Good morning from South Georgia

General Discussion
#1

Hey everybody I’m Chuck.
I ordered Mr. Wayne’s book Tuesday 6/24/14.
Picked up some pipe for my fire tube on Saturday 6/28/14. It’s too small only 10 3/4" ID.
On Tuesday 7/01/14 I drove my 1999 Toyota Tacoma V6 to the mountains of South Carolina and pulled back a 1993 Dakota 4x4 5.2 V8
GOOD GOSH ALMIGHTY that thing has some power. (yeah I haven’t owned a V8 in years).
I didn’t know until later to check the frame for rust and it turns out it does have some but I think I can work with it.
Anyway I’m excited to get this party started.
What I have:
Hobart 235 stick welder.
Oxy Acetylene torch.
Lincoln SP-100 Mig welder.
Angle grinder.
Other misc. metal working tools.

Do y’all think the Lincoln SP-100 will do the job?
Also I need to get a plasma cutter… Any recommendations for a good low cost unit. I couldn’t find the one Mr. WK referred to on his video.
Thank you Mr. Wayne for sharing your knowledge with us, and thanks to all of you who share yours on here, Chuck.

#2

Hello Charles from south GA.

This is a link of the little plasma cutter I use. LT5000D I can’t remember what I paid but I think around $400

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=lotos+lt5000d+plasma+cutter&tbm=shop

I don’t know how I did without it for so many years. When cutting this thin metal like these drums or part of the truck body it will not burn the paint off 1/8 inch from the cut.

Yes on the dakotas it has a lot of motor for the light body. Bet you wont’t hold it full throttle long unless you are going up a mountain.

When my teenage son wants to drive one of the dakotas ( on gasoline ) I have considered pulling one or two plug wires off.

#3

Hey Mr. Wayne pulling 2 plug wires should keep him under 120 mph. Does the LT5000D have a pilot arc or do you have to make contact with the metal to start up the arc?
I’ve never had the pleasure of using a plasma cutter.
Thanks, Chuck.

#4

Welcome Charles, this is a great site.
This is the Plasma cutter I bought to built my gasifier, It has saved me loads of time. This one does not need to be touching the metal to start the arc

http://www.harborfreight.com/240-volt-inverter-plasma-cutter-with-digital-display-60767.html

#5

Hello Charles ,

Mine doesn’t have the pilot arc. I have to touch the tip to the metal to start the cutting .

#6

Thanks Bill.

#7

Thanks Wayne. With some research I found that Lotos also makes a LTP5000D and apparently the “P” is for pilot because it has the pilot arc. Its $100 more.

#8

Charles,

See my post here regarding your search for a firetube:

http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/alexs-92-f150/774/7

My truck is kind of on hold for now since the transmission went out, so I’m working on smaller SimpleFire projects and an earthen oven for cooking and making charcoal. My firetube is just sitting around collecting rust - if you were closer I’d let you have it.

#9

What part of South GA you from Charles?

#10

Hey Alex, thanks for your comment. I had read what Wayne suggested about sign companies and had completely forgotten about it. I will call one tomorrow. Thank you again.

#11

Hey Johnny, I am about 20 miles from Vidalia, GA. Home of the Vidalia Sweet Onion. Where are you from?

#12

Chuck,
This should help. There are a few scrap yards near you. They are the red dots on the map

#13

Thats not to far from me , about 100 miles .I’m in Folkston ,GA. It’s 36 miles south of Waycross,GA and 40 miles north of Jacksonville,Fla…
Looks like I’m going to have a woodgas truck neighbour…There is nothing better than driving a truck down the road on wood man .

#14

Most metals fab shop willing to roll you up a short 1/4" thick tube too ChuckM. from flat stock.
Especially if you the one going to seam weld it.
You did say you had both a stick ans MIG welder.
Many forgo the plasma cutter for grind cutting with angle grinders. Especially the stainless steels builders. Gives you the grind cleaned ready to weld edge.
One fellow built his whole gasifer (WK?) with a skillsaw with a metals/ceramics cutting blade.
Ha! Ha! DOers do, and just get things done.
Regards
Steve Unruh

#15

I posted some info on the Lotos Plasma Cutter to Ian Mackies thread when he started his build. Here’s a link to that post - I would recommend reading it before you order one (See Paragraph 2).

http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/ians-96-dakota-obd2-adventure/1133/38

Good Luck on your build!

#16

Charles
Welcome to the site
Like Steve said angle grinder and cut off wheel will get you along way down the road. Most of my build was done that way. Mainly because I shake and my cuts with the plasma looked like a dog chewed them

Tom

#17

Thanks Bill, I’ve tried some of those and I will try the others.

#18

Hey Johnny, we used to go through Folkston on our way to my Grandma’s house in Orlando. I work for the Georgia Forestry Commission (I wonder where I’ll ever find wood for my truck)and we have some pretty good fires in Waycross from time to time. I sure WOOD like to see that wood powered truck of yours.

#19

Thanks Steve U. I didn’t know they WOOD do that. I also have an old “miter chop saw” I put a metal cutting blade on and I use it as a “cut off saw”. Between that and the angle grinder with cutting discs I should do ok for a while.

#20

Thank you Henry A. for the heads up on the LTP model. I probably would have went with that one eventually. I read reviews but that was never mentioned, if not for your advice I’d have never known.