Quill nut socket wrench

[Frank S]

The quill bearings on my very old ENCO bench mill decided to fail.
Causing me to have to make a 4 prong socket to remove the bearing nuts

[NortonDommi]

I have a whole pile of special tools I have made up over the years for particular jobs - all stashed away in the 'safe place'.
Someday someone is going to find a pile of stuff that looks like it was made for something......

[DIYer]

Thanks Frank S! We've added your Quill Nut Wrench to our Fastening category,
as well as to your builder page: Frank S's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Quill Nut Wrench by Frank S

tags: wrench, hand tools

[Frank S]

I have a whole pile of special tools I have made up over the years for particular jobs - all stashed away in the 'safe place'.
Someday someone is going to find a pile of stuff that looks like it was made for something......

Ain't that the truth.
So many tools are made then used only once but we stash them away thinking someday we may need them again Or forget we have them and make another.
One time I walked into a machine/ fabrication shop the guys there were busy making some special fixture, while me and the owner were touring his back room looking for something else I spied something that looked almost exactly like what the guys were making, so I pointed it out toe the owner who cut loose a very lengthy string of expletives' then yelled at the group making the fixture Told them what we had found then commenced to berate all of them for not even looking in the store room before starting in making the fixture. As it turned out they only needed to replace 2 drill bushings out of the 30 or so in the fixture to make it fit the current project. He said he thought the current parts run looked familiar but it had been 20 some years since they had done a run of those parts. No telling how much money was saved as they were only in the layout stage on the new fixture

[metric_taper]

I replaced the ABEC7 angular contact pair a few summers ago on my Wells-Index mill. There is no zerk or any other access to lubricate them once installed in the spindle.
I was able to procure new old stock of the original New Departure bearings from Bearing Locator. And not too bad a price.
I made some tools to support the spindle to press the bearings off and on.

[bruce.desertrat]

Ain't that the truth.
So many tools are made then used only once but we stash them away thinking someday we may need them again Or forget we have them and make another.

It's supremely annoying every time I've done that. Worse, when I know I've made one but can't find it, only to find it sitting in front of my nose ten minutes after completing the second one...

[Toolmaker51]

Ain't that the truth.
So many tools are made then used only once but we stash them away......<snipped>.... something that looked almost exactly like what the guys were making, so I pointed it out toe the owner who cut loose a very lengthy string of expletives' then yelled at the group making the fixture Told them what we had found then commenced to berate all of them for not even looking in the store room before starting in making the fixture.

I recall an event like that. My immediate response was "then why is there no list or P/N's stamped to identify it?"
No one volunteered that undertaking, so I did. That's when I came up with my favorite inventory method - using excel - and hovering cursor over part number opens a little thumbnail of part, hover the location thumbnails the fixture.

[Frank S]

It's supremely annoying every time I've done that. Worse, when I know I've made one but can't find it, only to find it sitting in front of my nose ten minutes after completing the second one...

There is a natural phenonium associated with tool disappearance and reappearances.
You see many of us are plagued with portals into alternate or parallel realities. We can lay something on a flat surface then turn our backs and have the item cease to exist in out universe. Especially if it happens to be shinny, painted any color, I haven't quite figured out what actual shade any color is, or rusty, broken or just recently removed from an assembly. You may even subconsciously notice it disappearing in the farthest extremes of your peripheral vision, this area is where the wee people reside who are attracted to said descriptive items they will frequently leave something in its stead as part of the game they like to play. Usually they will return the item at some later date in time when you least expect it or have moved on and forgotten all about it. I have on occasion almost managed to capture one of them or very likely one of their proxies recruited as a partner in the crime. Once it was a large rat another time one of my dogs. back when I had an office and a lab it was the night woman or man who came in to straighten up and clean my desk or work area.

[Toolmaker51]

Good News fellow mechanics! There's a bunch of them!!
https://www.google.com/search?client...ng+Locator.com

[Philip Davies]

I possess one of those tools, thanks Frank, I did not know what it was.
My wife summoned me to the phone, while I was using my Stanley knife. When I got back to the bench I could not find it. Missus came out when she’d finished on phone and, while she was telling me about it, I was still looking for it. I thought I caught a glimpse of it, but assumed I was mistaken. About an hour later, I realised I HAD seen it, but not PERCEIVED it, it was right there, on the floor where the illusion occurred.