Miller mig welders

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_CY_

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got a DEWALT DW872, slow moving carbide tipped blade. really makes short work of cutting metals.

look at what I scored today.... still loaded on my trailer
1. Miller XMT 304
2. Miller 330 AB/P TIG with high frequency and wet TIG torch setup. 450amp AC/DC

hopefully should have the XMT304 up and running soon. the Miller 330 AB/P was working fine when it was taken out of service.

luckily I've got 3 phase service at home. one of the few places in Tulsa with residential 3 phase. 3 phase delta with a wild leg (higher voltage on one leg)

sure hope I can get the Miller 330 going again. it's going to require wiring in a new 3 phase circuit. probably could get by on 60 amps per leg. sure glad I've already got #4 copper wire and a three phase breaker box for this.

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tyromeo55

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luckily I've got 3 phase service at home. one of the few places in Tulsa with residential 3 phase. 3 phase delta with a wild leg (higher voltage on one leg)

What part of town do you live in? I'm in Patric Henry addn. and also have a 120 / 240 3 ph delta service although It doesn't leave the meter since the removal of the John Zink condenser that cost me 450 bucks to feed in the dead of summer. That high leg is the reason that many people should not be doing their own electrical work. People see an empty space in the panel and think they can use it to add a 110v branch circuit........ Poof! They let out the magic black smoke.
 

_CY_

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in mid town ... still running a water tower with three phase semi-hermetic compressor for my air conditioning.

unreal efficiencies are achieved with three phase combined with BTU gains from water coming from deep underground.

just installed a new 10 ton water tower. a few years back retro-fitted the original Chrysler Air Temp radial compressor with a modern semi-hermetic Copeland also three phase.

working on three phase delta with wild leg. one really needs to keep track of where that wild leg goes. only use for wild leg is for three phase compressor, so that wild leg never hits the panel. three phase circuit is wired completely separate.

when my meter was upgraded to new electronic self-reading model. it took several tries until an old timer PSO tech could be found that understood how to wire it in.

recently high winds blew down a 2ft diameter tree trunk ... took out the main power lines for our block. my service was ripped out. there was no markings on feeder wires indicating wild leg. so when the linemen hotted up my meter. I had to go through my house verifying the wild leg was hooked correctly. then I had to deal with my 3 phase compressor rotating the correct direction..... big time fun

a few years back during the big ice storm... huge branches downed power lines all over. especially our neighborhood with huge trees. Linemen from out of town had never seen three phase in a residential area.... anyways something got wired wrong and the wild leg got hotted up in the wrong phase. blew out almost everything electrical plugged in.... can you say fun?

What part of town do you live in? I'm in Patric Henry addn. and also have a 120 / 240 3 ph delta service although It doesn't leave the meter since the removal of the John Zink condenser that cost me 450 bucks to feed in the dead of summer. That high leg is the reason that many people should not be doing their own electrical work. People see an empty space in the panel and think they can use it to add a 110v branch circuit........ Poof! They let out the magic black smoke.
 
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tyromeo55

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A great way to cut steel on the cheap it to use those thin metal cut off discs on a 4" grinder ( most people already own a one, if not you should) They wear out fast but are so cheap it hardly matters.
 

Shoot Summ

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Got the saw Saturday, makes cutting metal a pleasure now. After slogging through the metal last week with an abrasive disk it took me about 2 minutes to do the same amount of cutting that took me 2 evenings. It does make some nice little shavings that get stuck in shoes, feet, dogs feet, if you aren't careful and sweep up really well.

I've got another item I am making this week with miter cuts, I'm anxious to see how it does with those....

A related question, I need some misc. steel(angle, tube, etc) for some of these projects. So far I have been buying at Quick Service Steel but they seem to mostly sell "sticks" and their scrap area was almost non existent. Is there any other place I can buy smaller quantities at decent prices?
 

Perplexed

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Got the saw Saturday, makes cutting metal a pleasure now. After slogging through the metal last week with an abrasive disk it took me about 2 minutes to do the same amount of cutting that took me 2 evenings.

I've got another item I am making this week with miter cuts, I'm anxious to see how it does with those....

A related question, I need some misc. steel(angle, tube, etc) for some of these projects. So far I have been buying at Quick Service Steel but they seem to mostly sell "sticks" and their scrap area was almost non existent. Is there any other place I can buy smaller quantities at decent prices?

I'll be interested in hearing how your new saw does with miter cuts, especially if the blade flexes while cutting at an angle. Keep us posted, please.

As for Quick Service, I hear you about the scrap area. However, I've found during about ten visits over the past couple of months, at different times on different days, the type of scrap available varies tremendously. I've seen a range from practically nothing for sale, up to scads of angle, flat bar, square and round bar, and square tube, in different sizes and lengths. Have you checked the random drops pile on the other side of the wall from where the scrap area is? They'll often have scrap sheet steel there and sometimes angle and tube. Just depends on when you're there, and if your timing is good.
 

_CY_

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interesting.. just found this on wilki for Cold Saws
evidently they give the lowest cost per cut of any metal sawing process

been using mine for awhile and didn't understand how it worked. figured out real quick a cold saw cuts substantially faster on thick metals vs std metal chop saw using fiber discs.

does a decent job cutting wood too. needed to chop some 2x4's. the dry saw was already out, so I tried a piece of 2x4... worked good.

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A cold saw is a sawing machine that uses a circular saw blade to cut metal. The name "cold saw" comes from the cutting process they employ. These sawing machines transfer the heat generated by cutting to the chips created by the saw blade. Therefore, the blade and material being cut remain cold, unlike an abrasive saw, which abrades the metal and creates a great deal of heat in the metal and cutting blade.
 

_CY_

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this appears to be a decent welder for $350 ...
not nearly good as the Miller 180 that was too good to be true deal

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Brand New Hobart Handler 187 Mig Welder - $350 (Tulsa, near Cherry St)
Date: 2011-06-20, 12:44PM CDT
Reply to: [email protected] [Errors when replying to ads?]
I bought this 230 volt welder a year ago and have never used it, never even plugged it in. It includes all the original parts as well as a cover. The cheapest new ones I have seen are $550 at Tractor Supply, most other places sell them for $675 to $700.

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Perplexed

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this appears to be a decent welder for $350 ...
not nearly good as the Miller 180 that was too good to be true deal

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Brand New Hobart Handler 187 Mig Welder - $350 (Tulsa, near Cherry St)
Date: 2011-06-20, 12:44PM CDT
Reply to: [email protected] [Errors when replying to ads?]
I bought this 230 volt welder a year ago and have never used it, never even plugged it in. It includes all the original parts as well as a cover. The cheapest new ones I have seen are $550 at Tractor Supply, most other places sell them for $675 to $700.

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That's a pretty decent deal! Hobart is owned by Miller if I'm not mistaken, and is pitched as Miller's "economy line." They're made largely with Miller components, though there are a few non-critical parts of lesser quality that helps get the price down. If I didn't already have a Millermatic 211 on the way, I'd look closely at this one.
 

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