home made tools and equipment...

...i know it's been done in seperate posts all over the HAMB at all different times but hows about putting a bunch of them together in one easy to find post. got some new ones we may not have seen before??? post em here!

i'll start the show with one i hope to build in the near future. this is GMgrunt's example. it's a home built disc sander. the disc is 12" in diameter. you'll have to ask GMgrunt to post up anymore details than that cause i don't remember much else about it other than it works like a friggin CHARM!! i've used Jeff's plenty and used Denny Lesky's at the Ionia Hot Rod Shop more times than that. oh yeah. Denny, Jeff and our friend Paul Beck all built these things at the same time with the same plans. it's gotta be better than the cheap ass Harbor Freight versions. this thing REALY kicks ass. i'm not sure how i've lived this long without one. i'd drive the 20 minutes to GMgrunt's house to use it if i had alot of grinding to do at once. it's that good!!

 

When it comes to home made shop tools Kiwi Kev is the King!

These are always interesting threads.

 

don't i know it!! i've saved pics of everything of his i've seen. i should do a search just for his sheeit to see if i've missed any.

 

I hope this thread takes off. I'd love plans for that sander.

 

That disc sander looks like it was built from the plans that American Rodder printed about a dozen years ago or so. It looked like a good design as a drawing in the magazine, but it looks even better seeing one well built like that one.
Darren

 

Good post kustombuilder! Here's one I came up with about 10 years ago. I had to get it out again recently for a '37 Ford. The base frame is made with 1 1/2" square tube and the removable legs are 1 1/4" square tube. It only takes one person to tilt a body over. It sure beats lying on your back working on floors. I also welded on some plate for some bigger tires in addition to the small casters.


'37 Ford body

'28 Model A ..................................'38 Ford Conv.

 

Ya what he said !can anyone post the plans or a link to them ?

 

There was a series on home build tool in American Rodder Mag in the late 80s early 90s.
There were plans for a disc sander , too..
Michael

 

Kustombuilder
That looks like a brake shoe re-arching motor and grinder I have. What do you use for abrasive disc and adheasive? I've been going to build something like that but never get to it.
Jeff

 

lets get the skinny on that disc sander. I gotta have one of those...

 

Those 12"disks are readily available.

We have a bunch of those grinders at work and I've been watching for a deal on one for my shop. Like Mike says, the HF version is crap and still pretty spendy...

I'd like the low down on that motor, HP/rpms and such, and I'd like to know what was used s the mounting surface for the abrasive....

The whole batch of plans would be nice!

That body frame is sweet too!

 

Izzat a piece of 1/2" plate for the motor?
That must help make it run smooth.


Fwiw - I've got a Harbor Freight 12" disc sander and it works pretty good.
Other than the too small at times table, the table doesn't stay square with the sanding disc for long.

Some kind of steel adjustable brace would cure that.

Really nice part about a disc sander is how nice they are for sanding an aluminum or steel piece down to the 'design' line.

Makes home-made brackets etc. look very professional.

A little before and after the boring and disc sanding.
(Masking tape works great for laying out complex patterns on aluminum.)

 

Since this is supposed to be about tools, here's a couple easy to make and not much $$.

First one is a drill press outer stand gizmo.
Works well if you have a bench mounted drill press.
As you can see, if your vise isn't too far away you got er made.
All it is, is 1" square tubing welded into a T.




The 2nd one is nothing more than a short 1/2" bolt with a couple of 3/16" or so thick washers.
It acts as a stop to keep stuff from spinning.
Works well with a single clamp as well as with hand-held when you can do it that way.

 

"How much can you create something out of scrap-metal?"

Here are my attempts;
-Easier to press valve springs. (What was that silicone for..? Thanks to someone.)
-Bead roller without any rolling parts...

-Otto-

 

Great thread
Thanks

 

Not home-made, but could be.
Especially the transfer screws.

First, pics of commonly available - and don't cost much at HF - Transfer Punches.
They do just what their name says, they transfer your pattern - which can be nothing more than the first piece you made - to another piece of steel or aluminum.
Don't get too crazy when you hit em with a hammer, just a light tap will get you a mark you can hit with a sturdier center punch later.



The 2nd pic shows a commercially available Transfer Screw.
These come six to a container and the container doubles as a wrench to screw the transfer screw in and out.



These are used to mark blind holes.
Not a hole that's not through drilled, but one you can't access due to the way the parts go together.
Like a lathe chuck and backing plate for example.

You use em as follows:

Mark the workpiece with some layout fluid - I find red Magic Markers to work well on aluminum and blue Magic Markers for steel.
Black Sharpies work well too. Nice part about any of these is they make a better mark than commercially available layout die in cans or spray cans. The MM and Sharpie fluid doesn't split, crack and break away when scribed.

Install one Transfer Screw, it doesn't have to stick out far, just enough to make a mark.
Assemble components, in the case of the lathe chuck and backing plate, if you have a register turned so they fit together well you can simply clamp it in a vise, tighten and the Transfer Screw will transfer the mark.

You can, if you want and if say three holes are required install all three Transfer Screws at once, but if a lot of precision is called for I like to do one at a time and bolt it together as I go.


If you look close at the design of the Transfer Screw you can see how easy it is to make your own.
A lathe is not necessary.

Get some setscrews in the thread you require.
Get an Allen Wrench to fit.
Cut a short piece from the Allen Wrench.
Chuck the Allen Wrench in a drill press or drill motor.
Spin er up and use a hand or bench grinder, whichever is required and grind a sharp point on the short piece of Allen Wrench.
Make sure you leave some hex on the Allen Wrench piece so you can remove it. Most times you can spin it out by hand, but once in a while a wrench is needed.

