home made tools and equipment...

I've been a subscriber for years, and have most all the back issues; they have two magazines actually, the other is Machinist's Workshop(formerly Projects in Metal).

 

Wow 31 pages!

 

Here's a bead breaker that's been used in my shop since the mid '20s, My friends father made it from some Model T brake parts and some scraps around the shop.

 

Was working on disecting a wagon tailgate the other night. Probably one of the biggest challenges in taking things apart for repairs is doing so without inflicting more damage. I had seen a recent post on pliers used to remove door skins, and thought they would come in handy here on the bottom of the tailgate.

This is why you never throw away Vice grips that have the worn down teeth. The lower jaw is modified to receive the edge of the door skin...



Then a suitable "blade" is found....





Some welding and grinding, and we have a new body tool.....







Starting at the corner, a diagonal slice is made in the inner panel so it will remove easier...



....and the tool is used to gently pry up on the flange of the tailgate skin.....







Spot welds were removed with a burr grinder, in an attempt to keep the damage (and hole diameter) to the skin flange at a minimum. Continuing:

 

Here is my new vise stand.

 

Cool beans! that's brilliant.

 

That is _really_ nice!

 

SHOP BENCHES
Somewhere there's a post on shop benches - couldn't find it again. But here is one of ours. Legs are 4x4's with 2x4 bracing. Top is 8' by 3.5' made from 2x8 timber. Built them high enough to use our metal shop stools - ya can either sit or stand to work. Bottom shelf is also a foot rest. We built a back board with a top shelf. Top shelf is handy for lamps and "stuff". Always pick up the old style goose neck lamps cause they just look the part. On this one I ran a little corrugated metal insert over the back board. Stuck some Wire Mold plug strips along the front for tools used on the bench or over on the shop floor and etc.



Excuse the mess around here - these things are always loaded up...



The vise was my dad's from "way back"....

 

heres my dads wood splitter,before one of you topic nazis go off.the axle is from a 50s dodge..so it is old car related.....he made a tongue to mount to a bumper hitch.the motor is a briggs 5hp mounted to a hydro pump.the reservoir is a old propane tank.not sure what the ram came off of.as you can see the ram tilts down so you dont have to lift the wood into place.(saves the back)the wedge is 2 pieces of a dozer blade.has a orbital valve beside the ram..it will go through oak like its warm butter.... $200 total

 

Bullet proof, looks nice.

Especially like the low investment.

OT? Not if you're using the split wood to heat the shop, you are, right?

 

Bulletproof, I'm a manufacturing engineer at the company that I believe made the hydraulic pump on that thing. It sure looks like one of ours.

 

Here is my English Wheel

 

Yeah dude. I know where we can get most of those parts and build some more. The tilt ram idea is genius!

 

Here's one I made, modified rather...



It's a pre-oiler for an SBC.

I used one once that was just a shaft with the oil pump connection end on it. Problem with it was holding it still, and the fact that it was such soft material that chuck spun on the shaft and sent shavings right into the newly built engine.

So I got to looking at this old HEI distributor I'd been kicking around and got this idea.

You can see at the top that I used an oil-lite bearing and thrust washer since I removed the distributor base which kept the shaft lined up, also turned the teeth off the bottom gear.....

 

Rashy, I like the lock collar, I'll have to add one to mine.

 

Whats up with the still in the back ground?

 

Amazing thread a lot of ingenious tools and stands. got a lot of amazing ideas from this thread lets keep it on top.

 

that is not a stilll heheehheeh


it is my home made air dryer for compressed air

 

any more info on this setup?

 

This is a 24 inch throat english wheel I just made for a customer last week.

 

I'll post a couple of mine too then. I love homemade tools. I guess I can't say all this is all homemade. The 3/16 side plates are laser cut by a friend. but the rest of it I machined from scrap. The upper adjuster, cradles and the base was made from scrap too. The adjustment wheel at the top was from a Kennedy Fire Sprinkler valve.

All the stuff I paid for, side plates, half inch cap screws and nuts, and upper wheel and anvils from Hoosier Pattern. I think all together it was less than $700.





It needs a cool paint job. It's been like this for a few years now. Anybody nearby know a good pinstripe guy?

Thanks,

Andy

 

Looks reeeeeal good the way it is! Seriously!!! Kinda has a steam punk feel!

 

Freeflynstl that english wheel would look bad ass with a bunch of hot rivets in place of the bolts, although it looks pretty bad ass already.

 

Now that is a damn good idea!!!

Thanks

 

Stealing this one...

 

That thing is gnarly!!!

 

Gonna have to make that vise grip, and that hammer stand under that vice, and.....Won't have any time to work on the car now!

 

LOL, I thought exactly the same thing when I saw them...

 

If you are gonna build a tool stand, build a GRIZZLEY:



Build pics here:
http://glennsplace.com/hand_tools.htm

 

That's a lot of damn hammers...