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A few cheap and handy tool ideas

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Corn Fed, Aug 6, 2006.

  1. Corn Fed
    Joined: May 16, 2002
    Posts: 3,406

    Corn Fed
    Member

    Nothing earth shattering here, just a few ideas that might be useful to you.

    1) Ever try to move heavy awkward items in a wheel barrow? Got a junk lawn mower? Strip off the motor and cables and you have a nice low to the ground push cart that cruises over grass and gravel fairly easily. Build a platform on it if you like, or leave the center open (the pumpkin of a rear end fits nicely in that hole).

    2) Don't bolt your bench vise to the bench. Put it on a moveable stand. You'll love the ability to move it around and not fight the confinds of the bench. This pedistal was the base of an old industrial fan that they were gonna throw out at work. The flat low disk is very easy to stand next to and is very stable.

    3) Have access to a chunk of train track? Cut it about a foot long, hack part of the base away, and you have a home-made anvil that is great for beating on. I've dressed the edges to give a smooth finish. Clamp it in that portable vice and use it as a dolly when doing body work. This chunk of rail was made in 1918 so it's even traditional!

    4) For you guys using 39-48 Ford front brakes. When it comes time to install new inner races on your hubs make yourself this simple tool. Get a small chunk of 2" pipe, grind the OD of one end a little (or use a lathe if you have one) so that it just fits into the hub. Place it squarely on the edge of the race, and gently tap it in with a hammer. No worries about nicking the race.

    5) No picture...But another one for the guys using 40ish Ford rear brakes. The lids on Skippy peanut butter jars (I forget which size) snap perfectly onto the inside hub of rear drums. Great for keeping junk out of your bearings.

    Hope these help someone.
     

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  2. HemiRambler
    Joined: Aug 26, 2005
    Posts: 4,207

    HemiRambler
    Member

    Very nice. I mounted my vise on my bench, but I made it pivot out of the way (self storing) so I could put full sheets (4 x 8) of aluminum on it. I'm real estate challenged. I do like the portability of yours though.
     
  3. Scott
    Joined: Dec 23, 2004
    Posts: 2,773

    Scott
    Member

    I was just about to junk a lawn mower, great Idea!!
     
  4. Brad54
    Joined: Apr 15, 2004
    Posts: 6,021

    Brad54
    Member
    from Atl Ga

    I think they're about to get rid of a fan here at work...I think the base may be going home with me!

    I've got a chunck of rair road rail, too--I left mine squared off (didn't cut the notch out of the base), but it still works really well for banging and bending.
    For mine, I cleaned the whole thing with a twisted wire cup on my grinder. That burnished the top of it really nicely. Then I masked off the hammering surface and painted everything else with Rust-o-leum High Performance (very durable) red spray paint. Not only does it look good in the shop (red equipment ALWAYS looks good in the shop!), but more importantly, I don't get rust dust on everything when I use it, and my hands stay clean when I'm moving it around. Rust transfers so easily...and rusty pieces also always seem to be dirtier and grimier than painted stuff--When I'm spring cleaning the shop (getting rid of cob webs, grinder dust, etc.), the painted pieces clean up with the vacuum cleaner or a quick wipe with a rag, while my un-painted lengths of pipe, steel, etc. I use as tools always seem to stay dirty.

    I've never had to remove rust from the unpainted top of it since doing this, including living in Florida's high humidity for 7 years, and 3 Georgia summers.
    -Brad
     
  5. Corn Fed
    Joined: May 16, 2002
    Posts: 3,406

    Corn Fed
    Member

    Thats a good idea. I think I'll blast mine and do the same. Thanks.
     
  6. 55olds88
    Joined: Jul 23, 2001
    Posts: 2,386

    55olds88
    Member

    Good simple ideas, I saved an old mainframe dolley from here at work, its now my engine stand/storage the thing is made to carry some good weight with nice castors so have no problem with an old Olds motor, unlike the skateboard I used to use.....
     
  7. snortonnorton
    Joined: Sep 18, 2004
    Posts: 889

    snortonnorton
    Member
    from Florida

    where do you guys "happen" to find parts of rail road tracks? i would really like to try that as an anvil/dolly
     
  8. B + M
    Joined: Aug 5, 2006
    Posts: 139

    B + M
    Member
    from sacramento

    I'd also like to know this, I've been hoping to find a piece for years now.
     
  9. caffeine
    Joined: Mar 11, 2004
    Posts: 2,439

    caffeine
    Member
    from Central NJ

    walk down the railroad tracks...usually you find them laying on the sides....
     
