Technical Little tips and tricks for garage hobbyists.

The jig in the video looks a little Rube Goldberg-ish to me. Back in my boatbuilding days we used to build a part like the one in the drawing. A table saw with a straight edge clamped to the table works just fine. The size of that tube is only limited by the size of your saw blade, and can be any length you want. For smaller coves, which I would think would be more common in cars, a router would make more sense. Router bits with guide bearings can be had in many shapes and sizes. A bearing with the right OD and ID can be added to a bit with a shape you want. A bit without a bearing can be used by running the router base against a straight edge or pattern, or in a router table. Many possibilities. The smaller bits pictured here are 1/2" OD, the larger half round bit is 2" dia and the bigger one is 2-3/4".

 

Folding arms for a horizontal ladder rack on the side of my shelf on wheels.

 

the above ladder storage device looks su****iously like a bicycle kick stand.....

 

I kept leaving the lights on in my pit, because it is covered with a row of short planks which I can drive over if necessary, and can't be seen once a car is parked over it. I wired a small indicator light across the main pit light, in a spot where it can be seen when I lock up for the day. It is in a direct line of sight when I am about to latch the door closed. You could use a flashing light if you want to get more attention.

 

No, just a piece of 1/2" rod, a vice, heat and a BFH.

 

Everyone on here has his/her favorite method for temporarily labeling spark plug wires. I needed something several years ago. A quick trip to sweetie's laundry room, a few seconds with a Sharpie, and here's my quick and extremely cheap solution. This has been hanging on the wall over my bench for years. Used it again today.

 

I started saving the plastic square ties from bread and potato bags for spark plug wire labeling. they are easy to clip on and off but dont get in the way like clothes pins do

 

I do the same thing for the same reason...

 

But if you can store the wooden clothes-pins on the fuel line to prevent vapor lock.

 

Hello,

That is a great idea that has been around for a while. The clips we see most are in two sizes. They are on some of the brand name loaves of whole wheat bread.
about the actual size
We used to use the smaller opening holes as they were the ones on the bread we used to buy. But, we changed the types of bread we buy and now, the clips are a little larger in openings. The clips still open and close to keep things organized.

The 4tb external hard drive is handy as it can be placed in a jacket pocket easily and the dangling wire is safely curled. The larger hole bread clip is clipped onto the curled cord and now, it keeps the small (smaller/thinner than a cigarette pack) hard drive in the pocket or purse.


Jnaki

We have several 4 tb versions with the latest stuff we have saved. They are handy and are a part of our “emergency grab bag” for such things that happen or are about to happen. The clips keep the wires all neat and tidy. There are two small hard drives with the same stuff copied on to them. (back up to a back up.)

When our granddaughter was a teen, she was staying with us and happened to hear some noise outside of our house. So, we investigated and the street was busy with police cars, red fire captain’s cars and a small fire truck. Up the street toward the taller mountain, we could see the taller hook and ladder truck spraying water down the other side of the hill. Then slightly down the trail from the watering truck, flames were shooting up higher than the top of the hill.

So, we got our grab bag and told our selves what to do if we had to leave fast. We watched for a little while and went back inside. 30 minutes later, the commotion died down and now the flames were not shooting high and it seemed to be under control. There were more fire trucks spraying water from all directions. Soon, the fire was out. And we put our “go bag” back in its closet space. With the portable external hard drives all located inside. All important papers are copied onto the hard drives. Grab and go...

Note:
If the house burns, we will be sad, but then we will start rebuilding a new house… our current small house is 40 years old, but nice.

There are varying colors as manufacturers have their own choices and products. It is not the color, but the opening “mouse ears” inside as to giving you more room... YRMV

 

While recently being treated in the back of an emergency ambulance and struggling to keep good oxygen levels I was given 3 oxygen bottle nebulisers. During the course of this I came up another use for the air/nebuliser hose that fits from the oxygen bottle that I was using . I asked if I could keep the hose as the paramedics were only going to bin it as bio waste.

Chopped it to a shorter length and it makes a great brake bleeding pipe. It can even be joined up when not in use.

 

So they are trying to keep you alive and you are thinking of how to better use their equipment?
Friggin' hot rodders.

 

@Wobbly has his priorities straight!
Dan

 

I brought home a couple of those hoses many years ago when my dad was in the hospital. The ones I got had a little rib on the inside that kept them from sealing on a standard fitting. About all they were good for was siphoning small amounts of liquid. Like getting the antifreeze out from under a layer of oil in a bucket.

 

shows how valuable antifreeze is up there!!-wow...

 

At 20 bucks a gallon, I'd say it's pretty valuable everywhere. If you buy 50/50 mix at 17 bucks and consider that half the volume is water which most folks get for free, then your ethylene glycol cost you 34 bucks a gallon.

 

Another way to get a little oil off the top of a pan of antifreeze is to lay an oil absorbent pad on top. They soak up the oil, but won't accept any antifreeze.

 

Newsprint will work the same.

 

That's cool. I wonder what the science is behind that.

 

Saw this home-built buffer on-line. Has potential.

 

I seem to recall a similar one in an old Popular Mechanics or Science.

 

I made mine from an old treadmill, little more compact.

 

This little guy is a big help. Keeps my soldering iron from melting me and everything else. Made from Junk.

 

Made one for my heat shrink gun.

 

you last two guys related?

 

Just did the same on my bandsaw, but used a Variac (Auto transformer), and a rectifier to be able to vary the speed.
Those treadmills are a good source of DC motors.

 

Treadmill motors are perfect for a drill press too.

 

And for a lot of old machine tools for those of us who don't have 220. Finding the right ones can be confusing.

 

I had a little hand tool save my *** yesterday. I may have first heard of it here on the HAMB, a Vessel Impacta screwdriver. Only needed it a few times, but really needed it. A light duty impact screwdriver, for small stuff, JIS tip, like Phillips, but fits Japanese style screw heads better......works fine on ragged old small Phillips. Good for brand new screws, too, saves marking them up. No picture, Google find it easy.

 

My old wood-cutting bandsaw re-powered by a treadmill motor. Jackshafted down to cut steel. The motor controller is from E-Bay.

Gary