fabricated tools that make your life better!

[bmxr4life87]

that treadmill belt sander is awesome

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Belts are sourced through KMSTools. They are in western Canada. It's a pain to change belts. I have a plan to fix that in the future which will also make it possible to have the belt right at the edge of the table. As well I plan to use two separate rollers to make belt tracking independent of the guides underneath the table.
Thanks for the props,

Richard

 

[MP&C]

So you carried a fullsize Bridgeport in the bed of your truck? How did it drive? I've thought about it but was sort of scared to do it.

Kevin, that looks like a camper special....it's all good

 

[my58]

4 post lift light

This is a very basic tool (ok just a light) but it has made working under my lift much more enjoyable with my aging eyes.

This is the link to a previous post on it.
http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=178165

 

[signcrafter]

Belts are sourced through KMSTools. They are in western Canada. It's a pain to change belts. I have a plan to fix that in the future which will also make it possible to have the belt right at the edge of the table. As well I plan to use two separate rollers to make belt tracking independent of the guides underneath the table.
Thanks for the props,

Richard

I love it and have a treadmill sitting in a family member's basement that they have been asking me to get rid of for years. I think I'll try to shorten the length a little so I can use smaller more common belts.

 

[martinsmaia]

^^^ That's cool.
I found this treadmill belt-sander already built with one belt for $30.00. I added a second belt and enclosed the motor board and flipped the board upside down to prevent metal dust build up. I flipped the board after having a little magic smoke action. Luckily not all the magic got away lol, those boards are ~$200.00;

Very good made ​​a similar here!!

 

[ebo03]

Cool stuff. Lots of ingenuity here!

 

[Carves]

This ought to be a handy little thread ..


Hope this is of use to someone, besides me.

yeah .... a lot roll their eyes and wonder what the piece of junk steel and lawnmower wheels - is doing, wasting space on my shelf ..

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I like it even tho I have a roller stand now. My knees are buggered.


Richard

 

[signcrafter]

This ought to be a handy little thread ..


Hope this is of use to someone, besides me.

yeah .... a lot roll their eyes and wonder what the piece of junk steel and lawnmower wheels - is doing, wasting space on my shelf ..

I saw a door dolly that looked very similar one time on a jobsite the carpenters were using to move doors around to hang them in a hospital with hundreds of doors. It was a homemade deal and looked very similar to yours. But they used a hinge on the bottom between the two wheels so it clamped the door and held it in place. Could add that to yours and you probably wouldn't need the clamps then. Something similar to this but the ones I saw were homemade, http://www.chdist.com/product/vesti...a&origin=pla&gclid=CLyS6fjBkboCFYhAMgodzRUAvg. When you set the door, or metal in your case, it pushes down and makes the sides pinch the material.

 

[neel2008]

I just drove by the place a couple weeks ago and was wondering what it was.

Hi neighbor! lol I used to see people with 80/20 shirts on that I assumed worked there and I always figured it was in Ft. Wayne, guess it's actually in Columbia City....ha ha. I was just in Columbia City a few weeks ago too. You weren't there for the sportsman expo as well were you?

 

[neel2008]

Great idea on the chop saw support thing ^^^^. I am always using the chop saw at work on the floor and jamming things under the end of the work piece to try and make a nice cut. lol

 

[neel2008]

I shouldn't say "fabricated", but I "quickly threw together with no plans" this drywall/osb lift attachment for my engine hoist....







I had seen similar ones on the internet, but I thought that if I let it hinge freely on the chain bolt and add counter weights, it would be stay level as it raised but also allow for a little bit of movement when it reached the ceiling if it needed it to properly line up. Seems to work pretty good seeing that I grabbed some scraps, eye balled most of it and just ran with it. lol The brake rotors were an after thought but they fit pretty well. Cirtainly not the most ingenious thing ever created but it works for the 18 pieces of osb I need to put up....It's literately wood I found under the work bench left by the previous owner, the cutout for the sink from the new counter top I installed in the house, and 2 brake rotors from my scrap pile behind the garage....

garage is messy while I'm getting ready to insulate/wire/osb it...

 

[signcrafter]

That's really creative! I would have never thought to use a counter weight like that to keep it level at all heights.

 

[neel2008]

and it didn't start out that way at all....those 1x4's were already that length, I just left them long so it could sit on the floor to load a piece of osb and maybe I would use them as something to hold onto.....I got just about done and thought well if I add some weight to the bottom that might actually work about right and it did. lol Just seems so odd for me because I usually plan stuff out like a million times before I do, write it all down and go over it, change the plan, etc, etc....this was just hacked together with zero thought and almost no work. lol

 

[Vegaman_Dan]

I love this idea of a platform lift for OSB/drywall using the engine hoist. Wow. I like the counterwieight which will always keep it stabilized. Very cool. I'll have to keep this in the back of my mind for the future.

 

[bad_idea]

The quickly hacked tools are some of the best. I had to make a "stud holder" yesterday at work to disassemble a relief valve. The stem of the valve had 1/4-20 threads at the end that were buggered up. When I tried to back the retaining nut off, the stem spun. Easy fix w/ a homemade tool.

