Home made handee tool

[Frank S]

well I never eat Asian food but I do keep chop sticks kabob skewers and even save Ice cream sticks and corny dog sticks well in my case they are more along the lines of a Kielbasa stick. all of these have innumerable uses which can if need be made into 1 time use special tools where sometimes it seems that nothing else would work
A few years ago the wife and I were planning on a back pack camping trip so I grabbed a hand full of well dried ice cream sticks some canning wax news paper a can of powdered coffee creamer, and made filings out of a couple of magnesium welding rods I melted the wax stired in the filings then dipped the sticks then wrapped them in the news paper and dipped them again I did this until I had several layers I let them dry then on our way through town I stopped at a pharmacy and bought a box of unlubed trogens She asked me if at my age I was expecting to find a girlfriend along the way
I just laughed and said you can only wish. I then dipped the sticks in the coffee creamer and rolled the condoms over each one
She was still perplexed with what I had done until it came time to start a camp fire

[Jon]

Congratulations olderdan - your Handee Tool is the Homemade Tool of the Week!

This is an interesting win. It helps to have a lot of Thanks votes, which this tool did, especially when those votes are from respected members of this community. When this week's tools are taken out of context, there is a strong argument to be made for jjr2001's very useful Lathe DRO from Digital Caliper, or rossbotics's excellent Lathe Tool Height Gauge with drawings.

However, after careful consideration, this tool wins on the process - rimshot9 posted here with details on how he is selling this tool online (still not exactly sure if he's the inventor, builder, or purveyor). On other forums, such a post would result in taunts of "spammer" (he's not a spammer), or calls to ban him (not justified). I know this from personal experience; I've posted on hundreds of DIY forums (most of the 350+ that link to us), and I've seen this scenario play out many times. The culturally savvy move in this case is to simply build that same tool and post it. No drama, no negativity - just build the tool and post it for everyone to see.

This is akin to what's known as "sight reading" among musicians - seeing a musical piece for the first time and playing it. The same behavior is called "flashing" among rock climbers. I'm sure there are names for it in other pursuits; it ties into the Italian concept of a prima vista - "at first sight". Many of us have seen this tool before, perhaps olderdan too, but the behavior of seeing someone walk into a forum and post a commercial tool, and then posting the homemade version, is clearly admirable.

Monologue aside, another excellent week. Some nice picks: a Tool Holder by Christophe Mineau, a Classic Workbench by Carlos B, a Bandsaw Support Post by bobs409, a Lathe DRO by jjr2001, a Lathe Tool Height Gauge by rossbotics, and Table Saw Wheels by Christophe Mineau. Also, these Load Rollers by Frank S reminded me of the classic "backyard Stonehenge" video, in which retired construction worker Wally Wallington demonstrates how ancient megaliths could have been built with simple but clever strategies for moving massive stones.

olderdan - you'll be receiving a $25 online gift card, in your choice of Amazon, PayPal, or bitcoin. Please PM me your current email address and gift card choice and I'll get it sent over right away.

More importantly, this is your 5th Homemade Tool of the Week win! I've just added the silver wrench-on-pedestal graphic to the awards showcase in your postbit, visible underneath your avatar.

Great job, and you're in excellent company joining these other 5-time winners: rossbotics, Christophe Mineau, Brendon, mklotz, Vyacheslav.Nevolya, and tonyfoale.

Here are all of your winning tools:

Tool Sharpener by olderdan

tags: grinder, sharpening, dial indicator

Lathe Milling Table by olderdan

tags: milling, lathe, table

Dividing Indent Tool by olderdan

tags: measurement, divider

Gantry Type Milling Attachment by olderdan

tags: milling

Handee Tool by olderdan

tags: hand tools

[Frank S]

Congratulation Olderdan, I think the tool of the week choice was a good one I know it is often really hard to make the selection. It also goes to prove to others thsat it is not always the most complex tool which is selected either and I feel that that thought process of the powers that be is a real tribute to the reason that HMT.net is so successful among like minded folks
However I did especially like your lathe milling table the addition of a removable collet chuck or a collet holder chucked up in the 3 or 4 jaw would be the cat's paw to a scratching post.

