# Box and Pan Work



## CalgaryPT (May 8, 2021)

Slow day in the shop...just some box and pan work. Accidentally had video instead of photo button pushed for first one, but does show the notcher in action:


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## DPittman (May 9, 2021)

I can't make big nice boxes like that with my little equipment but I find making metal boxes rewarding. I should probably "up" my equipment and skills because I find it so rewarding. 
I love that notcher.  Is that SS you're working with? It's hard to tell in the pic.


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## PeterT (May 9, 2021)

Wow, notcher made short work of that piece of metal. Nice. And are the corners then TIG welded?

I've got to figure out a workflow to upload little, no-frills video bits like that. I have no particular interest or time for channel but sometimes a video clip just contains more info than pictures & keyboard hammering. I'm kind of straddling between computer & software upgrades right now, so video is on the To Do list.


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## CalgaryPT (May 9, 2021)

DPittman said:


> I can't make big nice boxes like that with my little equipment but I find making metal boxes rewarding. I should probably "up" my equipment and skills because I find it so rewarding.
> I love that notcher.  Is that SS you're working with? It's hard to tell in the pic.


Not SS, just cold rolled 18 gauge. But you are right, with the right machines it is very satisfying and rewarding.


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## CalgaryPT (May 9, 2021)

PeterT said:


> Wow, notcher made short work of that piece of metal. Nice. And are the corners then TIG welded?
> 
> I've got to figure out a workflow to upload little, no-frills video bits like that. I have no particular interest or time for channel but sometimes a video clip just contains more info than pictures & keyboard hammering. I'm kind of straddling between computer & software upgrades right now, so video is on the To Do list.


Sometimes I TIG them. But these are just MIG'd as I was in a hurry. I need to rethink my TIG setup I think; maybe attach the plate I use to TIG on to some hinges that fold up on my welding table so I can sit down. It's such a hassle to get the TIG setup I don't use it as much as I'd like. 

WRT video, I don't have a _channel_ per se. I just drop videos on YouTube so I can share them using the URL with forum members or family. I have no interest in becoming one of those people whose lives are taken over by editing videos and thinking up new stuff every day. I can barely sustain my own interest these days.


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## Janger (May 9, 2021)

Do you sometimes leave “tabs” to fold and spot weld? What makes you pick one or the other Pete?


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## CalgaryPT (May 9, 2021)

I used to make tabbed boxes a lot before I got the air notcher. They are a great option if you like to rivet. I don't have a spot welder so I've never done that, although you could punch and spot weld I guess. But that is more work. Once I got the air notcher I stopped making tabbed boxes mostly. That's because a standard notcher doesn't lend itself to tabs w/o big modifications. A lot of the boxes I make I want liquid-tight, or corner welded so small chips can't escape—that's why I weld instead of using tabs. I do make "discret tabs" though—which is a standard notched corner, overlaid with a folded strip of metal that is riveted around the corner, kind of like a tape reinforcement on the corner of a shoebox if that makes sense.  For example, a folded copper/brass strip riveted on to a standard notched steel corner looks cool, especially if you do some decorative work to the copper/brass. If you use solid rivets instead of pop rivets, you get a nicer inside finish.

The air notcher is so fast it's impossible to resist using a machine that can cut those patterns for an entire box in less than 10 seconds.

People think it is tough to weld corners, and it can be with TIG (which I prefer). But it is super easy to do with MIG if you stitch weld, and go slowly like auto body work. You can get a perfect corner (on the outside at least ) without much sanding at all. It just takes a little hand dolly work and a grinder. If you want perfection you can buff to a mirror finish even. I prefer 18 or 20 gauge because it is tough, can be MIG'ed easily, bent easily, and is about the lowest you can go w/o needing a folded safety edge.


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## ShawnR (May 9, 2021)

I have tried making boxes a few times but they are ugly! I am sure good equipment and practice is key to this type of work. Nice stuff Pete. Thanks for posting.


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## Janger (May 9, 2021)

Do you mig the inside or outside of the corner? Interesting Pete as usual.


