Category: Tools

Basic Shop Tools and Their General Purpose

By , May 27, 2008 7:38 pm

Received this via email and have no idea where it originated from but felt that as true as it ALL is that it was worth passing on. :LOL:

DRILL PRESS: A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beer across the room, denting the freshly-painted vertical stabilizer which you had carefully set in the corner where nothing could get to it.

WIRE WHEEL: Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light . Also removes fingerprints and hard-earned calluses from fingers in about the time it takes you to say, “Oh shit!”

ELECTRIC HAND DRILL: Normally used for spinning pop rivets in their holes until you die of old age.

SKILL SAW: A portable cutting tool used to make studs too short.

PLIERS: Used to round off bolt heads. Sometimes used in the creation of blood-blisters.

BELT SANDER: An electric sanding tool commonly used to convert minor touch-up jobs into major refinishing jobs.

HACKSAW: One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle. It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future becomes.

VISE-GRIPS: Generally used after pliers to completely round off bolt heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.

WELDING GLOVES: Heavy duty leather gloves used to prolong the conduction of intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.

OXYACETYLENE TORCH: Used almost entirely for lighting various flammable objects in your shop on fire. Also handy for igniting the grease inside the wheel hub you want the bearing race out of.

TABLE SAW: A large stationary power tool commonly used to launch wood projectiles for testing wall integrity.

HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK: Used for lowering an automobile to the ground after you have installed your new brake shoes, trapping the jack handle firmly under the bumper.

EIGHT-FOOT LONG YELLOW PINE 2X4: Used for levering an automobile upward off of a trapped hydraulic jack handle.

E-Z OUT BOLT AND STUD EXTRACTOR: A tool ten times harder than any known drill bit that snaps neatly off in bolt holes thereby ending any possible future use.

BAND SAW: A large stationary power saw primarily used by most shops to cut good aluminum sheet into smaller pieces that more easily fit into the trash can after you cut on the inside of the line instead of the outside edge.

TWO-TON ENGINE HOIST: A tool for testing the maximum tensile strength of everything you forgot to disconnect.

CRAFTSMAN 1/2 x 24-INCH SCREWDRIVER: A very large pry bar that inexplicably has an accurately machined screwdriver tip on the end opposite the handle.

AVIATION METAL SNIPS: See hacksaw.

PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER: Normally used to stab the vacuum seals under lids and for opening old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splashing oil on your shirt; but can also be used, as the name implies, to strip out Phillips screw heads.

STRAIGHT SCREWDRIVER: A tool for opening paint cans. Sometimes used to convert common slotted screws into non-removable screws.

PRY BAR: A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding that clip or bracket you needed to remove in order to replace a 50 cent part.

HOSE CUTTER: A tool used to make hoses too short.

HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

MECHANIC’S KNIFE: Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on contents such as seats, vinyl records, liquids in plastic bottles, collector magazines, refund checks, and rubber or plastic parts. Especially useful for slicing work clothes, but only while in use.

DAMMIT TOOL: Any handy tool that you grab and throw across the garage while yelling “DAMMIT” at the top of your lungs. It is also, most often, the next tool that you will need.

DIY- Simple and Effective Any-size Tool Rack

By , May 26, 2008 10:30 am

DIY- Simple and Effective Any-size Tool Rack

Fence-in Your Tools
Got a workshop? Do crafts? Gotta lotta handtools? Hang them up in pristine order or whatever way you wanna on this simple, highly effective, any-size-you-want organizer. It’s kinda like a DIY pegboard, but better.

Interesting idea. I’ve always used pegboard and bought or made the hooks and hangers to put the tools on it. Using chicken wire with a frame this way makes a lot of sense. Gonna have to give it a try. Cool!

Favicon generation tools

By , May 14, 2008 8:50 pm

Open Directory – Computers: Internet: Web Design and Development: Authoring: Online Tools: Graphics: Image Generation: Favicons

Several links to sites with tools to make Favicons.

Monitor Calibration

By , May 6, 2008 8:56 pm

Monitor Calibration

For them that needs it.

Monitor Calibration

By , May 6, 2008 8:55 pm

Monitor Calibration

For them that needs it.

A radial drill press made from spare parts

By , April 29, 2008 12:36 pm

A radial drill press made from spare parts – Instructables – DIY, How To, craft, tech

My radial drill press cost about the same in materials as small, cheap ones you can buy, and it isn’t much bigger or stiffer than those, but it has more freedom of motion than some more expensive machines. It’s made from some parts I found and other parts I made. It ended up so the maximum extension is about 73cm – I guess this makes the swing 57″ – and the head has about 28cm vertical travel, and it can swivel, rotate, and pivot 360°; it has a 3/8″ chuck, the quill travel is up to 8cm, and with the temporary “Hi-Power” gearmotor runs at something like 1000rpm with no load.

