Show What Tool You Made*

[graydog111]

Show What Tool You Made*
*so I can copy it.

Seriously, nearly everyone has made some tool that others can duplicate. Show what you made, with photos and specs on this thread.

I will start it off with a little tool I made for finding TDC (Top Dead Center) on my one cylinder Gravely 2 wheel tractors. I made it from a spark plug and a piece of steel rod. I ground off the top ridge that holds the porcelain insulator in, and drove the porcelain out from the bottom. I found a piece of rod that fit inside the old plug exactly. I drilled and tapped for a set screw to adjust the rod and hold it in place.

Total Cost = $0



USING THE TOOL:
Remove the spark plug from the engine, and screw the tool into the spark plug hole. The tool is now setting directly over the piston. Bring the piston to near TDC, set the depth of the rod to bump the piston, and make a pencil mark on top of flywheel. Turn the crankshaft backwards by hand almost 360 degrees, until the piston bumps the rod again. Make another pencil mark on top of flywheel. Half way between those pencil marks is TDC. File a deep mark there and put a white paint spot in that filed mark for future use. If you have a set of stamps you can mark it "TDC". You can also put another mark where the plug should fire (at 6 degrees before TDC, or whatever). Pull the tool out and replace the spark plug. Now you can adjust the magneto to fire at that spot.

 

[murphy1244]

pretty slick.

 

[graydog111]

pretty slick.

Thanks murph. I guess it will take a while for anyone to post anything else, but just to generate some interest in this thread, I will show this 12 volt electro magnet I made about 20 years ago to magnaflux engine heads for cracks. I got the laminated steel plates at a salvage yard. I think they were from a microwave oven transformer. I got the insulated wire from a motor rewind shop, along with some useful information on how to make it. I had to make a special tool to turn the laminate so I could wind the wire on evenly and not harm the wire's insulation (it's like a coating of varnish or paint). After I finished it, I took it back to the motor shop and they dipped it in that insulation for protection.

The magnet is so strong that 2 people cannot pull it off a sheet of steel. In the photos, I put a drink can for size comparison. That loop on top is just a rope handle to carry it.






To use it, sprinkle some iron filings on the area you suspect as cracked; then set the magnet on the surface and turn it on. The filings will move to show where the crack is.

 

[PossumHound]

You have my attention! Neat hacks, I hope others will like and post to your thread.:thumbsup: Not me, unless I can think of some obscure computer trick.

PH

 

[murphy1244]

I made a oil pump primer for Chevy engines a long time ago, no pics but was a stripped down distributor.

 

[ncnurseryman]

I make knives. Does that count?

 

[Ed of all trades]

The only thing I can think of is I made a deeeep well socket. cut a deep well socket in two and welded a piece of pipe in between and use it to put nuts on threaded rod. Not much but maybe it will come in handy some time. Ed

 

[BHD]

made a horizontal shaper to make panel cabinet doors, it holds three shaper cutters and does the milling on the stiles and rails and panels,
one can mill out a door in about 2 to 3 Min's, if all parts are cut,

I think the best thing about it is relative safe one would all most have to try to get one hand or fingers in it, and a standard shaper is not that safe,

 

[murphy1244]

made a horizontal shaper to make panel cabinet doors, it holds three shaper cutters and does the milling on the stiles and rails and panels,
one can mill out a door in about 2 to 3 Min's, if all parts are cut,

I think the best thing about it is relative safe one would all most have to try to get one hand or fingers in it, and a standard shaper is not that safe,

I'm liking it!

 

[4shorts]

Well I've built dozens of tools to do a specific job but I'll post these two benders because they were the first photos I found

And the result