Homemade tools and stuff from junk laying around

Hay People,
Been a while. I think I got junk done around here for now to where I can do some work on my projects, hopefully. So, getting the ball rolling would be this post, LOL. I actually did the work for this post, according to the time stamp on the pics, back in June so I probably forgot alot about the pics tooken.

I'll be showing how I made the sawblade guides. How the sawblade stays on the saw is by the wheels when spinning. The sawblade guides job is to keep the sawblade on the wheels when cutting something because of the sideways force when you push whatever into the sawblade. Also, the guides help keep the sawblade from turning to help get a straight cut along with the tension on the sawblade helping with this part also. A tensioner will be made later on. Onto the pics.

Here I show the main materials used. I bought bearings from Ebay, measuring 10mm I.D. and 13mm O.D. Some cheap bearing, I only cared about the I.D. of the 10mm for the bolts being used. And angle iron cut into 4 pieces.


I match up the angle iron into 2 sets. Since I will be hand making these guides, I need to mark each set so when I pull them apart and have them layed out, I know which pieces are for each set. This is done with lines cut into the faces with a cutoff wheel. A diagonal line for one set and a straight across line for the other set. Now I can drill holes for the bearing to go in between the angle iron. This bearing keeps the sawblade from pushing off the wheels from the pushing force of cutting something. I drilled this hole by clamping the 2 pieces of angle iron together so the hole will be in the same spot on both sides. I put washers on both sides of the bearing so the outer race doesn't touch anything when spinning. And a metric bolt (black in color) is used to bolt the pieces together.


Next, I start the guides that hold the sawblade straight. 4 pieces of flat stock steel, the bearings (4), the bolts. I drill 2 holes in each set lower corners for the pivot point. These guides will swing into the sawblade and get tighten up with the bolts on the pivot point. Everything is just mocked up at this point.



I need to keep the framing of the guides from twisting since the only thing holding the 2 pieces of angle iron together on each set is the bolt holding the bearing in. I drill holes and use the silver bolt to keep the 2 pieces of angle iron from twisting.


I trim all the bolts. The silver nuts and bolts are the pivot points for the guide swing arms and go through the angle iron. The black bolts are cut and do not go through the angle iron, they only hold the bearings in place. Then the silver bolts to keep the angle iron frames from twisting are trimmed just past the angle iron.


The black bolts only hold the bearings in place on the swing arms. These are 10mm metric bolts that fit inside the bearing. Which means the inner bearing race will spin on the bolts and will wear the bolts. This is bad. The inner race needs to not spin. I solve this by using a center punch and center punch the bolt shank to raise the metal and I will have to press the bolt into the bearing. Good enough to keep the bearings inner race from spinning. These black bolts are only long enough to go through the swingarms and bearings, I cut these on the other side of the bearings.



I then weld the bolts in place. The black bolts get spot welded to the swingarms. The silver bolts for the pivot points of the swingarms are spot welded also. It would be too hard to use a wrench on front and back to tighten the swingarms so I welded the bolts in place to simplify things. Then the bolt that keeps the framing from twisting is welded in place on one side. And the bolt that holds the pieces of angle iron together is welded in place. Keep in mind, I welded the bolts in place in such a way that the guides still can be pulled apart completely for doing any kind of maintenance.



Here is where things get fuzzy, LOL. I try to figure out a way to mount the guides to the framing but can't quite remember what I did here. I mount an arm on one guide. The rest I don't know. I'll show the pics anyways. You all can figure it out.




OK, Later...................

Hay People,
Been a minute for me posting something, So hay there, LOL.
Before I try to get back to posting on projects, here is an update on one of the old projects in use. Got to cleaning in my basement and just mounted the wrench holder. Then grabbed all my wrenches that would fit on it and put them on it.





I screwed it up in the rafters, so the wrenches won't hang down too far and hit me in the head when I walk under it. They are sorted by size and style of wrenches. Evidently, I have every size of crescent wrench, LOL.

