man all i can say is that you guys need to go to work some where that has a lazer. they are the coolest thing i have ever seen. stuff that used to take a couple of hours is done in minutes. i asked my buddie richard to burn me out some more bead locks yesterday because he was slow, i get down there and he had 12 cut out for me. fawkin killer. so i need to get the rims from nolen and build my new set for the 44's.
http://tellico.off-road.com/wwwthreads_uploads/950717-DSCN2377.JPG

o yea we have one of those air operated press, to press in the press nuts, it took me about 20 minutes to get all 4 sets pressed in. yea i am stoked

......I'm pretty sure I hate you.


:flipoff2:

you suck dididly uck flanders -- homer

those are shwweet!!!

i gotta get me a laser too!!! hmmm i wonder if radio shack carries them hehehe. i can mod a laser pointer!!!! tim did it on tool time once hhehehe

hey guys, i don't want to wear out my welcome with the guys in the shop so i don't have any to sell. but i notice we have a guy on the board that works a laser check under the 8 lug template thread. mike

I am just about ready to buy a Plasma Cutter. How much is a laser that can cut 3/4 inch steel? I have never seen one of these, I am only familiar with water and plasma and torch to cut steel. Please describe.

Thanks

SeanP

pretty sure rock stomper would be happy to sell ya DIY kit as well.

can'y imagaine being able to build a lock any cheaper unless you have access to a laser like gun racer

the lazer here at work will cut 3/8ths [mild steel]but it is real slow it cost just shy of 1 mil. i don't know of any commercial lazer that would do 3/4 " stuff, i have seen a bunch that went to 1/2" but i don't remember seeing any that did bigger. i was under the impression that anything over half is in the relm of water jet, plasma or torch. mike

I am sure that if you have to ask , how much?
Then that pretty much tells ya that you can't afford it.

LOL i found a used one for 75k. :D looked into it but it was beat.

yah might be surprised at how affordable it is to get lazer cutting done. Especially if you can create the cad files yourself Search in your area, here in st. louis there are 4 or 5 different places that do it and if you supply the design in AutoCAD, all it costs is the material and the time to cut it out.

Chad

Originally posted by gunracer1
the lazer here at work will cut 3/8ths [mild steel]but it is real slow it cost just shy of 1 mil. i don't know of any commercial lazer that would do 3/4 " stuff, i have seen a bunch that went to 1/2" but i don't remember seeing any that did bigger. i was under the impression that anything over half is in the relm of water jet, plasma or torch. mike

The shop we use claims 1 1/2" capacity in mild steel and 3/4" in stainless. These are not uncommon capacities.

75k+ to DIY,

or $80 for the kit...

rockstomper is Kewl.

any deals for a fellow born and raised TEXAN?

Only if Y'ont too!

ya might want to take a file to your edges - last set of homemade beadlocks I saw that were cut with a lazer cut into the tires because of too sharp of an edge.

Metallugy dept. at my old school was given a big CO2 laser, free. Cooling jacket is 9 feet high, 12 feet wide, 14 feet long. Required them to remove a wall of the building to move it in. Required its own (rather large) well for cooling water supply. Required its own dedicated 13.2 kV service line, with its very own transformer. 8 kW beam energy, 2" diameter beam out. It'd punch holes in thick armor very rapidly, but they couldn't afford to turn it on.

i round the edges with a beltsander

o buy the way you dont have a extra center for the hummer rim i think we bent mine not bad though it still roles.

Another option, instead of laser, is the CNC Plasma table we have. A little spendy for a home unit, but very accurate. Will hold =/- .005 . Sorry, I was to lazy to move the MB notcher out of the way.

What brand is that CNC Plasma table? I have looked at a few on the internet in the past, but they are not cheap.

Originally posted by gunracer1
i round the edges with a beltsander

what he said;
I would sand a plasma edge too
They aren't the roundest edge that you've seen either


anything to save a 2 to 3 hundred dollar tire.

What brand is that CNC Plasma table? I have looked at a few on the internet in the past, but they are not cheap.

