/r/Skookum
A place where people come to learn, or teach.
(Or have a chuckle out in the shop)
NSFW: inappropriate adult language!
Rules -
1. This sub is intended to be a place where people come to learn, or teach.
2. Provide Context. If you post an image, gif, or video, you should also post a comment explaining what we're looking at, with as much detail as possible. This applies to 99.9% of all posts here.
3. Users are strongly encouraged to submit posts for technical or career assistance. We're here to help! But at the same time, don't be lazy - Google exists and RTFM. Demonstrate that you've done your homework before asking for help.
4. Don't be an asshole. Seriously.
THIS INCLUDES GATEKEEPING - this sub is as much for aspirants to skookumness to learn as it is about celebrating those who have already mastered it. "This isn't skookum!" posts will get deleted - help them understand where they could have gone better, don't just throw rocks at them.
5. Re-posts less than a month old will be removed. Serially re-posted content, or content that's generally played out on social media, will also be removed.
6. "Big Wrench" pics (and similar pics of large-scale industrial equipment, etc) will be removed with extreme prejudice!
Exceptions can be made if you use the thing and you have a story to tell or have a teaching point, but in general "Look at this big thing!" posts will get nuked.
That goes double for posts featuring the brand name "Skookum" on some random chain hoist or whatever.
7. The Skookum community will not participate in the development of illegal weapon systems. This excludes devices of a legal sporting or ornamental nature, ie. blades, firearms, archery equipment, etc.
This does not mean you need to report every pic of a legal firearm. Gunsmithing is an acceptable topic.
8. Everyone can use a laugh from time to time and the occasional shitpost can bring light to someone's day - in moderation. Humour is subjective and the mods reserve the right to lock and/or delete shitposts based on how good they think your joke is and the current shitpost frequency. Anything racist/sexist/similar will be immediately nuked and might get you a ban as well!
Wanna watch some cool shit? Check out the following YouTube Channels-
Abom79. In depth industrial machining videos.
Alec Steele. Creating beauty with fire, metal, and percussion.
Applied Science. One of those guys that can make cool shit without making a huge mess.
Aussie50 "An Australian dicking around in the shop with whatever was at hand, making cool shit, putting it on the internet."
Great channel. Guy'll be missed.
Bad Obsession Motorsport. Home of Project Binky, a highly involved Mini Cooper project.
Big Clive. Electrical device tear downs featuring excessive facial hair.
Chris DePrisco. The guy that built a high performance CNC mill from scratch.
Clickspring. Machining true works of art.
Cody's Lab. Proving that you don't need to spend a lot of money to get OSHA to show up.
Electroboom. Desktop electrical engineering from a mind that is both curious and funny.
Engineering Guy. The Stephen Spielberg of technical YouTube videos.
Essential Craftsman. Carpentry with a dose of zero fucks.
Far North Racing. Race car fabrication, CNC conversions, and other shop-related bullshit, from a long time member of the Skookum community.
Jimmy Diresta. Making all kinds of stuff with genuine expertise.
Keith Rucker. Search for and rescue of vintage machinery.
Make it Extreme. Name says it all.
Matthias Wandel. With a name like that, you know he's a wood worker.
NYC CNC. The place to start for aspiring CNC machinists.
Ox Tools. Machining and fabrication at a professional level.
photonicinduction. He's back! High energy, sketchy as frig experiments.
Project Farm. Low-bullshit comparison tests of products for home and shop.
Regular Cars. Bringing social and technical context to automotive journalism.
Smarter Every Day. How good do you have to be at making science videos to score an Obama interview?
Taofledermaus. Citizen science for firearm enthusiasts.
Tim Hunkin. An absolute OG. Created "The Secret Life Of Machines" series in 1988 and is now putting out "The secret Life of Components" on youtube.
The Post Apocalyptic Inventor Using a German accent to make devices with salvaged electronics.
This Old Tony. Machining and top quality dad jokes.
Welding Tips and Tricks. A great resource for amateurs and pros alike.
/r/Skookum
144,497 Subscribers
Table Saw motor sparking
Dewalt dwe7491 table saw. Last used 4 months ago, stored under a tarp. Seems louder than I remember. After running for a minute something starts glowing orange inside the motor. Little bit of smoke. I assume this isn't normal?
04:43 UTC
I need a 50-75 CFM air compressor. I'm out of my depth.
Like the title says, I need a baby industrial air compressor, guzzolean or diesel powered. My minimum air requirement is 30 CFM at 100 psi, so I figured to size up to make sure I have the capacity. My application is to use this unit to generate foam for injection into grout slurry as a low density concrete "foam." We'll be dosing one truck at a time with foam, 20 or so trucks per day. Total volume is about 400 trucks.
