Homemade tools made with Harbor Freight tools

[C-Bag]

It helped me to also make extremely clear to people that, if the item is as described, the price can't be altered in person. This disincentivizes them from thinking they can get their foot in the door with one price, only to alter it later.

The advantage of low-class buyers is that when you act professionally and punctually, you stand out.

I was trying to not totally hyjack your thread Jon, but my worst experience was with a guy that should have been ok. I did exactly what you said. Told him exactly what I had, a picture and my bottom line. He used the strange "ploy" of telling me of all his houses in very upscale places and telling me he could get the zero turn mower I had for cheaper new. When I asked for the link he went on about other things. So I blew him off and said he should look elsewhere. He waited a month then went back to exactly the same thing. When I finally came down to 50%($1200) of list he said ok and would come by to pick it up. He showed up with a Mercedes top of the line SUV with an equipment trailer and was all smiles and nice. Then tried to give me half. I reminded him of what we agreed upon and he tried to hem and haw but we both knew he was just wasting my time. I was getting on the mower to put it away and his wife started yelling at me! telling me to take the $600! I looked at him and he said sheepishly "I didn't know it was going to look like brand new" like that somehow made sense. I went in the garage. The guy actually had the nads to email me again a month later to see if I still wanted to sell. I told him it's $1800 cash if he showed up, and if he brought his wife it was $2800.

[Captainleeward]

Jon That was a rockwell table saw I Modded, however i have modded many HF tools.....:O)

[Jon]

Thanks Captainleeward; I fixed that reference. BTW you are still the inspiration for this post, because looking through your tools and seeing the HF tool mods was what made me think to post this!

[Captainleeward]

O Good happy day......:O)

[Toolmaker51]

My long running electrical project requires a fair amount of hardware. My installation is somewhat unconventional.
Instead of EMT, IMT or Rigid (heck NO) conduit, opted for wireway. Shop to be is a standalone building, ramped, loading dock high, zoned M1 and entirely free span inside. Profile pic is 9500+ American Pacemaker pounds last 100' from flatbed in California to Midwest doorway. Huge delay awaiting a proper roofer to insure structural integrity above a 110 yr old brick box. Assembling materials continuously, everything is coming together, after god of trusses and 50 yr asphalt shingles sent just such a contractor my way. Delay? Dead set against hanging 3 phase from leaky low pitch roof & rafters. It would negate reasonable corrections later on, or beat me up with constant maintenance $$. Cue up Mark Knopfler and "No Can Do" or "Don't You Get It?". Period.
I work in a steady mode, key elements are function and form in that order. Conducting multiple projects, that obligates me to wring each deeply. Features deemed important are part of plan, not just bolted on. It is the very basis of measure twice /cut once.
So, wireway is being suspended with door flap perpendicular to floor, not on top as usual. Commercial hangers, couplers, tees and ells not ideally designed for that either.
So what? Instead designed complete system to suit the installation. More importantly it presents a clean-looking install that passes a full Electrical Inspection.
A] Drew up hanger and support for max headroom [no pun]. It gets everything plumb and level, directed over each of the machine aisles.
This post is about manufacturing the hanger brace.
I can answer mechanical/ machining questions on the tool modification. Have inserted most everything needed so readers can duplicate or alter as needed. Click the pix, text is embedded already. Apologetically, withholding on the full bracket and other components until install is done, as solution is patentable.


My sister holds a Masters in English. According to her, English is comprised of 750,000 words; and someone with a substantial vocabulary uses about 35,000. Much of remaining 700,000 are occupational vocabularies; law, medicine, the sciences, engineering, even religion.
Some are meant to exclude laypersons; from comprehension, practicing or responding. Sort of job security, shelter for those without multiple talents. Television has good examples of introducing terminology, albeit with imperfect definition. Police and law drama, surgical procedures, Arctic fishing, ... I'm disappointed "How It's Made" depicts end products without any of the immense tool-making behind a canning line, custom auto manufacturing, or machine tools themselves. It makes manufacturing appear to be a service, instead of layers of capital investment needed to produce volume. Not to mention economic waves it generates.
I'm prejudiced 'our' vocabulary, that of mechanics, seems most important of all.
Think how it permeates other disciplines. Use those branches to expand your understanding. Look at the geographical span members of this site occupy, the span of interests, abilities, resources, and age. Places like this co-mingle our common language, creativity, and adaptation of other solutions we use as individuals.

[Toolmaker51]

The guy actually had the nads to email me again a month later to see if I still wanted to sell. I told him it's $1800 cash if he showed up, and if he brought his wife it was $2800.
That's not both barrels C-bag, more like a broadside!
Used to get emails after utilizing BoA site, asking about the 'user experience'. I reminded them; there only because they raided my preferred financial institution. They asked for more complete explanation. Bet there an auto-program writes responses, and it did not interpret my mail. Next got one from a human, very insistent mails and calls too!
It stopped abruptly when my next was just pasted web pages; stock market reports on UMB ($45 at the time),Wells Fargo ($35), and BoA ($11). "Doesn't matter what I think, this reflects many!"
KaBoom

[Toolmaker51]

Getting the bender hardway dies ready, impression of unit was sound, a little loose, but not from scrimping on material, just tolerances.
Handle did not impart the feel desired of operating a tool. Most if not all came from fit of main tube to extension handle, even when retracted. Now it does.
Like my roof mentioned earlier, it won't need more attention later.
Like Rome, brick by brick.


Goal is increasingly self-supporting operation, teach a group of intern /students to run it, while I work as leadman /supervisor. A lot like tradeschool, with an entirely different fee program. It is to teach basics, with metal-work at the center. Drafting, hand tools, shop math, welding, sharpening, heat treating etc. Not just because but why, and how they interact.

