Uses for Magnets

[rgsparber]

Couldn't ask for an easier way to get the caliper on and off the lathe. Well done!

Rick

[rgsparber]

I have one of those little round magnets on the top of my drill press, holds the chuck key right there.

A good source of scary strong magnets is old computer hard drives. They're fiddly to disassemble (but you then have a large collection of nice little 4-40 torx 8 screws as well) buy they're very strong and come conveniently (or inconveniently, depending on your needs) attached to a sturdy steel back with pre-drilled mounting holes. The best come out of old 3½" SCSI server grade drives. One I have in our kitchen holds about 30 pages of recipes to the fridge. attached are common examples.from a 2¼" laptop drive, some consumer grade drives and the thick ones are some of those server SCSI drives. You most definitely don't want those bigger ones tocome together at any speed, they shatter into a billion highly magnetic, razor-sharp shards.

I have a few of these wonderful magnets and, yes, they are scary strong. I've gotten a few blood blisters getting in their way.

Have you seen the largest neodynium magnet that K & J sells? It warns people not to buy it unless they really know what they are doing. The 4 inch cube comes in this very thick walled wood box so it doesn't fix itself to the floor of the delivery truck.

Rick

[rgsparber]

Removing coin batteries from devices like calipers can be tricky. Prying out with a metal tool risks shorting the battery and any prying tool risks damaging the delicate battery contacts or the circuit board. The solution is to glue a small magnet to the end of a pencil-sized dowel. The battery cases are steel so the magnet will easily pull the battery straight out without bending contacts. Use the same tool to install new batteries. Once in place, hold the battery down with the end of a chop stick while pulling the magnet away.

Save this tool you've constructed. Put a pencil clip on it and stick it in your pocket next time you go to the big box store to buy "brass" screws or other hardware. You might be surprised at how much magnetic brass is being mined in China.

These rectangular block-shaped magnets from HF...

https://www.harborfreight.com/2-piec...cks-98406.html

are also very useful.

When making models or prototypes from cardboard, thin wood or plastic they can be used to make an assembly tool. Cover a sheet of steel with wax paper so the glue doesn't stick. Then use the magnets as clamps to hold down the construction material as it dries. With the rectangular block magnets it's easy to build vertical "walls" to use to form right angle constructions. (Alternatively, if you have an angle plate, use that.) The magnets can be waxed with floor wax to prevent glue from adhering to them.

One of these magnets slipped into a shirt pocket can serve as a poor man's version of my shop bracelet...

http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/shop-bracelet-70090

If installing or removing something up on a ladder, the required small hardware (screws, washers, nuts) can be stuck to the outside of the pocket where they are immediately to hand when needed. With a little thought you'll think of other situations where this trick can be helpful.

Many battery-operated tools such as electric drills and screwdrivers have permanent magnet motors. Often enough magnetic attraction reaches through the plastic case such that one of these block magnets will stick to the exterior of the case where it can be used to hold driver points, drills and the like.

My grandson dropped a tiny (about #1 size) screw from a toy into the carpet in the family room. We glued three of the block magnets to a freebie paint-stirrer stick and made a magnetic "broom". He retrieved the screw along with two straight pins and three bearing balls from a failing roller on one of the dining chairs. (I'm betting that that chair shows up on my honeydo list very soon.)

Thanks Marv. Great ideas as usual.

Rick

[mklotz]

Those hard disk magnets are probably strong enough to drive a through-the-glass motion transmission device.

Jon showed an example of a magnetic system for washing the outside of glass windows that can't be reached manually. Maybe a device to clear bug smears from the windshield without leaving the car?

A rotary motion transmission could drive a moving display item inside an aquarium without the need to penetrate the glass/plastic.

Laboratories use a stirring system for sealed flasks that consists of a magnet immersed in the fluid rotated by an external field generated in the heating platform on which the flask is placed. I'm not sure how the rotating field is generated; could be done electrically or via a magnet rotated by a motor.

[bruce.desertrat]

The hotplate/stirrers (at least the very common Corning ones) are simply bar magnets attached to a little dc motor; I used them for years in my previous career in chemistry.

[mklotz]

Then there's the whole world of magnetic gears.

An introduction to the subject...

https://hackaday.com/2016/08/15/ask-...ears-good-for/

Because magnetic gears are not in physical contact friction is negligible so they are favored by clockmakers. Here are some examples...

Bob Mackay - Magnetic Clock

and, for more detail, a build thread of the clock that was featured in Digital Machinist magazine...

http://www.modelenginemaker.com/index.php?topic=3262.0

[mklotz]

Hidden latches with nothing showing on the exterior are fun to design for small boxes such as jewelery or keepsake containers. The "key" is a magnet used to move a steel pin inside the box, thus freeing the lid.

[DIYer]

Thanks bobneumann! We've added your Lathe Carriage DRO to our Lathe Accessories category,
as well as to your builder page: bobneumann's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Lathe Carriage DRO by bobneumann

tags: DRO

[Redwoods]

Magnets from hard drives in various uses in the house and garage. I have a stack of drives from which to retrieve the magnets.

Tool board, Metal door hook in garage, Pruning shear holder, Chisels on basement joist, Hammer on garage stud, Chisels on garage wall, Curtain on metal door, Cord keeper on table saw, Clothes hook on basement duct work, Clamps on basement joist.

[DIYer]

Thanks Redwoods! We've added your Magnetic Tool Board to our Storage and Organization category,
as well as to your builder page: Redwoods's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Magnetic Tool Board by Redwoods

tags: magnet, hand tools, holder