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## CalgaryPT (May 9, 2021)

Janger said:


> Do you mig the inside or outside of the corner? Interesting Pete as usual.


Most of the time, just the outside John. They have always held for my purposes. I have done some welding on inside corners, but the cleanup is tough. You need a carbide pyramid/sharp point cone burr on a die grinder to get in there, and then you risk cutting out your metal or outside weld even. There is no sanding tool to do inside corners I have ever found that works well. So I just do the outside corners, clean up the inside with acetone, and carry on. If it is mission critical WRT leaks, I do the outside corner and make it look nice, then do the inside corner but don't clean it up with a burr. When painted you never know the difference.


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## Hruul (May 9, 2021)

Great pictures and information Pete.  Thank you.


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## Doggggboy (May 9, 2021)

What or who  do you make the boxes for?


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## CalgaryPT (May 9, 2021)

Gosh, I've made boxes and pans for so many things and people over the years it's hard to recall. This particular one (now painted green) is for me. It goes below my grease guns in my shop to catch the drips. (All grease guns weap in hot weather).











But some other examples are control boxes for electronics, machine guards, chip trays for machinery, drip trays for BBQ's, water boxes for plasma cutters, tool trays, scrap bins for off-cuts, metal drawers, etc. One of my friends is a millionaire gold hobbyist. Every year I make and modify hobby gold sluices for him to take up north and play in the mud looking for paydirt. He never does find anything significant, but has lots of fun doing it...and I get to make these machines for him. It's kind of like those crazy TV shows like Yukon Gold—but on a much smaller hobby scale. These devices always need box and pan work.







































There are so many uses for the skill, it's great to be able to do this. @DPittman in the thread mentioned it was "rewarding," and I agree; because you can make so many useful things with box and pan skills, you always feel like it was a good use of time and material. Hope that answers your question.


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## Doggggboy (May 9, 2021)

Outstanding!


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## YYCHM (May 9, 2021)

This is the chip tray Pete made for my mill.  






For free no less...


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## CalgaryPT (May 9, 2021)

YYCHM said:


> This is the chip tray Pete made for my mill.
> 
> View attachment 14697
> 
> For free no less...


It was my pleasure Craig


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## YYCHM (May 9, 2021)

Is this the same tray?


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## CalgaryPT (May 9, 2021)

It might be...I just grabbed a bunch of photos I could find.


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## Chicken lights (May 15, 2021)

Do you ever make them in aluminum?


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## Everett (May 15, 2021)

Nice boxes!  I miss having access to sheet metal machinery, we had shears, brakes, nibblers, spot welder, etc. at the school where I taught.  Was very handy having access to that sort of stuff.


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## CalgaryPT (May 15, 2021)

Chicken lights said:


> Do you ever make them in aluminum?


Nope. I made a strategic decision years ago not to work in AL. Almost everything I make is steel, occasionally copper or brass.


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## Chicken lights (May 15, 2021)

CalgaryPT said:


> Nope. I made a strategic decision years ago not to work in AL. Almost everything I make is steel, occasionally copper or brass.


Hmm, ok.
I’m trying to fab up a set of shelves and am thinking I’d like a drawer at the top. Then thought of this thread as a way to make the drawer. I guess for design purposes the material used doesn’t matter


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## CalgaryPT (May 15, 2021)

Chicken lights said:


> Hmm, ok.
> I’m trying to fab up a set of shelves and am thinking I’d like a drawer at the top. Then thought of this thread as a way to make the drawer. I guess for design purposes the material used doesn’t matter


Well AL is certainly easier to bend. I just didn't want two different welding setups for steel and AL, different grinding wheels and brushes, etc. I just always liked steel, including it's appearance when it rusts. 

You can easily fashion a brake for AL from long piece of steel angle iron, without having to invest in an expensive commercial machine. So there's that benefit as well.


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## Hacker (May 15, 2021)

Looking at that first photo of the drip tray for grease guns, I think everyone that owns a grease gun needs one of those.


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