Simple homemade jigs and tools....

[DCL_dave]

Hi,

Here's a very crude but handy little gizmo I made to press a countersunk recess into a steel washer using a big vice. I made it a few years ago, long before I got a lathe...and as you can see it is as simple as you like, bit of a Gem barrel with the end bored out to form a simple die and a cut-down wood screw as punch, but it works so well that I haven't bothered making anything fancier for the purpose since...

What little jigs or tools have you made and use?

[look no hands]

The only two things I can think of, which aren't really that special are a modified flat blade screwdriver with a slot cut in the end to help undo/do up the slotted nut on the hinge bolt on the later BSA Mercury and Challengers, I also got my friend who has a lathe to make me up a small boss that slides over the spindle on my bench grinder so I can use an angle grinder cutting disk to cut main springs as I always found it a pain trying to cut through springs with a hacksaw.

Pete

[DCL_dave]

The only two things I can think of, which aren't really that special are a modified flat blade screwdriver with a slot cut in the end to help undo/do up the slotted nut on the hinge bolt on the later BSA Mercury and Challengers, I also got my friend who has a lathe to make me up a small boss that slides over the spindle on my bench grinder so I can use an angle grinder cutting disk to cut main springs as I always found it a pain trying to cut through springs with a hacksaw.

Pete

Hi Pete,

That's exactly the sort of thing I mean, those simplest of tools that were bashed together to do a job yet have prove themselves worthy time and time again...a good example being the indispensable broom handle tool that makes stripping a Meteor easy.

Here's a pic a simple jig that goes in a drill press. I use it to cut breech seals from very thick leather...which it cuts through like butter!

[edbear2]

Hi Dave,

Because I have access at work most of my stuff can be made a bit better, such as this fixture to hold a BSA barrel steady whilst dovetailing (the action was held in the mill vise by the flats on the breech);

https://www.flickr.com/photos/312284...7623019958012/

However at home when caught out it's angle grinder and dremel like everyone else and a couple that spring to mind are a modified air tool spanner (flat steel stock) to do Diana 50 front screws, or a deep socket attacked with a Dremel to fit the nut which secures the stock on early Airsporters, Or even two or three spanners with some tape over inserted in a tight Weihrauch breech block trigger slot so I could it started

ATB, Ed

[aimless]

Hi, this is my home-made "clamp" to rask (?) or saw(?) srews. Just make the threads and then cut the piece with a saw. Dont forget the big bore to make the device "elastic"...

(Please excuse my humble technical english)

http://sta.sh/22a1vt37432j?edit=1

[deejayuu]

Ring nut spanner

[ccdjg]

Some great tips. It’s always the simplest ones the save you the most time and frustration.

I found this saved me a lot of time making chequered grip plates for pistols. First select a bolt or old tap with the thread size corresponding to the size chequering you want, and then grind away surplus metal to give a single toothed cutting edge:

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q...pskdy8etno.jpg

Clamp a sheet of selected hard wood of the final thickness to the lathe cross slide and make a single pass under the cutting tool in one direction. Then move the plate round to make a second pass, so giving a diamond pattern. The shape of the diamonds can be made anything you want by choosing the angle between the two passes..

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q...psjezomet9.jpg

You can then cut out the shape of the grip plate and add any necessary side chequering by hand. This method cuts out 90% of the hand chequering, and the machined pattern gives you an easy guide for the hand chequering bits.

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q...pscbj2t5qz.jpg

[Benelli B76]

Some great tips. It’s always the simplest ones the save you the most time and frustration.

I found this saved me a lot of time making chequered grip plates for pistols. First select a bolt or old tap with the thread size corresponding to the size chequering you want, and then grind away surplus metal to give a single toothed cutting edge:

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q...pskdy8etno.jpg

Clamp a sheet of selected hard wood of the final thickness to the lathe cross slide and make a single pass under the cutting tool in one direction. Then move the plate round to make a second pass, so giving a diamond pattern. The shape of the diamonds can be made anything you want by choosing the angle between the two passes..