Hay People,
I'ma post these small projects (2 of them) first, before I get back to the bandsaw. It's finished, for the most part. Just have to test it and will do that after I finish posting on the building part of it. Alot of adjusting to do to it to have it working right and want to do it all at once.

The first of the two projects is a deep well socket. Yup, I know, just buy one. $2 at a store. Well, I was blocked in the driveway by the vehicle I was working on which was my kids van who lives next door. See how my luck works, LOL! Certainly wasn't going to walk to the store, those days are gone. So, got to thinking and well, just got it done.

The situation was, I needed a 5/16 inch deep well socket to get the valve cover off and the set of 1/4" drive deep wells was always missing that one. For about ten years that aggravated me, ten years. Did I mention it was 10 years, LOL. Plus, it was a Dodge Caravan!! I hate those!!!!!!


The valve cover bolts have a shank sticking out of the head of the bolt. A deep well is the only thing that will fit. I have no deep well 5/16" that is 1/4" drive. All the tools that I have, everywhere, I don't have one. I looked for a half hour! Wow! I find that amazing.


I grab 2 little sockets. One is the 5/16" and the other was some weird size that I figure I will never use. Both are 1/4" drives. See the socket set that doesn't have the 5/16".


If you look inside a socket, it chokes close so nothing can pass through. I drill this out with a drill bit that doesn't touch the hex of the socket. For the 5/16" socket, the drill bit was a 1/4".


I test fit the socket on the stud. Passes through with no problem. The stud passes completely through. I thought of this when I picked out the other socket and figured the second socket should be bigger so the stud passes through without hitting the second socket.


Here is how it works. I just stack the 2 sockets. The bigger socket, it being a bigger size won't interfere with the stud. Clamp the 2 sockets in the welding clamp, set the welder to kill, and fried them together making sure that the top socket was centered on the bottom socket.


Cleaned the spatter off and there you are. Made in America with foreign materials, LOL.


As for the Minivan, fixed. Turned out to be something else, leaking fuel injectors. How I found that out was a different homemade tool and another post later on, maybe.


OK, the second project. Was actually done last summer while working on my kid's Maverick. I was welding together a gas tank out of a 55 gallon drum for the car. Wasn't going to pay $500 for a gas tank. Figured it might be easier to have a foot pedal for the TIG welder while welding it together on the TIG table. The foot pedal is for on/off only, mainly for turning the power off. Will not be for adjusting output of the welder. Having an on/off for the torch will help with when the weld is done and to end it I would let go of the pedal. This keeps the gas over the weld while the metal solidifies and stops a bubble from forming in the puddle while it is solidifying. A bubble in a weld is bad. Plus with no off switch for the torch, while it is sitting, is live and can touch the wrong thing and short out.
Without the pedal to turn the power off when the weld is done, I would have to lift the torch away to stop the arc. Which exposes the liquified metal to air and will start bubbling and get contaminants in the metal.


Here is what I had laying around to make this. A power cord for an electric oven and a foot solenoid from a push mule. Plus some washers, heat shrink, a piece of angle iron, used up wire brush, and some hardware that was laying around.



Cut the plug off, bare the 2 outer wires, and solder the wires to washers. I had no terminal ends for this at the time so I just made do. Kinda bulky but it does work. This is the foot pedal end.


To keep the wire from touching the housing of the switch, I use heat shrink and more heat shrink. 2 layers.


Put the cord onto the switch. and I jam a piece of plastic in there too. To keep the wire from touching the switch housing also. Pretty bulky. Then for the final layer of protection, It's wrapped in gobs of electrical tape.



I make a bracket from a piece of angle iron and bolt switch to the base of the table and run the wire to the back, up to the top of the table. I jam a used up wire brush under the switch for support.


The other end of the wire already has ring terminals on it. And the torch hookup to the welder box is bolted together already. I unbolt the connection and bolt it to the switch in series. The foot pedal switch is hooked up now.


