Recent content by HandyVan

I'm wood-butcher, not a tin-bender. I made an oak tool-tote 30 years ago. The wheels are from an old library ladder, and the chromed pipe handle extends to wheel it around the job site like a hand-truck. My son, a finish carpenter, uses it daily now.

"Too much is.... Just enough." - Eric "Too much of a good thing is...WONDERFUL!" = Mae West

I never even liked changing the extension springs. I saw the hole in the cement tile roof caused by the one that had broken. This was before they added the wire limiters. Now I hire it done; this is the only head I've got!

Ever try to remove a broken tap? They're harder than anything you might try to drill it with. My trick is to "freeze" it with a shot of CO2 and then shatter it with a hammer blow. It will usually fracture length-wise, and you can use a magnet to extract the shards.

That's what mine looks like!

By "shoulder bolt" do you mean one that has a larger shank than the treaded portion?

I'll try that, with a rosebud torch. I remember watching a tech straighten a driveshaft with that method. Do I need to re-temper it afterwards?

How to manage the required force is the remaining question. Hard to duplicate his "the last time I went to 2 oclock and this time I will try 2:30"... I think I'll ask a retired machinist friend to look at it. "There are mechanics, and there are parts-changers."

Ah, but he obviously has another working vise to use as a shop press.

What is the LRA on the label? That's the amp draw when starting. What's the amp rating of the circuit breaker, and what is the total load on that circuit?

I have a Desmond Stephan 500 vice I want to rebuild. I have disassembled it, and the main drive screw is bent! Can it be straightened, maybe by a machine shop? If not, where can I find a replacement?