Shop Tips n' Tricks

I just wanted to post my new chop saw stand. Nobody likes to bend down to cut things. The saw table is the same height as my welding table. The cast wheels were salvaged from an old cherry picker. This idea maynot be new, but it is new to me. The only thing I need is tee handle, but it works nicely by grabbing the saw handle. Matt

here are some proven tips from me on longevity of twist drills When you purchase a brand new drill take an Arkansaw stone or some light sand paper and gently stone the face of the drill or the lip when these drills are ground new they have microscopic slivers that tear into large imperfections when drilling. Try if possible to drill into another piece of steel when drilling through a piece { NO NOT INTO YOUR DRILL PRESS TABLE OR YOUR VISE } and don't completely drill through that piece either. One of the most detrimental things that happens to a drill is when you drill through is that little thin section right before the drill breaks through gets so hot it anneals …

Building your forge with both a manual and automatic [pid] option, has many advantages; but the key word is control. I run my forge on manual, most of the time; adjusting the air with the manual side rheostat and the gas with the manual side needle valve. When the temperature needed, is in the 14 to 18 hundred degree range, I find the manual side controls to be the best option. When I am working in the 1800 and above range, I use the automatic [pid controlled] option. When using the auto option, you are using the manual controls for your base temperature, with the auto side adding the extra gas/air mixture to bring and hold the forge to set temperature. “Ma…

Here's a trick I use that works for me. I found this little fan at the flea market(an eletronics cooling fan, I think). it's only 4 inches across and has a low air output. Not enough to power a large forge, but just right to give the fire a good boost. I hang it by some wire over the air intake of my little handcrank Champion and it gives some of the advantages of having an electric blower. It keeps the fire going when I'm at the anvil.....and if I need a larger fire or welding heat, I just crank the blower handle. Anyone else ever try something like this? Any suggestions for improvements are apprieciated.

anybody ever heard of making a welder from an alternator? a guy at work was talkin about it today and i am interested. looked on the internet and found a few places selling kits, but i may try and make one from junkyard parts maybe.

I have several tools that I don't use alot(Pipe vise, Bender, large extra vise,etc....) but need a solid mount in an open area when I do use them. I am thinking about cutting a 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" hole in my shop floor. Then making up a plate with a 4x4 ID square tube 16" long welded to it and fastening it to the floor with the tube going down in to the floor. Making a Post to fit down into the pocket and then adapters to fit the diffrent tools Then make a cap to cover up the hole when not in use. That way I can still use the only open space I have left when I need to. Has anyone ever seen this done? Does anyone see any pit falls I'm not seeing? Does anyone have a better …

My son has a lawncare service. Part of the work involves doing mowing/cleanup for several local cemeteries. There are always old flower arrangements to be disposed of. The flowers themselves go to the landfill, but I can hardly bring myself to throw away the little wire frames. I always thought they should be useful for something. Then it occurred to me.........they're tool hangers! James

Got a stupid question, What do you guys do with all the cut offs and scrap bits and pieces around the shop? In a barrel, a corner in the back, near the door to chuck at the neighbors or do you sell the junk quick before the pile grows and takes over the shop floor? {I'd need some sort of artillery, catapult or cannon, to chuck things at my neighbors, and they don't hold still either!} I've seen all kinds of answers to that question but haven't found the best one for me yet.

If you open up a discarded hard drive, at the base of the swing arm are two small very powerful rare earth magnets. If you let them click together they are hard to separate w/o a tool. Caution opening up a hard drive will almost surely ruin it for computer use. In old microwaves you can find a pair of nice ring magnets about 3" dia inside the klystron which looks like a tin can with fins on in usually mounted at the top and back. Pull the can apart to find the magnets. There is also a big high voltage cap usually at the back which looks like a flat tin bottle with terminals. I like to short this out first by putting a screwdriver across the terminals just in cas…

Okay folks, Thomas is chomping at the bit to hammer some hard metal. But first, which metals are best for making what? While the answers to this question are manifold, some alloys are better than others for certain uses, in different circumstances, for different people. Here is an example. If I get hired to design and build a tool and die for the local whatever factory, after I figure out the BEST alloy for the job, I will order that stock, the heck with what it costs, my reputation as a tool and diemaker is on the line. But, what if I just want to make a drift, for enlarging a hole, that I punched in a hammer head? Can't I just grab a piece of that wicked hard stuff I go…

does anyone have an opinion of CLR or Lime Away as a rust and forge scale remover? I know they arent as cheap as the ol vinegar method but other than that? lemme know.

