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I got tired of straining my back picking up large vises, grinders, tool boxes, etc. and decided to fabricate a small crane to do the heavy lifting for me. The unit sits on locking casters, and is narrow and short enough to fit through a doorway. However, it is wide and tall enough to straddle a...

While most shop owners would like to have a CNC plasma cutting system, many do not have either the funds or the necessary space for one. A pantograph machine is an affordable alternative than can produce brackets and other relatively simple shapes with the same cut quality. Pictured below is...

I cleaned up this Craftsman 3 drawer tool box I bought new back in 1963. I used to haul it around in the trunk of my 1962 409 Chevy. The small decal on the end of the box came with an Engle roller cam I installed in the 409. I wish I had kept the Chevy instead of the box.

I have plasma-cut a number of bikes, which include the following 19" long examples: BSA Gold Star, Vincent Black Shadow, Matchless 500 single, Ariel Square four, Triumph Bonneville TT Special, Norton Commando, Indian Chief (USA), and early Triumph Thunderbird. I am not selling these. This is...

I owned a BSA Gold Star back in the early eighties. This plasma cut version I cut out today is probably as close as I'll get to another one. This one is about 19" long.

Cut out these guys for Halloween!

Cut out these shapes for Halloween.

These may not be the oldest tools here, but at age 81, I've owned them for a while. S-K 1/2" drive ratchet I bought used in 1955. I paid $4.50 for it, which was a whole day's work as a movie theater usher. Craftsman 1/2" drive torque wrench I bought new in 1963 Ford monkey wrench that came...

Bluebird engine hoists are used primarily by rental facilities. There are thousands of them out there. They are very solidly constructed and assemble/dis-assemble quickly without tools. The problem is that if you don't have a Bluebird storage cart, you have to lean the parts up in a corner or...

For anyone interested in the early days of the Torchmate company, a brief history can be found here: https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/fabrication-cnc-laser-waterjet-plasma-welding-and-fab/beginnings-torchmate-387482/

I was cutting out a Harley logo on my little CNC plasma table the other day, and for some reason remembered the Cushman Scooter I got as a 13 year old. I thought I'd try my hand at it.

This started as a kit I bought on-line from Brian House. It included some laser cut brackets, hardware, and plans. I supplied everything else. Power is a 2 h.p. Baldor 3 phase motor and a VFD running off 230 Volt single phase current. It's a fairly simple project, the toughest part being...

I just purchased this compound table in eBay. I've never seen anything like it. Judging from the the fact that it has grease ******* and nice looking micrometer dials, I'm hoping that it will be a fairly good piece. Does anybody know who the manufacturer might be and the approximate age?

We've had the opportunity to see vises, tool boxes, old tools, etc. What machine tools do you have (lathes, mills, drill presses, band saws, etc.)? Be sure to include vintage machinery, restored or otherwise. The more photos, the better!

The first one shown was built around 2002. I rolled it outside the garage to use it, which solved the plasma dust and smoke problem. I built the second one a few years ago. It sits just outside my basement door. The compressor, plasma cutter, and computer are just inside the door, so the...

Cast Iron Column for Grinder Stand I am putting together a support stand for a 1 hp 8" Jet Grinder. The tube I have is an old 2 3/4" x 31" long cast iron bench drill press column. The base and the mounting plate being used are plenty beefy, but I wonder if the cast iron column is up to the...

These two drill presses were built using bases and tables from old drill presses along with 2 3/4" 1/4" wall DOM steel tubing. One of the mag drills has power down-feed and the other has variable speed and reverse for threading. They are mounted to 3/4" thick steel plates. The drills can be...