Chair Repair Continued and Extras

Question: What's going  on?

Cruz: We're continuing the repair of the chair in the classroom. 

Question: Cool! How has the progress come?

Cruz: Well we have learned a different type of welding, and we have also improved on our mig welding skills. 

Question:What new things did you learn?
Cruz: We learned how to tig weld and how we can use that to repair the chair.

Question: That's awesome! So what has been resolved with the chair?
Cruz: Well now that our welding skills meet the requirements for the job, we begun on fixing the legs together.

Question:Okay, so how will that work out?

Cruz: For starters, we clamped the top part of the legs to keep them in place when we begin welding.

Question: Okay, but will that be enough to hold it together?
Cruz: Nope. That is why Mr. Grosinger let us use a mechanism that will keep the legs equal distance apart. It will also prevent the legs from shifting and moving out of place while welding.

Question: What is the square called?
Cruz: I forgot the name of it... But it was made by a student from Memorial High School who is also in Mr. G's class. It is really helpful.

Question: How have your skills improved?

Before

After

Cruz: It might not look like much, but we have been able to weld more thoroughly and have less gaps between solids and the welding.

Question: What's next?
Cruz: Actually weld the legs with the seat. Hopefully we finish the product before the year ends.

Question: Awesome! What have your pals been up to?
Cruz: they have also updated their blogs. You can check out their posts at
http://ramialhusseinengineering.blogspot.com/
http://kellycocaengineering.blogspot.com/

Chop Saw

Question: What is going on with the chair?

Cruz: Now we weld. This post will link to my previous post and future post in the process of us repairing the metal stool.

Question: So what are you learning at the moment?
Cruz: Right now I'm learning how to use the chop saw.

Question: What's the chop saw for?
Cruz: The chop saw's used to cut out strips of metal or pieces of metal out of a larger body of metal. We're practicing inn using this machine before we begin cutting out pieces for our chair.

Question: How does the machine work?
Cruz: Well, from what our teacher, Mr. Grosinger, explained, the blade of the saw spins clockwise at very fast speeds to be able to go through the metal object without shattering or pushing back. However, it is also necessary for the user to put enough force on the handle of the blade for it to go through smoothly.

Question: What do you need to be aware of when using the machine?
Cruz: Safety is key! We clean up the work area and make sure it is free of debris that way nothing interferes with the blade and the metal. We wear goggles to avoid shreds of metal from going into our eyes (ouch!).

Question: Are the sparks produced during the process dangerous?
Cruz: The sparks aren't necessarily dangerous, but gloves should be worn to avoid having hot spots on your hands. Also, the sparks are hot enough to ignite a flammable substance and create a disaster.

Question: After the saw, what's the next step?

Picture by Cruz Flores

Cruz: After cutting our pieces of metal, we began welding!

Question: Why weld two pieces of metal?
Cruz: Before we go straight to the chair and try to fix it in one go, Mr. Grosinger wants us to build on our skills and wants to make sure we can weld without a problem.

Question: Can you explain how welding works?
Cruz: I would love to, but group member Rami is detailing that process.

I will update our progress in repairing the chair and discovering more metal-working skills. Until then, check out the blogs of the other group members:
Rami Alhussein: http://ramialhusseinengineering.blogspot.com/
Kelly Coca: http://kellycocaengineering.blogspot.com/?m=1

I Can Fix It!

Question: What's with the picture?

Cruz: That's a picture of my classmates cutting off a leg from a metal chair. 

Question: Why are you guys cutting pieces of a chair?

Cruz: We're repairing the chairs inside our Powers and Tools classroom. It's not really because our teacher is lazy, but because there is a lot to learn in the process in repairing a simple tool that we do not think a lot about.

Question: Cool. So what exactly are the repairs that are being done to the chair(s)?

Cruz: We are not only making the chairs look nicer, we are also repairing its legs to make them stronger and prevent them from wobbling side to side.

Question: What do you mean by the legs wobbling? 

Cruz:

Credit to metroretrofurniture.com

The chair has two pairs of conjoined legs. The legs are welded together in a cross-shape, allowing the legs to all be at the edge, like shown. However, the ring on the bottom supports weight, but it does not prevent the legs from being detached. The legs can become loose from the welding on the bottom of the seat or from the ring. Thus, the legs become wobbly, and the chair then becomes unstable.

Question: So how do you plan on repairing this?

Cruz: Great question! My partners, Kelly, Rami, and I have decided to do the following:

We decided to weld the legs with pieces of metal. This would hold the legs down to the stool, preventing the legs from becoming loose over time. It would also keep the legs sturdy in a straight direction, preventing the chair from swinging side to side. 

Question: So what else is going to happen?

Cruz: Remember the ring mentioned before? Well we are going to weld the ring outside of the legs. 

Question: Huh? What do you mean outside?

Cruz: I mean the ring will be holding the legs inside of it! The ring holding the legs inside of it will make the chair sturdier and will prevent from the bottom half of the legs to lose strength and will keep the chair, like mentioned before, swinging side to side.

Question: This looks like a fun project. Is the finished product ready to be shown?

Cruz: No, not yet. But it will be soon! I will keep my blog updated, aside from updating the process of the project.

Want to know more? Follow Kelly Coca's and Rami Alhussein's blog to see more of the project!

http://ramialhusseinengineering.blogspot.com/
http://kellycocaengineering.blogspot.com/