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Homemade shrinker/stretcher stand

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Finnrodder, Sep 3, 2011.

  1. Finnrodder
    Joined: Oct 18, 2009
    Posts: 2,970

    Finnrodder
    Member
    from Finland

    So,i bought some "crap" again from ebay:

    [​IMG]

    I am not sure about the quality of this shrinker/stretcher,time will show..
    It really needed a stand,so i decided to fab my own.
    Here is the start,2x4" square tube for frame with thick wall.And steel plates for the pedal bracing.I made few holes with a hole saw and angle grinder..

    [​IMG]

    The stand needs legs,so i fabricated them too from 2x4" tubing

    [​IMG]

    I want it to operate smoothly,so i decided to make the pedal working with bearings,so i did a bearing chamber for the pedal with a lathe,i also made an axle for the bearings from acid-proof steel:

    [​IMG]
     
  2. oj
    Joined: Jul 27, 2008
    Posts: 6,454

    oj
    Member

    And....? This looks like a good candidate for tech week.
     
  3. Finnrodder
    Joined: Oct 18, 2009
    Posts: 2,970

    Finnrodder
    Member
    from Finland

    This an another lathe work i did for the stand.I didnt found any suitable stainless/acid-proof steel axle for the spring taps,but i find a small piece of titanium axle.
    So...:D

    [​IMG]

    Then i started to fab the pedal.It needs to be a thick,but also a light,so i drilled few speed holes to the pedal.Here is the result,bearing chamber is also welded,the spring lever is there too and the top spring tap and the bearings are assembled:

    [​IMG]

    The pedal bracing is welded on the frame and the pedal+springs are assembled.Here is the spring setup:

    [​IMG]
     
  4. Finnrodder
    Joined: Oct 18, 2009
    Posts: 2,970

    Finnrodder
    Member
    from Finland

    Hold your horses,mister.I am posting,i am posting:D

    An another ebay catch,a pair of heim joints with weld on bungs.Left and right hand 3/8 threads.Those left hand threads could be a pain in the ass,so this made my life a bit easier and only 15 bucks..Plus shipping ofcourse.
    The seller said in his add that they are suitable for a panhard bar..Umm,no,i wouldnt put them on panhard bar,but to the shrinker/stretchers pushrod yes.

    [​IMG]

    The pushrod is done:

    [​IMG]

    And the pushrod forks too:

    [​IMG]

    And the upper lever with the fork:

    [​IMG]
     

  5. Finnrodder
    Joined: Oct 18, 2009
    Posts: 2,970

    Finnrodder
    Member
    from Finland

    I wanted an early 30's style pedal pad,but i guess i was too lazy to call for several speed shops and start whining about one pedal pad,so i did it with a bench drill.Two different size of hole saw blades and two different size of drill bits,15 minutes and here is the result:

    [​IMG]

    Ta-Da,here it is.I took it outside of garage to get better pics,the front view of the damn thing:

    [​IMG]

    And the rear view:

    [​IMG]

    And it works too,i made some test pieces and it seems to be working fine...So far:

    [​IMG]
     
  6. fbama73
    Joined: Jul 12, 2008
    Posts: 989

    fbama73
    Member

  7. looks real good man, looks like you took your time to plan out the design.
     
  8. Very nice stand. Looks to be very durable.

    Congrats.
     
  9. 49ratfink
    Joined: Feb 8, 2004
    Posts: 18,829

    49ratfink
    Member
    from California

    looks pretty heavy... I'd say put some more "lightening holes" in it. :)
     
  10. Finnrodder
    Joined: Oct 18, 2009
    Posts: 2,970

    Finnrodder
    Member
    from Finland

    Thank you guys!
    I am a huge friend of speedholes,but one thing i hate in the world is wobbling toolstands,worktables etc.Thats one reason i made half ton work table when i was in early 20's:D
    Its the same table you can see on those pics.No wobbling with that one.
    That stand weights approx 30 kgs(66 pounds)with the stretching/shrinking unit,so i guess its fine.
     
  11. toolman1967
    Joined: Mar 13, 2008
    Posts: 441

    toolman1967
    Member

    I am so stealing this for my stand!
     
  12. oj
    Joined: Jul 27, 2008
    Posts: 6,454

    oj
    Member

    Good job! I made a similiar one, same linkage pieces and attachment device up top, but mine was weaker at the pedal end - too many moving parts really - and my redesign is similiar where you machine a hole thru the post and the pedal passes thru it. Looks mighty good, i might have to copy it.
     
  13. stealthcruiser
    Joined: Dec 24, 2002
    Posts: 3,748

    stealthcruiser
    Member

    Don't forget to post it, (if you have not already!), in Tech Week!
     
