Technical Little tips and tricks for garage hobbyists.

Dang!

 

This may or may not help someone.
I needed to lay out a blind cut.
So laid some 2" tape,then laid the piece over it,secured it,then laid another layer of tape over it.
Self explanatory.

 

If you have a polished bolt that is a little to long and you don't want to mar up the head by sticking it in a vise to cut the length down.
Then step right over to your drill press, chuck the threaded end in, turn on the machine and put your hacksaw against it, works like a charm and doesn't hurt your polish job.

 

Good idea.

If you clamp a pipe/conduit/etc. vertically in that vise right up to the bolt (but not in the way of the saw) the piece you want to keep will just harmlessly fall down the tube when it comes off. Otherwise the part you want to keep might head to under the nearest bench/cabinet/car and require a half hour to retrieve. At least that would be my typical experience.

 

Nice! I'm going to try that today...

 

Just tried something yesterday- opened an old gasket set, and found a paper gasket which had shrunk, so the holes on the part missed by about 1/4". I soaked the gasket in water for a few hours, and the holes lined up, while the gasket was still damp. It should stay that size once sealed and bolted down.

 

I was sick of these things falling off the shelf, so a few clips from amazon and some pine

 

That very thing has been a big part of my ongoing shop cleanup. No good pictures though.

 

This is not a tip or trick but a solicitation for a suggestion.
I have a good Craftsman 1/2 inch drill I bought back in the 70s when they still made good stuff. I have a devil of a time keeping drill bits from spinning loose in the chuck. I even bought a new chuck but cannot tighten it enough to keep the drill bit from eventually spinning.
So....does anyone have any suggestions for an idea that works for them that has this problem?

 

Grind 1,2 or 3(best) flat spots on shaft . No slipping. Another quick fix is wrap some duct tape around the drill shaft , giving the chuck something to hold on two .

 

Thanks, I thought about grinding a flat spot on the bit but just haven't tried it yet. I will have to give that a shot.

 

When you tighten the chuck, tighten with the chuck key in each of the three holes not just in one spot

 

Well, there's drill chucks and then there's drill chucks; not all are created the same. The typical 'consumer' chucks are mediocre at best. And that was a problem on the Sears drills even when new. But you might be stuck, as Sears likes to use proprietary parts that only they sell. Jacobs is a quality brand and they sell different 'grades'. But do tighten the chuck at all three points as that does make a difference.

A quick story about Craftsman 1/2" drills... In the mid '70s I was on a Fire Alarm install where we had to drill 4" holes through metal lathe/plaster ceilings. All the shop had was Milwaukee 1/2" drills, all had side handles. The problem was if the hole saw hung up on the metal lathe, the drill would try to toss you off the ladder and occasionally succeeded. The solution? Craftsman 1/2" drills with side handles. Considerably less powerful, if these hung up you could stop them, not always so with the Milwaukees. Much safer to use in this instance, but the downside was we burned them up on a regular basis during the course of the job. They replaced the first couple we killed but once they found out we were using them for commercial use, no warrantee...

The hole saw arbors we used all had hex drive, so no splippage either.

 

Is that 60W light bulb in the lamp burned out or not? The cheapest tester you can have is the one where the bulb screws into it and you simply plug it into the wall. Just keep it handy in a drawer and use it when you suspect a full size bulb is bad. Also works great for testing if a circuit has power.

 

Good tip. I do this.
When I'm about halfway through the bolt diameter, I take a file and put a little chamfer on the new length, then finish the cut with the saw blade. (I don't have a bench grinder.) And I also like to run a nut onto the bolt before the cut so that the threads are "straightened" when the nut is removed later.
For my shift knob, hobby/business I also do a bit of polishing on my drill press.

 

I watched a friend of mine put knurled edge allen bolts in his drill press and file off the knurling, to use for the inner fender to fender bolts on his 51 Ford PU.

 

I've used this trick in the past but didn't think to chamfer the thread end on the bolt - great tip!

I used to use this same method to make small tapered pins.

I love this thread!

 

Got this at HF a few weeks ago, used it this week. Super easy, just pull the ends out as far as needed, 30'total, and wind it back up when done.

 

Putting your sweet cam in your sbc and wish you had a handle or a long 5/16" bolt to stick in the cam? Go grab the handle off the side of your 4" grinder You're welcome

 

If you (or anyone) think you might have a hording problem, you probably have enough stuff. Sell of the old, before you start a new project.

 

Good idea, i used to use spare tire hold down bolt/hooks. They’re long with a “hook” at the end to help maneuver to cam.

 

You been talking to my wife?

 

I collected literally tons of cool stuff. When it comes time to sell, buyers will tell you how crappy it is, and pay hardly anything for it, then turn around and double their money. That takes the fun out of it. Big time. Collecting is fun until you have to clean up the mess. Nobody wants to clean it up for you. Just avoid the heartache, and never build up a horde in the the first place.

 

Hey, Rand;
It's taken near a lifetime, but I am finally starting to see the wisdom in that last statement.
Marcus...

 

Well known guys are supposed to show up today or tomorrow to pick up a big Dodge ,413 inch, flathead six my friend & I spent almost a week pulling for a planned project that we found we couldn't afford. They are paying what I actually payed for it. I've spent t days trying to figure our how to get it in their truck. Still not sure I can lift it. But it will be gone and to a good home where it will be used and seen by many. I'll have a connection to something cool and I can get to other stuff that needs to move on while creating space I need.

 

Ok imagine the scenario. (I did this today)
I want to take a solid drain plug out of my block.
I want to fit a petcock in it's place.
How to stop the coolant leaking out during the swap?

Place the shop vac over (but not sealed to) the radiator neck. Switch it on.
Remove the plug.
Fit the petcock.

Not a drop leaked out. It was so effective I had to check the area wasn't blocked up behind the plug.

Full disclosure: I saw AvE do it on YouTube and thought I'd give it a go.

Mart.

 

I saw folks at the oil change place do that exact same thing while changing the nylon ring on the oil plug. It started leaking after an oil change! Tricky!








Bones

 

Hard to believe that worked.

 

I have video footage. I was thinking of putting it out as a tech tip short.