Assemble Transfer Screw by dropping the short piece of pointed Allen Wrench into the setscrew.
Use a small dab of epoxy to hold it together.
The epoxy not necessarily needed, but it does help to keep the pieces from coming apart, getting lost etc.

 

i built one of those grinders from plans in American Rodder , i think it was around 1993. i use it all the time and it works great. the 12" disc are pressure sensitive adhesive.. or PSA..and i usually get them from Enco

i also built a brake from plans in Rodder's Digest by Just Steve. he posted the plans on here and they are in the Tech archive

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2048

 

Holy crap that's obvious, and awesome!

Ben

 

Other tools I've made.

Large puller.
Dzus button countersink tool.
Lathe tool block.
Lathe bit holder that's a touch different from the norm.
Simple metal-cutting bandsaw accessories, some no more than scraps.
Transverse spring spreader.
Solid axle perch bolt puller. (Works with both pulling and impact forces.)
Drill press stand to convert a bench mount drill press to floor.
Better bandsaw stand than comes with most of them.
EZ to make, but somewhat expensive workbench with a lot of drawers.
Drill and tapping blocks.
Mandrels - got a hacksaw and grinder?
Home-made hammers, some on the lathe, some not.

And some other stuff out in the shop, but it's 19 degrees outside and I ain't going out for a while.
Yeah, I know, sissy, but . . . the hot coffee's in here....

 

I can think of a couple ways to do beads without rolling them, but I'd like to see Carb-Ottos.

 

Here are a few of the tools I've built over the years. The latest is the english wheel. I made the upper adjuster out of a like new (warranty parts from work) slip joint out of a truck drivshaft

The frame I built out of 6x3x5/16 channel and plated the sides with 3/16. It works great. I used bedliner from Menards for paint.

Here is a picture of my rubber upper wheel I have mounted in my other einglish wheel. It's just a rubber lined wheel off of a caster. Works good for making simple rolls.

An old screw jack can be just the ticket holding things in place when welding floor pans.

Here's my shrinker stretcher stand. More truck parts. The clevis are for air brake chambers and of coarse the drum.

This is a vice grip I converted to spread. I made it when I was doing a panel and got sick of the porta power.

Last one for now. I built two of these brakes to go in my 50 ton press. This is the small one. It'll do 1/4".

 

Miller's web site has plans for a bending brake (among other things)

http://www.millerwelds.com/interests/projects/

It's in the batch of photos to the right (right arrow in the box titled 'Welding Project Plans'). Not something I have built, but I figured it would be appropriate here.

 

SNAP!

I have a need for that "bead beater" right now!!!

That would come in handy for a panel that is "in place" also.

The front floor of my elky had been re-skinned with some flat sheet. Nice job but it oil cans. I reckon I can make one of those, jack it up against the bottom of the panel, figure out where the groove in the bottom plate is (the tricky part) and then beat some beads into it...

Just planned my weekend. I'm sure my wife will thank you.

 

I built the brake from the Rodders Digest article as well. Works great for what I needed.

 

You could probably drill some teeny holes (say 1/16" or smaller) to locate each end of the beads, then use a sharpie & straight edge to connect the dots on both top- and bottom sides of the panels. Then you have reference marks to line everything up. Once you run the beads, you can MIG weld the holes shut... or just run some sheet metal screws into them.

If you have a good sharp center punch, and the metal is relatively clean, you might be able to make some little divots in the panel rather than poking a hole all the way through. If there is a lot of rust or road crap on the bottom side, it might be hard to accurately see it, though.

---------

I can't claim too much credit on this, but recently I took a brake that was made by an old man 30-40 years ago, beefed it up with a truss (still needs another on the bottom), and added a platform to the back for my mod'ed Horrible Fright beader and my bench shear. Put it all on wheels with threaded rod adjustable feet to keep it from moving around while I'm using it.

 

A pair of locating dowels in the male and female pieces would work...drill the matching holes in the pieces, and make the dowels so they come out. With the dowl out, lay the plate on your floor pan and use a transfer punch to locate the dowel holes onto your floor pan, drill, insert pins, line up pieces and start whacking.
OR, you could also put the piece up against the bottom side of the floor, holding it in place with a floor jack, then take a soft-faced hammer and start hitting the floor just hard enough to find the outline of the plate on the bottom of the car, then line it up on the top side with the beaded half of the die.

-Brad

 

Great post. Cool homebuilt stuff, the sander work better then a grinder sometimes, fast cutting with the different grits.


My friends drill press motor gave out, he had a garage door motor laying around. Installed it, now he has instant reverse at the flip of a switch. backs out of the work, no more binding

This thread is getting better & better with all the ideas shown prior & after

Excellent post

 

Thanks for the tips guys, I'll probably go with the small locator holes......


I'd like to see more pics of that shrinker stretcher setup......

 

what can i say? i'm the shit!! just playin.


here is my take on a mini- English Wheel as seen here on teh HAMB before by many other builders. i built it because i don't have room for a big one. this one is real handy for making small patch panel with compound curves. not much good for anything big. might work good if you wanted to build a 1:18 scale hot rod .

sourced the "wheels" by going through all the bearings they had at the local farm supply store and parts stores untill i found a couple that i thought would work that were'nt too expensive. the bearings are the only thing that realy cost any money. the adjuster is a double 'D' steering shaft (Chevy truck from the early 80s if i remember right) and a half inch nut and long half inch carriage bolt. i think you'll figure it out from the pics.
i had a buddy turn me a couple bushings on his lathe to make the bearings i found accept a bolt as an "axle" (again, see the pics).

i think the pics pretty much tell the story so i'll shut up now.























...one note. i wish i had found a lower bearing/wheel with slightly less "crown" and possibly a tad wider and intend to locate such a bearing one of these days.