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q...psjezomet9.jpg

You can then cut out the shape of the grip plate and add any necessary side chequering by hand. This method cuts out 90% of the hand chequering, and the machined pattern gives you an easy guide for the hand chequering bits.

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q...pscbj2t5qz.jpg

Now that is brilliant John, never seen that idea before. My most used tools are not as sophisticated, sharpened leather punches to cut the O.D. and I.D. of seals, and wooden clamping system to hold the difficult Airsporter and Mercury trigger block squarely in the vice when putting a strong new spring in. Like this thread.
Oh, I forgot top of a pen to put new seal on piston dovetail...

Baz

[DCL_dave]

Hi Dave,

Because I have access at work most of my stuff can be made a bit better, such as this fixture to hold a BSA barrel steady whilst dovetailing (the action was held in the mill vise by the flats on the breech;

https://www.flickr.com/photos/312284...7623019958012/

However at home when caught out it's angle grinder and dremel like everyone else and a couple that spring to mind are a modified air tool spanner (flat steel stock) to do Diana 50 front screws, or a deep socket attacked with a Dremel to fit the nut which secures the stock on early Airsporters, Or even two or three spanners with some tape over inserted in a tight Weihrauch breech block trigger slot so I could it started

ATB, Ed

Hi Ed,

Like your dovetail jig...it's nice to see how it should be done properly! ...but you have touched on the reasoning for this thread as I question my own need for the proper equipment...I have the proper equipment now...but I'm a plasterer, what the hell do I know about engineering?...I'm sort of lost in inexperience and find myself thinking it will take me a hour to set the machine up to do a job that I would have done in minutes with a hammer and an angle grinder...albeit nowhere near as nicely!

Hi, this is my home-made "clamp" to rask (?) or saw(?) srews. Just make the threads and then cut the piece with a saw. Dont forget the big bore to make the device "elastic"...

(Please excuse my humble technical english)

http://sta.sh/22a1vt37432j?edit=1

Hi,

Thanks, that looks like a very handy little jig.

Ring nut spanner

Again, excellent use of the grinder ...I remember making a similar tool from a length of tube to get down inside an AA S200 stock...which itself was inspired by the use of a bicycle seat post tool to get at the stock nut of a Gem...

Some great tips. It’s always the simplest ones the save you the most time and frustration.

I found this saved me a lot of time making chequered grip plates for pistols. First select a bolt or old tap with the thread size corresponding to the size chequering you want, and then grind away surplus metal to give a single toothed cutting edge:

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q...pskdy8etno.jpg

Clamp a sheet of selected hard wood of the final thickness to the lathe cross slide and make a single pass under the cutting tool in one direction. Then move the plate round to make a second pass, so giving a diamond pattern. The shape of the diamonds can be made anything you want by choosing the angle between the two passes..

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q...psjezomet9.jpg

You can then cut out the shape of the grip plate and add any necessary side chequering by hand. This method cuts out 90% of the hand chequering, and the machined pattern gives you an easy guide for the hand chequering bits.

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q...pscbj2t5qz.jpg

Wow, that looks amazing (and dare I say it not too hard to do, when shown how!), but incredibly effective!

[DCL_dave]

Now that is brilliant John, never seen that idea before. My most used tools are not as sophisticated, sharpened leather punches to cut the O.D. and I.D. of seals, and wooden clamping system to hold the difficult Airsporter and Mercury trigger block squarely in the vice when putting a strong new spring in. Like this thread.
Oh, I forgot top of a pen to put new seal on piston dovetail...

Baz

Love the pen lid tool, so simple.

...On a similar theme, an old (filled) removable nozzle of a silicon/mastic tube makes a handy makeshift tool for stretching leather.

