keefio

[Keefio]

Hi everyone, I regularly check in to see the latest ideas on HomemadeTools and always find it inspiring. I have recently come into possession of a couple of linear actuators from an old electric bed and I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions about project ideas?

[kbalch]

Hi Keefio,

Welcome!

What sort of homemade tools do you find most interesting?

I don't have any ideas, myself, for the linear actuators, though I'll be watching with interest to see what sort of suggestions you receive.

Ken

[C-Bag]

Welcome,

I have a hard time even picturing what these actuators look like or how they function. Pix always help. There's a bunch of us junkyard dogs here but sometimes we need a little help to join in.

Without knowing enough to be truly helpful the first thing that comes to mind is using the frame and actuators to make a lift table. I have HFT hydraulic lift table in my shop that mostly I use as a portable workbench/welding table. I have the scissors blocked so the hydraulics aren't under pressure all the time. But you can't believe how handy a work surface that can be adjusted to any height is. And being able to lift and transfer really heavy items safely is more and more paramount as I get older and wiser.

[Keefio]

Hi Keefio,

Welcome!

What sort of homemade tools do you find most interesting?

I don't have any ideas, myself, for the linear actuators, though I'll be watching with interest to see what sort of suggestions you receive.

Ken

Hi Ken, I'm most interested in tools I can make out of salvaged or recycled parts as I'm short on funds but have quite a bit of spare time. Finding ways to re-use things in a different way can be challenging and satisfying.
Cheers,
Keefio

[Keefio]

Hi C-Bag, I suppose a linear actuator is basically an electric version of a hydraulic ram, just a lot lighter duty and with fewer moving parts. They are used in so many mass produced machines nowadays, from small (such as dvd drives and printers) to more robust ones in electric lift chairs, beds etc. It seems such a shame to just discard these things when the original machine they are a part of is no longer needed. I like your idea of a lift table or maybe a variable height workbench, anything to save strain on the muscles must be a good idea.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_actuator

[C-Bag]

I appreciate the wiki but I was hoping to see exactly what you had.

I also take parts of machines to make other tools or machines. That's partially what this site is all about. Some folks make from scratch, I scavenge and adapt.

I've not seen exactly how the mechanism of a hospital bed works whether it's electro mechanical like a screw mechanism or purely hydraulic. And I'm sure depending on the age and the maker it can be any of those things. So that's why I was hoping for a pic. It also helps for future reference because like treadmills they aren't exactly something that would necessarily be on somebodies radar. But when you see how many are out there for little or nothing and how many useful mechanisms there are on them they suddenly become a resource. And I'm not just talking about the dc motor drives, but the drums, bearings and screw action lift/tilt assemblies. And I owe the fellow denizens here a tip of the hat to bring them to my attention.

This site is the best for getting info on this kind of scavenging/repurposing. And every area has it's excess of such stuff. There is a lot of older and retired folks here so Craigslist has lots of treadmills and I'll add hospital beds to my daily perusal of "affordable" material. Like anything it helps to know what is the good stuff and the junk, that's why I was asking about specifics on the mechanicals.