tools, jigs, fixtures, and other neat stuff

[mike mcs repair]

figured Id start a thread to collect up some of the neat shop made tooling and fixtures pictures people share on here....

like daves ski dollies, steves jigs, darrels stuff, and so on...

Add links to the pictures or other threads bellow...

 

[mike mcs repair]

please post some of yours, or others stuff you have seen and like

I'll start off with a simple thing for sanding some of the Thick powder coating off the rudder pedals so the clamps and springs will work right, and not get wobbly once it wears off...

its made from a piece of 3/4" X .035" tube and a small mandrel made on the lathe.

and then a black cold Parkerizing like dip...

 

[mike mcs repair]

making a pulley positioning tool...

to quickly position pulley mounts so the cables will enter and exit the pulley properly centered.

just point each rod where the cables go to and weld mount in place ....done!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axbKAyp9GRQ


..

 

[mike mcs repair]

I really liked the turners darrel posted in this thread..

http://www.supercub.org/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=21626

he has many other good pictures I hope adds to this thread

 

[mike mcs repair]

my version using inner tierods....

and some fold up stands... cheap fence post..

 

[mike mcs repair]

I made these from a piece of shim stock wrapped on tube, soldered, then add pins and grease and cover with a piece of heat shrink tube to hold in place.....

just slide on a tube

push pins into joint

mark shape and cut or grind for perfect fit

and you could make them to fit any shape you need, box tube hex whatever...

spruce sells high dollar ones.. for bigger tubes
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/to/tubing_cutters.html

 

[mike mcs repair]

this one is not finished.. but someone wanted me to come up with something to help drill the stabilizer on a cub centered and true...

as it slides wider it self adjust to keep centered in tube..the drill would be going down that top piece...

 

[mike mcs repair]

video in use
http://www.youtube.com/user/mcsrepair#p/u/5/j1jcBG3iS6k

this big 36" deep C frame is currently set up to form the 3/8 boot cowl channels... way overkill.... Got the idea from this site as someone mentioned a guy making wagaeros round rear window frames with this method ... ca't find the thread, anyone got a link???

so many other things I want to use that frame for.... like the adapters and tools listed here http://www.lowbucktools.com/MM1.html

 

[mike mcs repair]

this is and old version of a jig for making spring gear (cessna/citabria.. etc.) custom shims.... I have a much simpler jig now....

but am able to measure a plane and make ONE custom shim in one shot dial them in within a 1/32" ...and a mirror image one for ski axle stub (in therory... ) never do this enough to get good/quick at it....

will post pics of new style jig...

pilot hole jig

 

[cubflier]

Mike - Keep um comin. For a Mike you sure know how to Jerry rig.

Jerry

 

[mike mcs repair]

leading edge skin maker.... i prefer to just buy premade skins, but sometimes you need to make something quick or odd, or out of stock...

although I sold that monster old lathe its mounted on and got a new one a couple years ago, so cant use this jig any more....

 

[mike mcs repair]

not airplane tool...

but to protect your ways on tools...

window shades, bust the lock out so it free wheels and is always under tension...

and i am a terrible pile-er of stuff....

so have these to cover mill and lathe tables, PVC Pipe cut in half..

and i have since cut this into smaller sections so I can leave vise or rotary table installed on mill table....

 

[mike mcs repair]

Mike - Keep um comin. For a Mike you sure know how to Jerry rig.

Jerry

running out of pictures for now...

hopefully you others will add you stuff to this thread!!

 

[Darrel Starr]

Mike, those tools and fixtures are very innovative. Please keep them coming. I'm on a long driving trip and don't have accss to my files so I can't add anything until I return home. I hope others chime in.
Darrel

 

[mike mcs repair]

Mike, good pics. and thread on the sc board. I don't know how to post pics. but here is a couple of mine. Post 'em if you like. My version of fuselage rotator. It's a home made U joint. I was going to use a U joint from a tractor PTO till I priced one. It is a couple of all thread splice nuts that are welded to a cross tube with scrap bar stock and a 1/2" socket to turn it. MIG welders are great for building jigs and other stuff like this. Then my jig table, it's impossible to find straight lumber but the pre made floor joists are pretty straight. Nothing fancy but just built a Bearhawk Patrol fuselage and it went well. regards. Kevin Nugent a.k.a. Cub Junkie

I'll post for him..

 

[Steve Pierce]

I'm jealous that you have that LONG flat surface without a bunch of stuff on it. :lol: Lee's birthday yesterday and he and his sisters wore me out on the go-cart track but I'll get some pictures up as well.

 

[Cub junkie]

That picture is a year old Steve, you should see it now. I'm a clutter expert.

 

[mike mcs repair]

the new spring gear shim jig....