[olderdan]

Thanks Frank for your kind comments, I do in fact use an No 3 MT ER20 collet holder which I posted a while ago, I regret posting a posed photo of an end mill in the 3 jaw.
Regards
Olderdan

[rossbotics]

Great win buddy, Love all your tools
wish you many more

[Moby Duck]

well I never eat Asian food but I do keep chop sticks kabob skewers and even save Ice cream sticks and corny dog sticks well in my case they are more along the lines of a Kielbasa stick. all of these have innumerable uses which can if need be made into 1 time use special tools where sometimes it seems that nothing else would work
A few years ago the wife and I were planning on a back pack camping trip so I grabbed a hand full of well dried ice cream sticks some canning wax news paper a can of powdered coffee creamer, and made filings out of a couple of magnesium welding rods I melted the wax stired in the filings then dipped the sticks then wrapped them in the news paper and dipped them again I did this until I had several layers I let them dry then on our way through town I stopped at a pharmacy and bought a box of unlubed trogens She asked me if at my age I was expecting to find a girlfriend along the way
I just laughed and said you can only wish. I then dipped the sticks in the coffee creamer and rolled the condoms over each one
She was still perplexed with what I had done until it came time to start a camp fire

Great idea for the fire lighters Frank but there are a couple of things that I don't understand with your ingredients. (These are genuine questions and not an attempt to put down your creation which I am sure worked well with the wood, paper, wax, rubber content alone).
Question 1: Almost pure Magnesium burns readily but what you are calling "Magnesium" welding rods surely don't burn or they would ignite during the welding process, which is much hotter than a camp fire if it is being either Gas or Arc/Mig/Tig welded.
Question 2: How does Powdered Coffee Creamer help the combustion process? I am assuming that it is "non fat" which is why people use it, and that if you drop a lighted match into a can of it that it will not ignite.

[Paul Jones]

Congratulation Olderdan,
I love seeing your tools and all the discussions. Looking forward to seeing more of your tool creations.
Regards,
Paul

[Frank S]

Moby dick, the magnesium rods such as AZ 61 are basically 93% magnesium or thereabouts since there are several trace elements in the 6% aluminum along with 1% zinc used as stabilizers so yes the fine filings while not a source of self generating combustion when combined with other materials such as the wood paper and paraffin the combustion process creates a more intense heat. Phosphorus for instance would by far be a preferable combustion-able material however accidental ignition could prove very dangerous. some powdered drain cleaners when mixed with other chemicals can be extremely flammable but I wasn't wanting to make something to be packed into a length of iron pipe If you know what I mean.
the Coffee creamer was from a container I had filled with those little truck stop packages of creamer like the ones that could be found even at Waffle house several years ago. so no they were not non fat just non dairy
Often some of us guys would sit around when we saw someone using them we would demonstrate what they were actually made of by holding a lighted match to the powder it would flare up and burn The condoms were merely a means to keep the contents dry and contained.
Steel wool has been used by boy scouts to assist in starting a camp fire for 100 years there are many substances in almost every house hold which can aid in making a survival fire when good dry fine tender can not be found
But this is a hijack to the thread

[Toolmaker51]

If you're not confident wielding chopsticks, get a couple of chipstick helpers...

https://www.amazon.com/Inteliventor-...27s+chopsticks

which will allow you to make your chopsticks work like conventional forceps.

News flash. Item offered is price each.
Oh, they're only chopstick attachment"helpers".
I thought $4.99 way too reasonable for unattached redheaded helper with chopsticks pictured in the ad....You know; "Open the barn door..."

[Frank S]

News flash. Item offered is price each.
Oh, they're only chopstick attachment"helpers".
I thought $4.99 way too reasonable for unattached redheaded helper with chopsticks pictured in the ad....You know; "Open the barn door..."

You mean she doesn't arrive to give me personal instructions I'm devastated. Oh well my wife probably wouldn't approve anyway.