# Scrap to useful.



## MarkM (Dec 9, 2018)

I came across some medium carbon nuts and bolts dismantling a pump station for a week I thought i d keep some and make some stuff eventually.  I figure there 4140 as they were happiest in the 70 80 sfm range with my cutters.  
Have been busy and haven t had the chance to get my Glacern on the table so I d thought I d make some Tee nuts with them.  Then I started to wonder what some of our ingenius members have come up with using scrap.
So as a light hearted casual kinda thread how about some pics of some stuff made from srcap.  The rustier the better or how about the vision to see something in a chunk of material.  My Tee nuts aren t much but it s more about my curiosity to see w
	

		
			
		

		
	




	

		
			
		

		
	
hat s out there and i ll start it off.


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## middle.road (Dec 9, 2018)

Now that works!


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## keebie1984 (Dec 9, 2018)

I used some wing bolts and turned them down to fit my oem and aftermarket throttle position sensor for a ford 4.6l normal bolts were Phillips and torx which sucked to adjust....these you could set finger tight test then grab with a plier to final cinch......was the ****. 

I was looking around my shop at the time to figure something out then looked dead at the tail stock on one of my taig style lathes. BINGO!


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## Bob Korves (Dec 9, 2018)

Scrap to useful.  That is the description of the vast majority of work done in my shop.  I may make a sign (from scrap wood) for my shop that says "scrap to useful."  Useful to make me smile.  I like that idea a lot.


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## keebie1984 (Dec 9, 2018)

Bob Korves said:


> Scrap to useful. That is the description of the vast majority of work done in my shop. I may make a sign (from scrap wood) for my shop that says "scrap to useful." Useful to make me smile. I like that idea a lot.



Lord child! Don’t get me started on wood! 

There is no such thing as a trash piece of wood unless it’s rotten hahah 


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## jdedmon91 (Dec 9, 2018)

Seems like a lot of my material is scrap. Or at least purchased at scrap price 


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## Aaron_W (Dec 9, 2018)

I'm better at making something useful into scrap...


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## eugene13 (Dec 9, 2018)

Here's two pics of my outdoor home brewing burner, the frame is made from amputated race car tubing, and the grates from shipping bracing.


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## Hawkeye (Dec 10, 2018)

Before...



After...



QCTP for my Storebro Bruk Ornmaskiner lathe. (Bonus entry: The tangential toolholder was also made from scrap.)


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## keebie1984 (Dec 10, 2018)

Hawkeye said:


> Before...
> View attachment 281975
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drops mike!


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## MarkM (Dec 10, 2018)

Hawkeye, That is awesome!  That s the vision I am talking about. Love the Tangential tool holder as well.


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## PHPaul (Dec 10, 2018)

Like others have mentioned, if it weren't for scrap steel, I wouldn't have any steel at all!  Well, not much anyway...

Nothing within light years of that QCTP tho!


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## MarkM (Dec 10, 2018)

Here is something else I made from some srap.  It was the cutoff of a propshaft given to me.  316 that he was going to throw out.  Obviously no clue what he had.  I was having problems truing up a hub from a 42 Ford pickup with a brake drum that had the hub still on.  The customer didn t want to pay me to remove the hub.  I couldn t get comfortable with the cast clamping so I made a tapered mandrel with a taper of .9985" to 1.001" so I could use the bearing journals and true up the drum.  I made spacers so I could position it where i wanted for either have drive with a press fit or a slight clearance fit depending where I would locate it on the shaft.  
	

		
			
		

		
	



	

		
			
		

		
	
 I used the boss of that disk and the bushing on the shaft for the drum. Also made the lathe alignment tool from it.


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## KBeitz (Dec 10, 2018)

Everything I build is made from scrap metals...


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## jdedmon91 (Dec 10, 2018)

Hawkeye said:


> Before...
> View attachment 281975
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> ...



Man that’s awesome. Did you rough saw it before milling? 


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## rgray (Dec 10, 2018)

I have some made from scrap QCTP holders. Two are from a 350 chevy crankshaft and an aluminum one cast from soda cans.

The knurling holder is probably 4 or 5 years old and like lots of projects for myself not quite finished. It gets to the usable stage and well.....I guess that's the important part.
It's from a main throw in the crankshaft, the hole is the hollow that is in the connecting rod journal. The knurling arms are from a road grader (some say patrol) blade (D2H steel). 
The cut off holder is cast iron from the same crankshaft. Dovetail cut for the blade and has brass inserts under the blade hold down bolts.
The aluminum holder was cast from a tool holder as practice. To do a better job the tool holder used to cast from needs to be larger so there is material left for final machining.
A square bar was added on the bottom and I use it with a 90 deg piece of plastic to file checkering on the end of pieces in the lathe.


