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show me your home made tools so I can copy them!

290K views 238 replies 67 participants last post by  OneMoreTime 
#1 ·
home made tools that worked

I just thought it would be cool to hear of peoples home made tools that worked to do the job, or even better if it worked better than the actual tool did.
 
#202 ·
made something else kinda worth posting. I needed a seat that had a greater rating of 200lbs :D . I had some scrap sch40 laying around and thought to put it to good use. These pics are from my phone, I have no clue where I set my good camera :mad: . The seat lays at about 16" at the lowest setting and at about 30" on the highest setting. All flux core welded.

first pic is of the metal cut/ drilled ready to be welded.


welded all together. found that seat at a scrap yard. think there from the bottom of some tanks.





got my paint from local auto store


primed, also added a cross bar for feet rest. casters are from harbor freight




all painted :thumbup:

 
#203 ·
also scored a 10x4 steel table off criags list. the owner told me that it weights about 350lbs; I was like uhhhh yea right. 1/4" solid top with 4" 1/4" thick tube legs with a separate leg for mounting a vise to. think you can see my new vise (that i scored on craigslist for 40bucks) in picture above. I welded up a couple of wheels and front steer wheel so we could move that heavy sucker. harbor freight had them on sale, good price too.

 
#204 ·
Another idea

On a more "modest" note - ever need an automatic rewinder/retractor for power cords? Got an old (junk) vacuum cleaner around? Now, just before you toss it out, salvage that automatic cord retractor on it, change the end to a female and out a male on the part that was inside the vacuum and there you are ......

I have one mounted at the end of my workbench for whatever I need to plug in, but with a minor tug and release, its out of the way again!
 
#205 ·
Smart thinkin.

Dave57210 said:
On a more "modest" note - ever need an automatic rewinder/retractor for power cords? Got an old (junk) vacuum cleaner around? Now, just before you toss it out, salvage that automatic cord retractor on it, change the end to a female and out a male on the part that was inside the vacuum and there you are ......

I have one mounted at the end of my workbench for whatever I need to plug in, but with a minor tug and release, its out of the way again!
Just too clever . Almost threw my old vacuum cleaner out of the workshop into the garbage. I now have a new use for it. Thanks
al from downunda.
 
#207 ·
on powder coating.

gow589 said:
Built circuit to control/automate a kiln. Uses, powdercoating, heat treating metals. Good up to a little over 2000 degrees. I set climb rate, max temp, holding time. I can add anything with programing if I need:


I like it............. I'm behind the curve on powder coating.. Could you tell me what kinds of Temps are required to powder coat? My neighbor set up an oven with a 48" x 48" stainless box and insulated it with oven foil and layers of duct liner glass.. But he used elements, thermostat and controls from a 220 range/oven. So I'm thinking he's running at 500f or less. Does that do it, or are there various powder coatings with differing specs?

I ask thinking maybe I'm not the only one who doesn't know.. Hopefully :confused:
 
#209 ·
pepi said:
Not a home made tool but a modified one. I see post from time to time asking about turning a wood band saw into a metal saw . Here is a couple of shots of the reduction it takes to make that happen . Just an fyi
I'm also in the process of turning a woodworking bandsaw into a metalworking one, except I was able to snag an unused 40:1 speed reducer cheap off of Ebay that perfectly fits the original motor, and then picked up a couple different sized pulleys from Tractor Supply to fine-tune the blade speed. I haven't finished it yet so don't know how well it'll work, but there's another option.

For another home made tool that worked that I built, I turned a wood lathe into a crude but functional metal lathe. My grandfather had an old cross slide that I inherited, so I welded up an adapter plate that would attach to the slide using t-nuts, and had slots that would work for the standard lathe mounts. Also thanks to Ebay, I got a single-bit tool holder, and a thick piece of aluminum to use as a spacer. Minimum speed on this lathe is approx. 500 RPM, so probably a bit fast for the work that I needed to do, but I got it done regardless.

