Glenn Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 What is the tool you made that gets used use most in your shop? You know, the tool that you would be lost without and would make again without thinking twice about it. For me it would be a pry bar. There are several in the shop from 18 inches to 5 feet or more in length, all from recycled or re-purposed metal. I guess the second most used tool would be a center punch or chisel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 Mine would be a swing arm fuller I made from a piece of scrap that already had the hardy shaft and a section of overhead track welded to it that has the same curve to it as a truck coil spring. Straightened the coil spring and flattened a section and drilled the holes. The special part is that it's held on by a die spring mounted on the bolt that the arm pivots on. So it you hit it wrong---no problem the spring gives a bit and the arm comes back into alignment. I also ran the end of the arm a bit back from the pivot point making a place I can tap it to raise the working end that the spring then holds open. It gets used for many different projects. I do have to replace the bolt every couple of years as I teach new folks and getting them to realize they need to hit right above the workpiece is a chore! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmoothBore Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 Just one, huh ? I suppose it's a Belt Sander / Grinder / Polisher. It's a rare item that passes through the shop, without being exposed to some form of abrasive abuse, on that machine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 Probably a nail header I made from an old square headed bolt. It's real handy when you finish a demo and more people arrive and you need something quick and easy to do. Getting a bit 'dished' on top now but still does the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 My turning hammer gets used more than the nail headers. Metalmangler helped me make the turning hammer from a piece of broken ford pickup truck axle, his pickup unfortunately. I really like it and wish I hadn't drawn the temper quite as far as I did. THE most used tools in my shop are the lights. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stockmaker Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 11 hours ago, ThomasPowers said: Mine would be a swing arm fuller I made from a piece of scrap that already had the hardy shaft and a section of overhead track welded to it that has the same curve to it as a truck coil spring. Straightened the coil spring and flattened a section and drilled the holes. The special part is that it's held on by a die spring mounted on the bolt that the arm pivots on. So it you hit it wrong---no problem the spring gives a bit and the arm comes back into alignment. I also ran the end of the arm a bit back from the pivot point making a place I can tap it to raise the working end that the spring then holds open. It gets used for many different projects. I do have to replace the bolt every couple of years as I teach new folks and getting them to realize they need to hit right above the workpiece is a chore! Thomas, when you have time I would love see a picture of your fuller. As a newbie I am always looking at hardy tools and fullers, will it ever end? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Olson Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 My style of hot cut gets used a lot. I just sets in the hardy and lifts out easily and doesn't move. Works great. The cutter is a lawn mower blade . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Coke Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 Greetings all, Thought I would share my favorites made from old monkey wrenches and little used vise grips. 1st. Tinners vise grip welded to a chunk of angle iron. Makes a handy horizontal hold for many things such as filing flat stock. 2nd.. My trusty monkey wrenches re-purposed to bending forks and the slickest way to do square bends and close ratio bends. If you use 5/8 or 3/4 round bar for the forks you can use all those nice dies that came with that cold bending rig that you bought from HF that never gets used.. Enjoy and merry Christmas.. i have been using them for years and years and our local Michigan group just wrote it up in our publication . MABA .. THE UPPSETTER. Comments and suggestions welcomed .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironwolfforgeca Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 Nice tooling Jim ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gote Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 The tool I MADE and use most is the humbly rake. Second is the U I set in the vise and use for bending (more than one actually). Third: pieces of water pipe cut to suitable length to use when bending stock (Never on vise handles). Very simple things compared to hot cuts and hammers and all that stuff you guys make. Thinking it over, The shop as such with benches and lighting is of course what I always use and have built myself but that hardly qualifies as tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ling Posted December 17, 2016 Share Posted December 17, 2016 The most used tool would be my 3.5lb rounding hammer that Matt Marti and I made, its the same one in my profile pic . Its the hammer that I use the most, my second most used hammer would be my 4lb harbor freight hammer that I converted to a very aggressive rounding hammer for the heavier work.The coal rake is the second most used tool, though one that I could go without for a while if I had to, as I tend to use whatever is in my hand to manage the fire, whether that's tongs, a punch, a piece of steel, etc. The third most most used tool would be the Brazeal style hot cut hardy that Matt Marti and I also made. in an average 10 hour day of forging it gets used at least 20 times. Speaking of forging tools with Matt Marti, tomorrow I'll be going over to Cleburne, Tx (a little more than 2 hours away) and will hang out with him, and we'll forge a 3.5 straight peen hammer. Matt basically just forges rounding hammers, and the tools to make hammers, so this is a walk in the park, though I'll be the one striking with the 12lb sledge. We will also make some other tools. The first tool that's on my list other than the hammer, is a hammer eye punch, and then after that we will do a top fuller, bottom fuller, and basically just whatever we can do in my limited time there. Should be a lot of fun, and will help out with my evolution of tool making! Wish me luck! Littleblacksmith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ling Posted December 17, 2016 Share Posted December 17, 2016 heres a picture of the hammer and hot cut- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 My hot cut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 My center punch. Aside from my anvil and hammer, this is the single-most used tool I have. It's marked for thousands of holes and also gets used when I need to add a bit of decoration to a piece. Forged from a car coil spring, she's had to be dressed to remove the mushrooming quite a few times, already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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