other things to make with grinder/bandsaw/drill press

R

rupsty

Joined
Mar 14, 2013
Messages
42
Hi all,

What other useful things could I make with the above mentioned tools (grinder/bandsaw/drill press)? Seems like there are more possibilities but I can't seem to think of them. Any ideas?

Thank you!
 
Well, I for one don't even own a stone bench grinder, the belt grinder is my go to for sharpening lawn mower blades, de-burring pipe, the list is endless. Band saw has cut everything from knife steel to angle iron, pipe, wood, ect. Drill press the same.

You will find that the three tools you mentioned are very nice to have in most any metal or wood working shop.
 
pretty much anything, but the first thing that popped into my head was jigs to make your knifemaking easier.
 
I use those things all the time for general projects... the last one was making a sword quench tube. For cleaning torch cuts, finish shaping, and prepping rusty metal for welding, a belt grinder is great. I used the metal cutting bandsaw to chop the 6" pipe to length nice and square.

I used the drill press, bandsaw, and grinder to build a bowling ball vise recently... to build a bigger coal forge, to modify and improve my xy table for my big drill press, to make some adjustable height work stands for around the anvil, the forges, bandsaw and big drill press.

I used the big bandsaw in horizontal mode to cut 1.5" sqaure solid cold rolled to length, then the big drill press to drill 1" holes in each end for bolts, and those became adjustable height corner supports to help my friend true up his DoAll lathe. Worked well.

When building the coal forge, I was given a railroad style firepot (the cast kind with built in tuyere, ash dump, and clinker breaker) but it was missing all of those accessories. So, with the help of the bandsaw, angle grinders, drill press, hand drill, belt grinder, chopsaw, cutting torch, welders etc., I fabricated a tuyere with revolving air grate/clinker breaker, air input the right size for my blower tube, and weighted ash dump.

I love having a metal shop. It does so much more than make knives. To paraphrase David Boye, "it becomes the means to turn your dreams in steel into reality."
 
I just yesterday used mine to make a metal handle for my 94 Ford f150. After going threw 3 plastic handles that cost $10 each. Now I know I have a handle that wont bust on me.
 
Pretty much anything. I've been making marlingspikes recently, and also jewelry.

2013-05-03160957_zps9c87dfe0.jpg


That's a bronze ring. Drill a hole, cut it out, grind it down, polish polish polish.


-Xander
 
Oh, and I was given a 7" angle grinder recently- it did not have a handle, so I bandsawed off a piece of 3/4" black pipe, pressed and welded a bolt into the end, and voila, a better handle than the original. Endless small projects.
 
since i added a mill and 2 lathes ther aint much i cant make (given the time to learn how )
its kind of a source of pride for me that i have tools so i can "make" money im looking to add a potters wheel to the shop and kelly wants a leather working station

the bigest hurdle to then understand when you can buy a part cheaper then if you made it yourself (whats the shop rate you pay yourself and learning + messing up as you learn ) since im full time i really have to weigh the cost vs time spent
 
rwn2000 said:
What, exactly, does a bowling ball vice look like?

Randy
Click to expand...

Lol, I never thought of it litterally, sounds kinda odd! Its like a jewelers/engravers ball vise made from a bowling ball, usuall set on a lawn mower tire.

-X
 
mill ball for vice and then you can set the vice at any angle by rotating the ball in the tire or bean bag
 
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