1K Workshop
The goal is to design a workshop soup-to-nuts, that can be built for 1K$. While the goal is 1k$, the approach is going to be working fully through an approach to see what the total would be as well as the convenience.
Tools
Unpowered Hand tools
- Hammer
- screwdriver ratchet bitdriver (like I have)
- wrench
- pliers
- box cutter
- measuring tape
- square
- clamps
- sand paper
Powered Hand Tools
- rotary tool
- circular saw ???
- hand drill
- impact driver
- orbital sander
- plunge router
Table/Bench Tools
- band saw
- table router
- belt sander
- drill press
- miter saw
- table saw
- jointer
- planer
- shopvac
And a work bench to work on and system to store everything.
Dropping the circular saw could help because it tends to be the most power hungry hand tool and it might not be necessary with the table saw.
Motor
Almost all plans require a large motor. Pneumatic motors are built by Gast and Speedaire. For pneumatic it looks like 1hp is about 30Nm of torque.
The Gast 4AM-NRV-92 might work for hand tools. It's just about the right size(4" wide, 4" diameter, 1.1" shaft). Also about $150.
The Gast 6AM line of pneumatic motors provide 4HP and generally go for $150-200.
A large 3HP electric motor is going to be right around $200.
A large 5HP electric motor is about $350.
I did find the motor armature for a circular saw. Actually, looking for "120V Armature" turned up a lot, and they're pretty cheap. Now I just need to figure out what the stator looks like. It looks like this one matches the previous one. It's just called a "field". The set looks like they cost about $120 together, with a little poking around, I can probably find something workable in the $80 range.
So either way, it looks like something around $300 for power systems.
Another option is to use a plunge router as the powerhouse (at least for the smaller tools). They run anywhere from $90 to $220 (for what we're looking for).
One more option, just use the large motor, and use a Bowden cable as the transmission to hand tools. For something like a circular saw that can jam, it might be worth adding a transmission. Finding torque ratings seems difficult though. It doesn't seem like you can just buy the type I would be most interested in. It may be possible to construct one though, steel cable for the center, wrapped in nylon (to reduce friction) and use a hydraulic hose as the outside. It looks like the best bet is to step up the RPM really high for transmission, then step them back down and use a small transmission.
A 6.5HP 4 stroke gas engine is around $125, I think that's the winner.
Parts
- Hammer $6
- screwdriver + bit set $24
- wrench $5
- pliers set $12
- box cutter $8
- measuring tape $10
- square $9
Total: $74
Powered Hand Tools
- circular saw blade $15
- drill chuck $15
- router chuck $15
total $45
Table/Bench Tools
- band saw blade $10
- sanding belt $10
- jointer cutter head $50
- trash can (for shop vac) $30
total $100
grand total: $214
So between the must-haves and the power plant, it's almost at $500. The remaining $500 gets spent on wood, cement, screws, bearings and the various metal framing pieces.
Bootstrapping
One of the challenges is that there will be a limited number of tools to start with, and the order building up is important.
We can use some creative solutions to get around this - a plunge router can be used as a saw.
It also would be with in the rules to rent tools. But need to keep timing in mind, if someone was trying to replicate this, they may not go as fast.
Stand Alone Compressor
- Air compressor $60 @ Harbor Freight
All hand tools run off the air compressor. All big tools run off an induction motor.
Constructed Compressor
- Tank $40
- Pump $70
Could work well with the gas engine.
Deconstructed Compressor
There is a 3.5HP 10gal air compressor for about $150. I could get that and pull the motor out, converting it to a modular system.
However, I'm not sure how much I trust that considering the motor would be worth more than the whole thing (if it's actually a 3.5hp motor).