Built-it-myself tools/machines - show us what you've done

[mdbeck1]

Forgot about this one. Did this a while back because I needed to clean a bunch of rusty hardware (from a crowntop craftsman table saw), but didn't want to spend the money on a tumbler. All stuff I had, nothing permanently affixed. Worked really well.

I took a aluminum coffee can (with screw-on lid), cut a few pieces of scrap aluminum (from a second can), bent them into a few _||_ shaped "fins," and epoxied them to the inside wall of the can, at an angle. To attach this to the drill, I drilled a hole in the bottom of the can, and ran a bolt through it, tightening a nut onto the other side and chucked the threaded end of the bolt into the drill. The drill was clamped into a drill press vise, and the can rested on 4 ball-casters. I kept the can from jumping off of the casters while spinning with a piece of broken belt from the aforementioned table saw (screwed to the wood), and used electrical tape to keep the casters from eating through the can as it spun. I then let the drill run for a few hours with $3 HF tumbling medium ('green pyramids'), and voilà: shiny rust-free nuts and bolts.

I built one based on plans found at this URL: http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_42/344986_How_i_built_my_own_rotary_tumbler.html&page=1

The tumbler chamber is 6" PVC. I had most of the stuff laying around.

The primary use is for tumbling brass for reloading. I usually use ground corn cob or ground walnut shells. ...although ground walnut shells sure shine up chrome sockets.

 

[Fyrme]

Gball: What kind of wire for the cutter? I want to make that!

Thanks. when i made this i did a bunch of looking online. some people got pretty fancy and involved... i just wanted the finished product more than the actual tool.
don't remember what the wire was from. i know i started with old, non-wound guitar string, but it was too thin so i used something a bit heavier.

Would a solid MIG wire hold up? Not sure how hot the wire gets, but it takes some juice to melt it. However, you can play with the temp a little by the point you make the contacts on a longer than needed wire. (At least I would think so.)

 

[ggoss]

I usually use ground corn cob or ground walnut shells. ...although ground walnut shells sure shine up chrome sockets.

I'll have to try that! Do you dry the corn cobs (e.g. bake) a special way beforehand?

 

[JonnFX]

Gball: What kind of wire for the cutter? I want to make that!

Thanks. when i made this i did a bunch of looking online. some people got pretty fancy and involved... i just wanted the finished product more than the actual tool.
don't remember what the wire was from. i know i started with old, non-wound guitar string, but it was too thin so i used something a bit heavier.

Nice setup!

I've used nichrome wire that I bought from McMaster-Carr. I think stainless wire would work pretty well, also.

 

[Ed ke6bnl]

might be able to stretch some nichrome wire from an old toaster or electric oven element iron, or other heat element item not working or needed

 

[Outlawmws]

I suspect the MIG wire would not hold up; it would probably be difficult to hold it between hot enough to cut, and slagging it.

The stainless is a thought. possibly piano wire? (The guitar wire got me thinking that..)

Nichrome obv... but is there an "off the shelf locally" wire, I think is the question. Hmmmm

 

[Outlawmws]

ggoss, generally people buy the media at a gun shop for corn cob, walnut shells, or rice hulls.

 

[mdbeck1]

I'll have to try that! Do you dry the corn cobs (e.g. bake) a special way beforehand?

Drying and grinding the corn cobs would be a pain. You can buy the corn cobs ground up at any reloading supply shop (even Bass Pro). In fact I think that Harbor Freight sells them in several pound packages.

 

[alpinewhite]

I suspect the MIG wire would not hold up; it would probably be difficult to hold it between hot enough to cut, and slagging it.

The stainless is a thought. possibly piano wire? (The guitar wire got me thinking that..)

Nichrome obv... but is there an "off the shelf locally" wire, I think is the question. Hmmmm

A hobby shop should sell the wire for this purpose.