I'm glad I posted this, I found my instructions! didn't think I had written them down....

much easier to use, no math involved the tilt screws are 16 threads per inch, so each turn is 1/16" adjustment and are spaced apart same as Cleavland type rim, so if you measure 1/4" toe you just adjust appropriate screw(which is opposite of where you took measurement)..

also, one thing to check before measuring... they say lay strait edge against front of tires... but i always check for one gear trailing back from damage, by measuring equal distances out from center of plane on strait edge to a point in center of belly by tail of fuselage...(if one leg is back and you don't do this plane will track to on side)

remember to remove all shims from axle before measuring....

and full pictures are in my album http://picasaweb.google.com/mike.skup/AroundTheShop#

and if anyone wants to build one, I have the real cad files somewhere, then if you have a cad program that can read them, then you can print out full size patterns on white stick label paper and just stick it to your raw metal and punch through it....

 

[180Marty]

This is a tubing notcher I cobbled up from mostly stuff around the farm. I bought a joint jigger and thought it was a joke. The big metal workbench looking thing was some sort of a scale from an old grain elevator. I bought a 3/4 inch end mill and got the local blacksmith to bore out the shaft of a Massey Ferguson cornhead. The red cast piece held the shaft. I did buy two stout pieces of angle iron to make a deck. The angle that the joint jigger tube holder is mounted to could slide on the deck. The thing really was cobbled but made beautiful notches. I did this about 10 years ago when I was welding up the back half or PA12 fuselages for a guy, fitting the 5/8 in diagonals to the 3/4 longerons.

 

[mike mcs repair]

This is a tubing notcher I cobbled up from mostly stuff around the farm.

Very cool!

Keep them coming....

 

[kevin]

Hey Mike, This is a great thread. Thanks for starting it. There is wonderful talent on this site.

Kevin

 

[Dave Calkins]

I know what a cheesehead is.

What is a cornhead?

 

[mike mcs repair]

I know what a cheesehead is.

What is a cornhead?

post some pictures/links to your stuff like the ski dolly and those jigs for control surfaces... I am sure you have many more good ones to share....

 

[qsmx440]

Well before I "scored" my old SC fuse for my project I was going to scratch build the fuse and while contemplating advice to grind the notches I came up with an idea to do it with my 12" grizzly metal lathe. I had previously bought a "quick change" toolpost from Enco for it to mount on the compound and among the tool mounts it had with it was a boring tool holder. I think it handles up to 1" od tools. Anyway I made sleeve holders to fit 3/4, 5/8, and 1/2" tubing. Mount the correct hole saw in the headstock chuck, the tube in the holder, and swing the compound to the desired angle, lock then use the longitudinal feed to make a perfect cut. Takes way longer to describe than do. How do people live without a metal lathe anyway?? :roll: If a person didn't want to buy a quick change (just do it you'll never regret it) you could make tubing holders out of wood bolted to the compound.

 

[mike mcs repair]

magnetic straitening tube blocks...

this was before I thought of adding magnets in blocks... had to fumble and tape them on....

 

[mike mcs repair]

custom punch jaws, use this all the time...

 

[mike mcs repair]

flanging tools

for flanging cessna like floor holes

 

[mike mcs repair]

cowling tools,

dimpler for lower cowl fastners

joggle jig for cowl rails

 

[mike mcs repair]

jig to pre stretch fabric and lightly coat to prevent pinked edges from coming undone, I always use 102 fabric like the tapes are made from.. boy is there a difference between old ceconite 102 and the new 102-3... much stiffer

also making large patches for grommets that are close together instead of overlapping smaller ones...

use window screen retainer cord and tool to attach to frame

 

[mike mcs repair]

Well before I "scored" my old SC fuse for my project I was going to scratch build the fuse and while contemplating advice to grind the notches I came up with an idea to do it with my 12" grizzly metal lathe. I had previously bought a "quick change" toolpost from Enco for it to mount on the compound and among the tool mounts it had with it was a boring tool holder. I think it handles up to 1" od tools. Anyway I made sleeve holders to fit 3/4, 5/8, and 1/2" tubing. Mount the correct hole saw in the headstock chuck, the tube in the holder, and swing the compound to the desired angle, lock then use the longitudinal feed to make a perfect cut. Takes way longer to describe than do. How do people live without a metal lathe anyway?? :roll: If a person didn't want to buy a quick change (just do it you'll never regret it) you could make tubing holders out of wood bolted to the compound.

between your idea and the other one above I will have to setup something like that!

yes the Chinese quick change sets are so cheap now... love mine... P.S. I have an old real one and a few holders if someone is looking...

heres where I got mine
http://stores.ebay.com/Discount-Mac...69929016&_sid=103347546&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322