  14. Finnrodder
    Joined: Oct 18, 2009
    Posts: 2,970

    Finnrodder
    Member
    from Finland

    I am glad you guys liked it and just steal something of the design if you like to.
    I think the idea with the tech postings is sharing your ideas,isnt it?
     
  15. pcterm2
    Joined: Aug 25, 2009
    Posts: 551

    pcterm2
    Member

    thats damn good as far as i am concerned
     
  16. I did some custom stands for myself a while back, I made a thread about it also. Looking at your stand I would only have one suggestion, and that is to make the pedal arm longer or to rake the whole pedestal back so that the work is not directly over the foot pedal.

    I find in practice it is nice to stand back just a bit while working on larger pieces.
     
  17. How about some dimensions on the arm, linkage, etc.? I'd like to build one of these for my Eastwood shrinker/stretcher; yours is a clone of theirs, right?
     
  18. Finnrodder
    Joined: Oct 18, 2009
    Posts: 2,970

    Finnrodder
    Member
    from Finland

    Thanks!

    Yeah,i saw your stand thread.I think that stand of yours have a really fine design.First i thought i'll do something like that,but decided to be more original and fab my own.I guess the pedal could be a little longer,but then the bearing chamber etc.should be attached to the frame more back than it is.

    Yes,i think its a clone of Eastwood's shrinker/stretcher.
    I dont have anykind blueprints or sketches of this stand,because i didnt do any.
    Only thing i can remember is that the frame post is exactly 1 meter long,so the designing happend mostly inside of my head instead of paper..
    Well,sometimes my job can be boring and i have a time to think:D
    But i guess i can do some measuring for you,if you like to.
     
  19. Hdonlybob
    Joined: Feb 1, 2005
    Posts: 4,115

    Hdonlybob
    Member

    TALENT...plain and simple.
    Awesome job.
    Cheers.......
     
  20. bradshaw
    Joined: Jan 14, 2009
    Posts: 222

    bradshaw
    Member
    from ontario

    I agree !! Great job!
     
  21. thechopperguy
    Joined: Oct 27, 2007
    Posts: 149

    thechopperguy
    Member

    Great work and attention to detail!
     
  22. Finnrodder
    Joined: Oct 18, 2009
    Posts: 2,970

    Finnrodder
    Member
    from Finland

    Thanks for all for your comments!

    I did some measuring,i hope it helps:

    My anglefinder says that the frame post is in 72 degree angle.The post is 40" long+there is 2x4 tube welded to under the post,that'll make 2" more.
    The upper lever lengt is 4 inches from the pushrod mounting hole to the shrinker/stretcher.Its also a 4" from the center of bearing axle,where the pushrod is mounted to the pedal.I think this measurement could be longer,specially if you are going to use longer pedal lever.Maybe 6"?
    I suggest that you tack weld the bearing bracing and do some test runs before complete welding.
    The pedal lever is 16" long and its mounted to frame 12" from the ground.
    Like i said,i hope it helps you.
     
  23. Degenerate
    Joined: Aug 5, 2007
    Posts: 239

    Degenerate
    Member
    from Indiana

    Nice work and design. I get almost as excited on a good shop built tool thread as I do a good thread on a car build.
     
  24. Finnrodder
    Joined: Oct 18, 2009
    Posts: 2,970

    Finnrodder
    Member
    from Finland

    Thanks!
    Same here,i really like some good tool threads too.
     
  25. Harryw1023
    Joined: Nov 24, 2009
    Posts: 173

    Harryw1023
    Member

    Looks very Good , and IT WORKS>............. Harry
     
  26. Are ya sure it's beefy enough?! :eek: :D

    Looks great, and looks like it works better than vice grips and a hammer.
     
  27. Finnrodder
    Joined: Oct 18, 2009
    Posts: 2,970

    Finnrodder
    Member
    from Finland

    Thanks guys!
    Well,i guess its enough beefy:D
    One reason for fabricating it from beefy stuff is that i had to make a lot holes to the frame post,its like a swiss cheese.I thought that it wont be a good idea to make stand from square tube with thicker walls because of those holes.
     
    Last edited: Sep 23, 2013
  28. Thanks for the measurements, especially in inches for us "yanks".
     
  29. Elegant solutions are usually simple. And simple ain't necessarily easy.
     
  30. Finnrodder
    Joined: Oct 18, 2009
    Posts: 2,970

    Finnrodder
    Member
    from Finland

    Thanks!
    I've always bought rulers that have both,centimetres and inches.They are handy sometimes,like in this case.
    So the measuring wasnt an issue.
     

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