trashed 100 or more mower blades and never thrown them away. Decided to turn that pile into cash. New set of 3 blades cost around $60-$70. For every 2 trashed blades I can make one new one.

Cost me some cutting wheels, flap disks, welding wire, and a bit of electricity for the welder. $5-$10 a set? Takes about 3 hours to make a set of blades, so with not much else to do this winter, I'm saving a couple bucks. These are actually better than new because they have a deeper cutting edge and can be sharpened more times than shelf bought. They are welded top and bottom and cone balanced. I have 35 blades ready to go.

It's been a great winter project in the garage that has kept me looking busy and avoiding that painting project inside the house that the wife wants done. :vs_smile:


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## STARBABY (Apr 12, 2012)

IPS said:


> Winter was spent running around to get more work since it didn't snow... got no projects done! But I could use that lift in your shop!


lift is great ,no more laying on the ground


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## NCnewbie (Aug 6, 2014)

Make sure you test those blades out rigorously away from anything before using them regularly. My concern would be hitting something and sending the pieces you welded on flying out from under your deck. In my down time the past several months I have started another business forging custom knives. 

From that I can tell you this. 1: Manufacturers have switched a while back to very low carbon steel for lawn mower blades and this is so they will bend and not break whenever they hit something to prevent it from breaking and sending a piece of steel flying. 2: Getting a few pieces of steel to become 1 piece that will withstand the rigors of mowing would be extremely difficult, even though you welded top and bottom, there's a lot of gap in the center of the pieces that is a continuous void, another weak point if you will that will lead to breakage. 3: Those blades were more than likely heat treated by the manufacturer. If the blades were clean when you worked them (cutting and welding) then you probably would of seen some color changes going on, some blue and straw or goldish color coming out. This would be due to increases in the temperature of the steel around 300-450 degrees roughly. Grinding especially with a flap disc can easily bring it to that temp. If so you've lost the heat treat that was done to the steel prior, and the molecular structure within those different pieces and for lack of a better way to explain it, are all in different states right now and are too highly confused to work together to keep the steel strong. 

Just my .02 from a metallurgical view point. It's worth a shot if it saves you money and keeps you from doing the honey do list, just test them out before mowing a subdivision and finding out the hard way that a blade snapped.


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## safeguard dropout (Apr 21, 2015)

I come from a family of welders and welding suppliers, so I was well coached. Your testing suggestion was the first thing I did with the original trial pair. I have a 1000 ft gravel driveway on an acreage that was getting soft last year, so I had 4-6" road rock put down to solidify the base. After plowing snow this winter there was plenty of that big rock along the driveway in the grass. I took that trial set of blades and shredded thousands of chunks of rock. The blades were badly beaten but not broken. I'll take a pic of them and post it up tonight. I have used them a lot already this spring for grinding up shrub and tree branches up to 2''. Saves a lot of space on the trailer. By the way, don't anyone try that with a box store mower, you will shred it.

I agree though, just can't be 100% sure....so I will only use them with the custom made 3/8 steel discharge door shut. 

I had 1/2 of a brand new blade break and come off one time. It was just slightly out of balance. Hell of a vibration I must say.


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