Hillbilly Ingenuity

1strodeo · Oct 24, 2017

I had a favorite tool thread a while back that was kinda cool, then today I read where a member (bronkenn) came up with a way to spray his inner frame with POR, and I've seen some cool stuff on here like homemade rotisseries, top removal contraptions etc...so I thought a homemade tool thread would be cool.

We've all been at many a crossroad where we had to figure something out, so lets see what you came up with!

Not my best work, but a couple of my most recent...

A bike stand I made from a cart and guitar stand, and an attachment I made for my shop vac, after hillbilly-milling my intake log for a 3-carb adapter I needed to get the metal shavings out of the log

rspd505 · Oct 24, 2017

This is right up my alley! I work alone a lot (by choice) and have come up with some clever "helpers" over the years. This is also one of my latest.

A while back, I bought a cheap bead roller to make my floor pans. I used it in a vise with the hand crank. It was so difficult to keep a straight line using one hand to crank and the other to guide. There had to be a better way.

One night while working my job that pays the bills, I noticed a friend of mine had set out an old dining table and chair set and a bed frame for trash pickup. I stopped and asked if they cared if i took it. He then helped me carry it back beside his house, so the local "pickers" wouldn't get it before i got off work.

I then used this free metal to make a stand for the bead roller. I used the chair base (with wheels) as a base, then welded the table base to it. I cut up the bed frame to make a mounting flange for the bead roller.

This worked somewhat, but when I used the hand crank, the whole set up would roll on the floor.

I needed to motorize. I then thought up a plan to use a drill as my "motor". I thought about using a foot pedal from a sewing machine as my controller but decided against tearing the drill apart. I "engineered" a lever system that would push the trigger on the drill.

I used a bicycle sprocket and chain as the drive gear set up. I used a garage door opener sprocket to gear the speed down. My "linkage" was made from one of my wife's shepard hooks, that I cut up.

Now I can use both hands to guide and my foot to control the motor. Works like a charm!

1strodeo · Oct 25, 2017

Dang, that there is what I call a work of art! Nice!

I think my resourcefulness began when my Dad threw a special tool in my half empty tool box, said it was a screwdriver, pry bar and lock-picker all rolled into one...(actual tool not pictured)

bronkenn · Oct 25, 2017

When you work by yourself, you have to come up with things to make the job easier. I added some casters to my frame to make a framebarrow. Move it all over the shop with ease. Only thing different I would do is put bigger casters on it for taking it outside. Ken

1strodeo · Oct 25, 2017

Nice Ken, what do you haul with the framebarrow? Would love to see a pic of your frame painting contraption if possible, I know you're working on it per the other thread.

You both brought up a key aspect which i overlooked, which is working alone, I usually do as well. Going solo I would guess has sparked some of the best ideas in gearhead history!

bronkenn · Oct 26, 2017

Thanks Jeff. I just call it a framebarrow but I just use the casters to move the frame around the barn when I am working on other projects. It is to heavy for me to move it around by hand by myself so I put the wheels on it to load in trailer to take to sandblaster, Thanks for the referral by the way, Hyblast worked out good and were really good people to deal with. I am going to post pics of the spray gun setup I used inside the frame on the frame painting thread. Ken

tk1218 · Oct 26, 2017

Not a tool, but when removing old bolts turn them to tighten first as it will break them lose and will come out easier

sprdv1 · Oct 26, 2017

bronkenn said:
When you work by yourself, you have to come up with things to make the job easier. I

very very true... Good stuff on here, Great ingenuity..

1strodeo · Feb 27, 2018

Not my finest hour but hey it will fulfill my need to cruise the neighborhood this evening, plus I need to run some gas out ;D

sprdv1 · Feb 27, 2018

haha, whatever works brother...

grant_71 · Feb 28, 2018

I can't count how many tool/ brackets/ etc i have built from old bed frames. Great source of free (crummy) angle iron, I usually get 3-4 per summer

bronkenn · Feb 28, 2018

1strodeo said:
Not my finest hour but hey it will fulfill my need to cruise the neighborhood this evening, plus I need to run some gas out ;D

That sir defines awesome!

El Kabong · Feb 28, 2018

I needed to cut some holes in sheet metal without damaging what was behind. Hillbilly high tech pvc solution:

tasker · Feb 28, 2018

Gravel driveway engine pull? put the van on ramps, took motor out, rolled van back, used expedition to drag on gravel....seems legit

sprdv1 · Mar 2, 2018

tasker said:
Gravel driveway engine pull? put the van on ramps, took motor out, rolled van back, used expedition to drag on gravel....seems legit

Seems legit to me big boy...

Skiddy · Mar 2, 2018

grant_71 said:
I can't count how many tool/ brackets/ etc i have built from old bed frames. Great source of free (crummy) angle iron, I usually get 3-4 per summer

just took one apart last weekend to use up

NGABronco · Mar 3, 2018

Does a wrench extension count???%)%)%)

tasker · Mar 3, 2018

is that what the Govamint pays you to come up with these days Ben? ;D

1strodeo · Mar 3, 2018

NGABronco said:
Does a wrench extension count???%)%)%)

Is it for reach or leverage? If my my vacuum attachment and butter knife count, then I’d say your wrench definitely qualifies. ;D

fordguy · Mar 3, 2018

yall know this thread is going to go sideways at some point, when somebody starts googling hillbilly ingenuity lol. great thread, keep em coming.

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