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Modified and fabricated tools - Show & Tell


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A lightweight drain plug remover which lives in the travelling tool kit. 

Well, the "special" tool, even with a torch attached, failed to locate the lamp. It was excellent at recovering various small logs, and large stones though. Luckily I had taken along a Plan B - a

Hi, this was one of the first tools I made for my TR4A about 10 years ago, very durable and still in use... Shure someone else has one like this in use and posted it already.

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  • 1 month later...

Hi,

sometimes I realized I bought a tool too late and managed my work with not suitable tools much too long.

Since I noticed this I always buy a new and good tool as soon as possible - if I can afford spending the money.

And this lathe 4 jaw chucks from China are not that expensive (70 - 100 €) and most of them are made in good quality.

So I orderd one some days ago, 3 days later in arrived my workshop.

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My 3 jaw chuck is fitted with 3 bolts on the chuck flange, sadly the new chuck has the same diameter but is fittetd with 4 bolts.

The producer of my lathe is still on the marked but the avivable chuck flange is not suitabel drilled for the lathe spindle and costs 80 €.

So I diceded to make a new one my own, I had some respect to do this, but it cannot be so much difficult?

I odered a 20 mm "shim" of cast irion GGG25 for 20 € , this material is normaly used for chuck flanges.

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To center the chuck flange on my lathe inside a "short cone typ 4" is needed (54 mm x 7.125°).

To get the 100% correct diameter I made a "master short cone typ 4" which I tested on my existing 3 bolts flange.

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Ready to drill, 4 x flat sink from behind and 3 x tap M10.

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The lathe spindle with short cone ready to bolt the new chuck flange on it.

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With the new flange installed the surface to the chuck side is faced down and the shoulder d = 95 mm x 5 mm the center the chuck was made.

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Ready!

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I'm pleased, this was not that much difficult.

I simply had some respect to do it the first time - but isn't this always the case?

It is always a pleasure to work with good tools.

Ciao, Marco

Edited by Z320
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Nice work.  
Just be careful, when the work is fitted, turn that chuck by hand when the cross slide is under it to be sure the jaws do not strike it.   4 jaw chucks have a nasty tendency to have at least one jaw fully out when holding odd shaped work.

Try it.   Fit one jaw fully extended so you know the machine’s limitations.

Your solution to fit a known thickness spacer against one jaw of the 3 jaw self centring chuck worked well and quickly to get the offset connector you needed.   
Have fun with the dial gauge when you start to set stuff up in the 4 jaw.  
https://littlemachineshop.com/images/gallery/PDF/Centering4-JawChuck.pdf

Some tricks here with a 4 jaw if you are not conversant 

https://www.youtube.com/

 

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Hi Peter,

thank you for your laud and the links, I‘m still learning every day.

Indeed the trick with the calculated washer on a  3 jaw chuck works well

- but as you shure know only on limited offsets before the working piece falls through the 2nd and 3rd jaw.

:wacko:

My DIY face chuck also works well, but holds the pieces only from on top.

My hope is the 4 jaws chuck solves some „problems“ I never had until I bought my lathe (to live without a lathe is possible, but very sad….)

:lol:

Ciao, Marco

Edited by Z320
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  • 2 weeks later...

What is the most desirable thing: to make your wife happy!

Currently she told me:

"perhaps you could make me some rose arches for the garden for the path along the house,

I can't find them tall AND solid enough.......................before you start another car stuff"

:ph34r: (no futher discussion, please, no concilation))

A model was made quickly and I got the confirmation the next moment.

The tube will be 1/4" heating pipe (13,5 x 2,35 mm). I'm allowed to grow hops on one of them :P

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Looking for a tool to bend the tube correctly I found some solid enough at eBay but my wife pushed the challange:

"you have so much stuff in your workshop, there should be no need to spend any money". And indeed she was wright (only 7,50 € for 6 bearings..)!

At Youtube there are several suggestions and I made my own construction.

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A first test worked lovely, now I'm waiting for March and better weather to work at the garage (the tubes are 6 m long...)

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Back to car stuff until March.... :ph34r:

Marco

 

 

Edited by Z320
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9 hours ago, BlueTR3A-5EKT said:

So how long did it take you to drill the lightening holes in the metal storage tote trays under the bench? ….and how many small things fall through the holes?

Hi Peter, you are kidding me? ;)

this are big boxes for big parts, ever ever one of them was falling though one of the holes.

Well, I have been at the right time at the right place to get 6 of them for a "thank you".

Ciao. Marco

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Hi Ed,

your construction is was I wanted first, so more likely I copy yout construction!

Is this a 20x20x2 mm square tube to bend in your roll bender? I guess this will be e problem with my construction,

perhaps not if I would have taken a 50x50x4 square tube and not only 40x40x3, but this is what I had in my workshop.

See this video, I liked it very much (switch off the "noice").

I only did not want to have the material to bend direct on the bearings to avoid them cracking.

And I fixed the upper roller on the 40x40x3 bar and have the rollers wider than the bar.

https://youtu.be/lqkhCsi5mqo

Ciao. Marco

Edited by Z320
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A very adaptable build.    

 

The trays are avaialble commercially

https://www.stepsandstillages.co.uk/all-steel-spill-trays-pallets-for-drums-small-containers/252-rectangular-drilled-hole-boxes

image.png.c7e77c09c36681772a978c2d96bbb5fe.png

Edited by BlueTR3A-5EKT
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4 hours ago, Z320 said:

Is this a 20x20x2 mm square tube to bend in your roll bender?

