Tech: Low tech shop hints

Those are freakin cool!!!

 

Planishing Hammer:
i had some s**** left from making my frame, i sort of played with it untill i came up with a good configuration.



i had this old weight bar laying around



cut it off

found some tube that the ends fit snugly into


i hole sawed the end


addded a gusset and welded it on (please ingnore the messy old shop)


i took a 6" ring and welded a bar across flush withthe top. a machine screw, an nut and an old finial from an antique lamp made me my handle.


side view (the bolt rides in an enlarged hole and the nut is tight against the finial.)


i also removed the chrome plating from the star nut form the weight bar so it could be welded in place here at the bottom .


i cut two slits in the top peice


and then connected them with a hole using a stepped drill bit.


after a bit of t******* and fitting the hammer slid right in
fitting

the foot pedal


i cut the end off a tube i had and clamped it tight to the extension end of the blower

here it is plummed to the gun


liberated the trigger


i hd some old 4" plates a clint changed their mind about, i kinda cleaned the paint off and welded on a hinge


i drilled a hole here.


i stuck the finger hoop through one of the pre existing holes inthe plate and torched it off. i then added a hose clamp that i welded to the base plate to secure the blower gun.


pained it black on the inside and safty orange on the outside

 

here is the base i used an old xm*** tree stand i found on the street. i'm planning on filling it with cement one day soon.


i aslo added a air of set screws, that hold the gun into place,
you can see them in this pic,


i made the dies form some solid steel balls i bought at IMS, they have 1" -7" ones, after a bit of cutting and polishing , i welded them to some round tube. that fits over the lower screw. i can't finds the build pics of these, i'll put them here when i find them,


the top anvis: well, i liberated one from HF....
another i got from eastwood,
the one in the pic above gives a hand hammered look, and was made by cutting the attachemnt that came with the air hammer, and rounding the edges.


so you ask: how well does this all work?
check out the mini bike fender i whipped out of it the first day i had it ***embled.. you judge

 

kick *** hammer!

 

this is giving me ideas that will keep me busy for the next two weeks using junk I have in the garage... great tech!!! Keep em coming!!!

Jordan

 

When I took apart an old hardrive that I found in some thrown away computer I discovered some super potent magnets... Took them out and use them to keep the drill chuck thingy near the drill press. The magnets are really, really strong so it won't vibrate off.
Before removing magnets, check drive for hot(rod) pics!

 

we had those type of racks and they work great. one upgrade we did was take old tennis balls and glue them on the ends to soften the impact when you run into them.

 

Great Tech for us cheep guys. Im gonna use the drill press / cake pan idea. THANKS

 

great post.

 

Wow must get really cold there, like down into the sixties, Haha
Just kidding, last time I was there they actually had a FROST warning!
Great tech stuff man, I like your posts and pics, thanks - Scott, from
where it was a high of 25* today

 

some good ideas, here I'll be using, thanks, rack your brain and find some more!!!!

Can never have enough good cheap ideas

 

You sir, an inspiration for thrifty invention. Thanks. I got an old weight bar around here somewhere ....

 

hahaha! i'm busted! i was wondering if anyone was gonna call me out on that one..
it was 13 degrees here today, er um, celsius, still in shorts and a t shirt.
i'll go look inthe garage, see what i can find for you guys...

 

You cheap *******, you're worse than me! I'll be using the cooking pan idea for my drill press. Thanks!

 

you gotta do what ya gotta do when the morgage is due...
though i like the saying
"buy the best and you only cry once. "

so some more: i just wandered in circles areound the garage trying to se eit all with fresh eyes, sorry if these all **** and are totally obvious.

this little concave mirror helps get those metal bits out of your eyes, i picked it up online at some physics and optical store.


also i saw some one on here was talking about having extra gloves for frinds, i have the earplugs for frinds that come over and want to work on a project, i stick them in small baggies and write their name on it, so next time they come over thay don;t get other friends earwax.

 

other than guys who build sets, no one seems to know how to wrap up extension cords. (or any cord for that matter) not around your elbow, or the horrible figure 8 way that is like 20 feet long that all contractors seem to use . the cable comes from the factory on huge rolls, and the cable had a memory. wrapping it the proper way by using the over/ under technique seems to prevent premature cable failure. (sort of like always twisting wire strands clockwise)
Plus they NEVER tangle, you just plug in one end lay the pile on the ground and start walking away, the cable neatly unrolls and you get to look like a pro.
http://stagecraft.theprices.net/gallery/cablewrap/cablewrap-qt.html
watch the video, i couldn;t take pictures with my chin so it shows how to get your cables looking like this.:

 

I've got my cake pan, tinfoil and other ***orted household objects packed up and ready to bring out to the shop tomorrow...Tech Week ROCKS!!

 

Thanks for all the great ideas

 

lots of great ideas
thanks

 

i lost the wrench for my grinder, not too much of a problem untill a cut off wheel disintegrated in it. an few s****s and a cut up nail got me this ugly thing.

Also, right at that moment i started painting my tools bright orange so;
A: i won't lose them
B: i know they are mine. ( most guys are honest, but this makes it obvious thay are mine. )

this tools was painted for reason A because no onew is gonna steal this thing... hahha

 

Am I missing the obvious... but why only a filter on half the fan? Would it not be better to cover all the fan or would that stop too much of the air flow?
WD40

 

i'm decent at math, but rather than take any chances i have a ton of solar powered calculators spread all over the shop, they are cheap and you can stick them to your tools with velcro or foam tape. it really helps me remember 1+1=2

 

i only had one on hand, this was a new idea and i wanted to try it out. just gotta go buy more.

 

This is an outstanding thread. Thanks Seth.

 

5 gal buckets, not only store your chunks but make good trashcans too. i have a dozen or so of these things, doing all sorts of duty in the shop.

 

i like to use dry erase pens a lot too
you can mark all over stuff and if you mess up joust wipe it off.
it makes it easy to mark exactyl off the tape, and then cleans up.


wiped off

 

Uhhhhh, I had to check to see who wrote this, I thought it was me!

 

the lowly card board box paint booth / creeper.
i store this one behind a cabinet. its handier than a drop cloth because it prevents overspray on vertical surfaces too . also does double duty as a creeper on rough surfaces, when it gets too nasty i get a new one.

 

when you buy hardware, doen't joust rip into the box or bag, and throw it away, cut off the lable tape it to your parts storage bins , coffe cans or whatever you use to store hardware, this way you know what you have, no need to write anything, and you can always know exactly what to replace when you run out.

 

since you guys liked the cake pan idea so much i probably should include this one too.
i got a filing box from office depot, the lid wedges in the HF band saw like it was made to go there, it catches all the metal filings and cutting oil drippings, keeping my floor clean.
the lower box gets all the s**** drops. when it gets full iu put the lid back on and i take it off to recycling.