 

[laser3kw]

I have purchased nichrome wire at a local hardware store. I think it was around the picture hanging stuff. But that was a local home town real hardware store, not a BBS

 

[rancherbill]

Nichrome obv... but is there an "off the shelf locally" wire, I think is the question. Hmmmm

A electronic parts store should carry it in stock. NTE sells chips, but they are in 'real' electronics stores. Find a local NTE distributor and I am sure they will have the wire in another one of their product lines.

 

[Blacklisted]

A hobby shop should sell the wire for this purpose.

If you have a local "vape" shop they should have nichrome or Kanthal resistance wire in different gauges. You might be able to find it at a local heating and a/c place also. If you can wait there is tons on fleabay for dirt cheap. Good luck in the search.

 

[mgermca]

I use stainless fishing leader wire on my CNC hot wire cutter. You can get it at Cabella's or any other good tackle supplier.
Search for "leader wire" here

http://www.cabelas.com

 

[Workshoprat]

Here is my contribution to the home made tool list. here is a few I am proud of. Home made sandblasting pressure fed helmet, tube bender for thin wall tubing for aircraft fab, a mig gas conversion for wire feed welders and a diy static phase converter on my homemade bead blast unit recycle motor.

 

[Workshoprat]

on the nicrome wire it can usually be found at the local hobby shop as model airplane guys use it to cut foam cores for airplane wings and such.

 

[lametec]

I was on a spanner making kick this weekend. Made the small one on Friday, and it turned out so well I decided to tackle the big one on Saturday.

Small one (pin spanner) is for my 5C collet blocks.

Big one (hook spanner) is for the chuck nut on my lathe.

Made out of pieces I had laying around. 5/8" plate makes up the curved parts, milled down on the pin spanner so it's not too wide.

Sorry, I didn't have a banana for scale. Hope the navel orange will work.

 

[pepi]

Nice work

 

[Rhyno]

Here is my contribution to the home made tool list. here is a few I am proud of. Home made sandblasting pressure fed helmet, tube bender for thin wall tubing for aircraft fab, a mig gas conversion for wire feed welders and a diy static phase converter on my homemade bead blast unit recycle motor.

.......

I have only had the time to watch the one that is listed, but enjoyed the "attention to detail."

Thanks for the vids.!



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[dan_evv]

Stole this one! works great

 

[excavator]

I took this old splitter

and rebuilt it and then welded on top of this skid steer splitter

then kept modding it as time went on

and on

 

[SteveH-CO]

So one splitter is ground-based for solo use, and one is upside-up for crew use? I presume you can't (or typically don't) use both at the same time?

 

[Wintergreen]

Roller stand you built

Jaysin,

I was wondering if you would share the plans for the roller stand you built. This one:

It's just plane awesome!

Thanks,
Will

 

[ez-duzit]

Re: Roller stand you built

...was wondering if you would share the plans for the roller stand...

You would be way better off using the opportunity to make your own plans, even if it is a direct copy of this design, as this is an essential skill. You can see virtually all you need in the photo. Dimensions wind up being developed from the various materials you have available, and from your own personal requirements. Rule of thumb applies.

 

[TLCObsession]

Re: Roller stand you built

Jaysin,

I was wondering if you would share the plans for the roller stand you built. This one:


It's just plane awesome!

Thanks,
Will

Unfortunately the poster is no longer in this realm....

 

[ambenz]

Some nice "trick stuff" on this thread, I can't hold a candle to your stuff but as they say, necessity is the mother of invention.
I reinvented something my father did.
My old belt sander hand me down from Dad was taking up too much space in my garage.

So I made a base I could move around and stow away on a shelf when not in use.

It's nice I could Toss out that old TV console! Got it working on it little bench base, added a on off switch, not pictured. Good for another 75 years!

 

[AJ.]

Re: Roller stand you built

Jaysin,

I was wondering if you would share the plans for the roller stand you built. This one:


It's just plane awesome!

