Homemade and Unique Tools

[BluzPlayer]

Very nice mods Signal!
I also wondered if I had a lemon at first.
I ended up using my cut socket that I had been using with my C-Clamp.
I love the added length to the handle.
I was still having to loosen and tighten it until I had relieved some pressure.
Way better than what I was doing before but I am going to leverage it up like yours.
Have way to many of these to do.
I appreciate the tip!!

 

[Jan_P]

A drop of Oil or two when assembling
It is an old Bottle for furniture Polish and a plastic tip for Watering flowers when not at home
I Believe they fit on a PET Soda Bottle also

Colorful helps finding it -- find it faster

 

[Ratranger]

Here's my "custom" ratchets. First is a 3/8 88t matco head on a 18" pittsburgh breaker bar. Second is a 1/2 matco 88t head on a 25" pittsburgh breaker bar with a snap on handle.

Reasoning behind this? A 27" 1/2 flex head ratchet from matco is almost $300. A replacement head is $35 and it's an easy fit to the $12 breaker bar. Similar cost for the 3/8 set up. The snapon handle was $20, and was a why not? thing.

 

[gggGary]

Neither home made nor unique, why did it take so many decades before I saw how to do this?

Pretty straight forward; lay a loop of cord alongside the tool, wind back towards that loop, insert plug end and snug the loop by pulling the tail. Cord stays put, neat and hangs on nail or pegboard hook. Brilliant!

 

[LTGTR]

I had to go out into my shed to try this - it works - Thanks Gary

 

[BigGeorge]

I'm going to add this to the tool section. If that's wrong please moderators put it where you feel it belongs.
For the past 23 years my tool box has sat in the same location in my garage and over those years I've added more and more tools. Well last week it tried to kill me.

 

[bosco659]

What caused the tip over? Too many drawer open at one time or failure at the bottom of the box? Glad you weren’t hurt and missed the bike too!

 

[BigGeorge]

Yes, I had 2 bottom box drawers open and 1 upper drawer open when suddenly more drawers began opening by themselves and I realized the box was tipping towards me. I moved quickly and luckily it missed me and the 81 XS by inches.

 

[BigGeorge]

Had to use my engine hoist to get it upright again. You never think about how many tools you have or the weight of all that till it comes crashing down.

 

[40north]

Bad magnetism! Me spank!

Sometimes it's nice to have magnetized tools and drills and so forth, and these tend to acquire a magnetic quality in normal use...and then they tend to magnetize the steel bits an bobs , the washers and screws and so on in the machine upon which they are used... Sometimes this is good...but almost always it is "bad". Like cancer.

I use an old armature "growler" to de-magnetize tools, and also parts. It was free at a garage sale.

The problems associated with small steel check-balls, and really just about everywhere - if magnetized they "grow" steel fuzzy crap.

see YT and ebay and all that stuff, if you're interested.

Best!

 

[BigGeorge]

The only tools I like magnetized are my screwdriver tips.

 

[bosco659]

Yes, I had 2 bottom box drawers open and 1 upper drawer open when suddenly more drawers began opening by themselves and I realized the box was tipping towards me. I moved quickly and luckily it missed me and the 81 XS by inches.

Further comment on this. People should take note of this mishap as it could happen to anyone. I’ve had tool chests get “wobbly” exactly because of this so I usually only open a max of a couple of drawers at a time.

One thing that always concerned me was the capacity of the cheap looking plastic wheels you get with not so expensive, roller cabinets. But I would hope tool cabinet manufacturers are careful about specs and quality in this area, for liability reasons. On my better roll cab (in the house), the wheel and caster assemblies look to be quite HD and up to the task. On my garage roll cab (cheap looking wheels), I reinforced the bottom of the cabinet with two 10 ga steel plates (sandwiched the stock base), hoping this would prevent and deformation of the base, with high load weights.

 

[40north]

The only tools I like magnetized are my screwdriver tips.

Yes, more or less me too, but only for some uses. My point is that everything gets magnetized over time, and de-magging is easy with growler...eyes out for yard sales... oid growler being about as valuable as a dead cat to most people. Drill bits in particular! Check balls in carb-a-tooters and oil systems are often magnetized unintentionally, then they tend to leak.

Best!

 

[Jan_P]

The only tools I like magnetized are my screwdriver tips.