[SRV1]

Being a doddery old pensioner (is it true gunshops have extended hours on a Wednesday for pensioners - and a discount like B&Q?) and not having the strength of a stallion anymore, I knocked up a tool to fit the Airsporter/Challenger/Mercury block that fits my home made spring compressor and rotates in perfect alignment of the male and female threads. Also, many other type of adapters that are easy push fit into the threaded spindle of the G-clamp. The spring compressor is totally adjustable, safe and easy to use.

Out of interest I made a tool that easily removes and replaces the Maxi-scope rail, it was a bit fun doing it, and not being sexually active as in the days of youth, much time to spend fiddling.

All tools made from scrap bits of metal lying around, I even used the 'L' section angle from an abandoned roadworks sign frame - this made parts of the Maxi-scope rail tool and the base for the spring compressor!

I don't have a cosmos 'photo hosting website and don't wish to, but, if anyone want to provide visuals for this thread, I can email a couple of photographs....Warning, if I have. in my senile moment, mailed something inappropriate, it is the tools that we are interested in.....

All the best....

[vbull]

I'd love to see some home made spring compressors.

[DCL_dave]

Being a doddery old pensioner (is it true gunshops have extended hours on a Wednesday for pensioners - and a discount like B&Q?) and not having the strength of a stallion anymore, I knocked up a tool to fit the Airsporter/Challenger/Mercury block that fits my home made spring compressor and rotates in perfect alignment of the male and female threads. Also, many other type of adapters that are easy push fit into the threaded spindle of the G-clamp. The spring compressor is totally adjustable, safe and easy to use.

Out of interest I made a tool that easily removes and replaces the Maxi-scope rail, it was a bit fun doing it, and not being sexually active as in the days of youth, much time to spend fiddling.

All tools made from scrap bits of metal lying around, I even used the 'L' section angle from an abandoned roadworks sign frame - this made parts of the Maxi-scope rail tool and the base for the spring compressor!

I don't have a cosmos 'photo hosting website and don't wish to, but, if anyone want to provide visuals for this thread, I can email a couple of photographs....Warning, if I have. in my senile moment, mailed something inappropriate, it is the tools that we are interested in.....

All the best....

Blimey...private moments and the threat of inappropriate tool references...its like an infamous scene from a Ray Winstone filum?...

ne'erdowell #1- "Where's your tool?"
ne'redowell #2- "yes, it does, doesn't it..."

...or am I thinking of the one about the two nuns in the bath?

Send them to me if you like, I'll host and post the links for all to see

I'd love to see some home made spring compressors.

Sash cramp?...

[ccdjg]

I'd love to see some home made spring compressors.

I suppose this is a spring compressor of sorts, very crude but very useful for dealing with gat-type pistols where the muzzle nut is difficult to shift.
http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q...psxpshbnc1.jpg

As you can see here, it holds the spring back and exposes enough of the barrel to be able to grip it with pliers so that you can apply leverage when unscrewing the muzzle nut.
http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q...pslycsuzmm.jpg

[Troubledshooter]

I'd love to see some home made spring compressors.

Sash cramps make ideal spring compressors Robert.
I faced the cramps with thick leather to avoid marking the metal surfaces and also help prevent slippage, and use several releasable plastic ties to keep cylinders in place. I rarely use it so haven't yet made a cover for the adjustable length of the cramp, but I just wrap it in a cloth to prevent marking the cylinder.

The suggestions for various home brew bits 'n pieces are very useful if one has a lathe, but, like myself I'm sure there are many that don't, so we have to go the Heath Robinson route and make items that require little machining.

Fortunately, over the years I have managed to build up quite a useful kit of tools including a set and various single gasket/leather hole punches up to 35mm, which have proven useful on occasion.
I have more spanners and sockets than I know what to do with, so have donated quite a few to a charitable organisation that was prepared to collect. Unfortunately this means they will go abroad as all the other charities couldn't be bothered to collect anything.
I've got a 4 tray Snap-On tool chest that I don't have much use for now, so I may well dispose of that as well, although I may try and raise some cash for that for another charity that don't deal with that sort of thing.