Chain box for L2502

[awesome]

I've built a box in front of my l2502. It's a great place to store chains. The 2601 did not have enough room in the front for this. 48$ worth of metal.

Making holes is not something I like. I don't think I have the right equipment. It's costing me a fortune in drill bits and it's a slow process.

The welding part is fun.

And then the paint job:

 

[Dave_eng]

Nice fabrication skills!
Having a chain on board will always be handy
Dave

 

[Hoserman]

Well done. I love the craftsmanship you put into this project.

 

[chim]

"Making holes is not something I like. I don't think I have the right equipment. It's costing me a fortune in drill bits and it's a slow process."

Nice job!

You could have a very different opinion on drilling with a couple changes. A good drill index with bits up to 1/2" helps a lot. For larger holes, hole saws are handy. A mag drill with annular cutters is a lot better. I have a couple pieces of steel that can be clamped to pieces that need drilled. A mag drill needs a certain amount of square inches and thickness to grab securely. One example is below. Step bits are good for thin sheet metal. I don't like them in anything over 14GA.

I use Tap Magic with twist bits and Stick-Kut with the annular cutters. More knowledgeable people match the RPM's to the work, but I just use the slowest speed on the drill press and the mag drill has one speed. With the 20V drills, I keep the speed down.

I'm assuming you had that work on the drill press clamped down well and the picture was just to show the equipment you used. That flat strip could turn into a "whirling helicopter of death"

 

[Old Machinist]

Nice job! Having chains on board is very handy.

Cobalt drill bits are a game changer for drilling. I bought a small set up to 3/8" and have a couple of individual sizes in 1/2" and 5/8". X2 on hole saws for larger holes.

I have mounted metal ammo boxes on my small tractors to keep chains in. I store two 10 footers in one box on each of my tractors. My backhoe has a built in box in top of the hydraulic tank I keep some larger gauge chains in. Walmart has the best deal I've found on new metal ammo boxes.

 

[Smokeydog]

Glad you are carrying chains safely. Nice fabrication!
Holes larger than 1/2” usually holesaw. Lube and compressed air blowing while cutting. Slowest speed on drill press.

 

[awesome]

"Making holes is not something I like. I don't think I have the right equipment. It's costing me a fortune in drill bits and it's a slow process."

Nice job!

You could have a very different opinion on drilling with a couple changes. A good drill index with bits up to 1/2" helps a lot. For larger holes, hole saws are handy. A mag drill with annular cutters is a lot better. I have a couple pieces of steel that can be clamped to pieces that need drilled. A mag drill needs a certain amount of square inches and thickness to grab securely. One example is below. Step bits are good for thin sheet metal. I don't like them in anything over 14GA.

I use Tap Magic with twist bits and Stick-Kut with the annular cutters. More knowledgeable people match the RPM's to the work, but I just use the slowest speed on the drill press and the mag drill has one speed. With the 20V drills, I keep the speed down.

I'm assuming you had that work on the drill press clamped down well and the picture was just to show the equipment you used. That flat strip could turn into a "whirling helicopter of death"

I had to look up what a mag drill was. Looks like it's the kind of drill they use to open safes in bank heist movies.

I'll look into getting a set of hole saws.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

That looks great my man!

I also agree with the "welding is the fun part" comment and that drilling big holes definitely sucks.

I need to get one of those "mag drills" one day, they look cool.

I went a slightly different route with one of these from Langmuir.

 

[McMXi]

Making holes is not something I like. I don't think I have the right equipment. It's costing me a fortune in drill bits and it's a slow process.

View attachment 154149

Do you need four holes? Just wondering if those extra two holes are used for anything. Nice project though.

 

[chim]

I had to look up what a mag drill was. Looks like it's the kind of drill they use to open safes in bank heist movies.

I'll look into getting a set of hole saws.

The slug in the first picture is from a 1" diameter hole through a 1" piece of steel. I forget how long it took, but think about 15-20 seconds. Lower picture was taken when I drilled a laminated wood column for mounting a "back scratcher" for his cows. There were steel plates on both sides with 6 holes in each for the trhough-bolts. Took a little time for setup, but everything lined up when I was done. Using a mag drill on a wood column might not be the first thing you think of

 

[McMXi]

Mag drills are the bees knees but they have their limitations. I have a Hougen mag drill and have used it on so many projects. I drilled 11 holes through 5/8" plate in order to mount the factory bolt on cutting edge on the M6060 bucket after removing it from the MX bucket. This job would have sucked with a hand drill, and good luck getting the holes perpendicular to the bolt on edge with a hand drill.

 

[chim]

You're right. It sucked. I did the edge prior to getting the mag drill. It was a character building exercise

 

[McMXi]

You're right. It sucked. I did the edge prior to getting the mag drill. It was a character building exercise

That looks like 13 holes! I feel for you!! That's a cool chain rack you have on that bucket.

Speaking of "character building", I spent 15 years working in and around the construction industry as a commercial diver and welder and I could write a book on the "character building" I was exposed to. At this stage of life I want to enjoy more and suffer less.