Shop Made Tools

[AlexK]

On a side note, the square hole in the top of the tap wrench was something that one of the old timers that I like to mention so often recommended I burn in when I was on the EDM's.

Take the handle out and use it with a 3/8 ratchet and extention for hard to reach places. I have used it that way many times.

Brian

This is genius. I wonder why Starrett does not make their bigger tap wrenches like that. Build-in tap ratchet in good for small tap wrenches but for bigger taps square hole much better and cheaper too.

[AlexK]

Gary,

great idea.
Can you please take a picture of these wrenches so we can see the sockets? I am not sure I understand how you made smaller ones.

Thanks,
Alex

[gary hart]

What about the angle table on this picture? Did you make it? Looks great.

Made it but don't remember what inspired it, maybe an article or just something thought up. If your thinking of making one suggest slow motor is better then faster.

[gary hart]

Gary,

great idea.
Can you please take a picture of these wrenches so we can see the sockets? I am not sure I understand how you made smaller ones.

Thanks,
Alex

A socket head screw with small hex socket size compared to thread size works best. The flat head socket head screw in picture has a 5/64 hex and the thread is 6-32.

This allows drilling a clearence hole in bottom of socket for the screw that has a nut on it. You really don't need a 5/64 size wrench but, what the heck if your making a set.

Drill and tap your handle, I use 1/4" hex stock. Add some Loctite and tighten screw in handle.

Now what might be the tricky part, in fact you might want to test this before Loctiting in. When you turn down the outside of the screw you want the hex socket close to being in the center. If not what can and will happen if it is off center, you will have a cam. The wrench will get jammed up on the side when in a tight spot. As with most my learning, learned this the hard way.

[EdC]

This is genius. I wonder why Starrett does not make their bigger tap wrenches like that. Build-in tap ratchet in good for small tap wrenches but for bigger taps square hole much better and cheaper too.

Irwin makes one...1/4"-1/2" tap wrench 3/8 drive they sure come in handy. I also have tap sockets I believe they are made by SK

[DICKEYBIRD]

Irwin makes one...1/4"-1/2" tap wrench 3/8 drive they sure come in handy.

I just got the Irwin set from Enco on a bit of sale and with free shipping. I'm going to adapt them to the tailstock tapping device on my lathe in place of the Jacobs chuck that I originally installed. The taps kept slipping in the chuck jaws. Bet'cha they don't now. http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?P...MPXNO=21592872

[bborr01]

just straight holes in the block? pigpen

Hi Pigpen,

I assume you are referring to the tapping block.

Yes, the holes are just drilled and reamed to size for the taps.

I then heat treated the tool steel and ground it flat.

The holes shrunk a little bit but I honed them out. That was back when I had a nice Sunnen hone at my disposal.

Now I would just cut a slot in a piece of round rod and use sandpaper with a drill motor to hone the holes or some other creative way. (rod with lapping paste)

Also, some of the tapping blocks I have seen have an undercut on one side where the smaller holes are because the smaller taps may be too short to start very far into the tapped hole.

Brian

[MetalTermite]

Home Made Tools

6" rotary table Made from plans. Cast iron table,mild steel base, 40:1 worm gear drive
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Metaltermite

[MetalTermite]

Home Made Tools

Small tapping jig, for use in tailstock, Bench drill or Miller.

[IMG][/IMG]


Ball Turning tool
[IMG][/IMG]

Simple Dividing Head

[IMG][/IMG]

Tilting Angle Plate

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Metaltermite

[Jim Shaper]

What did you use for bearings in that rotary table?

[MetalTermite]

Rotary Table

Phosphorous bronze on spindle.

Metaltermite

[MetalTermite]

Rotary Table

Jim I obtained the plans for table from Hobby Mechanics in Aus.


Metaltermite

[bborr01]

One day I was drilling some holes in a table for some automation machine I was building.

While struggling to reach up over the table and exert the necessary pressure to get the drill to do its job, a guy came up to me and told me I needed an "old man".

I looked at him kind of strange, being that he was an old man compared to me.

I asked him politely what he meant and he showed me one of these.

It can be clamped down near the edges of a table with "c" clamps, or held down with hold downs if there are any other holes nearby.

The groove in the rod is usually in the hole but is sticking through for descriptive purposes.

It has saved me a lot of wear and tear on my arms and elbows, at least until we got a magnetic base drill.

Brian

[medwards]

I just finished up a tubing bender. I don't have a lathe large enough to cut the dies, so I have to use off the shelf dies. I'm using dies from JD2, so I made a bit of a copy of their bender, but with some upgrades. All the pivots are bushed with bronze. I made real handles on all the pins. The drive cylinder is an air/hydraulic lift cylinder from Harbor Freight.






I'm currently working on a tubing vise to replace the compound on my lathe so I can also notch tubing when necessary.

[oldtiffie]

Old men

Brian.

I've "borrowed" your pic of your table.



I've held off remarking on your working table for some time.

I notice that it still has a planed surface and that it gets well-used and has had some "battle-scars" left on it.

I notice too that you use it extensively for general work as well as setting-out, marking-out and setting-up etc. that others seem to think needs to be done on a surface plate.

It seems similar to my "float glass on my mill table" for general work.

I guess that your surface plate is kept away until its needed and that it can be used on your table.

There must be any amount of similar "tables" about that will be reasonably cheap that people here can make good use of.

I haven't seen the "old man" in quite while although variants of it were widely used in heavy fitting shops and by Boiler-Makers and fabrication shops (manned by Boiler-makers). It seems to have been replaced by magnetic-based drills. They were also used in "setting-out lofts" in ship-building yards where the whole floor was one big swaging-block that steel beams and plates were formed/bent and checked for fit before welding or riveting.

The "old man" can also be used for lifting as well as applying down-wards pressure.