[C-Bag]

Wow Toolmaker51, quite an entrance and welcome aboard! I say wow because you covered a TON of ground in those 3 posts! Your interesting reference to vocabulary is I think the heart of why this place, Homemadetools exists.

There is a lot of exclusion and specialization in the trades and I think the reasons are too myriad to quantify. I have branched out into a lot of different parts of the mechanic fields from auto, aircraft and packing house and each one got me into different skills and materials. Which came in handy ultimately. But for many reasons we are all drawn here because we're trying to do something outside the box. So I love looking at what other folks have done sometimes for the sheer enjoyment of it and most times I'm trying to overcome some problem in my own manufacturing process. The amount of "get 'er done" here is inspiring. And even if I'm not a wood, hot rod or gun guy I can learn and apply the techniques I see to my bag of tricks. I just never know where I'm going to get the thunderclap that FINALLY provides the piece of the puzzle for the many projects I've got going or are still in the contemplation stage.

For me it's always a battle of time vs expense. So the get 'er done way sometimes is to find a HFT that like you so deftly observed, is not lacking in material, just fit and finish. And instead of bagging on its made in China the folks here go hmmm, I could do that. I'm not happy that this stuff is made in China, but I have no doubt that if there was the awareness American manufacturers could have made low end or kits that could have filled this niche. But for all the talk about freedom etc I've felt like we had only what was allowed and so instead we've been freed up be able afford to do with this stuff whatever we want. I am a creativity junkie.

It's hard for me to get a handle on the overall project you are tackling Toolmaker51, as it seems pretty vast. But thanks for posting the bender mod and sharing. It particularly inspires that you mentioned apprentice training. I look fwd to more.

[Toolmaker51]

Precisely.
I appreciate greatly your interest would draw thought on the project. The apprentice thing attracts all kinds of 2-way interest; because we all (should) want to learn more. It is every bit a tactical campaign for me. I don't invest a second on Facebook, and won't. Sites like this and Practical Machinist are infinitely more centric and productive.
Perspective led me to reverse the "out of the box" statement, like trying to bring more into "our" box (community). The project is 6500 sq. ft. an operational, genuine Toolroom, but operated as a jobber. It'll be awhile, maybe never, before there is EDM, CNC mills or lathes. Yet, an awful lot of complicated dies were built without them.
If I have a specialty, it's production jigs and fixture tooling. Next is custom work; engine-trans adapters, billet components, frames, brackets, repair parts or reverse engineered items customers want that aren't produced. All equipment was selected to dovetail with the others, using every shop I'd worked as a baseline. A few were astounding. Whatever specialty they had, influenced what to get or shun.
No, not all of what they had; what they had that excelled at certain operations. Developed preferences to certain critical areas like spindles, tool and work holders. #1 in where profit is gained or lost; set-up time and repeat orders. So it is actually streamlined and economical, bought used not abused.
And where unqualified salesmen botch quotes underbid by not relying on input from shophands. "We're losing money!" NO, you moron, YOU threw it out the window.
Most all was initially transported. Knew ahead of time one-by-one would triple+ cost of uprigging, hauling, and downrigging. 2001-2005 collapse of manufacturing in California would pool the supply, far easier than multi-trips to Chicago, Milwaukee, etc.
Strategically,Tooling and Custom work compliment each other, in this concept. And one 'secret'.
The concept includes how to draw customer interest. ? Who never wondered what is beyond the walls of a machine shop.

[C-Bag]

The process and the thinking, crucial. All the places I worked I observed the process of how they did their business too. I agree salesmen whether it be selling parts, materials, tools or trying to market what we made led to several places going under. This go for broke and worry about the details and the loans later made me phobic of ever being a boss. And it's only through luck, or fate or Devine retribution that I find myself making and marketing something I came up with 30yrs ago this year. But lots of things had to happen like attitudes needed to change, I needed to refine the design, learn to use a computer and then make the tooling and equipment. Meanwhile the Internet happened and without it this never would have gotten a life of its own. Most times in spite of me and all while I worked several different day jobs that eventually helped with the process.

This parasitic MBA way of doing business and always squeezing the people who were actually doing the work and ignoring any input I believe is the root of the problem. Not only for those that try and build a biz but for those that need a job. The default seems they want to be some guy who goes around screwing everybody and getting rich meanwhile blaming any problems on somebody else. It's magical thinking at its worst. Henry Ford knew if you didn't pay your people enough to afford to buy what you make it wasn't really capitalism and it was not sustainable. And importantly of all MAKE SOMETHING. You have to reward hard work and initiative not bag licking. Over a certain size shop I saw time and again where the idiots rushing around yelling and doing what I've heard called seagull management styles were rewarded. And we who kept our heads down and worked effeciently were ignored and often derided.

I agree, there is tons of old useable equipment out there at reasonable prices that might not be cnc but serviceable. I've always done everything "as needed" or the scalable way. But you really have to be a tactician and think long term and know what is going to be best for the process at hand. And for me, not get carried away I admit I have TAS(tool acquisition syndrome, bad) but have managed to keep it reasonable mostly because I work out my garage. And I've lived with the constant fear it could all go away tomorrow. I keep to one man and just work towards working smarted not harder.

So whatever you post about how to thread this whole morras is going to be of great interest to me. If I understand your choice of wire way( not sure what that is, like those plastic long boxes I thought were called raceway?) it means you'll not be limited by conduit and its inherent complications. After the building it seems the logical place to start. Methodical is good.