Show us your home made tools
I make a lot of my own stuff for body and trim work.
This is an old idea, but I made this, because I can't get one small enough to do the work I want it for, namely stainless and aluminum trim parts.
It's called a bullseye pic. It is used for striking on the blind side of panels. Most of them are much bigger and have a V channel foot on them.
Made this one out of 3/8 square tubing and 3/8 round stock rod. The head is a welded, ground and polished plate of mild steel with a very low crown. I wanted the opening to have support on all sides, instead of the open ended U and V channels that you typically see, to help isolate the dent as it's used.
The handle has a stop and two small pieces of the round stock welded, for a light pressure spring pirch, to keep the tool in your hand as you use it, like a pair of metal shears.
I'm going to make another, even smaller, that uses interchanging chisel tips as the striking head for super small stuff, like drip rail trim. Right now I set it on my bench and I hate flipping it, constantly, to file check and finish.
I just got four new hickory hammer handles that I plan on using for new body hammers. I want something with more reach and a nice, horizontal, deep crown and rounded edges for shaping. I'm tired of the universal ones that I have, with a shallow head.
Once I get those hammer heads done, I think I may end up making some bench heads, too. I'll post them up as I complete them.
If I get into it much, I may buy a smithy. I want a lathe, so I can make new specialty dies for my bead roller and I want to build a bigger english wheel.
I love the tubing straightener idea. Gotta make me one of those.
I make a lot of my own stuff for body and trim work.
This is an old idea, but I made this, because I can't get one small enough to do the work I want it for, namely stainless and aluminum trim parts.
It's called a bullseye pic. It is used for striking on the blind side of panels. Most of them are much bigger and have a V channel foot on them.
Made this one out of 3/8 square tubing and 3/8 round stock rod. The head is a welded, ground and polished plate of mild steel with a very low crown. I wanted the opening to have support on all sides, instead of the open ended U and V channels that you typically see, to help isolate the dent as it's used.
The handle has a stop and two small pieces of the round stock welded, for a light pressure spring pirch, to keep the tool in your hand as you use it, like a pair of metal shears.
I'm going to make another, even smaller, that uses interchanging chisel tips as the striking head for super small stuff, like drip rail trim. Right now I set it on my bench and I hate flipping it, constantly, to file check and finish.
I just got four new hickory hammer handles that I plan on using for new body hammers. I want something with more reach and a nice, horizontal, deep crown and rounded edges for shaping. I'm tired of the universal ones that I have, with a shallow head.
Once I get those hammer heads done, I think I may end up making some bench heads, too. I'll post them up as I complete them.
If I get into it much, I may buy a smithy. I want a lathe, so I can make new specialty dies for my bead roller and I want to build a bigger english wheel.
I love the tubing straightener idea. Gotta make me one of those.