 

Marco--

That picture shows bending 1.5" x 0.5" x 0.0625" rectangular tube (about 37 x 12 x 1.5 mm, I think).  I have rolled 3/4" x 3/4" x 1/8" (18 x 18 x 3 mm) angle in it, but it was not easy.  The roller is strong enough, but it needs to be motorized.

For lighter material, i like your design.

Ed

Edited by ed_h
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  • 3 weeks later...

This is my latest modified tool.

Was a tree, now a specialist piece of panel beating equipment! 
 

I noticed a similar piece in a local restoration workshop and acquired this one for just £5 from a site on the  A22 who sold Christmas trees etc.

It’s natural surface and strength is excellent for straightening door skins and the like as it doesn’t leave nasty impressions as perhaps a metal anvil would, and has a large working area. 
 

Kevin
 

Kevin

ED1BE450-803E-4EEA-B197-999FFAC819C2.jpeg

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Another useful panel beating tool is a sandbag, especially for hammering bulges.    Those on sale are leather and costly. Mine is made from the leg of an old pair of jeans, the last 10" or so.   I filled a plastic bag with the sand, sealed that with tape, put it in the cut-off leg end and sewed top and bottom.  The plasTic bags has no doubt burst by now but the close-woven denim and my sewing has stopped any leaks.  It works well!

John

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3 minutes ago, john.r.davies said:

Another useful panel beating tool is a sandbag, especially for hammering bulges.    Those on sale are leather and costly. Mine is made from the leg of an old pair of jeans, the last 10" or so.   I filled a plastic bag with the sand, sealed that with tape, put it in the cut-off leg end and sewed top and bottom.  The plasTic bags has no doubt burst by now but the close-woven denim and my sewing has stopped any leaks.  It works well!

John

Yes all good stuff. Well if I see a guy walking around the MG and Triumph show with one leg missing on his jeans I’ll know who it is :lol:

The tree trunk has a two-fold benefit in that I can get away with putting it in the rear garden after use as my wife quite likes it as a natural ornament.

Kevin

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I have been challenged by indexing round bar  to mill or drill equally on on 4/6/8 sides.

Internet search found the Rose Index fixture which is phenomenally simple but expensive by the time we get it to England  https://www.lakeshorecarbide.com/rose-index.aspx

Here is how to Use and make one - My milling  facilities are not anywhere near suitable to achieve the results

So, as ever I approached it with a little help from my family.

My daughter has programmed it to 3D print and this is the result - certainly not to the accuracy of the Lake Shore Carbide companies product, but will get me out of a hole as required.  The discolouring is due to acetone washing after printing I am told.

 

3D Rose Indexers.jpg

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1 hour ago, BlueTR3A-5EKT said:

I have been challenged by indexing round bar  to mill or drill equally on on 4/6/8 sides.

Internet search found the Rose Index fixture which is phenomenally simple but expensive by the time we get it to England  https://www.lakeshorecarbide.com/rose-index.aspx

Here is how to Use and make one - My milling  facilities are not anywhere near suitable to achieve the results

So, as ever I approached it with a little help from my family.

My daughter has programmed it to 3D print and this is the result - certainly not to the accuracy of the Lake Shore Carbide companies product, but will get me out of a hole as required.  The discolouring is due to acetone washing after printing I am told.

 

3D Rose Indexers.jpg

The simple tools are always the best. Neat solution.

Stuart.

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2,3 and 4 Aircleaner Cleaning.

I made one of these.

Get a container of your chosen liquid cleaner.

Attach the 'thingy' to the aircleaner.

Spin in the cleaner, with your pistol drill. I also let the aircleaners soak over night.

Remove from the container, allow to drain and then spin in the drill until dry.

I was amazed how much crud came out of mine and how open the mesh now is.

Using this method ensures that any crud is thrown outwards.....the way it came in. 

20220209_153849.jpg

20220209_160917.jpg

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11 minutes ago, Dick said:

2,3 and 4 Aircleaner Cleaning.

I made one of these.

Get a container of your chosen liquid cleaner.

Attach the 'thingy' to the aircleaner.

Spin in the cleaner, with your pistol drill. I also let the aircleaners soak over night.

Remove from the container, allow to drain and then spin in the drill until dry.

I was amazed how much crud came out of mine and how open the mesh now is.

Using this method ensures that any crud is thrown outwards.....the way it came in. 

20220209_153849.jpg

20220209_160917.jpg

I want to replace my K&N filters now so I can make one and clean the old AC  filters.

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Hi everyone - just be very careful if your cleaning fluid is flammable and you use a drill close by, even a cordless one as any any spark from the motor could ignite the whole immediate area - I read of a guy who died when he was using a paint stirrer paddle in a tin of cellulose paint  - a spark from the motor of his cordless drill ignited the paint tin in a ball of flame which engulfed him and he died later of his burns

Be warned and be safe

Cheers Rich

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1 hour ago, Dick said:

2,3 and 4 Aircleaner Cleaning.

Brilliant!

I agree with the warnings that Rich gave. Probably best to do it outdoors.

Just the sort of thing I'd do. But you thought of it first !!!

I take my hat off to you.

Charlie.

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