Ideas for Scroungers

Always had a hard time sharpening punches and awls to a nice point by hand on a bench grinder.
The chucks on my 12x36 don't hold smaller than 3/8'' but one day a chuck from an exhausted cordless drill started calling my name.
The worst part of the wrestling the chuck off the drill was realizing that the screw holding it on is a left hand thread!
The picture should be self explanatory. The 3/8'' drill chuck is dialed into an independant chuck and we are off to the races. Now it is fun to sharpen or reshape points on the lathe even if there is a handle in the way.

IMG_1135.JPG
 
All you scroungers, thanks for your excellent responses to this old thread...keep 'em coming!
 
View attachment 64685View attachment 64684


Steven--when you get so much stuff collected and you have no more room for a file cabinet in your plumb over-filled shop and storage areas----then--instead of throwing it out and you need sheet metal for a project---then you cut it up and don't have to go buy sheet metal---flat pieces of sheet metal are more compact than a cabinet and can be stored easier-----I am at this point with a lot of resources and have to be better at compressing materials to utilize space.---sometimes good items are no longer in demand in their current shape and we that like to be good scroungers--find all the other good uses for the internal parts---that's why this thread is so interesting--so others can reap the neat ideas of the very thrifty scroungers----there are a few very good resources that others may like to find out about.---I buy all the roller blades that people have at garage sales for a dollar or less, and remove all the nice wheels and bearings and use these in my projects---the wheels can be shaped on your lathe and work for many projects--for instance- rollers for your homemade bandsaws, tensioners, drive wheels, cart wheels, and the uses go on and on--they have excellant bearings in them also--we all know how much new bearings cost.--also the tough plastic used in these shoes are very tough good stuff that can be machined for small projects, and the nice axle bolts are very handy to keep.
Another idea for members that have smaller lathes ---I take a carbide saw blade and with my angle grinder with a thin cut-off blade cut the blade into small lathe cutoff blade shapes to be used in special made cutoff tools--then I can sharpen the small carbides or reshape them to whatever shape I want.--you can drill holes in the blades to mount them in or on the end of boring bars--I find them to be very nice as cutoff blades, and they are very cheap--just think--how many small tools you can make out of an old 20 carbide tooth 10" blade--you can also mill the shapes you want after you cut the blade shapes up with your angle grinder----Us good scroungers are filled with these Ideas and we are glad to share them with all who ask---we can't use all the cheap resources so we will make sure other thrifty members keep these resources from just going to the trash--happy hunting---Dave :)) :thinking::thinking:


That is a very clever idea I just happen to have a couple of those laying around. Thanks Ray
 
That is a very clever idea I just happen to have a couple of those laying around. Thanks Ray

Ray and others---there are many thicknesses of carbide blades which helps also on what you want to use them for---even buying a new blade and cutting it up is very inexpensive for all the small blade uses you can get out of it---you can also use your torch to remove the carbides and then silver solder them to your own special bits. for members with small lathes and mills it makes having carbide tools very inexpensive----I can already feel the thoughts swirling around in the heads of quick thinking inventative members---that's what great ---someone else takes ideas much farther------return pictures of how you have used them, or how you plan on using them------Dave
 
Ray and others---there are many thicknesses of carbide blades which helps also on what you want to use them for---even buying a new blade and cutting it up is very inexpensive for all the small blade uses you can get out of it---you can also use your torch to remove the carbides and then silver solder them to your own special bits. for members with small lathes and mills it makes having carbide tools very inexpensive----I can already feel the thoughts swirling around in the heads of quick thinking inventative members---that's what great ---someone else takes ideas much farther------return pictures of how you have used them, or how you plan on using them------Dave


I bet the next question will be, "what do I need to silver solder".
http://www.hobby-machinist.com/show...el-and-brass-to-steel?highlight=silver+solder

Here's the search from this forum

http://www.hobby-machinist.com/search.php?searchid=397166
 
all of us find needs for small brass and stainless tubes for our projects.---the ballpoint pen not only has a nice small spring to throw in your spring drawer, but also may have a nice brass tube to clean the ink out of and put in our small tubes drawer--the little brass tip is also hollow and is worth keeping for a small project.---one of my favorite sources of nice small brass and stainless tubes are the antennas that are discarded on old tv-s and radios. they each have about 6 or more nice sizes in them---what a find, and they are coated brass, and have some nice end mountings on the largest size---you just have to stretch them out and cut them with your dremmel tool to the length you need.--they work nice for many projects and are very inexpensive---I have at least 40-50 of them in various sizes and lengths------I'll include a picture--:thinking:





aaablade pics 013.jpgaaablade pics 007.jpgaaablade pics 012.jpg

aaablade pics 013.jpg aaablade pics 007.jpg aaablade pics 012.jpg
 
Used part of those tv/radio antennas to repair my wife's umbrella today.

Boy was she happy...

Charl
 
Used part of those tv/radio antennas to repair my wife's umbrella today.

Boy was she happy...

Charl


Charl--you just reminded me of all the neat pieces that I got off an umbrella that was beyond repair--they are all different with some nice spring wires of different sizes and some nice tubes from the handles--they have neat stuff for small hobbies---Dave
 
Nice adding machine $1.00 black and red ink ribbon $2.50 equals $3.50 for a clean piece of 1950's "americana".
 
Nice adding machine $1.00 black and red ink ribbon $2.50 equals $3.50 for a clean piece of 1950's "americana".

:thinking: :think1: :whistle: :thinking:

What would you use those for?
 
Back
Top