AGRICULTURAL MECHANICS

By: Michael Teague

Terminology Evolution

Farm ShopAg. Shop

Ag. MechanicsAg. Mech Technical Systems

Mechanics in agriculture freed the American people from spending the bulk of the day in securing food. Which led to high quality of life, we enjoy from cheap and abundant

food supply.

The purpose of Agricultural MechanicsIs to serve another field of agriculture. Such AsMeat productionFiber productionForestryTurf & grass managementFruit production

Ag. Mechanics its self does not produce anything in its self.

Ag. Mech. is the most in depth subject in the ag. curriculum, covering

1) Electrical Motors, 2) Electrical Circuits3) Wood and Metal Structures, 4) Concrete5)Masonry, 6) Plumbing7) Welding and cutting, 8) Tractors9) Small Gas Engines, 10) Farm Machinery11)Cold Metal Work, 12) Electrical Sensing Controls and Devices 13) Soil Drainage and Irrigation, 14) Waste Management15)Differential and Profile Leveling,

What one topic or skill do you think of, when you think of Agricultural Mechanic?

Safety Colors1. Red= Danger, Fire extinguishers and exits are marked

red2. Orange= Warning, Moving parts on a machine are

marked orange.3. Yellow= Caution, Operating levers and conltrols are

marked yellow4. Green- marks safety equipment, such as first aid box.

Shop rules are made to protect Equipment

You

*A Clean shop is a safe shop*

Improper Shop BehaviorRunning

Being IdlePlaying with tool

Rushing on a project

Personal Protection1. Eyes- requires safety glasses and or shading

for welding and cutting.2. Clothing- *non-frayed cotton

*long pants*closed toed shoe

*gloves and long sleeved shirt for welding and cutting

3. Ventilation

Fire Safety

Gasoline is not a safe solvent for cleaning tools, equipment, or hands.

Fire Extinguisher TypesA= wood and paper firesB= liquids and greaseC= electrical

Fire Extinguishing1. Clear out- if needed2. Send for teacher3. Put Fire Out

Other Safety ConcernsReport all injuries

Compressed air can damage eyes and earsUnlplug before adjusting or changing blades on

power toolsPull, don’t push on a wrench

Support objects on jacks with stands or blocksCheater pipes can break tools and equipmentTouch steel lightly, don’t grab to prevent burnsProjects should be “user friendly” remove burrs

and rough edges

Plans

DimensionsLengthHeightWidth

View Dimesions*TopLengthWidth

*SideHeightLength

*EndHeightWidth

Wood Working Tools

Curved Claw Hammer= for driving and pulling nails. 13 to 20 oz. “ounce” weights. 16 oz most popular. Face may be rounded for finish work.

Straight Claw Hammer “Ripping Hammer= claw used for dismantling. 16 to 28 oz. weights

Mallet= has a rawhide, plastic, or rubber head to protect against damage to object

Wrecking Bar= used for pulling nails and prying boards.

Crow bar = used to pry timber, machinery. 4 to 5 feet long

Pry Bar= shorter than Crow bar, has curved end.

Wood Working Tools

Hand Plane= shaves wood. Jack plane (shown) most popular.

Hand Saws= may be cross cut (against the grain) held at 45 degrees to the work, or ripping (with the grain) held at 60 degrees to the work. Ripping will have fewer tpi than crosscut.

Teeth Per Inch “tpi”= the fewer tpi, the faster and rougher the cut.

Keyhole or Compass Saw= cuts holes in wood for electric boxes and such. Hole normally started with a drill bit.

Wood Working Tools

Coping Saw= used on thin wood. Cuts on the pull stroke

Wood Chisel= used for lap, dado, mortise&tenon joints.

Wood Working Tools

Wood Working Tools

Wood Working Tools

Wood Working Tools

Brace and Bit= used to drill holes. Will have a square tang on the shank

Auger bit= reverse bit when feed screw exits hole, to prevent splintering

Spade bit

Wood Working Tools

Lumber Classifications1. Soft Wood= pine, cedar, fir “white wood”, soft wood is used in

most all ag. projects.Grades of soft woodSelect Grades- A,B,C,D, few defectsCommon Grades- 1,2,3,4, with #2 most popular in the lumber yard. The lower the grade, the more defects.

2. Hard Wood= oak, walnut, hickory, mainly use in quality furniture.

Lumber Defects*Splits, *Knotts tight and loose, *Wane

Plywood Type Materials1) Plywood and Sheathing = veneers (layers) of wood glued at right

angles. Common size is 4’ X8’. 2) Oriented Strand Board (OSB) “Wafer Board”= flakes of wood

glued together. Can be used as sheathing.3) Particle Board= sawdust glued together. Will not bow or warp like

plywood. Easily water damaged.4) Medium Density Fiber Board (MDF)= Made of waste material,

heavy, used in cabinetry.

