Tool Talk

[petepilot]

gift from a dealer about 40 yrs ago

 

[Vetech63]

gift from a dealer about 40 yrs agoView attachment 217107

Where’s the dirt and grease?

 

[petepilot]

Where’s the dirt and grease?

never had anything fancy enough to justify getting em dirty

 

[Flat Thunder Channel]

+

I designed and built this 4 station 18V ni-cad battery charger for Dewalt cordless tools. It mimics the bottom of the tool and four batteries can be installed. When they are installed they clip on the charger in the same fashion they clip on the tools. It has two separate cooling fans to draw air in through the holes on the ends and force it out the radial slots in between the batteries. My dad was a handyman and I noticed when he helped me work things he wood drag out a mess of 3-4 different single base battery chargers. I said he needs a four station charger with a single plug that can handle the abuse of a traveling handyman. I looked for a unit you could purchase, but they were not offered. I machined this out of solid aluminum and was proud to offer it as Christmas gift to him. Unfortunately it was belated a couple months because it took me a little longer than anticipated to machine all the components (delivered May or June 2016). He still uses it to this day, but it has since retired as a full time handyman. It still works great! The pictures were taken when I first completed it. Since the photos i added a heavy duty yellow coiled cord (its like a slinky) with a heavy duty plug. This was my most complicated custom tool by far. If I were to design and build this unit at my old job it would have been a $5000 plus unit. I hope you like it. I forgot about it until I was looking around in the garage for my custom tools. I will add a few other small items in a later post.

 

[Flat Thunder Channel]

Items pictured in the image:
-Wilton hitch receiver vice (awesome unit) plan on doing a video review / bench bracket install someday
-Stir stick used to stir drywall compound and mortar
-Custom offest 1 1/8" combo wrench
-Custom offset 7/19" combo wrench
-A cork used to find TDC / compression stroke
-6mm & 7mm deep well sockets turned down
-7/16" 12 point socket shortened
-Alpha one hinge pin socket (purchased)
-Armstrong 3/8" ratchet (I found this on the road riding my bicycle when i was 12)
-3/8" short extension drilled out for shift cable install on Alpha 1 outdrive
-Maxwell house coffee can wired with a switch and fuse on top, it has a switching relay and a 1157 light bulb inside. It has 4 alligator clips. One set clips on the battery source. The other set is the switched set. When the cables are attached to the source battery and getting power the light inside is illuminated. It lets you know it is getting power. The second set is used to manually energize components for testing. I got tired of draping long runs of wires on cars or whatever I was testing. Plus you would get poor results if one of the leads has a bad connection. This homemade test unit lets you know visually if everything is connected to the source, is safely fused and provides a switch. It sure beats quickly rubbing a stray wire on something, hoping it stayed connected, and does not melt anything.

 

[Flat Thunder Channel]

Items pictured in the image:
-Fluke infared thermometer
-Fluke safety circuit testor
-Anometer (going to use to adjust all my duct work / heater vent dampers)
-Telescopic adjustable pry bar, I was at a job sight working with some mill rights. One of the workers used this in an application other standard tools would not fit. I highly recommend this pry bar. It works great!

 

[Coaldust]

My portable Hand press. Not my invention. A old-timer Caterpillar Field Tech in Craig, AK showed me this trick.

A handle with 1” cable to soften the blow for the fella hanging on to it. A 1 1/2” square tube that accepts the driver, which is a chunk of pry bar.

They nice thing is being able to take it apart to transport easy. Like flying out to the bush. I have used it to hammer out excavator track master pins, bucket pins, yada, yada.

 

[Coaldust]

Assembled.

 

[Flat Thunder Channel]

The flex from the cable provides the cushion. Good idea!

 

[DB2]

gift from a dealer about 40 yrs agoView attachment 217107

Have the same set plus a matching 3/8 ratchet extension and sockets.

Just to go back to the 12 point heads I find the common use is starter bolts u joints etc where a smaller head is needed on a larger diameter fastener. I believe twelve points provides a better connection between the socket than a normal hex.

 

[John C.]

Here is one of my special tools.



This I use as a press. It can be a pain to maneuver things onto using porto power jacks a bearing splitters but it is perfect for the project in the field out in the woods. It doesn't take much room in the truck and I don't have to take another day or two traveling back and forth to the shop.

 

[John C.]

I use this set up for my bags on the Goldwing.

 

[John C.]

If you have even done steering clutches on a D8K or older dozer, these are used for properly torquing the bolts.



I've used the chains and come along probably as much as any tools in my collection. Pulling and setting engines and adjusting level, installing tracks on anything, removing front idlers and recoils and who know what else when a third hand with a lot of muscle is needed.

 

[Coaldust]

John C.,

Hmmm. I'm intrigued about your press. Please share a few more details.

 

[John C.]

It's three inch square tube with quarter inch wall thickness. The distance between the bottom legs I set to fit my bearing splitters and strong back set. I was going to set up some kind of clamp on the top to hold the porto power jacks but found it would have been nice but I was able to make it work somehow whenever I used it without the clamp.

 

[Coaldust]

Thanks.! That is simple brilliance.
Coaldust signing off. Catch ya, on the flip-flop. out. Headed to get me some steel,......

 

[Flat Thunder Channel]

I have an old come along similar to the one shown by John C. above. Great tool to have around the shop! His looks much nicer than the one I have. Mine has a nice patina from the previous owner leaving it outside.

 

[cuttin edge]

View attachment 217165 Here is one of my special tools.



This I use as a press. It can be a pain to maneuver things onto using porto power jacks a bearing splitters but it is perfect for the project in the field out in the woods. It doesn't take much room in the truck and I don't have to take another day or two traveling back and forth to the shop.

Saw something similar to that for holding a press in place. They used 3 of them to press the flywheel off the shaft on the jaw crusher. They would chain the wheel up to an excavator, place the 3 jacks behind the wheel held in place with the bracket, and use a little hydropack to break it free.

 

[JD955SC]

I've used the chains and come along probably as much as any tools in my collection. Pulling and setting engines and adjusting level, installing tracks on anything, removing front idlers and recoils and who know what else when a third hand with a lot of muscle is needed.

View attachment 217168

Lever chain comealongs in all sizes (especially the baby 1/4 tons) are my best friends. Like duct tape with moving parts.

 

[mitch504]

Lever chain comealongs in all sizes (especially the baby 1/4 tons) are my best friends. Like duct tape with moving parts.

Yes, I love my baby comealongs. This: "Like duct tape with moving parts." may be the best line on HEF all year.