Category Archives: Tools

Cheap wall based workbench

Posted on August 7, 2014 by robertwilkie

Nice write-up on building a cheap workbench that can fold up into the wall.  Looking this over I have most stuff as scrapes (old door hinges, plywood, bolts).  Just the long lengths of 2×4’s would be hard to come by. … Continue reading →

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Nice write-up on the different types of soldering tips

Posted on July 17, 2014 by robertwilkie

I knew all but one in the list, worth reading if you are just starting out with solder. http://www.instructables.com/id/Uses-of-Different-Soldering-Iron-Tips/

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Magnetic wood bumpers for your vise

Posted on June 25, 2014 by robertwilkie

Hum…swap in some harddrive magnets instead…and I could build one of these for nothing.  Its nice to have something soft like wood on your vise to keep from denting objects (too much) as you crank them in. http://www.instructables.com/id/Magnetic-wooden-vice-bumpers/  

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Make a ball with a Circular Saw

Posted on June 24, 2014 by robertwilkie

I had to look this over several times before I got how it works.  Neat trick on the jig used to turn a cylinder into a cicle with the saw.  http://www.core77.com/blog/tools/more_power_tool_hacks_creating_a_wooden_sphere_with_a_circular_saw_25701.asp

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Make your own lathe from a drill

Posted on June 24, 2014 by robertwilkie

At first I thought, ugh…but after watching the video, I am pretty impressed.  Not so sure I would use a dead stationary center on the end, maybe another drill chuck or something.  Anyways interesting build. http://lifehacker.com/transform-a-power-drill-into-a-miniature-wood-lathe-1593744668?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lifehacker%2Ffull+%28Lifehacker%29

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Make a filament spool holder with PVC

Posted on June 6, 2014 by robertwilkie

Why waste plastic and have one print out when you can build a pretty sturdy one out of PVC (and its cheap).  Author used 1.5 inch PVC pipe, 4 elbows, and 2 endcaps.  About $8 in parts. http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:69834  

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How to

Posted on June 5, 2014 by robertwilkie

Nice write-up on how to make circuits from copper board. http://www.instructables.com/id/PCB-making-guide/

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Make your own Center Finder Tool

Posted on May 13, 2014 by robertwilkie

Good write-up on building a simple center finder for a can or other circle shaped objects.  Now if I only had a laser cutting CNC… http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-center-finder-tool-quick-cheap-easy/

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Convert a drill press into a bobin/spindle sander

Posted on April 17, 2014 by robertwilkie

I like this idea, the author basically built a box to put the drum sander in for sanding objects (I have done this the hard way in the past.  I also like Hackaday’s suggestion of adding a base bolt or … Continue reading →

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123D Web based Circuit Design

Posted on April 16, 2014 by robertwilkie

  Interesting PCB/ circuit design tool, its somewhat free on the Web, actually you design your circuits on a Web interface.  It looks pretty neat but I haven’t tried it myself.  However it does have allot of arduino stuff built … Continue reading →

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