Pair of vise grips, 1/4-20 nut welded to both jaws, then cut nut in half. The tool allows me to grab the stud w/o damaging the threads. I wish I could take a picture, but I don't own a camera, believe it or not.

 

[22george]

Bad Idea - that was a good idea

 

[nonhog]

neel2008,
Way better than my attempt! Mine worked but not w/o drama.

 

[bad_idea]

Thanks 22george. I can't claim credit for the idea, it has been floating around the shipyard for many years.

 

[neel2008]

neel2008,
Way better than my attempt! Mine worked but not w/o drama.

ha ha nice, is that a pool noodle? lol I've done the "try to get board up there and jam it in place with a couple 2x4's" as well.....and the "two guys on painters scaffolding holding it with their heads as they attempt to work a screw gun" method....

 

[1/2 Cup]

A circle roller, it will roll 2 " x 1/4 " mild steel flat no problems. It will roll a circle from about 6" min. up. I made it out of bits and pieces I had laying around the place. all hand fitted and finished. Its surprising just how much I use it.


View media item 34657

 

[nonhog]

ha ha nice, is that a pool noodle? lol I've done the "try to get board up there and jam it in place with a couple 2x4's" as well.....and the "two guys on painters scaffolding holding it with their heads as they attempt to work a screw gun" method....

Yep pool noodle. I'm not as young or strong or flexible for that matter.
All the help I can get
I would tack the 2by on the wall also as a ledge to help secure the board before I heft it into place. While doing that job I had a piece over head and the screw fell out of my screw gun. Had my cell and called the wife in the house to run out and help me. Should have been wearing my tool belt!



1/2 cup, that's cool!

 

[aka Larry]

Here are a couple of mine. I guess they would be classified more as a "jig" than tool though.

I used a piece of 1/2" EMT along with a pair of roll cage gussets to build a spacing jig for my overhead light fixtures in my shop. It snapped right onto the overhea beam holding itself in place while I drilled the pilot holes to mount the light fixtures. Using this made the spacing perfect and the sudsequent over-my-head work much easier.

Second, I was installing vinyl privacy fence that came in prefabricated sections. The 6'x6' panels are attached to the posts via three metal brackets and screws on each end. Since these brackets have to be installed before the posts go in, their positioning is absolutely critical. With a total of 57 brackets and 456 screws, that is a lot of opportunity to screw up. Measuring for all those brackets, and holding them in place against a slick vinyl posts, while installing the screws, seemed like an impossible task. I decided the best way to be precise, and lazy at the same time, was to build this jig:

 

[JonnFX]

Since I figured that I needed to roll my front fenders, I was going to buy an Eastwood fender roller, but when I saw one, I thought that I might be able to make a better one.

I'm sure that I spent a lot more time and money then what I could have just purchased one for, but that is how I roll (pun partially intended, LOL).

Some of the features that I thought that I could improve on or add are the following:

* Larger rolling wheel that helps bend the metal more gradually.
* More robust design to minimize flex, for a more controlled movement.
* Counterweight to keep the tool upright, so the operator does not have to hold it doing adjustments. Also, this keeps the tool from swinging into the brake caliper (if left attached).
* Adjustable main body extension using a lead screw, for fine adjustments during the procedure. This also helps avoid having to use two hands to adjust length.
* Ergonomic handle at roller for control and leverage.
* Fixed heat gun (to soften paint), with foot switch for control. It is attached with a magnetic mount, if it is needed to be operated manually.
* I was going to mount the IR heat gun to the roller to monitor the temperature, but reading it upside down without a mirror was an annoyance. LOL

Eastwood fender roller.

Mine (pardon the lack of paint).

 

[X53Gunner]

Wow very nice!!!!! I love making my own stuff also twice the fun if you ask me.
Scott

 

[E.rodz]

Here are a couple of mine. I guess they would be classified more as a "jig" than tool though.

I used a piece of 1/2" EMT along with a pair of roll cage gussets to build a spacing jig for my overhead light fixtures in my shop. It snapped right onto the overhea beam holding itself in place while I drilled the pilot holes to mount the light fixtures. Using this made the spacing perfect and the sudsequent over-my-head work much easier.




Second, I was installing vinyl privacy fence that came in prefabricated sections. The 6'x6' panels are attached to the posts via three metal brackets and screws on each end. Since these brackets have to be installed before the posts go in, their positioning is absolutely critical. With a total of 57 brackets and 456 screws, that is a lot of opportunity to screw up. Measuring for all those brackets, and holding them in place against a slick vinyl posts, while installing the screws, seemed like an impossible task. I decided the best way to be precise, and lazy at the same time, was to build this jig:


Nice job on this jig keep the posts coming.

Since I figured that I needed to roll my front fenders, I was going to buy an Eastwood fender roller, but when I saw one, I thought that I might be able to make a better one.

I'm sure that I spent a lot more time and money then what I could have just purchased one for, but that is how I roll (pun partially intended, LOL).