Reason I did this was I am in the process of upgrading the brakes on my '78 T/A to use calipers and rotors off of a '00 T/A. One of the obstacles is the '00 rotors are slip-on, so I had to turn down a set of old '78 rotors to make a pair of dedicated hubs. Actually, these rotors are off of a 1LE 3rd gen, so I also upgraded to larger wheel bearings at the same time.

Pic #1 shows the cross-slide and adapter plate on the lathe bed.
Pic #2 shows everything mocked up and in position.
Pic #3 shows one of the hubs turned down to the correct diameter. Keen eyes will also notice the chunks of aluminum wedged under the adapter plate to give it some much needed support - was awful flexy before this.

It's not gonna be doing any super-precision metalwork, but I didn't need it for that. Once I found the right tooling (1/4" carbide inserts and holders from HF to handle the cast iron rotors) it worked surprisingly well.
 

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#210 ·
I keep tons of cheap throw away tools on hands with no warranty.I have a few distribitor wrenches made from cheap throw away wrenches welded to rod stock including threaded rod.They work and I save money.I have done this to the cheap screwdrivers too,bend including grinding on them.
 
#211 ·
Duntov said:
gow589 said:
Built circuit to control/automate a kiln. Uses, powdercoating, heat treating metals. Good up to a little over 2000 degrees. I set climb rate, max temp, holding time. I can add anything with programing if I need:


I like it............. I'm behind the curve on powder coating.. Could you tell me what kinds of Temps are required to powder coat? My neighbor set up an oven with a 48" x 48" stainless box and insulated it with oven foil and layers of duct liner glass.. But he used elements, thermostat and controls from a 220 range/oven. So I'm thinking he's running at 500f or less. Does that do it, or are there various powder coatings with differing specs?

I ask thinking maybe I'm not the only one who doesn't know.. Hopefully :confused:
It depends somewhat on the powder. Some cure lower, some cure higher but most of them are in the range of 375 - 400 degrees, The important part is that it is PART METAL TEMPERATURE not oven temp. So you start timing your cure time when the part hits 400 not when you put it in the oven. For large heavy parts like wheels, intakes, it can take up to 45 minutes for the part to hit the right PMT so you're looking at potentially an hour at 400 degrees for a cure.

Here's some of my work

Coal bucket in Green Vein



Valve covers for a friend. Blasted Aluminum powder over mirror yellow



Edlebrock Intake and fuel rails off the same car.

Clear on the intake, Mirror yellow on the rails



LS Truck Manifolds in Cast Iron Ceramic



DSM Manifold, Satin Black and Red Wagon



My Own Intake and fuel rails. Everything here is powdered

 
#213 ·
Duntov said:
... But he used elements, thermostat and controls from a 220 range/oven. So I'm thinking he's running at 500f or less. Does that do it...
A conventional electric range should be plenty good for most hobby powdercoating. I never run mine over 450* and as mentioned above, most things are done in the 400-425* range. And aminga is spot on regarding PART temperature, not oven temperature. Makes an infrared thermometer almost mandatory for determining the part temp. and the timing for the entire process. After a while, you can pretty well determine the time sequence based on flow-out of the powder. But early on use your thermometer.
 
#216 ·
cboy said:
A conventional electric range should be plenty good for most hobby powdercoating. I never run mine over 450* and as mentioned above, most things are done in the 400-425* range. And aminga is spot on regarding PART temperature, not oven temperature. Makes an infrared thermometer almost mandatory for determining the part temp. and the timing for the entire process. After a while, you can pretty well determine the time sequence based on flow-out of the powder. But early on use your thermometer.

After a hard lesson on my new and improved T-type wheel project. I always use the IR thermometer. First time I did this I had an hour of blasting and 3-4 hours of polishing in each wheel. THe cure was 20 minutes after flowout. The first time it got cold the powder cracked and came off the polished parts.

 
#217 ·
aminga said:
After a hard lesson on my new and improved T-type wheel project. I always use the IR thermometer. First time I did this I had an hour of blasting and 3-4 hours of polishing in each wheel. THe cure was 20 minutes after flowout. The first time it got cold the powder cracked and came off the polished parts.
since I can got o 2000+ and hold temps I have actually been looking at some high temp coatings. I have some webers I may use some high temp coatings on.
 