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## jdedmon91 (Dec 10, 2018)

rgray said:


> I have some made from scrap QCTP holders. Two are from a 350 chevy crankshaft and an aluminum one cast from soda cans.
> 
> The knurling holder is probably 4 or 5 years old and like lots of projects for myself not quite finished. It gets to the usable stage and well.....I guess that's the important part.
> It's from a main throw in the crankshaft, the hole is the hollow that is in the connecting rod journal. The knurling arms are from a road grader (some say patrol) blade (D2H steel).
> ...



That is creative use of some unusual material. I would have never thought of a piece of a crankshaft. 


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## Cadillac (Dec 10, 2018)

Hawkeye said:


> Before...
> View attachment 281975
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Looks very nice. I’m curious as to the locking features for the toolholders?


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## Chuck K (Dec 10, 2018)

Made a cross feed but for my logan out of a piece of scrap bronze.


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## Hawkeye (Dec 10, 2018)

Caddy, the original clamping method, as seen in the photos above, is a setscrew leading in from the tip of the clamping wedge.



I later changed to a cam-lock method, operated by the modified bolt seen on the top of the block.



For reference, the toolholder body is held to the compound with a very substantial split post and tightened by a tapered bolt being drawn upward to spread the four sections of the post.


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## C-Bag (Dec 11, 2018)

From scrap to useful, one man's junk, another man's treasure. Words I've always lived by. I scan CL tools and materials several times a day. My shop is around 40-50% scrap derived. My best score was a 4x8 DIY CNC router frame made out of 80/20 that got saved from the scrap recycler and put on CL. Some of my best stuff has been made out of it.


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## rgray (Dec 11, 2018)

jdedmon91 said:


> That is creative use of some unusual material. I would have never thought of a piece of a crankshaft.



It's definitely not the easy way. I bandsawed pieces originally but after ruining a blade I switched to abrasive cut off saw.
So after that it's milled to try and make some flats to work with and then ground if I decide to get fancier.
It's the nicest cast iron I've ever machined. I would imagine it's high quality. And maybe the years of being in oil make it pretty much dust free to machine. Still making the very small chips but never seeing the dust in the air thing associated with cast iron machining.

I just can't let them go to scrap. Eventually I want to be able to melt some of it down and recast into ???whatever I need.
If only for a crucible that would swallow a crankshaft, so the cutting wasn't required. A guy can dream but that's not gonna happen at my place.

One of my first uses was the cast iron bearings in my version of the Harold Hall dividing head. The base on that is the DH2 grader bit also.
The worm drive is from a honda window motor.
I know I have more round (lathe worked)  crankshaft pieces in use but can't think of them off the top of my head.


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## rgray (Dec 16, 2018)

I thought this thread would be way more popular. I guess I'm in the minority when I build stuff out of scrape.
I built a few of these die holders over the years from a few different materials. Used 1144sp originally, and have made a couple from O-1 and hardened them.
I ended up with a chevy duramax transfer case that was junked out and thought the output shaft would make a cool die holder.
I almost started a thread on this make called "Don't try this at home" as if had it's difficulties.
Drilling the center was pretty straight forward, but drilling the surface was really hard. I tried spot annealing with a torch with no luck almost seemed to make it harder.
Eventually it went into the heat treat oven for annealing. That made it workable and the final finish is glass beaded.
Holds 1" round dies center alignment rod is 9/16 and turned down to 1/2" on the end. The handles clear the lathe ways on my 12x36. 
The splines make a good grip for using it without handles on small threads, and alum or brass.


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## jdedmon91 (Dec 16, 2018)

rgray said:


> I thought this thread would be way more popular. I guess I'm in the minority when I build stuff out of scrape.
> I built a few of these die holders over the years from a few different materials. Used 1144sp originally, and have made a couple from O-1 and hardened them.
> I ended up with a chevy duramax transfer case that was junked out and thought the output shaft would make a cool die holder.
> I almost started a thread on this make called "Don't try this at home" as if had it's difficulties.
> ...



First of all great job on the tap wrench. I think some of the members of the forum have looked at the title an took the title of this thread literally. In my material stash I have some scrap parts that came from my former employer. Also we make frequent visits to the scrap bins at Metal Supermarket in Charlotte for stock that I can use. Below in the video is some clamps for my mini pallet I made from some brackets that I picked up from a local company.







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## MarkM (Dec 16, 2018)

Made some alignment pins from some 8 inch bolts from another pump station in demise.  Made them for 1/2-13 threads but will work with most anything. Fatter one starts under .250" taper to .400 before before tap drill size then 1/2 inch. All with plenty clearance.
	

		
			
		

		
	



	

		
			
		

		
	
 Thinner one with the same taper but starts under .200 " then the same from there.


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## jdedmon91 (Dec 16, 2018)

I forgot about this project, I have some aluminum rectangle stock that my BIL that was used in some type of electrical work. It was powder coated. This is a R8 collet bracket that I mounted on the wall behind the mill. 






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## rust rescue (Feb 3, 2019)

Retired now but when working had a sign on my toolbox that said:  I RECYCLE, ASK FOR DETAILS. Also the title clipped from a magazine article on recycling that read THINGS ARE NEVER THROWN AWAY, JUST PUT IN OTHER PLACES.  I am not at all opposed to buying new stock if needed but most of my home projects are "recycled" from scrap material. Keep on repurposing!