Neat! Gives me some ideas for sure. Got a floor standing model in the field that needs a new motor and bunch of other stuff, and an old cheap china made one with a bad motor. Think I will look at combining the two so the china one is the radial feed on the floor model post. Much more in my head right now than I can get on the computer in words. Having a bad day with words for some reason. Must be the histamine reaction from the pollen. Or something. More as I get it figured out and done.

A radial drill press made from spare parts

By , April 29, 2008 12:35 pm

A radial drill press made from spare parts – Instructables – DIY, How To, craft, tech

My radial drill press cost about the same in materials as small, cheap ones you can buy, and it isn’t much bigger or stiffer than those, but it has more freedom of motion than some more expensive machines. It’s made from some parts I found and other parts I made. It ended up so the maximum extension is about 73cm – I guess this makes the swing 57″ – and the head has about 28cm vertical travel, and it can swivel, rotate, and pivot 360°; it has a 3/8″ chuck, the quill travel is up to 8cm, and with the temporary “Hi-Power” gearmotor runs at something like 1000rpm with no load.

Neat! Gives me some ideas for sure. Got a floor standing model in the field that needs a new motor and bunch of other stuff, and an old cheap china made one with a bad motor. Think I will look at combining the two so the china one is the radial feed on the floor model post. Much more in my head right now than I can get on the computer in words. Having a bad day with words for some reason. Must be the histamine reaction from the pollen. Or something. More as I get it figured out and done.

Portable Tool Table

By , October 29, 2007 7:37 pm

Portable Tool Table

Interesting design for a table to mount hand power tools on/in. All wood and hardboard design with a few screws and fiddly bits of metal here and there to mount stuff. Looks interesting. Also looks like a cheap way to outfit a woodworking shop. I’m thinking that making something along these lines for each tool. Just takes up a little time and a bit more space.

The Nail And Staple Extractor (TreeHugger)

By , September 22, 2007 10:15 am

The Nail And Staple Extractor (TreeHugger)

Nail and staple remover tool

Neat! I’ve been using my old fencing pliers (like the ones below) for this for years now, as I have not found anything better at the job but this looks like it will find a way into my tool box.

multipurpose fencing pliers

Scytheconnection: Welcome

By , September 5, 2007 7:33 pm

Scytheconnection: Welcome

Located this site via a post at Treehugger.com. They have a lot of info on scythes, from how to use them to how to make your own handles. Guess I’ll pull that blade I had for sale at the yard sale tent, clean it up a bit and make a handle and some mounting hardware for it and start using it. Neat site!

Instructables KEG LATHE

By , August 10, 2007 10:26 pm

Instructables KEG LATHE

Interesting idea. Can see several modifications on the basic idea for taking the tops out of barrels and drums too. Or cutting freon tanks or other metal tanks. Cool!

Wenger, North America – Wenger Giant Swiss Army Knifeâ„¢ V1.0

By , August 7, 2007 12:23 pm

Wenger, North America – Wenger Giant Swiss Army Knifeâ„¢ V1.0

Now THAT’S a Swiss Army Knife Maximus! Not that its useful for anything but as a collectible. Nonetheless I still lust after it. Not that I would even consider it at $1200.00 us. Implements and functions list after the fold…
Wenger Giant Swiss Army Knifeâ„¢ V1.0
Continue reading 'Wenger, North America – Wenger Giant Swiss Army Knifeâ„¢ V1.0'»

Ironmonger Armory

By , February 3, 2007 10:40 pm

Ironmonger Armory

Armor and blacksmithing tools. Cool (HOT) stuff!

Tinselman: Grandpop’s Shop—Part 2

By , November 15, 2006 2:13 pm

Tinselman: Grandpop’s Shop—Part 2

Cool pix of the old shop.  The drill press shown in the last two pix looks like an older version of mine.  Good stuff!

Reconnx, Inc. :: Introducing the Nail Kicker NR101-V1

By , September 25, 2006 11:16 pm

Reconnx, Inc. :: Introducing the Nail Kicker NR101-V1

Now this is one COOL tool!  The price is a bit steep for me right now, but as soon as I can figure a way to afford it, I am gonna get one of these suckers.  From the video it seems to take one shot most of the time to remove a nail from a board.  The recycling community should be eating these things up if they work as advertised.  Wonder how it will do on pallets?

Panorama Theme by Themocracy