Homemade Tools

[jeremy v]

This isn't nearly up to the level of creativity or effort of most of what's been posted here, but I was too cheap to rent a drywall lift and had a cherry picker in the garage so......

Just curious, but where is the shiny spot of light on the bottom right of the piece of sheetrock coming from? Is that just an optical illusion or a reflection off the camera lens? It looks like it is shining right through the sheetrock, because I don't see a cutout it just appears smooth.

 

[Motronic]

That's nuts. There is no way i would go under that thing to fasten the sheet

It is actually retained by 4 drywall screws and an l-bracket on the "bottom" side (sloped ceiling). Worked just fine, and it's just a sheet of 1/2" rock, not an anvil.

The extra screws made for a bit more mudding to cover the holes, but much preferable to renting a lift.

Also, experienced drywallers will put up sheets like this by themselves on stilts with a piece of 2x4 bracing. No lift at all. I'm just not nearly experienced enough for that.

Just curious, but where is the shiny spot of light on the bottom right of the piece of sheetrock coming from? Is that just an optical illusion or a reflection off the camera lens? It looks like it is shining right through the sheetrock, because I don't see a cutout it just appears smooth.

It is shining right through the sheetrock You can see two of the other cans that aren't yet covered in the ceiling too. I was laying up the rock and cutting out the holes for the cans with a rotozip. There is barely any gap between the edge of the can and the sheetrock.

 

[mdbeck1]

This isn't nearly up to the level of creativity or effort of most of what's been posted here, but I was too cheap to rent a drywall lift and had a cherry picker in the garage so......

Neat idea. Of course I would have went way overboard and built a rack that held all four edges that allowed adjusting and....

...and by the time I was done I would have more money invested in the "attachment" than buying a drywall lift. ...but it's more about the "Can I build this myself????"

 

[Motronic]

...but it's more about the "Can I build this myself????"

For me it was more about getting 9 sheets of drywall on the damn ceiling so I could get the office I'd built onto the side of my shop finished before winter.

 

[Leaky88]

Pictures remind me of my fathers basement. He was a machinist. More than once he would say: "We don't have that tool but we can make something just as good." Leaky

 

[youngnstudly]

Here is a simple little fixture that I use for drilling holes for clips in 1/8" material when scratch building door panels. No more ovaled or frayed holes, or wandering drill bits, plus the backside of the hole stays intact.

Made from 1/2" stainless tubing, 10ga galvanized sheet, and a 1" steel cube that I took from a duct notching machine that we parted out at work. Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done quicker, easier, and more accurate than drilling freehand.

Andy

 

[rartuin270]

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best. Here's some wrenches modified for specific tasks.

This is the reason I don't get rid of my chinese **** when I upgrade to quality tools. I don't mind doing this stuff to the chinese ****.

 

[jkherd]

This is the reason I don't get rid of my chinese **** when I upgrade to quality tools. I don't mind doing this stuff to the chinese ****.

I do the same thing with the cheap stuff, I won't turn a torch or grinder onto my good stuff.

 

[E12-535iTurbo]

DIY bead roller.

Are the axles supported by bearings? If so what kind?

 

[larry4406]

Here's one for the sparkies.

Waste 2x4, scrap wire, staples, bent nail, and a drive from HVAC duct and you have a wire reel to pay out bulk romex without tangles.

 

[Matt Irvine]

Pretty simple, just a bit of 4140 with a diamond insert plunged into make a fine edge, then sharpened , and hardened.
10 minute hack job at work..
For cutting out the last bit when I letting rifle stocks




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[MotoDave]

Not sure what to call it, but I built this over the weekend to help with some sheet metal welding I've been doing. Some jerk shot a bunch of .22 holes in the floorboards of my Scout:


I'm working solo, and a lot of them are pretty hard to get to both sides of with only 2 hands, so I made a spacer and attached a chunk of 1/4" thick copper to a switchable magnet. Acts as a backer to weld up against for filling larger holes, the weld doesn't stick to the copper.


Worked really well, will easily hold on vertical surfaces and even upside down

 

[PCO6]

MotoDave - That is smart ... and about to be copied.

 

[Outlawmws]

MotoDave - That is smart ... and about to be copied.

But the real question is who is the scum bag that shot your dog, I mean, Scout?

 

[sberry]

I like the drywall lifter.

 

[aka Larry]

Anyone has used the Kreg pocket hole jig knows that while it works like a champ, it makes a big mess. I usually drill with one hand and hold the shop vac with the other while drilling the pocket holes. With longer pieces this gets to be a PITA, so today I came up with a solution. I wanted to attach something to the jig or clamp to hold the vacuum nozzle in place. It just so happens that 1.5" DOM roll bar tubing is the perfect size for the nozzle. I took a short section and cut a notch to fit the jig and welded it to the side of the clamp as seen here. It works great and didn't cost a dime.

 

[bodyguy16]

^^ thats ingenious !! I made a real mess when i made my bench....

 

[Alchymist]

With a home made lathe nothing is standard, so a commercial adapter for bottle stoppers won't fit, so, with some lathe work and some scrap parts - a custom adapter. Everything here except the nut came from three bolts.

 

[twertsy]

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best. Here's some wrenches modified for specific tasks.

I'll have to dig tomorrow but I swear I have the exact replica of each of those!

