Do it yourself

sword · Dec 21, 2006

After veiwing several different threads with tools made by members I thought I would start new one dedicated to that subject. If you make ANY of your own equipment and are willing to share PLEASE post pic's, measurements, suppliers of hard to find parts. If your creation is even just a modification please post it and why you did it. Tool = ANYthing that helps us engrave better and is a physical object ( graver handles, vises, jigs, benches, hammers ect. ) . Even if it is still in the planning stages. You experienced members told us to ask well i'm asking

Glenn · Dec 21, 2006

I'm a build it myself type of guy. Items I've made are:
Large 40 lb ball vise (copied meeks vise)
Small ball vise (small copy of meeks vise)
Chasing hammers (large and small)
Holders for all my gravers
Holders for purchased engravers castings
Steel work bench for microscope, vise, and 2 gravermaxes
various copper and brass hammers
If I can figure out how to post pictures on this forum, I'll show the above items. I don't know why you would want to see them, but I'll do it.

sword · Dec 21, 2006

Glenn... Both my grandfathers were pattern makers and when they needed a tool that was exspensive (both were raised during the depression) or hard to find they made it themselves. There tools were usally better then the ones you could buy for four reasons 1) they were made for the exact need 2) the investment was made in time not money 3) they were made to LAST 4) there is the reward of knowing you did it youself
NOTE to others reading this these tools don't have to be pretty just work. I have noticed alot of interest in the threads with hand made tools so help us that are new to the art

Glenn · Dec 22, 2006

Here are a few things that I have made:
Small vise made from Meeks pictures, about 5lbs
Large vise " " " " " 40lbs
various hammers
pitch blocks
This photo is of one corner of my engraving room

JJ Roberts · Dec 23, 2006

Here are a few tools that I have made and have used over the years. The hammers are all commercially made. The chisels are made from industrial hacksaw blades and high speed tool steel. Hand push tools some were made for me by a friend, and others were commercially purchased. The all steel machinist hammer was given to me by gun engraver Roy Vail. The picture of me standing over the vise is the way I like to work, either with hammer and chisel or power assist. If, I am working on a game scene I usually sit down on the bench you see in the background.

Hope this will help any new comers feel free to ask any questions.

Yours truly,
JJ Roberts
School of Artistic Engraving
Manassas, VA

monk · Mar 14, 2007

have made a ball vise from a bowling ball, hammers from auto & truck engine valves, gravers, chisels, work supports, and tons of specialty holding jigs. i don't know how to post j-pegs here, but will send them to you if you reply to me direct. monk45@verizon.net

Gargoyle · Mar 14, 2007

I've seen some nice smithing forges made from a truck brake drum mounted on a vertical post (which was made from an axle).

BTW, JJ, how come you only have one reflection, when Sam was able to manage a dozen?

Monk- to post jpg's, when you compose a post, click the "go advanced" button, scroll down to where it says "manage attachments", click that and it will guide you to pick a jpg off your computer and upload it. When you're done uploading the pix, finish the post and submit it.

AllanFink1960 · Mar 14, 2007

gargoyle, sam cheated by getting photographed in a room full of overhead lights. each one has one reflection.

I was rather proud of my oak rack I made to hold all my benchmate attachments. I went onto the www.ganoksin.com site and found a lot of people take benchmates and make other stuff out of them, or find ways to attach tools they use often to the benchmate bracket. This seemed really smart to me so I spent a bunch of time going thru my workbench and seeing what would be mountable there. I found ways to mount all kinds of things, like a jumpringer, a foredom handpiece, a bunch of mini vices and things like that. I found it cleaned up my little world to make it all fit the same way. I drove the grs people kinda nuts mailing them ideas for more benchmate attachments other people invented, or my own little tricks. Steve Satow seems to be a tool-customizer master. That guy can make anything out of anything. He has more bench uses for pvc pipe than anyone I have ever heard of.

I havent gotten into the micro bench-machinist thing yet like you guys making your own engraving balls and hammers, but it does look like fun.

