The welder ( not me )deserves a great deal of credit , this could have gone sideways during that part , ending up as a mangled pile of dogshit , instead , I was presented with a correctly welded part that could then be shaped and reworked into what you see .
It depends on how much a store bought tool sells for or availability or how quickly I need it .
Lots of times I've reverse engineered an existing tool when I can get my hands on one to examine.
Sometimes I look at a problem as a challenge to make a tool that enables a job to be completed more accurately , quickly or it's nice , when required that a job can be repeatable.
Sometimes it's an attachment to expand the capabilities of an existing tool .
I have a stack of drawings n' sketches of tools I have not made yet but will .......... at some time .
Areas where I am weak or I need to improve , possibly learn some new skills / techniques are .......... Metalurgy , heat treat , surface finish / protection .
Yesterday I made another piece for a store bought valve spring compressor , to use on the latest heads I work on - 4 valve M8 's
These are internal collet style bearing pullers , two I bought , three I made .
These are for doing valve seat and guide work , piloted drivers , supports to position cylinder heads for guide installation , valve seat drivers .......
The support stands can be used for positioning a cylinder head like this ....... a ported Jeep 4.0 litre head that I put oversized Mopar performance valves into and used Chevy LS beehive springs from Comp Cams .