Grades of PlywoodA= best appearance, fewer defectsBCD= poor appearance, more and larger defects

A sheet of CD grade plywood has one exterior veneer of grade C and the other exerior veneer of grade D.

Dressed lumber will not measure to its nominal size.Examples: 1X4 measure ¾” thick by 3 ½” wide. 2X6 measures 1 ½” thick by 5 ½” wide.

Units of MeasurementRunning or Linear foot

Square footSquare= one hundred square feet

Cubic Yard= 27 cubic feetBoard foot= displaces 144 sq. inches

Board Foot Formula= #pieces X thickness X width X length in feet 12

Common ToolsOpen End Adjustable Wrench “Crescent Wrench”= pressure must not be made on moveable jaw.

Chain Wrench= for pipe or odd shapes.

Box Wrench

Combination End Wrench

Open End Wrench= each end is a different size.

Common Tools

Ratchet Handle

Extension

Deep Socket6 Point Socket

12 Point Socket= thin wall, may round bolt head.

Common Tools

Locking Pliers “Vise Grips”

“Vise Grip C Clamp”

Diagonal Pliers “a pair of dykes”= for electrical work

Slip Joint Pliers= can turn and cut.

Common Tools

Needle Nose Pliers

Linemans Pliers= electrical work

Pipe Cutter

Pipe Wrench

Common Tools

Tongue and Groove Pliers “Channel Locks”

Nut Driver

Slotted Screw Driver= not to be used as a chisel or a prying tool.

Phillips Screw Driver

Common Tools

Torx Screw Driver= has high torque capabilities.

Screw driver bit= Phillips sizes are 1,2, and 3.3 is the largest, but #2 is most common.

Pipe Clamp

C Clamp

FastenersNails are sized by the penny “d”, a term which came from England. A 2 penny nail is 1”, each penny through 10d adds ¼”. After 12d sizing

become irregular.

Common Nails

FastenersNail Types1. Common 2. Box= has a reduced diameter, to reduce splitting.3. Finishing= small heads, which can be recessed below the surface.4. Roofing= large head to hold roofing material.5. Duplex-Head “Concrete nail”= two heads, for ease of removal

from concrete forms.6. Pole Barn= may be ring shanked or spiral shanked. Once driven

they are difficult to remove.

Finishing Nail

Duplex Nails

Fasteners

FastenersTypes of Screws

1) Wood Screw

2) Deck Screw

3) R-Panel Scew

4) Lag Screw= used in concrete and lumber.

Lag Anchor= used with a lag screw in concrete.

Fasteners

Pilot Hole= a small hole made into the wood before a screw, to keep the wood from splitting out.

Bolts have nuts, screw do not.

Types of Bolts1. Machine= Normally referred to as “bolt”.2. Carriage= for wood work.3. Plow= smooth head, found on moldboards and other plows.

Bolt with lock nut

Fasteners

Carriage Bolts

Plow Bolts

Bolt Grades2= often called a “soft bolt” or “shear bolt”. Used in wood work. Found in lumber yards. Smooth head.

5= heat treated. Used to bolt metals. Three marks on the head. May be called a hard bolt.

8= strongest bolt. Six marks on the head. Metric grades= enough said.

Fasteners

Grade #2 Bolt

Grade #5 BoltsNote: Coarse Thread

Machinery such as PHD and mowers may have grade #2 shear bolts.

Fasteners

Grade #8 Bolt. Note: Fine Thread

Metric= note numbers on head

Fasteners

NutsHex= most commonCastle= has slots for a cotter pin.Wing= for hand tightening.Lock= keeps nut from backing off. May be a plastic insert type or of the deformed thread type

Hex Nut

Castle Nuts

Wing Nut

Fasteners

Types of WashersFlat= used to keep the nut from “digging in” or “falling in”.Lock= keeps the nut from backing off.

Installation order 1st flat washer, 2nd lock washer, 3rd nut.

Flat WasherLock Washer

Fasteners

Cotter Pin

Hair Pin

Lynch or Clip Pin

Nail used as a cotter pin

Measuring and Layout Tools

Types of SquaresI. Framing or Carpenter’s= 24” X 16” , may have tables on

the tongue and blade.II. TryIII. Speed= can mark rafters. Popular.IV. Combo= has a level.

Framing Square

Try Square

Speed Square

Combo Square

Measuring and Layout Tools

Types of LevelsTwo Foot and Four FootTorpedo= short and handyLine= attaches to string, used in fencing.

Level

Torpedo Level

Line Level

Used horizontally it is called Leveling, used vertically it is called Plumbing!

Measuring and Layout Tools

Chalk Box= used to pop a straight chaulk line.

Scratch Awl= used to mark metals

Plumb Bob= determines straight down.

