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Home-made Tools and those you've adapted or modified. And also "tips and tricks".


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42 minutes ago, ahebron said:

My latest creation but what is is for?
It was a bugger to make, cutting 10mm steel with a jigsaw is not fun.

And no its not part of the linisher

Adrian

 

 

Steel (Medium).JPG

Is it for forming the reinforcement panel behind the nose of a Spitfire?

Adrian

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On the nose for Paul and Pete.
It is to make the bottom of the grille opening that rots out out on the Vitesse but no one makes a replacement for.
I tried it out on some scrap galv sheet I have and it seems to work well but has a bit of spring.
I might fold a right angle first then using my shrinker/stretcher pull it into one side of the curve then to get the other side use the jig and a hammer.

Adrian

 

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I did a similar thing, with an old 40mm Redundant Kitchen Worktop. Traced the correct curve from a Card Template and then cut slightly over length with the jig saw inserted the sheet into the cut slot cramped the whole with angle iron and cramps. And then beat the bejabus out of it with a soft face hammer finishing with a hard plannishing hammer. I did the wheel arches in a similar way except I cheated and sliced the turnover on the really tight curve. now in place it looks the business. I don`t have access to folding machine, shrink stretcher etc; it wouldn't be cost effective for what will be a "one off". So all my folding is done with heavy Angle irons in a vice.

The idea of using the old worktop material came by accident I used it on a couple of smaller parts and found it worked well enough to warrant trying it out on a longer length, prior to that a lot of bigger sections ( tub floor) had been made up of smaller ones formed up and welded into large sections.

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If only life was that simple.
Unfortunately I suffer from a mental ailment bought on by old Triumphs. If I need a tool once I will need it more than once.and the end result it I buy or make them. 😉

 

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23 hours ago, ahebron said:

It was a bugger to make, cutting 10mm steel with a jigsaw is not fun.

For next time ;  I think you will find it very much easier (than cutting 10mm thick plate) to cut two sets out of 5mm and stitch weld the two together to make one.  The welds could mostly be on the non working edges and any others won't need to substantial so would soon be linished flush.

Just a thought.

Pete.

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Thanks Pete but the reason I used the 10mm was I had a 3m length in the garage.
If I didn't I would have either done as your suggestion or got someone to fold the piece for me.
But where is the fun in that! 
And as I now have one already I really hope there will not be a next time😉
But I was surprised how the jigsaw coped. It is an AEG STEP100X 700 watt model and I used cutting oil and went through two blades. I did try my bandsaw in vertical mode but I couldnt keep the cut on the line, might be time to get rid of that as I have plenty of ways to cut metal these days.

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I appreciate that you are repairing in steel, and this is in alloy on a GRP bonnet, but just for comparison, recently I made these 'eyebrow' wheelarch extensions for the Vitesse.      I've never been called out by a scrutineer. but the wheels do stick out a tad more than a 'cheeky little bit'.     These should preserve their modesty.

Formed from 2mm sheet, I bent a flange to attach them, then hammered the flange to curve them, pausing to anneal the flange a couple of times.     I then bent a wired outer edge to make them non-lethal, and used  an eye bent into each end of the wire as additional fastening.    Secured with counter-sunk head machine screws, not pop-rivets, made good at those and the joint between side panel and extension with a skim of filler, I think they look good and will be long lasting.

 

IMG_20200530_105016[1].jpg

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8 hours ago, ahebron said:

Thanks Pete but the reason I used the 10mm was I had a 3m length in the garage.
If I didn't I would have either done as your suggestion or got someone to fold the piece for me.
But where is the fun in that! 
And as I now have one already I really hope there will not be a next time😉
But I was surprised how the jigsaw coped. It is an AEG STEP100X 700 watt model and I used cutting oil and went through two blades. I did try my bandsaw in vertical mode but I couldnt keep the cut on the line, might be time to get rid of that as I have plenty of ways to cut metal these days.

I'd guessed that's why you struggled with 10mm Adrian ..and a valiant achievement if I might says so. 

The jig saw is indeed remarkably useful for cutting steel as I found out the other day when I was copying a small bracket with slotted holes in it. .

.P1340878as.jpg.3467f7d7c627e5092e65652ffe0086c7.jpg

Close tolerance accuracy wasn't actually critical, nor even its looks ..as it is mainly hidden under the saddle on my vintage Sunbeam motorcycle. Never-the-less it is satisfying and good practice to do things well. . .   

The outline shape and its slotted holes were traced onto the blank plate with a fine felt pen, together with estimated centre marks within each of the two holes which were to become slots.  These are to take 5/16" bolts (so 8mm hole size is still tight) - but I started off with a 3mm drill bit for the guide holes.  Of course those small holes didn't break into each other because of their spacing. 

I then used a 7.5mm drill bit to drill, just half-way through, one of each of the pair of guide holes. The plate was turned over and drilled from that side in the other of each pair of holes.  This drilling goes fine.. but then breaks through to the previously part-drilled hole from the other side.  Never-the-less, what this procedure does is to very clearly define each end-radius of each slotted hole.

Using the jig-saw (steel cutting blade, with the bracket being held flat in the vice) I nibbled the broken-through hole to the end-radius on one side,  before turning the plate over to do the same ..nibbling its way to the end-radius (still accurately defined) on other side. 

The hole was very quickly and accurately slotted in this way, and just needed cleaning up with a round file to tidy up the nibbled/rough inside edges. 

Pete.

p.s. my apologies for being off-topic here,  as it's not a tool made or modified,  but it is a useful method for an otherwise awkward little task. So I thought it worth sharing. 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I made up these plates to raise the motor on my GT6, far enough to remove the sump and replace the piston rings. I actually ended up honing the bores, replacing the con-rods, pistons and rings! Anyway, these plates enabled me to remove the sump and work underneath the motor, safely. You’ll need to pack the plates to suit your installation, I used multiple washers for this. I removed the head too and in this state, the bonnet could be closed. Obviously, you use this design at your own risk but, as I’m still here and able to write this....... D6D3711B-2134-4FC0-9706-7066A059CFD9.thumb.jpeg.3b3c09f0c9255a1d16f6e00c2a5022c1.jpeg

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4 minutes ago, ahebron said:

Hi Adrian

Any photos of the plates in action.
What you have done is most likely very logical but my brain isn't in that mode today.
Does working with Americans cause this😉

Adrian

To quote the legend that is David Bowie:
I'm afraid of Americans
I'm afraid of the world
I'm afraid I can't help it
I'm afraid I can't”.

So yes. 

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we replaced the crank like this on the Vit6  and by gum it gets   heavy  !!!!

sump  off , in car on a 6 pot is a good faf , on one that resisted removal the oil pump had to be dropped by undoing through the sump gap , the  splash  gauze was modified before refitting  to give more clearance 

Pete

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37 minutes ago, NonMember said:

It looks a lot more "over-engineered" than my one, of which I cannot find any photos. Grr.

 

Over engineered, possibly but just scrap bits from under the bench, the steel supplier I use will let you have a good selection from their offcut pile for a contribution to their tea and biscuit fund.

Regards

Paul

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11 hours ago, 68vitesse said:

Over engineered, possibly but just scrap bits from under the bench,

Was the section of annular gear just a bit of scrap you had to hand? That's the over-engineered bit. Mine uses a short piece of 3mmx10mm bar bent over itself into a 'U'. It only gives two teeth against the ring gear but that's about all the starter pinion has in mesh at any one time, and it seems to be enough.

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