#218 ·
gow589 said:
since I can got o 2000+ and hold temps I have actually been looking at some high temp coatings. I have some webers I may use some high temp coatings on.
Not to get too far off topic but I've been using some of the newer Air dry ceramics. No curing. Just spray it on with an airbrush and let it dry. You have to be a little careful on first start/run with the temps but it's easy as pie
 
#224 ·
a few days ago i broke out my homemade buffer (i haven't been in the garage really for a couple years) i had forgotten how satisfying buffing metal can be, it's great when you've been working different pads and compounds and all of a sudden you start to see the unmistakable signs of success. i highly recommend it.
so then i saw this thread and had to send a pic since friends have laughed when i told them about it and say "no way" when i show it to them and then they nod and rub their chins when i demonstrate it.
it's especially funny since it's basically made from an exercise walker (treadmill?) that was out on the street for bulk trash pickup and an old floor jack, i actually grabbed the treadmill for the metal frame which i used to make a tiny trailer for a guy who paid me 200 bucks for it :D .
the rollers have a 3/4 shaft and a bearing at each end, and was even fine threaded at one end, readily available chucks will screw right as does most everything else.... plus, since there were two rollers, i have a spare which i thought i'd need, but still haven't, the floor jack i just chopped up and welded for the stand. the shaft is basically unaltered except mounted and gusseted with a pulley on one end, (you can use different size pulleys for different speeds, i also used to use it as a bench grinder before i bought one) the motor is off my table saw which is what i clamp the buffer to when i use it. i thought about a third pulley so i didn't have to swap it out, but, it's no big deal, 4 bolts.
while i was out there taking a pic, i figured i'd send one of my version of an "upright" compressor too. it's just a couple small tanks that had been thrown away hooked together with a hose and check valve (which was already in the tank) , the pump is a harbor freight special, 100 bucks on sale for their big one, 5 hp or whatever, the motor is the key, its a commercial unit from an out of business garage a friend gave me, all combined, it kind of kicks ***.
 

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#226 ·
I've made a few tools and love doing it. Would love to make some more but I usually wait til a situation arises to get me to do it. Anyhow, if you made some please show us. Would love to get some ideas and just read about interesting tools guys are making.


These are bits for a palm nailer to be used as a poor man's planisher. They are hardened steel bolts welded onto washers then shaped. The bit in the middle even has a curved face but in all honesty the only bit I found worthy is the square one. If you use the square bit with a shot bag you can get pretty good results. Haven't used the planishing hammer but can tell that the palm nailer in tandem with a shrinking disk can get great results if you have the time to go back and forth for a bit. Unfortunately I have only time for a round or two of both but can tell it gets better with patience.

$2.50



I was looking for a copper magnet all over on line and the only one I found was at eastwood and I heard the magnets fall out and are weak, so I made my own. I got the idea from someone else who used induction magnets but I found magnets that were smaller. Just a 1" copper pipe smashed down, two bolts welded into 1/8" stock and plc adhesive glued to the magnets, which bolt thru copper. Better damn magnet than some china crap. This thing is rugged too. Very handy piece. I will also make a mini one with one magnet and a small copper tab. Just imagine this magnet cut in half.

$6.99



I think everyone has made a pair of tuck shrinkers. I think I should shape the head a bit but it works ok I guess. I need more practice at it so I can't really comment. Maybe I'll get some sheet metal and try to make a bowl or something.

$4.99



The homemade pogo stick kicks arse. Works like a charm and it's a tool I just don't want to pay $100 for when I don't use it everyday, so I made one. Even has the same dimensions as a pogo stick and even a bicycle grip handle at the end. This is before I welded it together. I already used it and it worked like a charm. Still have to glue a piece of rubber tire onto the foot.

$15



I just made these today. I was working on a usual chevy truck fender and anytime the fender lip gets hit they same to always roll inward. It's a pain to fix so I welded two pieces of metal on some deep throat vise grips and so now I'll simply clamp the lip down and twist it into shape. Easy as pie. The other one I did simply cause I know a vise grip with a ring welded onto it comes in handy for multiple purposes. Glad I did this.

$15

 
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