Home build tools

[moggyman]

Apr 17, 2012 15:33:07 GMT Jonny69 said:

The only one I've got photos of is my spring de-archer, for lowering cars with leaf springs. You can either de-arch the leaves or flip the main leaf over and re-arch it the other way up. This isn't my design because I copied it from something I saw on the HAMB but Seth tells me it worked on his Hillman

Do you think this could be used to re-arch sagged springs, or would they need re-tempering as well?

[MrSpeedy]

I've lost track of the special tooling I've made over the years

These are some of the earliest I made when I was 16 and at college



Both the Die stock and Screw jack are still in daily use


Numerous sockets and sanners for limited access



Square head for old plugs



Engine stand made from scraps of steel and shopping trolley castors



Latest addition is this flare punch



Which does this



Also countless other jigs, fixtures and tooling for bending, shaping metal etc

[Dez]

ha, flare punches were gunna be my next post!

my collection at the mo-

there will be a 4th smaller one by the end of tomorrow too

some stuff i did do wiv em-












and theres an awful lot of other things i intend to violate with them yet

[MrSpeedy]

It becomes almost addictive doesn't it. I keep looking for things to 'lighten'! lol

[Deleted]

May 9, 2012 8:54:30 GMT moggyman said:

Do you think this could be used to re-arch sagged springs, or would they need re-tempering as well?

You could give it a go. It depends on the condition of the spring though. If they are corroded and have worn thin then this is probably why they are sagged.

[Clamity]

May 9, 2012 19:15:16 GMT Dez said:

ha, flare punches were gunna be my next post!

my collection at the mo-

Is there some sort of rule of thumb for thread size vs the thickness of metal you want to flare?

[Copey]

them flare punches are awesome!! would you be willing to make up a couple? and if so how much would you want?

thanks

Tom

[Dez]

May 10, 2012 12:10:32 GMT MrSpeedy said:

It becomes almost addictive doesn't it. I keep looking for things to 'lighten'! lol

it certainly does! almost everything round here ends up with holes in now.

May 10, 2012 14:57:26 GMT Clamity said:

May 9, 2012 19:15:16 GMT Dez said:

ha, flare punches were gunna be my next post!

my collection at the mo-

Is there some sort of rule of thumb for thread size vs the thickness of metal you want to flare?

not really, i just went through with whatever was to hand. mostly m12 i think, although tbh they need to be bigger and more importantly a finer thread for doing thicker stuff. to do anything over 18 gauge i need ot use a press, the bolts arent adiquate. fine thread = less force to pull em together. ile drill em out bigger once ive bought some appropriate bolts and taps, something like m16 super fine would be best i think, or 3/4"unf.

May 10, 2012 14:57:26 GMT Clamity said:

May 9, 2012 19:15:16 GMT Dez said:

ha, flare punches were gunna be my next post!

my collection at the mo-

Is there some sort of rule of thumb for thread size vs the thickness of metal you want to flare?

ile cost it out and drop you a PM. they're not a particularly cheap thing to make though when you factor how much time they take!

[claymore]

Not on the scale of you talanted lot, but.

[Copey]

Thanks very much Dez, really appreciate it

Claymore, that may have to be copied! Very clever!!

[fogey]

May 12, 2012 15:54:11 GMT claymore said:

Not on the scale of you talanted lot, but.

Does the job though, by the look of it.

[Deleted]

Just made a new one of these little folders, so I took the opportunity to grab a couple of snaps for anyone interested.

Shamelessly stole this idea from my dad ages ago......

These little things are great for folding up flanges on small repair sections, particularly if there are multiple flanges, or curves, that prevent you from doing it in the folder.

So, it's as simple as this: two pieces of flat bar, 3 or 4mm is fine. Small piece of sheet, slightly larger gauge than the sheet you're working with makes it easier to use.



Sandwich the three parts together, spacer sheet in centre should be shorter than the bar by the size you want your flanges to be (15mm on this one), bosh a few small welds on to hold it all together



Trim one end down to a narrower point - to make curves easier, then chamfer all the edges down and you're ready to go.....





Easy!

Curves may need a bit of dressing up with a dolly after to crisp them up a bit, but it's a quick and simple way to get the fold started.

Don't forget to make it look a bit nicer, so you don't sweep it up with the scrap and bin it!



Cheers, Joe.

[TurboDieselWeasel]

That'S a neat idea for a folder!

My latest: Merc clutch aligment pin... Made of old gearbox & Mini pilot bearing. Not special, but works very good.

[bortaf]

This is gonna be at the very, VERY other end of the spectrum from all the great tools posted so far ;D
Setting the scene, twas a warm summers eve (bowt 10 PM) and i'm down the yard doing an emergency top end rebuild on a vectra (cam belt snapped) for a guy who's off to france the next day .
Wrong parts and a S?H head (came with the car from the customer) that had more bent valves than the old head had set me back half a day so it was tight for time, hense 10PM and me still in the yard
Anyhoo discovery of the rubbish "new" head ment panic stations, i lost all me tools back in dec so evey job means buying tools i need but for this one i hadn't bought a valve spring compresor as it came with a perfect head (yeah right, note to self all customer are liers )
So using all the parts to had (which really isn't a lot as i've only been back in the yard 4 months and lost everything inc the boxes of shat you keep about the place "cos it will come in handy one day" )
So,, and you can laugh all you want,,, i made this traveller style

P'S differant head cos i didn't have a camera that eve



Screw hooks into the screw driver rack



old box spanner mullerd on the bench grinder



6 inch nail as a pivot and yes i did pull it out of a roof joist (i was that desperate) pushed through a hole in the top of the box spanner i drilled and obv the wood.



Hole sawed a hole for the box spanner sit in then reinforced it with some batten



Named (pat pending)



Note the gaffa tape handle "safety" grip , i was gutted i couldn't use a cable tie in it's construction but that will be written into the plans for the Mk2 ;D
Am i proud ? no
just glad i only got home at 2AM and he made it

[jrevillug]

^ Properly ingenious - excellent stuff. ;D

Sorry to hear about your tools though - that sucks.

[tickman]

Jun 19, 2012 21:51:36 GMT bortaf said:

This is gonna be at the very, VERY other end of the spectrum from all the great tools posted so far ;D

I beg to differ, especially the nail from the roof

Hope the roof didn't need it too much!

John

[bortaf]

Jun 20, 2012 7:12:27 GMT tickman said:

Jun 19, 2012 21:51:36 GMT bortaf said:

This is gonna be at the very, VERY other end of the spectrum from all the great tools posted so far ;D

I beg to differ, especially the nail from the roof

Hope the roof didn't need it too much!

John

Na,,,,


probably not,,,,,,,,


(rushes off to check it's still above the walls)

[jrevillug]

[quote author=bortaf board=general thread=127635 post=1604208 time=1340192389(rushes off to check it's still above the walls) [/quote]

;D

[grumpybadger]

I made a tool for fitting trim clips in the midget door,


Just requires a bit of tape


Not exactly made but adapted spanner for fitting the frontline suspension arms to the midget


And the jig for welding the shell




It's funny looking at those hole flares, when I had my lathe I could never find anything to make on it.
Now it's gone barely a week goes by with out a new idea.