home made tools and equipment...

Thats how mine is. It lets you keep both hands on the panel.

 

That would be nice, but if you read what I posted above I have a valid reason for not wanting to go that way.

 

too each his own.

 

To each his own indeed. So I do what you suggest, go against the manufacturer of the motor and do what I want.

Then the motor fails and I wonder why and try to blame them.

Makes sense to me

I don't operate that way and the small inconvenience of having to throw a switch to change direction is no problem.

 

This is the way I've typically seen it done or a very similar version of such. You may (or may not) find that the rotary drum switch as economical as you'd like. They get pricey when the rating goes up. You can do the same thing with relays (contactors) or even the suggested dual switch getup. As for the twin switch setup - they make those with shrouds that would force you to move your foot from one switch to the other - making it a very deliberate motion and thus not accidentally done. I've done this same type of thing on various items - usually what dictates the method I use is what parts I score CHEAP!!! ;-)

I even have my shop vac by the mill set up on a momentary foot switch - hey I'm too lazy to bend over - what can I say?

There's literally a dozen ways to accomplish your task - not knowing exactly what your requirements are make it difficult to outline an exact schematic to do what you want, but the general idea will be what I sketched up.

 

Thanks, I'll look into my options, that diagram looks similar to the wiring diagram for the drum switches I have seen.

As far as cost goes, if I had access to anyplace with a bunch of used equipment or a big recycling yard I bet I could find a switch on the cheap.

Or maybe a surplus industrial-electrical parts dealer.

 

There is a company called " Grainger "

The will have what you want.

www.grainger.com

Find a local store, or call them and they will help you.

 

Did the swirl in the steel just happen or did you plan it, I notice the pedals have the same discoloration, I am trying to get this type of patina on some steel and clear coat it in, I have used copper salts and a few other things. Thanks frank

 

That one isn't mine but I can answer your question.
The color patterns are the result of heat. Steel goes through a range of different colors when heated and it can be the result of welding or done on purpose with a torch.

Usually need to spray a clear coat on it if you want to keep it that way.

 

I was just saying that's the way I did mine, and I like having two pedals, that's all.

Yup...some times known as the temper colors. Knife makers uses the color to determine the temperature of the steel. Guns are usually colored in a similar way with heated sand, or salt. I used an O/A torch. On thicker metal you can run the torch hot enough that the temperature only gets to the temper color on the surface, so you wont effect the temper of the part, if that's an issue. Its fun to play around with, might as well spruce up the machinery a bit.

 

I love this thread, anyone have anything new to contribute?

I recently made a chassis jig/body dolly/welding table. Turns out the floor in the shop I rent isn't level in the slightest bit I had to build this. All the metal on this is from left overs or I would have probably used different sized materials.



cut some table legs 3.5x3.5

welded nuts to the inside of the leg bottoms to accept the adjusters for leveling



legs done and added tabs to accept the casters I bought. I love things to be mobile.

mock up of the casters, local metal place called fazios has bins of these 7" usa made used casters for 3.00 a piece. the Chinese made new ones are 11.00 a piece. these have grease fittings well so I assume they will support some weight.

almost done table dimensions are 5x10'7"
when the adjusters are ran down the table becomes unmobile

finished product. rolls real easy. I also picked up some scrap 10g plate to put on top to it has a solid work platform, I just haven't got around to cutting it to size yet. also the way the table adjusters are I can later down the road make leg extensions to elevate it a little higher if I want to turn it into a permanent work bench when I get a larger shop.

 

Pat, Well done. I will be building something very similar this weekend and you gave me great Ideas to use as well for mine. My casters are going to be huge scafolding casters though, but i love how you made them where when you use the pegs to level it, they come off the ground. terrific Idea. I need mine Very Very mobile for sure..

Will

 

Thats a cool chassis jig, would have been cool to mount the casters on some sort of cam/toggle clamp deal so you could push a lever and its on the casters, then pull the lever and its sitting on the floor. Just so that its quicker to move. I've been thinking about doing something like that on my e-wheel.

I have a hood spring tool I made I'll have to post some pics of that, there was just a thread on how to install them with out poking your eye out. I should post it there too.

 

Great work. When I made mine many years ago, I put the wheels on the bottom of each leg, which makes it difficult to keep it in place. I hate to redo the whole thing but maybe I'll make up on some similar outriggers for the stops. Either that or make floor cradles to keep the wheels from moving. Thanks for the ideas.

 

I actually thought of doing something like this, but laziness got the best of me. it would also have prob had to be a stout setup considering the weight of it with a body on it.

 

Here is my E-wheel that I built from 5x5x3/8 tubing

I added retractable casters and a 4 caster plate on the front to move it around


I need some anvils so I made a radius cutter to make some



the radius cuter was made from some 1/2 plate that I found at the scrap yard. I drilled 1/2 holes every 1" on center on the top plate and drilled and tapped 3/8 one inch and center on the lower plate. I used a machine shoulder bolt to pivot the top plate.I mount a tool post on the end



after setting the desired radius I cut one of my lower anvils



here are some of the anvils I cut. I even made some from some UHMW I bought on ebay.

 

brake made from scrap i had laying around the shop.break isnt sharp,but suits me for body panels
http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx218/offroaderdodge/tools an stuff/005.jpg

its four feet long,so far i tried bending 1/8" aluminum sheet about 30"long.will try 18 guage sheet steel on the weekend.

 

About 5 years ago, I had to rebuild a '50 flathead. When it came time to put the valve assemblies together, the only thing I could find was one of those "C"-clamp things. It didn't look to good to me and I didn't want to think about what would happen if something slipped during assembly. Luckily, I had a copy of George McNichol's flathead book, which showed the original tool they used to put the valves together. It was probably made by K. R. Wilson, and the body was cast, and it bolted to the work surface (since I'm kinda low volume, I clamp mine in the vise when I need it). I figured I could make something similar out of some scrap steel I had around, and this is the result. You put the valve, guide, and retainer (sorry, I didn't have any to put in these pictures, but I'm sure you get the idea) into the tool, push the handle that levers down on the head of the valve, and put the keepers in. After I got done putting this thing to together, I was able to put the valve assemblies together in about 10 minutes. It's made of some bar stock, a chunk of angle, and I properly sized piece of pipe. Here ya' go :
<fieldset class="fieldset"> <legend>Attached Thumbnails</legend>


</fieldset>

 

Some of these I got the ideas of this thread, others I found somewhere else or figured out myself.

• Bead roller, HF conversion
• Valve spring tool
• English wheel
• Flatty valve spring clip remover
• Transverse spring bushing remover

 

Her's my home made english wheel



it's made of stainless steel wheels of harden steel

 

Here is my bead roller I used the basic design from Tim Doty


24" deep sides are 3/8 plate with 1/2 reinforced at the back



adjust in / out 1-1/4"




forward/reverse pedals



110volt in 220volt 3 phase out VFD variable speed


220 3 phase gear motor 98:1 690 LBS torque

 

UHMW? Is that a type of steel? Great work, by the way.

 

Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene

Strong plastic

 

Good idea, esp. for soft aluminum.

 

Anyone make their own Radius Cutter for their lathe? Sure would be nice to make my own E-wheel dollies, as shown above...

 

They have articles on how to build one every few months in the Home Shop Machinist magazine. I can scan one if you want.

 

OOO! I like that magazine! Just picked one up the other day. YEAH! I would like to see the article! Could you post it here?

 

this thread rules...........

 

I have a couple dozen issues in my desk at work, probably 3 or 4 articles on the subject. I'll scan 'em up tomorrow.

 

That would be awesome! W'out straying too far from topic here, is that magazine worth subscribing too?