Soapstone= used to mark metals

Metal WorkingTypes of Metals1. Cast Iron= brittle, wear resistant. Found in engine blocks, and

cookware.2. Wrought Iron= soft, malleable. Found in horse shoes and burglar

bars.3. Mild Steel “low carbon steel”= Easy to cut, weld, grind. The

majority of the steel in the shop.4. Medium Carbon Steel= Stronger than mild steel. More dificult to

work with. Found in hammer heads, machinery parts.5. Tool Steel “high carbon steel”= Very hard. Used in tools to cut

metal.6. Alloy Steel= Chromium, nickel or tungsten is added to add certain

characteristics, like rust resistance.

There is an inverse relationship between strength and malleability in steels. As strength goes up malleability goes down.

Non-Ferrous Metals1) Aluminum2) Copper3) Brass

Metal WorkingHammers1) Ball Pein= the “curved claw hammer” of the metal

brotherhood.2) Cross Pein Sledge or Blacksmith’s Hammer= used in forming

hot metal.3) Dead Blow= has no rebound when struck.4) Engineer’s= resembles a short little sledge hammer.5) Sledge

Ball Pein Hammer

Cross Pein Sledge

Dead Blow Hammer

Metal Working

Engineer’s Hammer

Sledge Hammer

File CutsSingle= rows of teeth set at one angle.Double= two rows of teeth set at two angles.

Grades of File CoarsenessBastard= large teeth, coarse cut, fast working.Second= medium teeth.Smooth= small teeth, fine cut, slow working.

The pointy end on a file is called a tang, it should have a handle on it.

Metal Working

File Handle

Rasp

Center Punch= used to indent metal, to keep a drill bit from walking.

Metal Working

Metal Working

Twist Drill BitsAre used to drill steel and other materials.A lack of oil, too much speed, and too much down pressure are 3 things that can dull a drill bit. The larger the bit, the slower it should turn.The cutting part of a drill is called the Lip.

Twist Drill

Modern twist drill bit are stamped “HS” for high speed and are designed to travel at 60 ft. per minute.

? How many rpms revolutions per minute should a ½” bit turn?

C=3.1416xdiameter circumference = 1.5708”

60 fpm and C=1.5708”, must make both either ft. or inches. Lets do inches.

Metal Working60 fpm X 12 = 720 ipm,

Now we have inches and inches: 720 ipm and C=1.5708”

If one revolution =1.5708”, divide 1.5708 into 720 for rpm.

720 by 1.5708= 458 rpm. The drill press should be set to this speed.

Structural Steel Shapes1) Angle Iron= L shaped. Example size: 1X1-1/82) Channel Iron= C shaped. Ex. Size: 6X2, 8.20 pound per ft.3) I Beam Wide Flange= I shaped. Ex. Size: 8X4, 10# per ft.4) Rod= can be cold roll or hot roll, shape. Ex. Size: 9/165) Flate Iron, Strip, Bar, Strapping= shape. Ex. Size 1/4X26) Plate= thicker than sheet, measured by the fractional inch. Ex.

Size ¼”-4’x8’7) Sheet= thinner than plate, measured by the gauge size. Ex. Size

16 ga. 4’X8’8) Pipe= shaped. Measured by its nominal “ID” inside dimesion.

Comes in 21’ lengths. Has different wall thickness, “schedule 40” is popular. Ex. Size: ½”.

Metal Working 9) Drill Stem= is oil field pipe, about 31’ long, measured by its O.D. Ex. Size: 2 3/8”.10) Square Tubing= shape. Length is 24’. Thickness may be

fractional or gauge. Ex. Size: 16ga. 1”

Tapping is cutting female threads in a hole, threading is cutting male threads on rod or pipe. Both are examples of cold metal work.

oDie= tool to cut male threads. Die stock holds the die for turning.oTap= tool to cut female threads. Tap wrench hold the tap for turning

Three Common ThreadsNational Coarse “NC”= most common in ag. situations.National Fine “NF”= Can handle more torque, threads more easily stripped.National Pipe Thread “NPT”= used on pipe, thread taper for a tight fit.

Metal WorkingPlug Tap

Die

3 Kinds of TapsPlug= for daylight holesTaper= follows plug in blind holesBottoming= follows taper in blind holes. Blind holes do not go through.

Ease Out= used to remove broken bolts.

Cold Chisel= used with a ball pein hammer to cut metal.

Metal Working

Hacksaw= teeth face forward, cutting is done on forward stroke. The thicker the material the fewer TPI. Also used to cut PVC pipe.

Aviation Snips

Tin Snips

Both are use to cut thin gauge metal.

Hardware

Types of SpringsTension= extendedCompression= compressedTorsion= twisted

Torsion

Compression

Tension

Grease Zert, Alemite Fitting, Grease Nipple

Paint

Paint Bases1. Oil= cleans up with thinner

2. Water= cleans up with water

Paints may be interior or exterior.

The most expensive paint is the cheapest.

Paint