Some of the features that I thought that I could improve on or add are the following:

* Larger rolling wheel that helps bend the metal more gradually.
* More robust design to minimize flex, for a more controlled movement.
* Counterweight to keep the tool upright, so the operator does not have to hold it doing adjustments. Also, this keeps the tool from swinging into the brake caliper (if left attached).
* Adjustable main body extension using a lead screw, for fine adjustments during the procedure. This also helps avoid having to use two hands to adjust length.
* Ergonomic handle at roller for control and leverage.
* Fixed heat gun (to soften paint), with foot switch for control. It is attached with a magnetic mount, if it is needed to be operated manually.
* I was going to mount the IR heat gun to the roller to monitor the temperature, but reading it upside down without a mirror was an annoyance. LOL

Eastwood fender roller.
Thats what I am talking about!!! I made one of these as well but not with all the extra gadgets I love the heat gun idea and the fine adjust too!

 

[bad_idea]

A circle roller, it will roll 2 " x 1/4 " mild steel flat no problems. It will roll a circle from about 6" min. up. I made it out of bits and pieces I had laying around the place. all hand fitted and finished. Its surprising just how much I use it.


View media item 34657

That is nice. Any more details on making it? I have found myself needing a roller, and that looks great. Compact but capable.

 

[1/2 Cup]

That is nice. Any more details on making it? I have found myself needing a roller, and that looks great. Compact but capable.

I will post some more pictures over the weekend, it does a neat job.

All the detail was born from the materials that I had laying around, no planning or CAD drawings at all, that was just an idea and a need for a roller that I had at the time. I don't have a lathe or mill so it was just me, the steel rule, the angle grinder, files, disk sander, pedestal drill, thread tap and stick welder.

 

[bad_idea]

That sounds about ideal. I build most things that way. I own a lathe, but ain't had time to figure it out yet.

 

[Honest Bob]

JonnFX. Now that is a fender roller!!!!

 

[signcrafter]

I really like that fender roller. Looks fairly simple to make in theory. When using it I'm assuming the fender isn't a perfect radius from the center so any tricks on setting it up or using it do roll the whole fender? Or do you just do the closest part and keep adjusting until you get the whole fender lip?

Any more details about making one? For a guy without a mill or lathe. How crucial is it to get the lug holes perfect? Can they be a little oversized or will that mess up the swing if the tool isn't lined up perfectly on center.

What did you use for the roller part?

 

[1/2 Cup]

That is nice. Any more details on making it? I have found myself needing a roller, and that looks great. Compact but capable.

I have uploaded some more detailed pictures of the roller in my albums.

 

[JonnFX]

Wow very nice!!!!! I love making my own stuff also twice the fun if you ask me.
Scott

...
Eastwood fender roller.
Thats what I am talking about!!! I made one of these as well but not with all the extra gadgets I love the heat gun idea and the fine adjust too!

JonnFX. Now that is a fender roller!!!!

Yep, most of the fun is in the fabrication.

I really like that fender roller. Looks fairly simple to make in theory. When using it I'm assuming the fender isn't a perfect radius from the center so any tricks on setting it up or using it do roll the whole fender? Or do you just do the closest part and keep adjusting until you get the whole fender lip?

Any more details about making one? For a guy without a mill or lathe. How crucial is it to get the lug holes perfect? Can they be a little oversized or will that mess up the swing if the tool isn't lined up perfectly on center.

What did you use for the roller part?

signcrafter, I just looked at some pictures of a few other rollers to get an idea of why they put the pivots where they do. With a bit of measuring and layout on the bench, I got a better idea on the range of each movable component.

You are correct, the wheel hub is not necessarily concentric with the fender and most fenders don't have a constant radius. I do most of the bending at the area that might hit the tire, which is the top part on my car. My car is a bit lowered and it is pretty good for clearance, but I didn't want to take the chance of grabbing the inside fender lip (especially in a slow turn while going over a curb or bump).

The bolt holes don't need to be exact at all.

I bought the wheel from McMaster-Carr. It might have been for a pallet jack as it was plenty overkill. It is a bit heavy, too, and that is one reason my counter weight is so much. I do like my counterweight, though.

 

[E.rodz]

here is a little more work on the buffer deburring stand.

 

[E.rodz]

here is a little dust collector that I fabbed up for an old table saw.




Please keep the posts coming!

 

[rdsk8ter]

while making my engine harness for the TBI on my jeep I got really tires of holding wires by hand 20 minutes of fab and here she is

 

[JonnFX]

^^^Good one!

 

[the gypsy]

while making my engine harness for the TBI on my jeep I got really tires of holding wires by hand 20 minutes of fab and here she is

Nice, gotta make me 1.

 

[Ed ke6bnl]

what I have been using for soldiering wires, is I got one of those hangers you get with the one pair of good slacks I have that have like metal close pins that slide along the length of the wire to hold the pants. I cut off all the non need stuff and saved enough to hold in vice and they work great for holding the wires while I am wiring and slide close and away from each other