I chose a manual shakeout over a vibratory table for a big job and it paid off

We had a big pour last month, about 800 pounds of aluminum for a custom gear housing. The shop manager wanted to run the whole batch through the big vibratory table to save time. I pushed back and said we should do the first few by hand with a hammer and chisel. He thought I was nuts, but I've seen that table shake the life out of thin sections and mess up tolerances. We did it my way, taking our time to break the sand away from the critical inner walls. It added maybe two hours to the job. When we checked the castings, the finish was clean and the dimensions were spot on, no stress cracks. The ones we ran through the table later had two rejects with hairline fractures. Sometimes the old way is just better for tricky parts. Anyone else skip the big machines for delicate work?

3 comments

3 Comments

bettywilson2mo agoMost Upvoted

Ever try to hand-sand a tricky corner where a power sander just gouges it?

adam6752mo ago

Yeah, that "tricky corner" thing. I was working on an old dresser with these carved legs. The orbital sander just wrecked the detail. Ended up using a sanding sponge, tearing off little strips to fold around a putty knife. Took forever but saved the shape.

jessec391mo ago

Grab a piece of folded sandpaper and wedge it between your thumb and the corner. A cheap artist's palette knife works better than a putty knife for that, bettywilson. Putty knives are too stiff and will leave flat spots. The palette knife bends just right to follow the curve without digging in. You can also wrap a strip around a popsicle stick if you don't have one handy.