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## jdedmon91 (Feb 3, 2019)

rust rescue said:


> Retired now but when working had a sign on my toolbox that said: I RECYCLE, ASK FOR DETAILS. Also the title clipped from a magazine article on recycling that read THINGS ARE NEVER THROWN AWAY, JUST PUT IN OTHER PLACES. I am not at all opposed to buying new stock if needed but most of my home projects are "recycled" from scrap material. Keep on repurposing!



I need that sign for the shop


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## MarkM (Feb 24, 2019)

Some Delrin that came off a Zamboni Conditioner.  About three feet long before cut up.  A home for my vise and column handles and a place to put my mic and caliper with tooling for the job on the mill without rolling off.


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## epanzella (Mar 6, 2019)

Junkyard scrap to collet closer.


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## savarin (Mar 6, 2019)

Does melting scrap aluminium into useful parts count?
Virtually all my projects start from scrap materials.


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## MarkM (Mar 7, 2019)

It s scrap and free isn t it?  Curiuos about your process!


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## savarin (Mar 7, 2019)

MarkM said:


> It s scrap and free isn t it?  Curiuos about your process!



have a look here








						80mm long focal length refractor
					

Excellent project - subscribed!




					www.hobby-machinist.com


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## MarkM (Apr 7, 2019)

Getting quite a bit of use of these bolts and a rusted bar found used for the clamp.  Helped me finish up one side of the clamping for these blocks I made.


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## epanzella (Apr 7, 2019)

Rifle/pistol barrel chambering fixture.


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## MarkM (Apr 26, 2019)

I sure am getting alot of use of these bolts right from the original post.  Still have some but could of and should have grabbed pails full.  Lesson learned!
Anyways,  thought i d make some boring bars for short work, threading and a screw for a jack.  I like having these things around using drill bits.  Way Easier for me to get decent grade stuff out here in the sticks and 3/16 drills are cheap and will be quite rigid behind any bar you want to put it on.  One shot at the grind on a bench grinder gets interesting!  Not much to play with.
Sure would like a surface grinder or even a single lip.  One can dream can t they!
A few pics of course!


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## ThinWoodsman (Apr 26, 2019)

Now that's a good use for all of my broken drill bits


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## C-Bag (Apr 26, 2019)

It's tough to find material here. So when a guy posted he had a 1.5"X 1.5 X 4' solid steel fence post I snatched it up. I've made a couple of useful things like dogs for the shaper and a backstop that I use on the shaper and the auto feed sled on my vert bandsaw.


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## MarkM (Apr 26, 2019)

I Don t think Charlie Brown got it right when he said "There are three things people stare at.  A brook, a Zamboni and a fire."  He forgot the shaper.  I get mesmarized watching those chips.  Been smacked up the backside of the head on more than one occasion for it.


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## C-Bag (Apr 26, 2019)

Lol, the shaper is mesmerizing but after my initial getting used to it I like I can set it and leave it. Same with the auto sled. I've had them both doing something while I was running the mill. I guess if I was truly handy I'd put auto shut offs on both of them. Gotta love machines you don't have to babysit.


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## Suzuki4evr (Apr 27, 2019)

Hawkeye said:


> Before...
> View attachment 281975
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I remember this one.


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## Suzuki4evr (Apr 27, 2019)

In my opinion there is no such thing as scrap metal. You must just have the vision or idea to change it into something useful.


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## tjb (Apr 27, 2019)

Don't know if this fits the category of 'scrap' but they were totally useless for their original purpose.  These are some clocks I made out of an old flex plate and the two non-functional instrument clusters out of a '54 Chevy truck (my avatar).





Also made one out of an old 12" chop saw blade, but don't have a picture.

Regards,
Terry


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## mmcmdl (Apr 27, 2019)

My company throws material out like your daily trash . I scavenge ANYTHING I believe I can make a tool or fixture out of it .


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## francist (Apr 27, 2019)

Nice clocks, very cool!

-frank


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## tjb (Apr 28, 2019)

francist said:


> Nice clocks, very cool!
> 
> -frank


Thanks, Frank.


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## C-Bag (Apr 28, 2019)

mmcmdl said:


> My company throws material out like your daily trash . I scavenge ANYTHING I believe I can make a tool or fixture out of it .


That is the only thing I miss from my wage slave days. The stuff I'd pull out of the scrap recycle bins and out of the boneyard of obsolete machines and equipment breaks my heart now. But I've moved so many times I know better than get too carried away. It's also why I've stayed away from acquiring larger machine tools. 

Moving 25 times in 40yrs makes me look at everything logistically. I'm thinking downsizing is the next thing on the horizon and it might be a ultimate liquidation which it sounds like you are very intimate with. I have a small fraction of what you have Dave but I saw what my brother went through trying to liquidate his shop to move to Pennsylvania from California and I'm not looking fwd to dealing with the headache and heartbreak.


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