 

[Strouty]

Worked really well, will easily hold on vertical surfaces and even upside down

I really like that, I have used copper for the same reason but I had to hold it there. It is always simple after someone else does it.

I have pliers that are designed to do that, but would not work in this situation.

 

[fred d]

Keep them coming

 

[Alchymist]

Had an old mini press that was used to press eyelets and turret terminals in printed circuit boards. (Obsolete ). Didn't have much ram to anvil distance, so I whacked the front half of the base off, and used riser blocks under it. 1st pic shows a rotary anvil with fixtures for use as a pen press. 2nd picture shows the ram drilled and tapped for 5/16 -18 bolts to vary ram to anvil distance. Third picture is different anvils for the same job as I decided I didn't like the rotating anvil.

 

[slopdog]

bending brake i.ve built a few years ago

 

[Outlawmws]

Slopdog, I'm very impressed with your brake! what was the main clamping leaf repurposed from?

 

[slopdog]

Slopdog, I'm very impressed with your brake! what was the main clamping leaf repurposed from?

Thank you ,, The clamping leaf as well as the swing leaf were both the cutting blades from a road grader.

 

[efranzen]

Great thread. Here's a dent puller for pins I made from scrap. I also do not have a stud welder, so these are just spot welded on using a mig.

 

[Manitoba Man]

Miserable Lucas connector eh?

I love your solution. It could be adapted for other annoying problems.
Bob

 

[jpickar]

Hey this is a neat thread

 

[fred d]

Always like threads like this
Keep them coming

 

[astroracer]

Here is a link to my Homemadetools thread.
http://www.homemadetools.net/builder/astroracer_2
Mark

 

[tjohnsonr10]

Exhaust back pressure tester.

Cut down an old o2 sensor and welded a quick connect 1/4" NPT fitting to it. 18" steel braided hose with a low psi gauge. Easy to make and easy to use.

 

[Jeffrey.g]

made this socket tray, it's not finished yet, need to fill up some holes in the wood,put some paint on it..

 

[FigureItOut]

I couldn't get another US made screwdriver to replace this, so I made this little guy. I've seen similar tools manufactured, but not quite what I wanted. Clearly, I don't have near the skills many of you do, but I was pleased.
I used a scrap piece of rubber to demonstrate function.

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[bmxdad]

It's a fiddle ... good reuse

 

[06tl07]

I wanted a press for the next time I rebuild an automatic transmission. For depressing the return Springs in the clutch packs to remove the snap rings to gain access to the apply piston seals. This is what I came up with.


It's made of old bed frames and early 90s accord jack. Don't mind the horrible welds I'm still learning

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[Yv.]

Great thread some really good ideas.

 

[stitan06]

I couldn't get another US made screwdriver to replace this, so I made this little guy. I've seen similar tools manufactured, but not quite what I wanted. Clearly, I don't have near the skills many of you do, but I was pleased.
I used a scrap piece of rubber to demonstrate function.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337Z using Tapatalk

care to share how u made that i think i could use something like that

 

[FigureItOut]

care to share how u made that i think i could use something like that

I'll describe it as I should have done it, instead of how I did. I drilled the diameter of the shaft from the back of the handle and knocked the shaft out with a punch. Then drill 27/64" from the front of the handle down to about 3/8" from the back, then drill 17/32" down to about 7/8" from the back.

Then take a short length of 1/2" aluminum tube, slide it in, should stop at 7/8" from the back. Take your biggest bit that'll slide easily inside the tube and drill all the way through, using the tube as a guide.

Now you just cut 1/2"x20 threads inside the handle through that 1/2" portion that's drilled at 27/64". Choose a suitable length of tube, cut threads at one end, then cut and file your point at the other end. I shaped the point so the bevel wouldn't be sharp. I want it to stretch through a small hole in the rubber, not cut a larger hole.

As I did it, the tube will just accommodate 1/4" id wire loom. I may make a smaller one too, possibly with copper so I can bend it a bit when obstacles call for that.
I hope my description was written such that it's understandable.





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[John in OH]

I'll describe it as I should have done it, instead of how I did. I drilled the diameter of the shaft from the back of the handle and knocked the shaft out with a punch. Then drill 27/64" from the front of the handle down to about 3/8" from the back, then drill 17/32" down to about 7/8" from the back.

Then take a short length of 1/2" aluminum tube, slide it in, should stop at 7/8" from the back. Take your biggest bit that'll slide easily inside the tube and drill all the way through, using the tube as a guide.

Now you just cut 1/2"x20 threads inside the handle through that 1/2" portion that's drilled at 27/64". Choose a suitable length of tube, cut threads at one end, then cut and file your point at the other end. I shaped the point so the bevel wouldn't be sharp. I want it to stretch through a small hole in the rubber, not cut a larger hole.
As I did it, the tube will just accommodate 1/4" id wire loom. I may make a smaller one too, possibly with copper so I can bend it a bit when obstacles call for that.
I hope my description was written such that it's understandable.

That is really quite clever and a nice job. Unfortunately, it's a tool for which I have absolutely no use. But, maybe I should make one just "in case"!!!

 

[fred d]

Great thread. Here's a dent puller for pins I made from scrap. I also do not have a stud welder, so these are just spot welded on using a mig.

Love the idea
Do you worry about denting the area where it is anchored?
Do you have ability to use with a hammering effect to draw out the dent