Thanks,
Will

You would be way better off using the opportunity to make your own plans, even if it is a direct copy of this design, as this is an essential skill. You can see virtually all you need in the photo. Dimensions wind up being developed from the various materials you have available, and from your own personal requirements. Rule of thumb applies.

I also liked this and have seen several versions of it on the web, so have mostly made my own just by looking at the picture and then making it to suit the materials I had on hand.

I haven't done the roller yet but plan to make the base for that in the same style as the legs, ie curved with some holes in it, just to keep the theme going.


http://postimage.org/

And while I am posting pictures, here is a press I made a few years ago.


http://postimage.org/

Cheers Andrew

 

[suhailkhan]

hi. i'm a new member to this brilliant forum
i'm looking to make myself a pinch bolt removal tool for the audi/vw upper arms
i am aware that hfturbo2000 made one few years back
any ideas of where to get the design details from so i can go to a cnc machinery shop and get one made ?
thanks in advance

 

[1969]

Subscribed.....

 

[the gypsy]

Hi suhailkhan. Welcome to the GJ there is a wealth of information on this site and full of nice people and not so nice people, but that is nature. Please introduce yourself and please include your location. It helps if someone wants to make a suggestion like where to get parts and stuff like that.

 

[racer-john]

I wondering if PC06 would divulge the names or locations of the scrap yards he visits?

 

[Free Willie]

In ground bike lift / elevator. Elevator not quite done yet but all the mechanics are working. Used a cylinder out of a dump truck and pump from a frame lift with a little ingenuity it works good! You can see the details on my shop thread below.

 

[Leveleer]

I have hand made so many machines and tool over the years that I've lost count.
A few years ago I built some stilts for fun after having trouble using standard stilts.
Me on my homemade stilts

 

[Ed ke6bnl]

I have hand made so many machines and tool over the years that I've lost count.
A few years ago I built some stilts for fun after having trouble using standard stilts.
Me on my homemade stilts

\
I sure do like your air hose couplers.

 

[Leveleer]

\
I sure do like your air hose couplers.

Thanks.
Speaking of home made machines and couplings, I need to finish designing one of the coupllng assembly machines so we can start building it.

 

[Leveleer]

Last year I made enough parts to assembly 5 2 stage air compressors.
I currently have one finished that performs as expected. The idea behind making 5 was
to configure them all differently. I dropped this project last October to concentrate on designing air hose couplings.

 

[Borntoolate]

~3.5# hammer forged from ~2.25" round bar stock. Brian Brazeal and I made it in about 3 hours including heat treat. It got a bit rusty during the flood...

 

[Jim The Swede]

In ground bike lift / elevator. Elevator not quite done yet but all the mechanics are working. Used a cylinder out of a dump truck and pump from a frame lift with a little ingenuity it works good! You can see the details on my shop thread below.

Wow! I love it!
Reminds me of my own similar project for lifting motorcycles.
I admire the idea of the dumptruck cylinder

 

[isb cornbinder]

My Dad used to like going to auctions and estate sales. I asked Dad to keep a look out for a 48 inch metal brake. About a week later I got a call from a trucking company and the female voice said she had a palletized machine for me. Rather than buying something, Dad made this brake. I have had the brake for over 30 years and it still works not too badly. My shop has more of the usual home-made stuff like a cherry picker rolling axle stands and frame moving dollies and mobile bases for machines.

 

[isb cornbinder]

I borrowed my wife's tread mill and changed it into a welding positioner. The screw motor that used to raise the running deck now operates the tilt of the chuck.
The electronic running speed control drives a 90 volt DC motor. With the speed reduction the lowest speed I can get is 1 revolution in 90 seconds.

 

[isb cornbinder]

This is another home built project that started in high school shop class and then got put away for over 50 years. I saw the pieces for sale on Craigslist and when I went to pick them up. The seller was a class-mate in shop. I bought the box of bits and pieces and in a day I had built the base and finished the milling for the tilt table miter gauge slot. I added a new motor and made some sparks. It works really well. The disc is 12 inches.