I dont succeed so much with the magnetized tips . Except for picking up something that has fallen down.
Perhaps I do something wrong .Putting a Philips Screw there .and when trying to insert --It shifts and sits at 90 degrees.
Need to start over. again. I try to use them .But would be better off with some sticky glue stuff at the point.

But a Magnetized hammer is Essential for upholstering So one dont hit the fingers all the time.

 

[BigGeorge]

Further comment on this. People should take note of this mishap as it could happen to anyone. I’ve had tool chests get “wobbly” exactly because of this so I usually only open a max of a couple of drawers at a time.

One thing that always concerned me was the capacity of the cheap looking plastic wheels you get with not so expensive, roller cabinets. But I would hope tool cabinet manufacturers are careful about specs and quality in this area, for liability reasons. On my better roll cab (in the house), the wheel and caster assemblies look to be quite HD and up to the task. On my garage roll cab (cheap looking wheels), I reinforced the bottom of the cabinet with two 10 ga steel plates (sandwiched the stock base), hoping this would prevent and deformation of the base, with high load weights.

Now that my toolbox is upright again and surprisingly no damage other than one drawer lip was bent up, I've lag bolted it to the wall and to the work bench with an "L" bracket. Hindsight is 20/20 in my case.

 

[bosco659]

Now that my toolbox is upright again and surprisingly no damage other than one drawer lip was bent up, I've lag bolted it to the wall and to the work bench with an "L" bracket. Hindsight is 20/20 in my case.

I guess you had top and bottom bolted together? Mine aren’t. Maybe I should.

 

[40north]

I have seen heavy and tall tool boxes so heavy that the bottom begins to buckle - the beginning of the "accordionization" of the bottom, ie structural failure...the fix being better support - the original wheels support only small section... so? So heavy steel frame with major industrial castors - thus support entire base of lower box. If you roll (and bounce over rough floors) a lot this may be worth the expense and work. Me? I have not needed to do the framed routine, the line fellas at a fleet operation ? Sure. Anchor? Well, I anchored the lift table and the old drill press. (The D Press being lineshaft belt drive it could hardly not be anchored.) Earthquake? How Jolly! The volcanoes last erupted in 1912...Lassen, I think. I never roll the big tool boxes at my digs...

Best!

 

[BigGeorge]

I guess you had top and bottom bolted together? Mine aren’t. Maybe I should.

Yes, top and bottom box are bolted together. If they hadn't been the top box would have probably got me as I ran away from the whole thing tipping over. On the other hand it was much heavier trying to stand back up being bolted together.

 

[BigGeorge]

I have seen heavy and tall tool boxes so heavy that the bottom begins to buckle - the beginning of the "accordionization" of the bottom, ie structural failure...the fix being better support - the original wheels support only small section... so? So heavy steel frame with major industrial castors - thus support entire base of lower box. If you roll (and bounce over rough floors) a lot this may be worth the expense and work. Me? I have not needed to do the framed routine, the line fellas at a fleet operation ? Sure. Anchor? Well, I anchored the lift table and the old drill press. (The D Press being lineshaft belt drive it could hardly not be anchored.) Earthquake? How Jolly! The volcanoes last erupted in 1912...Lassen, I think. I never roll the big tool boxes at my digs...

Best!

Once I got the toolbox upright again I emptied it and reorganized everything in it. Some tools that I haven't used in years are now out in the barn in boxes so the toolbox is also much lighter than before. I probably should have removed the original wheels since the toolbox stays in one place all the time but I didn't. Now much lighter and bolted to the wall and work bench I don't think I have to worry anymore about it tipping over or collapsing under its own weight.

 

[bosco659]

Once I got the toolbox upright again I emptied it and reorganized everything in it. Some tools that I haven't used in years are now out in the barn in boxes so the toolbox is also much lighter than before. I probably should have removed the original wheels since the toolbox stays in one place all the time but I didn't. Now much lighter and bolted to the wall and work bench I don't think I have to worry anymore about it tipping over or collapsing under its own weight.

The trouble for me is as most bottom cabinets, the large drawers are at the bottom. Being a lazy human, I tend to put the tools I most commonly use in the upper chest and top drawers of the roll can. The bottom, larger drawers tend to get filled with lighter bits that I don’t use often. This combination makes for a box that can tip over easily.

I think my Snap On cabinet has adjustable drawer positions so you can move different depth drawers up or down. I never did this and have left the stock configuration in place. At least on that box the weight is fairly well distributed.