Shop Made Tools

[Timleech]

I claim no credit for these, but they're along the same lines as Sir John's hex soft jaws. I don't know whether they're commercially made, or shop made on commercial soft scroll jaws:-






The dowel peg is threaded, and the radial distance between the centre cap screw hole and the four index holes is equal to the separation of the tapped holes in the scroll jaw. That gives 7 x 4 potential jaw positions, though you'd be unlikely to use them all.

I don't know if this one qualifies among all the smart shop tools in this thread:-



It doesn't show very well in the pic, unfortunately.
I posted a while ago pics of the big flywheel which just fitted in my lathe, I showed it with a boring bar set up for machining for a ring gear. The boring bar worked, but it was a bit slow as a heavy cut induced chatter, and the HSS tip had to be reground every couple of passes on the dirty cast iron.
I just got a LH brazed carbide tool, welded it to the end of a bit of rusty old 4" x 1.5" bar, and milled just enough off the side of the bar to get it into a QC holder. I could take serious cuts with that, & no need for regrinding.

I'd just got these pics ready, was about to post, when the site went down for the afternoon

Tim

[The Artful Bodger]

Vertical spindle for making worm wheels..





In use

... the tap is a piece of stainless allthread notched to produce cutting edges.


Finished product

[gary hart]

Typical 5-C indexer.
Spindle was taken out and reversed in housing. 60 tooth gear added to spindle (60 tooth cause that is what had) Worm wheel will pivot up to disengage and the other end has a 24 index holes instead of 36. For simple quick indexing of simple numbers like 3, 4, 6 and 8 the 24 holes works better for me. The index plates, sector and handle are borrowed of my dividing head. This set up will fit in mill vise and is quicker, lighter, and easier for most things.




What has worked really good is the clamp type brake instead of the old screw down bolt in top of casting.

[dockrat]

I made this electronic surface finder out of some scraps of brass plate, an unused battery holder and some plastic. It repeatedly measures .8960 at a marked spot in the center.



What a great thread. I'm lovin it. Some great ideas and exquisit machining to be seen here!!!

[gary hart]

Some sheet metal tools

Hardened deep tooth gears from scraped out large hydraulic pump



George Thomas design



Plans by Glenn Wilson in an early issue of Projects in Metal. This is an old picture, don't look that nice now.

[john hobdeclipe]

A Buff Bore Enlarger

I bought several flannel buffs, with the tiny hole to fit a tapered arbor. They were cheap.



Later, after I bought a Baldor buffer with a 3/4" arbor, I needed a way to open the bore on these. I came up with this:



In use, on the drill press, I clamp the buff under a piece of plywood with a 1-1/4" hole in it. It doesn't cut the bore out as cleanly as I would like, but it works well enough that nothing I've ever polished has complained.

[vpt]

In the middle of building a QCTP.

[bborr01]

Hi guys,

Just wanted to say how tickled I am about how well this thread has been recieved.

I have gotten far more out of it than I have put into it. After a few years of being mostly a lurker, I decided it was time to give a little something back.

I still have at least 30 or 40 tools to post, but my wife and I are "on tour" right now. We spent the last week in Amarillo, Texas in our 5th wheel. The weather out west of us was so crappy we decided to stop for a while. We found a nice campground that has high speed internet and had a little downtime for this project.

Tomorrow, it's back on the road toward Tucson. Then on to Kingman, Az.

I don't know when we will have a net connection next, but when we do the first place I visit will be here.

Keep up the good work and I'll be back in touch.

Thanks again for making this a memorable tour.

Brian

[Machinist-Guide]

Shim Punch

Guys I have seen some great looking tools in this thread.
I am submitting a shim punch.
This punch is made of S7 hardened to 58/60 Rc it is 6x8x1 it will punch holes from 1/8 in. to 2in.

[gary hart]

Small tap wrenches made from 7/16 - 20 bolts. Hex head end is drilled for slip fit on 1/4" shaft and the hex rounded off.


Indexing around and using corner of end mill cut some "knurls" across the threads on the bolt.

[websterz]

Guess I finally have something to contribute. Here's my shopmade QCTP and a few of the holders. The post is a mix of 12L14, 303 stainless, and O1 drill rod, and the holders are 7075 T6.

[websterz]

Good looking work websterz. I bet you got some time in this job. I know you will be proud to use it.

I figure I have about 12 hours in it at this point. Since I took the pics I have modified the post and replaced the 1/2" round pistons with 1" x 1/2" rectangular ones for better contact. As soon as my lye arrives I will get the hot bluing tank operational and start the final step.

Todd

[camdigger]

Anyone watched a weldor do round work? The work is tacked to the plate and the pillow blocks allow free rotation. You just have to be a bit careful of the balance. Every mobile rig has one of these around here. (this is an old picture, I moved the rotating ground to the end of the shaft for easier use)



How about a quick and dirty alignment tool for lining up edges of plates? A scrap of steel, a coupling nut, regularnut and a hunk of all thread.



If the tack is at the screw end a whack with a 2 lb hammer removes the alignment device Some have been known to weld vise grip clamps on feet instead of using allthread. Depends what's to hand when you need it.

Best of all, these were fabbed /cobbled up out of scrap box salvage

[J Harp]

Question for Gary Hart

How did you put the size markings on your tap handles?

There are a lot of good ideas and good worknmanship showing up here, thanks to all who have shared.

[gary hart]

[QUOTE=camdigger].
>>How about a quick and dirty alignment tool for lining up edges of plates? A scrap of steel, a coupling nut, regular nut and a hunk of all thread.
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Just got to make couple of those. Neat

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>>How did you put the size markings on your tap handles?

J Harp, kind of cheated. Got a little shop built cnc mill with a 4th axis made from a old gear reducer.

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[QUOTE=Bob Farr]Thanks for the info Gary. Lockformer is a brand name and here's a link to what the multi-head sheetmetal tooling is normally used for:

Here's a picture of an individual head. They are cast-iron, fairly rigid, about 30-lbs, with the top and bottom plates already tapped for attaching dies or mounts of any type. The lower end has a recessed "fork" so that punched out slugs can pass through it. I have four, and I think they'll be very versatile backbones for something like a minature version of your hammer.

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Bob, those have to have a good use for something. Not sure what but for sure are keepers for some kind of project.

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Like seeing all the things all have good ideas and will copy some and remember some for ideas to solve a problem. I have copied things posted here before and hope to do more. gary

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Used angle head that removed burnt up motor from and added some linkage for a oscilating action. Bent metal to make a gripping clip. Hook up to drill press and use to shake up spray cans of paint.



Made another that is simpler and easier to use. Clamps onto upper blade holder of die filer and has couple of strong magnets to hold spray can in cup.