Technical Little tips and tricks for garage hobbyists.

I am finishing up a semi precision welding table. I used parts of two old table saws and half of a bread cart that I got for free from a friends restaurant. The throat plate reverses to bring up a welding jig used for clamping parts to weld. The miter gauge and rip fence can be used to help align parts at an angle. Clamping can be done through the webbing on the ends. An added feature is that the slag from welding is easy to remove from the cast iron top. I got the idea from a web video, then I made it my own. I have added a couple of other improvements since I took these photos. Cheap table made from junk.

When I do not need it for welding, I can lay a old wood door on top and use it as a roll around workbench.

 

^ That's some clever repurposing, WZ! I like your "hold it right there!" jig too.

 

Start at the beginning of this whole thread, "Little tips and tricks for garage hobbyists" and reread all the tips. You may find tips you had totally forgot about. It makes good reading in your spare time.

 

Found this on the Interweb.

 

Great tip's Mart.

 

cheap and dirty soft jaws for your vice out of the heavy cardboard corner protectors used by shippers.

 

I don't know if this has been posted before or if I am a genius

But this might be useful to some.

I am getting ready to do the final paint on the pickup and to do so I want to paint the cab off the chassis.

I wanted the cab to on wheels and also for the dolly to be height adjustable. After much head scratching and searching we came up with the idea of using an electric hospital bed. I found one on marketplace for $100 and stripped off the extra bits I don't need to get to



and now I can do



or this



or any height in between

 

Smart idea!^
That would be a perfect base for a work table.

 

Neat.

Like the teardrop

Ben

 

Ever have to mark a tapped hole accurately from the blind side? I was making a motor plate and needed to reference a hole from the engine side where there was no bell housing bolt hole.

This is what I came up with:

3/8" set screw
Corresponding Allen wrench

Cut the end off the Allen wrench
Sharpen to a point (could even be shaper than this)


Set screw partially installed



Pointed bit installed
Then I installed the plate on the dowels and gave it a rap with a rubber mallet.
Be sure to deburr the Allen punch so that it slides easily in ad out of the set screw. If it gets jammed it will take more than a bit of cussing to get it out!

 

Bruce, I have something similar, called transfer screws, in various sizes and threads. The screws are stored in the handle used to install them.

 

Those are cool, Marty!
Something else to put in the tool box.
I don't think those would have worked for this application. Am I right?

 

Oh yes they would.

 

I guess I'm not understanding then.
I needed to mark the location of a tapped blind hole on the blind side of the motor plate. So, the center punch had to be inside the tapped hole.

 

I think what Marty is saying...
He would of had in his set, something that by hand could have been placed in said hole finger tight, Only the threaded part... backwards

 

That is exactly the type of situation those are made for.....

LynnW

 

I’ve got a set of those also!




Bones

 

OK Bruce, a picture is worth a thousand words. The hex tube that stores the screws has a female hex on the end, to serve as a driver. Screw them in to the proper depth, and presto.

 

Things like transfer screw sets are not available universally worldwide, so the home made idea is very good. This could be replicated anywhere in the world as long as an allen grub screw is available in that thread. Great tip in my view. Have a like from me.

I made some transfer screws by turning a bolt down but relied on pliers to get them in and out.

Mart.

 

Thanx Marty,
I didn't get how the handle was used. I guess I won't be getting a patent on this one!

 

Amazon has a set, 6 each with 4 sizes, for 30 bucks. Handy to have.

 

Marty post a link if you have one. Thanks Gary

 

Gary, I will when I get in the shop. I am not too slick with this phone.

 

These are all good tips. The commercial set would be nice to have and seem to be very affordable. Gearhead's idea is very handy if need now. It can be made with things that are in my shop without a trip to the nearest hardware store, a 24 mile round trip past my favorite bar twice.
Gearhead's design could have the punch tip tack welded in the hex plug so it would stay in place and be used with a driver like Marty's set. Looking at Gearhead's pictures welding is probably not even needed. Handy tools. Thanks!

 

https://www.amazon.com/LittleMachin...60913700&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1066181875206

 

Don’t feel bad! Many times I have come up with a solution or an idea, only to find out it all ready been done! Folks here only showed you the commercial version that you can buy for your information! I assure no one here, including myself , meant any disrespect! The fact that you didn’t know about these, proves it was your idea and skill that built the tool! Great job in my books!





Bones

 

They are very handy for making covers and motorplates.

 

Wish I knew about those punches back in '70s; used to make belt drive hydraulic pump brackets for city plow trucks. Lay a piece of cardboard against the head and tap the holes with a ballpein hammer and then use the cardboard to transfer the holes to a piece of plate and go from there. This was in the dark ages before diesels and crankshaft drives in medium duty trucks.

 

Rich, I have had these since the 70's, and they make it easy to be accurate.

 

Marty,
I wish you hadn't posted that picture of the flathead with the front motor plate. Now, when I post my pics everyone will see the difference between a real craftsman and me.

To everyone responded: thanx for the votes of confidence. I love tools and problem solving. To me that is more fun than actually driving. But that's a close second!