I was bored the other day and was wanting to do some welding but couldn't come up with anything. Has there been something you made that made you wish you had done it sooner? Hopefully you guys have some ideas of small projects that could be made in the shop whether useful tools or things that made life better other project easier or just a decoration or even a tool.
I made my own sheet metal break. Not pretty, but its been bending metal for 20+ years now. If there is something you know you will probably do often, tool or part holders/fixtures come in handy. I made a rack to hang my vice grips on the wall with. I also make all kinds of yard ornaments, plant stands, and metal decorations. Most I try to keep simple. They can be fun, and generate some occasional hot rod income, as long as you don't expect to get paid for all your time and materials. Generally, with metal art work, if you can make one for yourself and one for someone else and make enough money to pay for the materials for both, you will come out OK. When you turn art work into a job, you will need to get paid for your time, but if its something you do to cure boredom, get 2x your material costs. Gene
I always keep an eye out for old bed frames or swing-sets. Most people just toss them and if your quick you just toss them in you truck bed. I've made gates, shelves and even garden decorations for the wife.
Bed frame steel is a bitch to drill sometimes! Plenty of threads on metal working forums about the stuff.... but I also use it for projects.
I hope this falls within the intended scope of this thread. These small projects will make more room to work on the HAMB friendly cars. 1) Roof strength permitting build shelves under roll up door to utilize wasted space. 2) Hang bikes from ceiling, a pulley and cable assembly is available from Harbor Freight for about $9 ($30+ at bike shop). 3) Hang extension ladder under garage door (remember not to invite any tall friends over). 4) Suspend shelves (roof strength permitting) over parked cars, remember to adjust height of shelves if you change cars. Cantilever under door for a little more storage, just remember not to load the cantilevered end first (don't ask why I included that). 5) Make a bed frame for your bed that is tall enough to store things under it (like 8 plastic boxes, from Costco, and still have room for shoes) to get some of the household stuff out of the garage, note if you are single you can store car parts there. I am 73 and I initially had a concern that it would be harder to get in and out of the higher bed but as it turned out it was actually easier for me. While we are in the house is it safe to assume that everyone has installed a second shelf in all of the closets above the one the builder installed? 6) Build strong shelves with 2X4's for storage, I designed mine to hold moving boxes from home depot (12X12X16). Adding wires to keep the boxes from sliding off of the shelves in case of an earthquake is a good idea (not shown in photo). Now you have almost enough room to work on the car. Charlie Stephens
Got tired of my Muncie laying on its side in the corner like a castoff, built this with what I call WLA (whatevers lay'n around). If an engine can have a stand why can't a transmission.
A gantry crane. I'm tired of lifting car bodies with jacks and wooden blocks. I'll flip it right side up later this week. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I've got a few.......... Used a couple of cheap old HF engine stands I had laying around to make a frame rotisserie. Used scraps of 1" square tubing, a $2 garage sale vise and my old Milwaukee portable bandsaw to make a stationary bandsaw. I've cut tons of steel with this thing! A friend gave me a custom made bedframe 'cause he couldn't get it through the front door of his apartment. Made a few mods and it became a frame table for my roadster build. My funnel drain system. PVC pipe and a chunk of SS trench drain found in the dumpster. One more. Gas tank cradle for removing/installing tanks. 2x4 frame bolted through the saddle of a cheap floor jack. Makes tank installation with one person a walk in the park!
The Jalopy Journal