To use this foot pedal switch when welding, I push the switch then scratch out an arc. When done with the weld, I just let go of the switch with my foot and hold the torch over the puddle while the gas is still on. When I see the puddle solidify then I turn the gas off.

I used this setup for a little bit. Worked great but was unnecessary. I eventually disconnected the switch because it added complexity to the work being done. Just wasn't necessary. I'll eventually need this and is good to have to just have.

Her is a couple random pics of the table in use. The clamps fit in the table good. One of the reasons I put the space in between the table planks.


OK, that's it. Past my bedtime. Later.

That's some pretty creative stuff there fella I like it!

Hay People,
Back to this project  I am pretty much done with the fabrication work on this tool. It's just sitting around till I finish the posts on it, to finish it off. I actually had to look at the date of the last post to see what part I am on, LOL. Which means I have like 7 months of pics to post. Wow! Lets get started.

I left off with the blade guides being the last thing made. I'll get back to that in a minute. This thing needs a table to set whatever on it to get cut. Really don't need a big big table but a good little size one. Needs to be able to move across the framing also. And needs to move around on the mount also, for fine adjustments.

Grabbed some angle iron and a flat piece of steel plate. The angle iron is 1/4 inch thick and the plate steel is like 3/16 inch thick.


I X out the steel plate to find the center. Cut up the angle iron to make the clamp to hold the table to the frame. Grab some bolts, spacers, nuts, for the clamp. Then cut a 2x2 piece of tubing to sit on the framing which will have the plate steel attach to for the table.


I make the clamp by using the angle iron to go around the framing and weld the 2 pieces together to make a C. Weld the bolts to the sides and weld the spacers to the side of the 2x2 piece of tubing. This makes the clamp and has a place to bolt the table to.


I drill a 5/8 hole in the center of the steel plate so the blade will go through it. The clamp is tooken apart to show how it was made.



I actually needed to buy some bolts for this. Everything else I had except the wheels and pulley. So off to Home Depot. Needed some counter sunk bolts for the table. So the bolts don't get in the way while sliding whatever across the table for cutting. M6 x 1.0 metric bolts. Why metric, I have no clue why, LOL. just worked out that way. Paid $3.26 for them. I'll add up the total money spent on this later. Think it's around $50 for this whole build.


I use a 1/4 inch plate steel to make nuts. I drill and tap the steel first because it is easier to do it as one piece then a bunch of little pieces. Then cut out the pieces after.



Next, I drill out the holes in the table. 2 holes to mount the table to the clamp, then 2 holes on the other end for a later option of something not thought up for. Just trying to think ahead. I counter sink the holes in the table so the bolt heads are below the surface. The holes in the clamp are redrilled larger, so the bolts can move around in the larger holes for the table adjustment. Then show the adjustability of the table. The holes are in specific places so the center hole in the table is somewhere close to being over the drive wheel for the sawblade to pass through straight down onto the drive wheel. Nothing is perfect, which is why everything is adjustable, from the table mount, to the drive and idler wheels. Forward, back, and side to side for all parts mentioned.



To finish off the table, there needs to be a support under it for the front of the table. I got a feeling I'll be cutting alot of heavy metal and will probable distort the table by it sagging in the front. A little support under it will fix this.

A couple of nuts, a spacer, washer, round stock with a bend, should work fine. It needs to be able to adjust it's length and be able to swivel. The support will be just setting in joints and for the support will be adjusting the length.




Next, time to mount the washing machine motor, LOL. Yup, it's from one of our washing machines, LOL. It took a crap and I stripped it down before I got rid of it. Had this motor kicking around the basement for like 20 years. Finally get to use it.
I weld the tubing straight to the stator. I covered the wiring so the molten metal from the welder don't short out the wiring. If it ever goes bad, I'll just cut it off and weld another to the tubing, LOL.


The motor will be mounted to the drive wheel assembly. I want the whole assembly to come off the framing in one piece. The assembly will have the drive wheel, jackshaft, motor, and belts, on it.
I weld a piece of tubing to this assembly with a bolt sticking out for the motor to swing on. On the other end is a bracket for an adjusting rod will attach to for belt tensioning.


