Made a tool today

[G1K]

This is an alignment tool to align the gimble bearing and motor on a mercruiser equipped boat. Chucked a piece of 1 3/8" in the lathe and turned down the business end. Flipped it over and put some knurling on the handle and tada, the tool is ready. It's a bout 2.5 feet long.

Making tools is almost as fun as using them.

Ryan

 

[TxDoc]

Very Good! Better than from a manufacturer. You need to go into production!!
How do you "put some knurling on the handle"?

 

[strizzy]

OK, so how much?! I've just been using an old shaft off a drive.

 

[AutoTech]

Hi Ryan that is some nice machine work, you have some good skills there!

 

[eschoendorff]

Hi Ryan that is some nice machine work, you have some good skills there!

What he said. I always thought it would be cool to have a machine that puts knurling on stuff. My wife would probably disagree....

 

[G1K]

Very Good! Better than from a manufacturer. You need to go into production!!
How do you "put some knurling on the handle"?

You can see the knurling tool in the lower left of the 2nd to last picture. Basically it's two wheels with angles lines on each wheel. When they're pressed into the the work they displace material in the diamond pattern. There's all sorts of different pattern wheels available.

http://www.armstrongtools.com/catalog/products.jsp?groupID=210

OK, so how much?! I've just been using an old shaft off a drive.

The raw material would be about $30 or so, + about an hour time, the tool would cost about $100, but since I enjoyed doing this and I used a piece of scrap I consider it $0 cost and opportunity to learn something.


Ryan

 

[G1K]

Some more boating tools. Aluminum was a poor choise to make the gimble alignment tool from. I recut one from Stainless. Much beefier. Tool on the bottom of the first pic is of the u-joint bellows ring installer. Handle is stainless, driver is D2 tool steel (was laying in the scrap pile).

Next, the tool to remove the drive shaft retaining nut, which holds the driveshaft/bearing assembly in the outdrive.

Started off as a hunck of steel.

Half way through the machining process,

I don't have a pic here of the final tool, but I welded on a handle. I'll try to get a pic tonight..

lastly, the tool to crimp the shift link bellows crimp. A nut welded to an old pair of pliers, then cut. Bottow of pic is the tool to expand the exhaust bellows to get it on the bellhousing. Made from some scrap steel 1/2 tubing.

It's almost as fun to make tools as it is to use them.

R

 

[Ohmthis]

Great job! I machines mine 10 or 12 years ago. I can't tell you how many couplers mine has "aligned". Marine specialty tools can be big $$$, I've made a few.

 

[matt_i]

Ahhh, the round dial Monarch 10EE....fantastic machine! I have a '68 square dial in my shop.

Nice work, I agree making tools is a lot of fun. I actually have a drawer I put them all in, paint marked the application for the next generation. Most of them for me are 1 time uses, the job they were intended for will likely never come up again, lol.