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Home made workshop tools

1M views 362 replies 161 participants last post by  richbob 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Just wanted to see what kind of homemade tools and stuff you guys have... I've already heard of a few.

One guy said a washing machine motor for a buffer.

Also saw a drill in a vice and a grinder become a lathe.

What else ya'll got?
 
#174 ·
It's a fender radius gauge, for measuring the radius of fenders from the inside. Saves on math. It's designed on a computer and cut with a laser that cuts shells for cutting dies. This was my prototype, and is really twice as large as it needs to be. I changed jobs before I got a chance to make a second, smaller one. Note that the '70s FX/XL front fender had a radius of 14 1/4".



 
#177 ·
M. O. Ther's radius gauge is absolutely slick.

Speaking of radii,
heres the radius-cutting toolpost I just conjured from scraps, so I could cut domed friction washers to fix carbs like on the bike at the top of the page.

....Cotten
thats cool,but can you elaborate that for a dumbass swede :eek::eek::eek:
 
#187 ·
I was reminded of this when reading Fab Kevin's article in "The Horse" about turning front Fatboy wheels into rears. He was starting his tapped holes in the drill press.

This is a tap wrench that fits on to the drill chuck. The allen screw snugs into one of the chuck key's holes. It works pretty good, and insures that the threaded holes are straight and perpendicular to whatever is resting on the drill press table.

I can't take credit for the idea. This was in a book of projects we had to choose from when I took a junior college machine shop course 20+ years ago. We had to complete a project from the book before we could do anything with our own stuff. I figured I'd make something that I could actually use.



 
#194 ·
I was reminded of this when reading Fab Kevin's article in "The Horse" about turning front Fatboy wheels into rears. He was starting his tapped holes in the drill press.

This is a tap wrench that fits on to the drill chuck. The allen screw snugs into one of the chuck key's holes. It works pretty good, and insures that the threaded holes are straight and perpendicular to whatever is resting on the drill press table.
I keep meaning to make one of these. I always forget until I need to tap a hole.
 
#189 ·
I had some time to kill at work and decided to make a tunnel roller for an upcoming gas tank build. I can take my tunnel, throw it in the brake for my 90°'s and everything will be nice and professional looking, not caveman style.
It breaks down and assembles easily. Slide it together and C-clamp it to the bench. I machined some slugs for the rollers, everything else was done with a grinder and a little tig'n. Makes a nice bend. It's pretty self explanatory, just look at the pictures.
I got this idea from Special '79's YouTube channel. Look him up, he's got some great videos posted.






 
#199 ·
Here is a tool that I made to get these vintage starburst caps off, since they always seem to be too close to the gas tank to use a typical large allen wrench.

It is just a 5/16" bolt cut off and welded to a piece steel tubing at a slight offset.



 
#200 · (Edited)
There's some great ideas in this thread for sure. Here's a few things I made a couple years back when I was trying to get my shop a little more put together. Nothing special, but they make working in my shop more enjoyable and they get used everyday.

Good sized fabrication table. Perfectly square, 2x2" with 1/8" wall square tubing frame with 1/4" shelves. My welder fits perfectly in the little nook underneath on the cart that I made for it (and no, the little red stool isn't my welding cart!).
 
#202 ·
Got tired of tripping over an old heavy diamond plate man hole cover I had in my shop so I cut it up and with some free 1/4" wall square tubing I made a nice super heavy duty stand for my Baldor grinder/belt sander/polisher. Only took a couple hours to make and paint with POR-15 and it's been a life saver.
 
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