Out comes my fan belt collection for the perfect belt, LOL.


The belt tensioning bolt just sits in place. I weld a piece of angle iron on the motor end for the rod to sit in. The rod itself is a round bar with a piece of all thread welded to the end with a nut and a wingnut to lock it in place.
The whole assembly.


That's it for now. Another post real soon. Funny thing was said to me while building this. My Dad came over to me and asked what I was building. I told him it was a bandsaw for cutting metal. He stood there lookin at it for a minute, looked at me and said "Beats using a hacksaw", Turns around and walks away. You have to understand, growing up and helping him with his projects. He only had hand tools. The handsaw for cutting wood and a hacksaw for cutting metal. That was it! I do have these tools, I almost never use the hacksaw. I only use the hacksaw for small precise cuts. I never really use the wood saw, I got the power tools for the wood. But WOW, I forgot how it use to be to do the projects with him. Blew my mind for that minute when he said that. Definitely thankful for the teachings of these tools from him, as simple as they are you can learn alot about the craft.

OK, bedtime. Later!!

Hay People,
A little free time and I'm not too pooped to do a post, LOL. Sitting at the computer and Pearl Jam playing right now, awesome.

OK, Pearl Jam is about done, back to the post, LOL.

I left off with mounting the motor. Time to get back to the saw blade guides, got to get them mounted with adjustments and be sturdy strong. Hard pushing will be implemented on them, and I don't want them to move at all. If the guides move any, the saw blade will pop off the wheels, followed by colorful words. I'll start with the top one.


Need to make a mount. 4 bolts welded to the frame up top. A plate to squeeze onto the tubing that lowers and raises the guide.



With the bolts welded to the frame, limits where the guide is placed. That's ok though. I figure the business end will be pretty much at this end of the saw frame anyways.


Next is the guide holder. I put the adjustments on this piece. A series of holes to move the guide left and right. The guide itself has a threaded rod on it to move the guide forward and backwards. I just weld this guide holder on the tubing.


Pics on how it will work.




Now the bottom guide. It will be mounted to the table clamp. The table itself  moves only a little bit, so the guide only needs to move a little bit with the table. I cut the head off a bolt and weld it to the clamp. This bolt holds the plate that will hold the guide. A huge thick washer is made for the bolt so that when tightening the bolt, the washer will not cave into the hole, I hate that. The washer is a piece of 1/4" plate steel, that should work, LOL.




The bottom guide needs a way to mount to the holder. I weld a bolt to a spacer on the guide.


I notch out the holder so the saw blade will clear it. Drill a hole to mount the guide on the holder. And there ya go. A bunch of pics on the whole setup. Came out pretty good, if I do say so myself.





OK, here it is so far. A problem showed its face at this point. The whole thing wants to fall sideways. Too much weight is off to the side of the base (rim) and wants to tip. I guess I need to widen the base to fix this. Kinda figured this will be a problem when I made the framing. I still got the top of the rim I cut off to use as an extension of the base, which will be under the cutting area. I'll make a hinge so I can lift it for when I move this around. I can roll it around like a 55-gallon drum, since the base is round. Then an adjustable rod for the extension part to keep the whole thing from wobbling.




I'll stop here. Got the electrical and a support bracket left to post, to be where everything will be current and can finish this tool up then. OK, it's late, Duran Duran is playing, and I'm tired. Later................

I think it's really cool what you're doing here, can't wait to see it in action!

Hay People,
Yup, been a while again. I was in LS hell! The Chevy kind. Someone wanted their truck fixed and souped up a bit. That's squared away now, even the check engine light went off. I'll finish the pics off, that I have saved on the computer. Then a vid for a test run on this thing. As promised. I haven't touched it since I finished building it. I stored it in my new shed that my wife bought me and that is it. Out of the rain finally. The electrical is the last thing mainly, to cover. And some bracing, and a redo on one of the guide arms. On to it!