  10. TRUCKRODDER
    Joined: May 29, 2005
    Posts: 329

    TRUCKRODDER
    Member

    Watch out picking up rail along the tracks. My wifes cousin went to prison over picking up a piece of iron around 10 foot long , apparently it is against the law ,they consider it stealing from the railroad.
     
  11. Frank
    Joined: Jul 30, 2004
    Posts: 2,325

    Frank
    Member

    Its a crap shoot, but I've seen short pieces at a scrap metal place before.
     
  12. Thirdyfivepickup
    Joined: Nov 5, 2002
    Posts: 6,095

    Thirdyfivepickup
    Member

    Dad has a huge vice mounted on a 1/4" steel plate... welded to a 3' tall piece of 12" diameter steel tubing which is welded to a steel flywheel. The whole thing weighs a ton... but you can put the flywheel on edge and roll it around. You can actually do some heavy work with it and its fairly stable.
     
  13. Bruce Lancaster
    Joined: Oct 9, 2001
    Posts: 21,681

    Bruce Lancaster
    Member Emeritus

    When out shopping at your favorite junkyard, keep your eye out for short pieces of steel rod in heavy sizes, pieces of steel plating in small sizes with holes in them, etc. This stuff will turn into a collection of mini-anvils, drivers, and mandrels handy for when you need to drive, push, beat on bushings and so forth. If you have a hydraulic press, the stuff is even more useful, giving you a wide range of different size pressing plates and rods.
     
  14. Corn Fed
    Joined: May 16, 2002
    Posts: 3,406

    Corn Fed
    Member

    Here's a couple ideas for storage. If you're horizontally challanged, you'll like these. I have a 10' ceiling in my garage, so it helps too.

    1) Build a sturdy loft that you can put stuff up onto. I made mine high enought to fit over the 55 Chevy that's been patiently waiting for it's turn to hit the streets again. I also made it low enough to be able to stick a Model A body up onto.

    2) If your early body has a decent floor and roof supports, tip it on it's nose. You can put 2 Model A bodies vertically in the space 1 fits horizontally.
     

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  15. stan292
    Joined: Dec 6, 2002
    Posts: 858

    stan292
    Member

    Corn -

    Thanks for the ideas. I love the "found objects" approach to making useful things out of discards.

    Hope you don't mind me tacking this item on to your thread, but since you are from Iowa, I figured it might be appropriate. As I'm sure you know, old cultivator discs are plentiful and cheap throughout farm country.

    This is something my old man welded up years ago. It makes a pretty cool rack for miscellaneous items, and takes up minimal space in the workshop. I know he got these discs for free, and they are pretty common on farms or at farm sales for little or nothing.

    It holds stuff of most any shape and size, and the dished shape works great for keeping things from falling off. I usually have one "tier" reserved fjust or random nuts, bolts, clips, etc. Very easy to sort through.

    One of these disks works great as a base for a grinder, etc., and its easy to tack on extra weight if you need more "beef".

    Thanks for letting me butt in.
     

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  16. Brad54
    Joined: Apr 15, 2004
    Posts: 6,021

    Brad54
    Member
    from Atl Ga

    I've actually come across rail road rail two different times. Obviously, ALWAYS keep your eyes open for it.
    The first time was at a yard they were tearing up. There were a couple guys there, and they were picking up rail road ties with a pair of ice tongs at each end! These guys were huge. There were two 1-foot sections on the ground, and I asked if I could have them. They said no problem.

    Several years later, I spotted a crew doing repair work on a rail. They were cutting it, and I asked if I could have a junk length. Again, they were happy to give it to me. That one was too long, at 2-feet. The 1-footers seemed to be perfect.
    I gave away one of the short ones and the long one. One in the shop seems to be plenty.

    -Brad
     
  17. BJR
    Joined: Mar 11, 2005
    Posts: 10,991

    BJR
    Member

    I mounted a vise on some square tubing that fits into the reciever hitch on my pickup. Then I can drive up to whatever I'm working on and put the vise on the hitch to clamp stuff.
     
  18. A couple times a year the council I live in has a free "Bullk Rubbish Collection" where everyone discards as much unwanted stuff as they want on the verge between the footpath and the street and the council comes and removes it for free. Amazing what people throw out. I got my railroad piece from someones yard, and a big dished base for pedestal mount grinder too. Don' tknwo if u guys have anyhting similar, but thats where I get my stuff to make tools and what not out of.
     
  19. atch
    Joined: Sep 3, 2002
    Posts: 6,181

    atch
    Member

    flywheels make excellent tool bases. and they work even better if you remove the starter ring. most of them come off by heating the ring. don't heat the flywheel. when the ring is hot it will expand and slip off of the flywheel, making your base smooth around the perimeter instead of having sharp teeth that tear minute chunks out of your concrete.
     

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