I am exploring different methods of bending metal. I have worked with a Hossfeild alot, but I wonder if there is a homemade version of this type? There is a cool posting in "blueprints" for a ring roller, are there other type like this? I have seen a bender made from a thick metal plate that has holes drilled on several arcs to recive pins and a leverage bar. Does this sound familler? If you can share any other info, pics, or plans it will be greatly received by everyone, I'm sure.

Hello. Just wondering if anyone has ever made, (forged), and ground a pair of scissors. Thanks

i just got a few yards of 1 to 1-1/4 round stock what is ideal heat color for this material itried light red to yellow but it seems to splinter and split quite readily tips pls

Tonights tip is another easy but useful idea that has served me well. A blacksmiths square is made by welding a 6" long section of 1/2" square stock, perpendicular to the center of a 12" long piece of the same. This gives a tool in the shape of an elongated T. Hard to explain how useful this is, til you use it.

This ones for every one, beginer or pro. Make an exact copy of your favorite sliding tee bevel, entirely from steel. Replace the wood sides with 1" wide flatbar or chanel. Use a countersink and a Flathead screw for adjustment, so a wing nut or whatever is not in the way of a quick mensurate.

I purchased an magnetic engine block heater for my truck. The idea came to me that it would work great to heat my anvil and tongs. I tried it that night and have enjoyed fingers that don't get too stiff and a comfortable warm feeling while I work. Wind Chapman

Here's a hardy tool idea I've used from time to time to improvise tools I didn't have. It starts with the idea that a piece of 1/2 in. round stock........doubled back on itself fits diagonally in a 1 in. square hardy hole pretty easily.......and it is unnecessary to weld it. The first pic is one of my fullers and a little bending fork. Following that idea, I decided to try making a bottom tool with the same kind of post. I took a piece of 1/2 in. round about 16 in. long and heated about half of one end. I doubled back 2 or 3 in. to make the post........drove it in the hardy hole hot, and bent the rest of the rod down to the face of the anvil with a hammer while it …

Shopping at the local industrial junkyard, I picked up a 30 gallon stainless steel barrel, and a ten gallon s.s. can, almost as big in diameter. I drilled a bunch of holes in the can, attached a bail, and it sleeps in the bottom of the quench tub. Now when I forge a bunch of rivets or whatever, I just drop them in, and when I'm done, lift the can out. I made the bail extra long so I don't have to stick my hand into the water. On the side of the quench tub, I welded on a rack to hold the few tongs I am using at that time.

I went to going out of business sale at a fabrication company. They had some dumpsters filled with different metals and sold stuff out of them for low prices before they were hauled away as scrap. I fished out several pieces (about 3-4 ft long) of 1" bandsaw blade. It felt pretty sharp, and all the teeth were there, so I decided to try out BP0142. Free hacksaw blades. Well, not really free, but close. I have a lot of trouble drilling holes in the ends so I tried a new trick. DCEN on a battery carbon . Zkpped right through, and pretty accurate too. Pretty small HAZ, and nobody uses that part of the blade anyway . The blade was noticably dull. It had a difficult…

Metal Cutting Safety ALWAYS WEAR SAFETY GLASSES Dressing Metal - With all the different ways we have to cut metal whether using chop saws, band saws, cut off hardies, hack saws or torchs, always make sure that the newly cut ends are cleaned up and dressed of any burrs that are left. It is even more important that the metal that is being put back into the rack be free from burrs, so that anyone reaching into the rack doesn't get cut. This can be done by using files, bench grinders and bench sanders. After cutting steel (if hot cutting make sure the metal is cold first or use a hot file), grind, sand or file the burrs and lightly run your finger over the end to make su…

Glenn uses 55 gallon drums for storage. I have limited space in my Wood Shop for storage and the small bolts, nuts and washers I use often needed a small convenient space to be stored. So I made this little cabinet with sliding doors from scraps that sits on the floor under a bench overhang and some Campbell Soup cans to hold the parts. Same principle as Glenns 55 gallon barrel solution just a much smaller scale. Duplex outlet is for size purposes. simple handles are so I can pick it up easily and set on a bench for selection.

I would like to learn how to make hourse or other animal head. Any help will be appreciated. Fellini

looking for tips on how you handle the portability of your set ups for demonstrations , festivals, hammer-ins etc coal ? gassers ? what size anvil ? set up for your vise ? tool racks ? material handling ? truck , trailer , canopies , saftey issues , etc

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