Show us the "special" tools you made in your workshop

[tris]

We've all come up with a special "tool" to do something and we're either too tight to buy the real thing or its a Sunday afternoon and you just want to get the job done

Show us wot U got, but to kick things off here's a few of mine

Retainer as I dont have 3 hands to hold the spring on a PHF36 carb in place while I fitted the throttle cable



Spacer to fit the new Silent bush on frame end of my B11 reaction rod



A special piece of 15mm copper tube to fit srings on centre stands



Drift to fit gearbox output oil seal on a 95 Cali


Franken tool - do idea what I made it for but it must have needed a big pull 

[canuck750]

Simple clamping press to hold a Veglia instrument and ring tight while I crimp the ring back down tight,



Loop frame gas tank rotisserie for spinning a tank while painting and pin stripping





Brake shoe spreader

[toolittletime]

I absolutely love the gas tank rotisserie......... ..maybe you could hook a small dc motor to it, and make it hands free!

Tim

[troyhamilton]

I cut a old 18mm socket down for a clutch hub nut. and i used a old peice of channel for a holding tool. saw it on youtube.

[Rough Edge racing]

 I made these primitive tools on the spot because factory made tools are expensive or unavailable.They done the job many times....On the left is a wrench for trans sprocket nut on 5 speed Harleys...The other three are for servicing various Showa forks used on some Ducati, Buell and Japanese bikes.

       

[SED]

Love Canuck's tank rotisseri, brake shoe extender  and gauge bazel holder - cool stuff!!!


Made a form to help remove and replace speedo glass on '60s Honda, then bent and ground a screwdriver blade:

       



Socket turned into a pin wrench to remove bacon slicer flywheel lock-ring. Lots of grinder work 





Loop of wire through an aluminum tube used to trap a rag to swab out fork lowers:





Another favorite is a stack of pennies to extend stand springs.


Love the tank rotisseri and the brake show extender  - cool!!!

[Swedemoto]

My cheapo blast cabinet. Yes it leaked.

[Huzo]

Sorry it's on e mail but have deleted original shots.
Special tool to bore holes in line for wire wheel.

[Kiwi_Roy]

Hex Wrench
I couldn't find my lug wrench so I made one from 1/8" Aluminum, of course it turned up as soon as I finished.

If you measure the flat of a nut

it just so happens to be the radius of a circle that evenly divides into six



 






This is particularly useful with those large nuts like on plumbing fixtures, it takes about 10 minutes to carve a wrench out of 1/8" aluminum using a coping saw.

Deep Socket for Crank Nut
This takes 32 mm socket about 5 inches deep, of course such a thing is unobtainable just when you need it.
I discovered that a 3/4" drive socket would slide right over the long shaft, of course you can't use the extension.
I ground two flats on the socket for my 12" Crescent wrench, wrapped a few layers of masking tape around the shaft to protect it.
(a pipe wrench would turn the socket if you don't have a grinder for wrench flats, wrap some masking tape to give it grip)
A luggage scale on the end of the wrench for re-tightening you just have to calculate it back to pounds feet or whatever units you
are using for a torque set point

[Dukedesmo]

Not very 'high tech' I'm afraid but for where there is not much access, a piston ring compressor;





And on a similar level, to avoid damage from hammers etc. - a valve stem seal fitting 'tool';

[Doug McLaren]

I had no way of holding the crank of my Lodola tightly enough to enable me to undo the crankpin nut so I used the hasp on my garage door to hold it whilst I undid it.

Crank Holding Tool by Doug McLaren, on Flickr

[Old Jock]

Just wait until Chuckee shows up

 

[Chuck in Indiana]

Just wait until Chuckee shows up

 

  I'm not really a Guzzi mechanic, so most of the tools I make are quick and dirty, then give them to somebody.  I did make the tools for doing the belts, gears, ect. for the early 4 valves..
2017-10-01_09-13-13 by Charles Stottlemyer, on Flickr
and a couple of "real" tools for transmission work, but gave them to The Kid. Didn't take a picture of them.

[Scud]

I did recently. Cheap and simple... a block of wood cut to remove one piston at a time from a 4-piston caliper. Also using for extending one at a time for cleaning while the caliper is still on the bike.

[webmost]

cigar rack

[RinkRat II]

 I've been fortunate to make several specials over the years for my cars,bikes and equipment repairs However the one that stands above all the rest is my Pneumatic can crusher....  Neutral position, load can



Rotate control valve...Voila



create image url

Rotate valve back, exhaust from cylinder ejects can to receptacle.....



Pat Pending

   Paul B

[Chuck in Indiana]

^^^ I gathered the stuff to make one that was "full automatic" with mufflers  back in the day, but graduated to draft and bottled beer. <sigh> Another great idea stillborn in the womb.. 

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Morini tools:

Improvised engine stands:



Seal protectors:



Clutch holder made out of two plates:

[pehayes]

Its been a long time since this came out, but there is always a reason to review the Jet-Powered Beer Cooler.

http://www.asciimation.co.nz/beer/

Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA

[Old Jock]

Les P

I am seriously impressed.......... ......however the rest of us Gorillas might regard these as just showing off 

[tris]

I note that these tools range from those bodged together from whatever scrap was lying around the garage like mine to workshop art

The skills shown by some people leave me in awe

[Testarossa]

From scrap lying around: my Guzzi clutch spring compressor.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Mostly improvised out of whatever was at hand at the moment I needed a "special tool".

Piston pin puller



Valve spring compressor


BMW /2 front shock spring compressor (this one took some time to make)


"Universal" shock spring compressor


Loopframe fork tube knocker outer and puller upper


Screwdriver I made in high school shop class, modified to remove clutch spring nuts on Benellis and Morinis (maybe more)


Scotchbrite scrubber for the inside of shock springs


Smaller scrubber for brake cylinders, etc.


Guzzi rear main bearing flange puller


What it says.


Hairpin valve spring compressor


Fits onto Moto Morini lower cam belt pulley, gives a 3-legged puller something to grab on to


Tools for locking the injection pump and camshaft in place when changing the timing belt on an Audi 5000S diesel (and maybe others) 


BMW pushrod tube seal compressor tool.



Oil pressure relief valve tester

[canuck750]

Home made copy of the factory engine stand



U Joint carrier bearing holder for whacking the bearing 'home'





flat surface ( a slab of granite) with sticky back sand paper stuck on







Home made latex mold for casting Aprilia signal light lens

[wymple]

I made a 55 gallon parts tumbler. For smaller stuff I just tossed a sealed can inside it. It's a bit noisy in this video, hadn't padded the inside yet. It was snowing, too.

https://youtu.be/GQEX86mYG3s

[Chuck in Indiana]

 
How about a walk through of the process?

[Groover]

How about a walk through of the process?

 :1:

[Chuck in Indiana]

While I have this quick and dirty oil pressure relief valve test fixture on my clipboard from another post, I'll paste it in. 
2-009 by Charles Stottlemyer, on Flickr
Garden hose clamped to the PRV and a Hansen fitting. Hose wrapped around a C clamp in case something blows up..
Pressure set by the regulator.

[Old Jock]

Les please take it as a compliment......... ................it was the spirit it was intended

The Showoff bit was my Scottish sense of humor which doesn't always transfer well

Cool work

John

[Huzo]

Hey Canuck, the pattern for casting your lenses is impressive.
What is the plastic you use for the lens ?