DRM: It is a PlasmaCam unit. Here is the link:

www.plasmacam.com (http://www.plasmacam.com/)

Actually, I DO work somewhere that has a laser-Many lasers...I work on Lasers...Unfortunately, the capacity in which these lasers are used is a little, uh..(yawn)..less exciting than making cool stuff such as bead lock rings:D As someone already mentioned, having items Laser cut(the more the better from a production stand point) can be pretty affordable if the CAD work is already done. The worst Laser will make the best plaz seem cheap. Unless you are wanting to purchase a "Laser Pointer" or your last name is Trump, I wouldn't even think about it...........Cool rings..Wanna make some more;)

a member of are club owns a shop that only does lazer cutting. so if anybody is really interested in getting stuff done. let me know what u want and i can get prices.

i can post the mesurements that i have used if you all want to make some up. this is not my first set and they work well. mike

Hey Mike can I get your buddies address, Id really like to send him a xmas card :flipoff2:


seriously that is damn cool , you lucky bastard!!!!

You suck! Damn, I seriously need to make some new friends with some decent connections!

coool

Those are sweet gunracer.

Superlift does mine! :flipoff2: 2 in house laser tables..

Originally posted by TJ Fan


DRM: It is a PlasmaCam unit. Here is the link:

www.plasmacam.com (http://www.plasmacam.com/)

it says to call on the price...they are closed...


whats the ballpark for one of these? and anyone know any others...


also assuming I could build everything but the drivemech and puter interaction...how could I source those?? anybody

Originally posted by Moab Austin
it says to call on the price...they are closed...
whats the ballpark for one of these? and anyone know any others...
also assuming I could build everything but the drivemech and puter interaction...how could I source those?? anybody

I called the other day. $8995.00. (You supply the tourch and the computer).

It is pretty cool.

also assuming I could build everything but the drivemech and puter interaction...how could I source those?? anybody

There is nothing to build...you buy it. The tolerances are tight on these. This is not somthing that you "bootie fab". On top of that price, you have a plasma cutter (which we have 1 with another different one coming shortly) and a computer with various software programs. So, it ends up costing considerably more than the initial price.

Originally posted by TJ Fan


DRM: It is a PlasmaCam unit. Here is the link:

www.plasmacam.com (http://www.plasmacam.com/)


There was a man on monster garage a couple weeks ago that was a metal man. He had one of these tables, but it was just bigger. looked very cool.

Measurements would be great. Do you happen to have the cad program?

Originally posted by gunracer1
i can post the mesurements that i have used if you all want to make some up. this is not my first set and they work well. mike

i have no idea what the program was written in, but i wll post some #s here in alittle bit. mike

Got anything yet Racer? I'm sure it can't be too hard to figure out, but I don't have any beadlocks here to look at and I'm not sure of things like how much ring needs to stick up past the bead of the tire and what not.

TJ Fan - if you own one of these, I would love to talk with you about what you think of the PlasmaCam unit. I talked with them last year about getting one, but their whole "shroud of mystery" and not seeing one in person before I shell out that kind of money was scaring me away. I was also questioning their accuracy for cutting out precision parts.

Their video sure makes you want one BAD :p


email me if you don't mind - drm1@charter.net

Anyone have experience with production EDM?

There was a big flurry of activity with automating controls a few years back in Home Shop Machinist. I'm surprised someone hasn't taken the bush league CNC lathe/mill idea from one of the magazines and used the same theory to build a cutting table.

Seems to me that with the same idea and hardware, one could build a computer controlled burn table fairly inexpensively and accurate enough for what most of us are doing.

I remember when having a vise was a big deal with the bunch of guys I hung around with (yeah, that was many years ago).

Paul

Originally posted by LAME
Anyone have experience with production EDM?

Big $$$

Originally posted by DemoMike


Big $$$

Yeah, but since we are talking CNC equipment it is either $$$ or $$$$:D

Originally posted by PTSchram
There was a big flurry of activity with automating controls a few years back in Home Shop Machinist. I'm surprised someone hasn't taken the bush league CNC lathe/mill idea from one of the magazines and used the same theory to build a cutting table.