This thread is a fun idea. When I was in high school my metals teacher and I built a lost wax casting machine out of a wind-up starter for a lawn mower. It worked great and I used it for years. I finally got enough money for a commercial one so I bought one and retired the lawn mower casting machine.

austin · Mar 15, 2007

I made this fixture ,about 2 years ago

Bill Tokyo · Mar 15, 2007

Here's a bowling ball graving ball I made. I feel a bit ashamed next to all the other fine hand work here.

KSnyder · Mar 15, 2007

Bill , nuthin' to be ashamed of if it works for you.
I like to keep things simple if I can.
Kent

Swede · Mar 15, 2007

I've made plenty of tools that aren't engraving related. But here's one that is, a very simple job that took maybe an hour, but has made my simple crocker fixture useful rather than frustrating. What it is: a tool carrier that carries the small diameter toolbit (such as a round, or 3/32" square) centered axially with the crocker. If you change the angle using the original fixture (such as the heel vs. face) the "nod" angle will vary, because the toolbit is not inline. Two pictures will explain it better. The colleted holder was simply cannibalized from one of the common hand graver handles. Just a couple bucks. Brownell's Oxpho-blue colored it for me.

The finished product:

jacques herbst · Mar 15, 2007

workholding

here is my first work holder.it is made from two stainless steel desert bowls soldered together and filled with lead.a bearing and a resistance screw.the turntable on top comes from a old speaker back and the work is held in place with heat past.the bottom is stretched from use with my ball vice now but use to fit snugly and is made from leather and filled with sand.

jacques herbst · Mar 15, 2007

here is my sharpening fixture that i still use.i know it is not pretty but it works sort of.i am waiting for my fixture from Paul and i am am sure it will make my live a lot easer.i don't have a lath and this was made from lots of bit and pieces of scrap.

monk · Mar 15, 2007

hay gargoyle, you're the greatest ! thankx monk

Bill Brockway · Mar 16, 2007

This has been shown on the knife network forum, before, but that was a year or two ago, so here goes again. The fiirst couple of pictures are an engraving ball made out of a stainless mixing bowl, filled with lead (melted wheel weights). The ring is plywood, lined with cork, and the whole thing probably didn't cost more than $10. I have used it for over 30 years for stand-up-and-walk-around engraving, with a hammer and chisel, and it works fine. I have recently switched over to a Gravermach, and am looking for a little more free-wheeling work holder, and one that will center the work. The last picture is a short-handled chasing hammer, which I turned on the lathe. The idea was to make a hammer light enough to prevent me from being so heavy-handed when driving the chisel. It works. Bill

ihsfab · May 21, 2007

Here is some of the stuff I have come up with. The microscope stand is made our of 1 inch square 14ga tubing welded to a brake rotor for a base and weight. The scope is held on by a 3 inch muffler clamp, the next thing I will put on the stand is a head rest

This is my engraving vise its made out of a 6 inch 4 jaw lathe chuck that I machined out and installed a sealed roller bearing in the center of the chuck that is pressed on a steel shaft . The brass ball has a steel 1 1/4 inch shaft that was put in to the brass when it was cast.

This is the power hone I made I use one of Steve's Lap's and I use Paul H. graver fixtures. The motor turns at 1740rpm with a 1 inch pulley and the spindle has a 4inch pulley on it so it turns at around 435rpm. The spindle is 1/2 ground steel shaft mounted on pillow block bearings. The case is 12 ga mild steel that has been bent at a 90 degree. The belt is a large o-ring its smoother than a v-belt. I know somebody is going to ask me about the run out of the lap. From after getting it all set up which wasn't much the run out was .0005 of a inch which I didn't think was to bad considering I didn't do any machine work to this other than use a drill press.

This is the stand for my vise it use to be the my roll around seat for when I worked on cars it has a air cylinder that allow me to move my vise up or down if need be and its on rollers.

Weldon47 · May 21, 2007

Bill Toyko,

Your bowling ball vise is pretty cool. I have considered doing that for some time now & the way I bowl it would be a much better use of the ball!

Weldon

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