DIYbanter - View Single Post - Making Tools

(JMartin957) wrote in message ...
Reading the recent thread about making tools rather than more "useful" things
got me to thinking. Thinking about how I am probably the only one who knows
exactly what those tools are for. And that I'd better mark them after I make
them, lest someone think they are useless and toss them.

I've made an awful lot of special purpose pullers, bushing removers and
installers, alignment tools, wrenches and such over the years. Some are kept
with individual machines, but many of them are stored in a couple of big boxes
labelled "machine fixtures, jigs & special tools". I can pull those boxes down
and tell you exactly what each tool was made for and how it works. Except for
a few....and my memory doesn't seem to improve with age.

Just came up from the basement after stamping three tools. All for an old
Gravely walk-behind tractor. "Gravely Fan" is a 1-1/2" open end wrench, made
from 5/16" plate, bent handle, and milled down to about 3/16" at the head.
Only way to get at the spindle nut up under the fan pulley. But someone might
toss it if they didn't know. "Gravely clutch" is a six-fingered socket-type
tool used with a torque wrench to check the release on the attachment clutches.
With a 1/2" square hole with recesses to hold it on the socket drive people
might guess that it is designed to be used with a socket handle, but what for?
"Gravely stand" is nothing more than a piece of angle iron with a couple of
drilled 1-1/2" x 3/8" flats attached, to support the front end of the tractor
when transporting it without an attachment, but it works really well.

Now on to the tools for the Wallace jointer. I'd sure hate to have one of my
boys call up in 25 years and ask "Hey Dad, how do you adjust the rear bearings
on the jointer cutterhead?" and have to tell them that in that box of junk they
tossed was a mystery tool made just for that. Then on to the drill press
stuff.

With a couple of different sized steel stamp sets and a vibrating engraver,
there shouldn't be any more ambiguity.

Then on to some other things, like listing all the lube points on the
horizontal mill. Including the ones that I usually forget about myself.

John Martin

John

I agree with you about marking all tools and fixtures as I
occasionally come across something I made many moons ago and cannot
remember what or why. Can it be I am getting older? (yes)

JRW