It appears that a screw-type compressor is going to fit my needs, rather than a piston/tank arrangement, but the usage will be intermittent, running balls out for 6-10 mins, then idling for 15-20 mins, 6-12 hours at a clip.
As a lowly concrete man, I'm not sure what to look for as far as marks of quality or shittiness. The ones I'm seeing online are around $10K USD (I'm in the Southern US). Any brands to gravitate toward or away from? This is bigger than the units you can pick up at the retailers, and I don't even know where to start looking. Neither does my sales rep who I buy all my concrete stuff from.
Thanks, gents.
19:05 UTC
Modifying a Edwards nEXT400IID Vacuum Pump for General Vacuum Use
Hello all!
I recently came across a nearly free nEXT400IID (B832-00-816) turbomolecular pump that I was able to pick up. The problem that I am having now is determining how to adapt this specific pump to a standard ISO/DN flange. This pump appears to be purpose built for Thermo Fisher mass spectrometers (see the link below for what I mean) so has a specifically designed upper flange for (conceivably) mounting into their machines. The flange is meant to "allow evacuation from three vacuum chambers" but the specific plumbing of these ports appears that anything other than the primary turbo inlet won't receive high vacuum. I've looked around for service manuals for potential machines that may have schematics of how it attaches but to no avail. Before I go through the arduous process of designing an adapter for this pump, has anyone modified one of these pumps before or know someone who has? I'm already designing an adapter but if someone else has already done the work...
https://www.ajvs.com/product_info.php?products_id=40638&category_id=1840
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/O1oAAOSwKp5nK~Zz/s-l1600.webp
Please let me know if you have any insight into this or advice on how to design the adapter!
05:28 UTC
Jer Schmidt finally publishes his home-made surface grinder (and plans) after 7 years, that fit onto his 2x72 belt sander. Just fantastic engineering, every little detail considered. Buy a set of plans if you want to support him.
20:34 UTC
In case anyone is in the Portland area, we're going to be throwing a new floating drydock into the water tomorrow morning. Open to the public!
13:02 UTC
Logan with powerfeed
Here's my 1942 Logan 10" with removable powerfeed. It may appear archaic, but it works like a champ! Cheers.
20:40 UTC
This is fine
22:20 UTC
Scottsdale Az
05:52 UTC
Pretty skookum box cutter I was gifted for Christmas. Pretty fun to assemble as well
18:20 UTC
My Girl’s uncle took me to see his shop.
440 3 phase 1 1/2hp
22:08 UTC
48" Double line stop Thursday
15:13 UTC
Need magazine recommendations for boys.
Popular Mechanics has nosedived in quality. I was fascinated by the magazine as a boy and am trying to provide a similar experience for my boys. What modern magazines (if any) are on par with the Popular Mechanics of 20 years ago?
05:31 UTC
Hydraulic cylinder for a windmill project - weight is approximately 200 tons
19:34 UTC
Does anyone know why, in the kind of feral hog trap in which the fence drops all the way round, rather than only @ the gates, the fence is guided by rails sloping @ about 45° so that it rotates as it falls?
Because I can't find an explanation of it anywhere … & the mystery is beginning to peck @ me somewhat.
In my opinion, the reason is so that the fence doesn't tip, & therefore jam, as it falls … because it would only take a very slight tipping for jamming in that way to occur. But the real reason maywell be something very different … so I wonder whether anyone @ this Channel knows for-certain.
09:14 UTC
MAF sensor flow test rig almost done.
11:19 UTC
Saving Caulk
I went from grandpas way of sticking a screw in the end and wrapping it with electric tape to these red condom things.
The screw trick always works. Time will tell if the condoms keep the tubes from drying.
What do you guys use?
21:01 UTC
They aren't usually this graphic.
16:42 UTC
At last! I've found a really properly decent video on trebuchets, that gives essential details on how to build an optimal one.
15:03 UTC
Pneumatic casters on engine lift
I picked up a 2-ton cherry picker off the ol' marketplace to help move equipment I restore. It works great for the driveway/garage, but I need to be able to wheel it down to my shed. I have some 8" pneumatic casters kicking around I'd like to use. I don't trust the HF pneumatics farther than I can throw them so I only want to use them for wheeling around the yard and light duty lifting. I'm trying to think of a way to fabricate a mount that makes them removable without any tools for switching between stock casters and these. Anyone wrestled with this idea before?
20:57 UTC
Time lapse of my homemade 40 ton hydraulic press brake from CAD design to completion
03:12 UTC
We live in amazing times.
14:48 UTC
Favorite videos from machinist youtubers? (Old Tony, Keith Fenner, Abom, etc)
17:31 UTC