Free 186 More Best Homemade Tools eBook:  
Get tool plans

User Tag List

Results 1 to 4 of 4

Thread: Shop gadgets

  1. #1
    Supporting Member mklotz's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Location
    LA, CA, USA
    Posts
    3,527
    Thanks
    362
    Thanked 6,559 Times in 2,161 Posts

    mklotz's Tools

    Shop gadgets

    Like many of us, I stick small tools in holes bored in a block of wood. However, this doesn't work well with certain tools. For instance, it's hard to select the right jeweler screwdriver if you can't see the tips. So I made this holder out of some well-aged boxwood I had lying around.





    The turned recess exposes the tips of the tools for selection yet the whole block can be picked up as a unit without having tools fall out.


    Commercial chuck spiders can be expensive. I made this one




    for machining thin disk-like parts. The slots allow it to slip over the jaws and the spacers (two sets shown) hold it (and the part) a fixed distance from the chuck face with good support for machining.



    I'm not sure where I acquired a whole bagful of brass key disks but, never needing so many, I took some of them and made this adjustable spacer by stringing them on a screw which is soldered to the bottommost disk. A finger nut tensions the disks on the screw.



    In use, one simply swings aside the unneeded portion of the spacer to provide the right height stack under the clamp.



    Finally, if your chuck is hard to remove, make yourself a "banjo" wrench from 3/4" plywood.



    The slots fit over the chuck jaws and distribute the force on all three jaws - much superior in my mind to using a crescent wrench on one jaw or slamming a jaw into a block of wood on the ways.

    186 More Best Homemade Tools eBook
    Last edited by mklotz; Jul 6, 2017 at 09:45 AM.
    ---
    Regards, Marv

    Failure is just success in progress
    That looks about right - Mediocrates

  2. The Following 12 Users Say Thank You to mklotz For This Useful Post:

    albertq (Jul 29, 2024), baja (May 20, 2022), emu roo (Jul 29, 2024), HobieDave (Mar 11, 2020), Home-PC (Aug 4, 2020), kbalch (Aug 31, 2015), Moby Duck (Jan 21, 2017), PJs (Sep 2, 2015), RetiredFAE (May 19, 2022), rlm98253 (May 19, 2022), Tonyg (May 2, 2020), Tule (May 2, 2020)

  3. #2
    kbalch's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Clermont, FL
    Posts
    5,034
    Thanks
    2,275
    Thanked 532 Times in 384 Posts
    Thanks mklotz! I've added your Screwdriver Storage Carousel, Chuck Spider, Chuck Jaw Wrench, and Brass Spacer to, respectively, our Storage and Organization, Lathe Accessories, and Miscellaneous categories, as well as to your builder page: mklotz's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:


    2,000+ Tool Plans

  4. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to kbalch For This Useful Post:

    rlm98253 (Mar 15, 2017), soundguy (Jul 25, 2020)

  5. #3
    PJs
    PJs is offline
    Supporting Member PJs's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    Northern CA
    Posts
    1,844
    Thanks
    8,431
    Thanked 1,129 Times in 725 Posts

    PJs's Tools
    All Great builds Marv! Particularly like the spacer height clamp for the finger plate...simple & elegant! Thanks for all these Posts...all wonderful, useful ideas! Thanks for sharing! ~PJ
    ‘‘Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.’’
    Mark Twain

  6. #4
    Supporting Member Bony's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2015
    Location
    Tasmania, Australia
    Posts
    381
    Thanks
    63
    Thanked 184 Times in 66 Posts

    Bony's Tools
    The key disks as as a variable thickness spacer is a great idea Marv. Thanks, I have a stack of 50mm round discs punched out of sheet steel that have been waiting around for 30 years for a suitable useful application.



    2,000+ Tool Plans

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •