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

 

[graydog111]

made a horizontal shaper to make panel cabinet doors................

I love tools that save time and are safe. That's really nice. I was never into woodworking, but have been into boomerangs and walking canes in the past 10 years. The canes are made from Bois D'arc wood; supposed to be the hardest wood in USA.. The boomerangs are 5 ply Baltic 1/4" plywood. Yes, they do come back. The worst accident I had was when I threw two with one hand. They both went out about 50 yards, turned and came back. I caught one and the other hit me in the mouth. Luckily, I didn't lose any teeth, but I did get a little cut on my lip.

Show us your knives, ncnurseryman. I have bought SS blanks and composite material handle blanks, but have never made any from scratch. I'd love to see your knives. I think most TBN members would too.

TO: Ed of all trades..... I have also made specialty tools from sockets. I usually buy a cheap Chinese one from a pawn shop though. I made an oil filter wrench out of a deep socket and a piece of seat belt strap. Photos below. I made the last one for a very small (2.75") oil filter on my 25hp Kawasaki mower engine. Total cost for both = about 50 cents and a little labor.

 

[graydog111]

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

Those benders are super nice. The parts on the fork lift are too. I thought it was new until I looked at the video of the restoration. Thanks for posting. I subscribed to your Youtube postings.

 

[MasseyWV]

I make my own tools all the time. Here is one example.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/271295-diy-bead-breaker.html

 

[graydog111]

.....................making a simple DIY bead breaker

I looked at it. The principal of your is almost exactly the same as the one I made several years ago and still use. Yours is for tractor tires.......mine is for car tires or smaller. I am sure yours works equally well. I had never thought of needing something bigger for my JD 4010 or JD model B, but I do. I just got through putting tubes in the front tires of my Great Dane ZTR and the tires were near impossible to mount back on the wheels until I put some hand cleaner liquid soap on the beads. That made it much easier.

Thanks for posting MasseyWV.



The 2nd picture shows metal piece that holds it against shop frame. That is a must.

 

[mjncad]

My homemade vise pedestal. https://picasaweb.google.com/110106108324823291002/VisePedestal02#

My homemade wrench to remove electric clutches from my JD lawn tractor.

https://picasaweb.google.com/110106108324823291002/JohnDeereL130Misc#5382692269777687298

https://picasaweb.google.com/110106108324823291002/JohnDeereL130Misc#5382692273382371122

https://picasaweb.google.com/110106108324823291002/JohnDeereL130Misc#5382692278104001826

A friend of mine's homemade tablesaw. This slide and the following five. https://picasaweb.google.com/110106108324823291002/ToolsPower#5155572541936447586

My homemade waste oil collection and transfer tank. https://picasaweb.google.com/110106108324823291002/WasteOilCollectionTransferTank#

And a whole website of homemade tools made by many people. http://www.homemadetools.net/

 

[chopped]

NICE job....another use that I think for it would be good on those inhouse water filters.I use the oversize water pump plyers now but wanted something less apt to break it.This seems like the perfect fit. I have used tose Harbor Freight strap ones. all three broke first use.LOL but thats another thread lol

I love tools that save time and are safe. That's really nice. I was never into woodworking, but have been into boomerangs and walking canes in the past 10 years. The canes are made from Bois D'arc wood; supposed to be the hardest wood in USA.. The boomerangs are 5 ply Baltic 1/4" plywood. Yes, they do come back. The worst accident I had was when I threw two with one hand. They both went out about 50 yards, turned and came back. I caught one and the other hit me in the mouth. Luckily, I didn't lose any teeth, but I did get a little cut on my lip.

Show us your knives, ncnurseryman. I have bought SS blanks and composite material handle blanks, but have never made any from scratch. I'd love to see your knives. I think most TBN members would too.

TO: Ed of all trades..... I have also made specialty tools from sockets. I usually buy a cheap Chinese one from a pawn shop though. I made an oil filter wrench out of a deep socket and a piece of seat belt strap. Photos below. I made the last one for a very small (2.75") oil filter on my 25hp Kawasaki mower engine. Total cost for both = about 50 cents and a little labor.

View attachment 306415 View attachment 306416 View attachment 306417

 

[graydog111]

Thanks "chopped". It has been a long time since I made the one with the strap and I had forgotten how I made it. Actually, it's a deep socket with a piece of pipe welded into the socket and 2 slots cut through it with a chop saw. The doubled strap was then melted with a torch to keep it from raveling or pulling through the slots. I could have used the same wrench on the Kawasaki filter, but access to it is very limited and it is too big, so I made the one with yellow handle.

You are right about the HF straps. They are worthless.

 

[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

Those benders are super nice. The parts on the fork lift are too. I thought it was new until I looked at the video of the restoration. Thanks for posting. I subscribed to your Youtube postings.

Thank man for the subscription. I appreciate that. I built those benders so i could do the bends in the checkered aluminum plating that I used on the old forklift. I guess we're all alike when It comes to building tools. The more desperate we are to get a job completed the better the tool will be

Here's another tool photo I just dug out. It's a pipe notcher I built. I won't say it's used everyday but it's been a very reliable tool to have in the shop and all it cost me was my time to build it.

 

[jwmorris]

I build tools all of the time, thousands of them over the year. Just too many to post.

Click on this photo to play a video of a recent one.

 

[MasseyWV]

I looked at it. The principal of your is almost exactly the same as the one I made several years ago and still use. Yours is for tractor tires.......mine is for car tires or smaller. I am sure yours works equally well. I had never thought of needing something bigger for my JD 4010 or JD model B, but I do. I just got through putting tubes in the front tires of my Great Dane ZTR and the tires were near impossible to mount back on the wheels until I put some hand cleaner liquid soap on the beads. That made it much easier.

Thanks for posting MasseyWV.

View attachment 306455 View attachment 306456 View attachment 306457

The 2nd picture shows metal piece that holds it against shop frame. That is a must.

You're welcome and the one you made looks great. The one I came up with was a spur of the moment thing, but it works well enough to have been made from scrap wood. Likewise, I agree that liquid dish soap makes things a lot easier... messy but easier. :thumbsup: