Shop Made Tools

[chip's]

Very nice work, I agree it is too nice to use for welding.

[BCRider]

I agree with the others. WAY too nice for welding. But it would be a lovely thing to use for the drill press, mill and as a handy "third hand" on the bench.

As for the screw you could always bore out the frame and use an insert with something like a shop made Acme thread or a double start conventional form thread. Or find yourself an old C clamp with a nice fitting and running thread and cut off the threaded end and machine it into an insert and use the acme thread from the clamp. Just because a project is "done" enough to show us pictures doesn't mean it's above a little more work.

It might be a good excuse to play with your own thread form and do something really custom. Like grind up internal and external cutters to make a truncated buttress thread. That's a thread form where the load is intended to always be in one direction and the other side is highly angled as a result. You see this on some wood vise screws. But it would be a fine form of thread for this vise too. I suggest a truncated format so the depth of the thread isn't too much and you could increase the pitch to something more like 10 or 12 TPI to speed up the movement. It would be sort of like an acme thread but with the one side square and the other angled. Like I say, a fun thing to play with for threading. And if you can make a nice fitted vise like this certainly right up your alley.

[ezduzit]

...find yourself an old C clamp with a nice fitting and running thread and cut off the threaded end and machine it into an insert and use the acme thread from the clamp...

Not a bad idea.

[Toolguy]

A nice project to be proud of. If you were to make another one down the road, I would say heat treat the base, coarser screw, (both already mentioned) and put the keys more in the middle of the block on top.

[mattthegamer463]

Didn't have a surface gage or an indicator stand so I decided to make one as good practice too. Brass knobs, blackened steel parts, 3x4" base. Rounded rod mounted in the front to use for squareness comparing.

Going to scrape the base once I get the materials and get some practice on something simpler.









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[10KPete]

Nice work, Matt!!

Pete

[BCRider]

That's really sweet looking stuff there Matt. And I love your idea of the pin for a squareness gauge function.

If I have one niggle though it is the steel (or is it plastic?) knob for the locking knob on the main rod when all the other locking knobs are brass. The brass knobs look SO nice. So does the steel one mind you. But together? It's like someone showed up for a sports game wearing a scuba suit instead of the Team Shirt.....

[RB211]

Made this guy yesterday. Its a swash plate leveling tool for a 450 size r/c helicopter. #9 drill is close enough to 5mm, worked great.
I didn't feel like driving to the local hobby store and buying one.


Here's the helicopter



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[mattthegamer463]

That's really sweet looking stuff there Matt. And I love your idea of the pin for a squareness gauge function.

If I have one niggle though it is the steel (or is it plastic?) knob for the locking knob on the main rod when all the other locking knobs are brass. The brass knobs look SO nice. So does the steel one mind you. But together? It's like someone showed up for a sports game wearing a scuba suit instead of the Team Shirt.....

You're right, I was planning on brass for it as well but when I went to the metal store they didn't have any suitable offcuts and I didn't want to have something cut. The other knobs were made of a little stump I had left over from a old steam engine project I did back in college.

That knob is the piece that came out the worst I would say. The black oxide hides most of the flaws but I would probably redo it still, to match the rest.

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[sasquatch]

All very nice work guys!

[QSIMDO]

I am extremely hesitant to post this as I am admittedly a hack and not a very good one...but I'm having a ball, so...!

Anyway, far more a tool mod than a tool but I built a speed reduction for a 16" Grizzly band saw I got for short chips.



Yes, I know the belts are too small at 3L but I pushed the wrong button when I ordered and said F.I. when considering returning.
They work fantastically anyway.

No, it's not pretty but, again, it works.
Also, it doesn't drop the speed down far enough for cutting thick steel but I have the horizontal saw and plasma for that stuff.
Cuts aluminum, plastic, thin steel and wood like it's made for it.

[sasquatch]

Looks great , nice job!

[Dave C]

Looks good and if it works for you, that's all that matters.

[ncjeeper]

Started on my mini pallet today.

[Andre3127]

Didn't have a surface gage or an indicator stand so I decided to make one as good practice too. Brass knobs, blackened steel parts, 3x4" base. Rounded rod mounted in the front to use for squareness comparing.

Going to scrape the base once I get the materials and get some practice on something simpler.









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Now that's a very nice example of home shop work, nicely done!

However it looks fairly.....square. have you considered adding rounded grooves down the edges of the base? Meant for your fingertips to fold into and makes an indicator stand/surface gauge nicer to use and more comfortable.

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