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Shop and Tools: Tips and Tricks

2020AT4 said:
I was taught a similar technique by an old electrician I worked for out of high school.

That old dude screamed at me "Why do you insist on fucking up my power cords so bad!!!" Which left me speechless as I knew no other way other than wrapping them around my arm like the teenybopper I was.

Then he showed me the light and lookit that, the next day the cords were much easier to handle and the "New" way I learned was even faster.

Pretty much similar to what is in the vid, but I was taught to go a full two arms length, then join the loops. Spread your arms fully while holding the cable, then bring them together making about a 3' long loop.
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Yeah, you can adjust how long each wrap is to determine the final loop size. I usually pull like 4' to end up with a 2' loop because of where I hang them.

But the main thing I like is using your thumb direction to place each wrap the right direction.
 
Gave the Ellis a makeover. Beefed up the base so we can hang/bolt the out feed tables which keeps them in alignment. Added adjustable stops at 45° and 90°, the turnbuckle hooks a pin and hangs out of the way when cutting angles. Replaced the factory leveling bolts with 1 1/4" Acme thread levelers and added some swivel casters. This saw has been dumped 2x that I know of, hopefully being able to just roll it will keep it upright every time it gets loaded.

Being able to switch back and forth from 90 to 45 and count on an accurate cut will be such a pleasure.

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I just look at the degree wheel and get reliable cuts on mine, was your indicator bent or something?
 
The pointer is fine, a positive stop is even gooder! I have always found myself planning my cuts around how often I have to swivel the saw. Lots of different people using the saw and it's often a degree or 2 off, pisses me off to no end.
 
I'm glad I'm not the only one who welds the back end of my cheapo hook eyes. :laughing:
 
Firstram said:
The pointer is fine, a positive stop is even gooder! I have always found myself planning my cuts around how often I have to swivel the saw. Lots of different people using the saw and it's often a degree or 2 off, pisses me off to no end.
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Agree on planning my cuts around the position of the saw head
good idea with your thingamabob
 
Firstram said:
Gave the Ellis a makeover. Beefed up the base so we can hang/bolt the out feed tables which keeps them in alignment. Added adjustable stops at 45° and 90°, the turnbuckle hooks a pin and hangs out of the way when cutting angles. Replaced the factory leveling bolts with 1 1/4" Acme thread levelers and added some swivel casters. This saw has been dumped 2x that I know of, hopefully being able to just roll it will keep it upright every time it gets loaded.

Being able to switch back and forth from 90 to 45 and count on an accurate cut will be such a pleasure.

03C0C091-2B1E-4B8A-B13C-FE1A66B7888B.jpeg
101C9C73-DC01-4B82-BD92-BC6432F43502.jpeg


4EF8F782-C062-4C0F-8756-D9CF7161B7EB.jpeg
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An out feed table?

How do you know when your cuts are done?
 
Saloon65 said:
well, that’ll either be a “yeah, i guess that'll work”, or qualify for instant inclusion in the fail thread…
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I dropped a full can of JD yellow a year or so back, hit the corner of a steel box just right and started spraying everywhere.

Let’s just say the mess it made gave me a new respect for pressurized paint.
 
I used to work at an aluminum accessory shop (big rig shit...).

One night I was making an aluminum scabbard for my machete, to attach on my fourwheeler. Shop owner and employees were in there drinking beer. I had my white jetta in the shop so I put an empty cardboard beer box on the trunk and the shop owner was swinging at it with the machete.

I'm working on my scabbard and about 5 minutes later the shop owner goes running past me, all red.

He had a real nice yellow skidoo MXZ jacket on. It was red, his face was red, his eyeballs and teeth were red. :lmao:


I go over to my white car, to find the back window and trunk all red, and on the ground was my red machete half way through a red spray bomb.

Good times.
 
mjlogan88 said:
Finally remembered to take a pic of my trailer jack powered bender. Not as good as air/hyd but more portable and easier than pulling on the bar

IMG-5723.jpg
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That’s neat. Never would’ve thought those would have enough power to bend tube
 
Brad said:
That’s neat. Never would’ve thought those would have enough power to bend tube
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Neither did I. That is the cheapest one I could find for proof of concept. Once I realized how good it worked I bought a nicer one that had more capacity but I never installed it.

That cheapo 5000 lb one has built 3 NHRA 8.50 cages, an explorer prerunner, and a few bumpers.
 
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mjlogan88 said:
Neither did I. That is the cheapest one I could find for proof of concept. Once I realized how good it worked I bought a nicer one that had more capacity but I never installed it.

That cheapo 5000 lb one has built 3 NHRA 8.50 cages, an explorer prerunner, and a few bumpers.
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Oh man, that's awesome to hear.

Can you disassemble it to clean/grease the threads inside? I bet some good moly grease would keep it running smoooooth.
 
Yotota said:
Oh man, that's awesome to hear.

Can you disassemble it to clean/grease the threads inside? I bet some good moly grease would keep it running smoooooth.
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I spray it down with whatever slippery stuff i have nearby once in a while. It actually runs pretty smooth just getting to have more backlash.

It will bend .120 1.75 HREW with a corded power drill in low range. I usually use a cordless impact to take up the slack then spin it with a breaker bar to do the bending. What is really nice is the jack provides a great spot to take measurements and it does super repeatable bends.

I welded that lugnut on fully expecting the thing to blow up the first tube i tried to bend. Shit is still there years later :laughing:
 
Seems like my longest lasting fixes were the patch jobs I needed just to get through one more or a cobble together to try out an idea, each with the full intention of going back to "do it right" but never seem to get there since other priorities override that which is still functioning.
 
Here's one for stripped out splined levers. It's a slightly less hackfucked way to do it compared to just welding the lever on. Drill/tap a hole down a spline ideally half in each part, add screw(s) and enjoy not having to tear down the machine or buy $$$ parts. Kickstarter on a raggedy ass old Yamaha I'm getting running for example.

PXL_20210910_014054545.jpg
 
mjlogan88 said:
Finally remembered to take a pic of my trailer jack powered bender. Not as good as air/hyd but more portable and easier than pulling on the bar

IMG-5723.jpg
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I've setup mine similar to that! Largest mine will do comfortably with a regular battery drill is 1.75" HREW .129. DOM it struggles, but does work with an M18 drill.
 
TrikeKid said:
Here's one for stripped out splined levers. It's a slightly less hackfucked way to do it compared to just welding the lever on. Drill/tap a hole down a spline ideally half in each part, add screw(s) and enjoy not having to tear down the machine or buy $$$ parts. Kickstarter on a raggedy ass old Yamaha I'm getting running for example.
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With a pinch bolt like that you could have just cranked it tighter. :flipoff2:
 
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