Seems to me that with the same idea and hardware, one could build a computer controlled burn table fairly inexpensively and accurate enough for what most of us are doing.

Paul

I've seen a table that a guy put together himself, just like your talking about (plasma). He cut some tabs & brackets from 3/16" & 1/4" for a project we were doing. Very nice, smooth curved lines.
It can be done (& has been). I'm not sure what his tolerances are though.
Matt B

ok everyone, i will post some#
16.312" o.d.
2.5" width as in from i.d. to o.d.
10.4mm holes for 8mm press nuts 36ea. centered between o.d. and i.d.
i made the last batch from 3/16" and used a b36 industrial belt to fill the open void on the inside.
i have made the new ones fron 10 gage and i have built some steel reinforcing rings just to try it out. might work, might not. mike

Originally posted by gunracer1
ok everyone, i will post some#
16.312" o.d.
2.5" width as in from i.d. to o.d.
10.4mm holes for 8mm press nuts 36ea. centered between o.d. and i.d.
i made the last batch from 3/16" and used a b36 industrial belt to fill the open void on the inside.
i have made the new ones fron 10 gage and i have built some steel reinforcing rings just to try it out. might work, might not. mike


And these are for 15" rim beadlocks?

yea thats for the 15" rims and the bolts need to be 1.5 to 1.75"s long

Where are you getting the nutserts?

I'd like to know where Rockstomper is getting those nifty little nutserts as well as racers press in nuts?

DRM: Yes, we have one. It will hold .005" with the correct plasma unit.

Guys: Look in McMaster Carr and various aviation hardware calalogs for nutserts/rivnuts/etc.

the 8mm pressnuts i use are from amco supply in fortworth tx. the are a metric bolt supplier. and they are a pressnut, not a nutsert so make sure you ask for what you want. the only problem i have had is bolts getting loose, as in way loose and hitting a rock and popping the press nut out of the steel ring. but the only reason that happens is that i am to lazy to check my bolts.mike

I can cut a set of rings for any sized wheel. painted- $80+s&h
unpainted- $70 + s&h
if intrested email- frank@dixiemfg.com

GR: I am just curious why use a pressnut?. Do you think they are not stong enough? I know "nutsert" is a generic term..but coming from an aviation background there are lots of fasteners that could be applied in that application. Here is a good source of info on size/strength:http://www.aboveboardelectronics.com/index.html (http://)

SWWWEEEEEETTTTTTT!!!!!

Originally posted by broncorob
I'd like to know where Rockstomper is getting those nifty little nutserts as well as racers press in nuts?

why not ring and ask scott?!?!

or just buy them complete, they seem like a bargain! (over here they would be)

i used pressnuts because i had a big box full of them, and they cost me nothing. i worked aviation for 8 years, and know what a pain nutserts are to install. and they can spin out and be a pain the use and remove. to tell you the truth i think a set of nyloc nuts with bolts would be the most reliable in the long run. mike

to tell you the truth i think a set of nyloc nuts with bolts would be the most reliable in the long run. mike

Im with you 100% on that Bro...less on the "coolness" meter....but a lot more reliable and field fixable IMHO.
Larry
This has been a pretty good thread. :D

:beer: :beer:

Because my question just got answered here and I didn't have to pick up the phone. Rockstomper does have a great kit but with access to the right equipment you can do it much cheaper

Originally posted by BJ On Roids


why not ring and ask scott?!?!

or just buy them complete, they seem like a bargain! (over here they would be)

Originally posted by gunracer1
the lazer here at work will cut 3/8ths [mild steel]but it is real slow it cost just shy of 1 mil. i don't know of any commercial lazer that would do 3/4 " stuff, i have seen a bunch that went to 1/2" but i don't remember seeing any that did bigger. i was under the impression that anything over half is in the relm of water jet, plasma or torch. mike

I talked to a friend last night who works at a laser shop and he was saying there is a company with a 3-axis 5000 watt CO2 laser that can cut 1" mild at 40"/minute. They are looking into getting one, but they have to see if they can fill it with work before they buy.