Cool Tools in your home shop that you'd not likely not see in someone else's?

[Bandit]

The OTC thread chaser I seen many years ago in my father's tool box. Well over 60 years now. It worked well, sometimes had to take a file to the jaw to remove some previous threads deeply wore into it. There were a very good assortment of thread chasers with it.
. I imagine that you could likely get other chaser sets for it as well. Never had even heard of metric or others at that time.
That tool, in hand with 3 thread files saved the day many times!

 

[Bandit]

Anytime I have found a 2 piece vise, they suure did not look like them. Usually left them in the scrap!

 

[TorontoBuilder]

I wanted to make a small home security device that would produce the sound of a shell being racked into the chamber of a 12 ga.

I have one.

But I couldn't manage to make it smaller despite a few years of trying. So I'm pretty much stuck with a model that is 5'10" tall and 185 pounds. Other than the size issue the device functions perfectly at producing the sound of a shell racking into the chamber of a 12 ga.

With a slight change it can also replicate pretty much any other gauge you'd like

 

[Stuart Samuel]

Sometimes the obvious is not obvious. Well not at first.

I have a pair of TE-CO toe clamps. (Thanks to @Stuart Samuel for putting me in contact with the seller during our Forum spring meet-up)
View attachment 55420
I tried them on the mill to hold a a large flat piece of steel. They worked great but that exercise made we wish i had another pair so i could clamp from 2 directions or locations.
A light went on this morning when i saw this picture (from Darren’s post above).



View attachment 55421



Oh so obvious - just clamp down a backstop and then use one of these to clamp towards it (just like a 2 piece vise).

Wow - Just overcame another brain fart!

I also used one of them the other day to push a crack closed on a casting I was repairing. Clamped one side of the casting down to the table, put a clamp lightly on the other side to constrain it, and clamped the hold down to the table. Made it really easy to apply force on an awkward part, without a clamp in my way while I welded the part.

 

[justin1]

I have nothing too crazy got some of neat stuff I've found over the years. Tiny hammer for tiny trouble shooting. Same as my 13/64 wrench for those hard to reach nuts.

I got this 6" shell mill that I'm gonna use on my mill when I find 2" 40 taper holder
for it lol.

Not sure if it counts but I don't imagine many people have a homemade sphere machine laying around.

O ye last but not least I got a small optical flat from USSR

 

[KeeponDragon]

I can only assume it makes spheres by spinning those cups over the workpiece...as the workpiece rotates?
ornamental concrete bra filler?

Not sure if it counts but I don't imagine many people have a homemade sphere machine laying around.View attachment 55456

 

[justin1]

I can only assume it makes spheres by spinning those cups over the workpiece...as the workpiece rotates?
ornamental concrete bra filler?

Basically ye the cups do the cutting and the action of the rock to turning random patterns makes it round. If rock gets stuck or makes repeating patterns you get weird looking shapes.

Ehhh just thought it would be neat and the wife is into lapidary so figured why not make one and screw around. Makes fun little gifts to throw at people.