Home made workshop tools

Compared to many on here I'm a hack. My two offerings are certainly not original, nor are they particularly well-executed, but they do work exceptionally well. I forgot how good this thread is, so reread the whole damn thing this afternoon.

I'm sure many of you oldtimers have made these same tools, but they're not in this thread, so maybe they'll give a new guy an idea or two.

First up is a clutch hub holder - very helpful for removing the clutch hub nut on a Harley four-speed if you don't have access to air tools. Someone chucked an old nail stake in my yard, so I repurposed it and welded it to a clutch friction disc. Just put the long end against the ground or the bike lift, and crank away on the nut to your heart's content - no spinning!



Item two is a sprocket socket. This is not as good as one of the ones from Jim's because it doesn't get sandwiched up against the sprocket, but it still works pretty dang good, and it's cheap. I split a cheapy 1 7/8" socket, and my buddy TIGged in a piece of pipe he had to extend it. (Stainless pipe and TIG welding. The labor is worth more than the socket!)



I also have a jig I use to work on four-speeds. I copied a buddy's pattern, just a big lump of steel welded to the bottom of an old trans plate. Bolt the trans to the plate, then chuck the whole mess into a vise so you can reef on it like a gorilla.

also one of the most interesting threads here for me,...
I took GovMule84's idea and made me a clutch hub locking tool, I didn't have an old clutch plate but did have an old pressure plate not doing anything so I cut the centre out with a Dremmel to clear the socket needed for the hub nut,..... works a treat GovMule, thanks for the idea....

Ok, I'll play again. I think my last submission was a number of years back on this thread.

Guesses welcome (don't look at the file names in the URL). I made all of these tools, most a decade or more ago when I was doing a lot of engine building. Some are just bodged together ways to get a particular task done. Others took some planning and a bit of work. The dark finish on some is from when I was trying to teach myself heat treating and blueing.

#1 - For pans and shovels


#2 - Also for pans and shovels


#3 - For pans and shovels. This one took some time to make. The commercial version is quite expensive if you can find one. Also the first time I ever made a tapered tap.


#4 - For BSA unit twin engine. Had a job to get done with the lathe. Ideally would have used a surface grinder.


#5 - Primarily for pans and shovels but can be used in other places. I thought I was pretty slick when I made this one. Works OK, but not great. Worth keeping. Maybe someday I'll buy the real one or make another with what I learned from this one.


#6 - Pan and shovel engines. I have another just like it for Triumph unit twins. Simple design. I've used it countless times.


#7 - Pan and shovel engines. Simple tool for a simple job . . . in a critical application. Took five minutes to make.


#8 - I've forgotten what I even made this for. I was pissed off at JIMS for some sub-par tool I had just wasted money on and signed it in their style for a laugh when someone asked me why I didn't just get the JIMS version.



Jason

Cannot get much more basic than these, but they've served me well since the early seventies -- especially the one made from a three-square.

^^^^ Nice machinist scrapers. Handy.

Last summer at Bonneville, my buddy and I replaced a set of cases under the tent and clearanced the cases for the big ass cam using a bent screwdriver sharpened to a razor edge . . . much like one of those scrapers. Ours obviously was softer, but it was for aluminum casting.

Key to the tools I listed above . . .

#1 - Hydraulic drum shoe adjuster for Harley. Part that protrudes from the plate is 3/8" square. I just welded two sockets together face to face.

#2 - Harley compensator sprocket socket. Got tired of the other hokey means I had been using. That's a flame cut disc from an I-beam I found in the scrap pile. Drilled and installed two grade 8 screws in the pin positions and welded a 1/2" drive socket on. If you don't already know (well, I guess Sears is pretty much done) Sears used to have barrels of mismatch and return sockets for $1 a piece.

#3 - A blind bushing remover for the pinion bushings in Harley timing cases. I made that tap to fit right into the normal size hole and just start to bite. You tap until fully bit then put a sleeve over it and use a nut on the threaded end to draw it out. First tap I ever made. I made the flutes with an end mill and sharpened with a stone. Works great.

#4 - I find myself needing to change the thickness of thrust washers sometimes and I don't have a surface grinder. I have a bunch of as-needed arbors to hold them so I can cut or grind on the lathe. I think this one was for a crank thrust washer on my unit BSA twin.

#5 - Split collar Timken race remover. Fits Harley left case Timken bearing outer races. The split collar will fit with the lip *behind* the race. When you install the drift it expands the collar so you can drive out the race with a hammer. This is a little wonky, but works. Much thicker collars would have had made it more stable to use. Oh well. A good try.

#6 - Wrist pin bushing remover and installer. I have a couple different inner arbors to fit various Harley BT, sporster, Triumph, and BSA wrist pins. This tool rules and puts zero stress on the con rods. I've used it a ton.

#7 - Oil seal installer for Harley big twin oil pumps. Installs seal square and to correct depth when tool shoulder lands home against pump body. JIMS wanted something like $80 for this. Took me 5 mins on the lathe with a piece of scrap rod.

#8 - Pretty sure it's an oil seal or o-ring installer. Can't remember it was so long ago. Crappy black pipe tool that got the job done just fine.

That's it for this installment. Thanks for playing.

Jason

Ugly, effective "on the bike" fork spring compressor from a caulking gun.

Got a set of Progressive springs with spacers for my FXR and in a fit of exasperation sliced and expanded an old caulking gun to compress the buggers. Worked well on 39mm forks and the next set of larger forks I have to fight I'll cut the ring off another gun, weld studs to the lengthwise straps and use them to secure a suitable collar, or just tack a washer to each strap then run a short piece of paracord between then under the top triple clamp.

I spread the straps to clear the top triple clamp. Caulking guns are flexible and where to slice and yank will be obvious when ya hold the caulking gun next to your forks.

U-shaped collar (make by cutting the stock circular collar with a zip disk) fits under the top triple clamp. Then ya place your spacer, fork tube cap, socket and ratchet (preferably one with a flat top for the caulking gun plunger to rest on) and squirt the cap downwards by pulling the trigger until it centers. Start threads then take it the rest of the way with the ratchet.

Tool must be held with one hand to keep it straight and I couldn't do that and take a photo at the same time, but pic gets the idea across.

why not make a set of starter rollers like these, a buddy made them for me & didn't cost much, biggest cost was 8 bearings, 2 on each end, the rest was old scrap iron.....they worked well....