The electrical is straight forward. I'll start from the motor and work my way to the wall plug. I figured out the wiring of the motor from the get-go. The wire used is an old extension cord that was cut up a long time ago. Put the spades on for the motor and hooked it up. I put a plug on the other end so it can plug into the on/off switch or straight to another extension cord and bypass the on/off switch.




The electrical box for the on/off switch I think I screwed it on to the frame. On the one side (motor side) I put a plug. On the other side is the cord to plug into the wall. Wrapped the switch in electrical tape, for safety. Then put the on/off switch box together. All set. good to go!



I need to put a brace under the worktable part of the frame. Seems to be springy. I used a piece of piping conduit from the framing under the table down to the base, for support. It bolts in and I can lengthen and shorten the support about an inch as needed.


The guide holder that lowers down to the table. The only part that is from 2 pieces that I welded together, well, did a crap job at welding it together. The guide holder part was not welder straight on. Figured it would be ok to make this 1 piece, but no. It's crooked, LOL.


You can tell how good a weld is by cutting it apart. Sucks big time. But apart it will be.


Ground off the welds to clean it up. Turned the tubing arm for a clean flat spot to mount the mount. Drilled some holes for all-thread. The one side, the all-thread goes through. The other side of the tubing has holes too but are for the all-thread to pass through and the nuts go inside the tubing so when tightened the tubing doesn't crush.





Now it's straight.


That be it for the making part. Unless I want to add to it down the road. I'll probably make shrouds to cover the motor, So it doesn't short out from the metal shavings being cut off from the saw blade but that will come later.


OK, that's it. It's late and I'm tired. Later............

Hay people,
Busy working and something happened. Interesting story ofcourse, figured I'd share that too. A job came up of rebuilding a 2 piece driveshaft. Pulled the driveshaft, no problem. 2 out of 3 u joints bad and the carrier bearing shot, WOW! Told the customer I'll take it home and should be done in a couple of hours. NOPE!! LOL. For six hours, yup SIX HOURS, did I mention it took 6 hours, to nail out the u joints. Using 2, 3lb. sledgehammers. After 5 1/2 hours this happened. Does anybody recognize this situation? LOL.


I busted off the welded-on pipe on the sledge, I got that sledgehammer from a toolbox I bought off of one of my kids. Figured it was heavy duty enough for me. Guess not. Stopped me cold in my trax. I had a 10lb sledge but after slingin these 2 for 5 1/2 hours there was no way I could even pick the 10lb sledge up. You can see the other driveshaft in the background already apart. I been nailing the u joint out of the one in front for about 10 minutes when it broke. Nothing too exciting when it broke. I seen one of the welds cracking on it and kept watching it while the crack got bigger. Then the head bent and I stopped and just grabbed it and ripped it off.

OK. So I need a handle for it. I was just going to reweld the pipe back on but figured it would just break off again. Had a little smaller pipe, same thing there, it'll just break off again. I got a busted breaker bar in my toolbox. That would make a strong handle if I put it in the hole of the head and just weld the piss out of it. I have no clue who "KM" is, LOL.


I'm in a bit of a rush here. I grind down the end of the breaker bar enough to jam it in the hole. Hammered the breaker bar in enough to jam it in and that it was on the head straight and square. Grabbed the welder and helmet. Set the welder for kill and lit it up. Done!!


I'll clean it up later, maybe. Handle is just a bit longer, giving it a little harder blow. Worked good enough to get the job done. I'll add a better grip to the handle later but works for now.

A little update on the TIG table. Found another use for it. One homemade tool helping out another homemade tool. So, to put the new u joints together I used my press. Kinda hard to hold the driveshaft up and set the jig up and pump the cylinder, all at the same time without growing a 3rd hand out my butt to hold something. I grabbed the TIG table and adjusted it to hold the end of the driveshaft level so I can do the other 2 things. Worked great!


That's it. Later.............