Combination drawbar tool

[Steelmaster]

Too hot to do anything too strenuous in the shed today, 6th consecutive day over 35 and we're still in spring

I seem to be always looking for either a spanner or a mallet when I have to do up or undo the drawbar on both my 9x20 metal lathe and my X2 Mini Mill.

As luck would have it, they both take the same spanner, 18mm, so I came up with the idea of incorporating the 18mm socket in the mallet.

Used a cut off handle from a ratchet wrench that no longer (cheap cr*p!) and a bit of 30mm 360 brass.

Works like a charm, now I can only lose one toll, not 2!

 

[GrahamC]

Fabulous idea!

cheers, Graham in Ottawa Canada

 

[GrahamC]

Fabulous idea!

But you are making me jealous, 35C is a one the HOT side. It is currently 7C overcast, foggy and wet. All in all it has been a pretty nice Fall but I am in the midst of raking leaves, trimming trees and hedges and getting the snow blower ready to blow snow.


cheers, Graham in Ottawa Canada

Sorry about that, must have hit the quote button instead of the modify.

 

[jabezkin]

If you get a different mill, you could call it a "Bridgeport Basher".

 

[black85vette]

That looks good and it is useful. How did you attach the handle to the socket?

 

[Artie]

Weve been over 40 for over a week..... Id LOVE over 35...lol....
How did you assenmble the tool?

Rob

 

[Brian Rupnow]

That looks good and it is useful. How did you attach the handle to the socket?

Cross drill and dowel thru back end of socket and hammer head with brass dowel, lots of Loctite, then turn o.d. to finish???-or---cross drill thru back end of socket and let "screw-in" handle extend thru thread in brass hammer into hole cross drilled in socket.

 

[Tin Falcon]

Nice work I want to know how yo formed the hex. you said the head was a piece of brass??
Tin

 

[Steelmaster]

Thanks all, as to how I did it:

Cut 60mm long piece of 30mm 360 brass

Drilled a hole in one end to 13mm, then used boring bar to counterbore to size of 18mm hex socket

Pressed in socket, tapered end of brass to meet socket

Faced other end of brass, made total length 60mm

Skimmed diameter to get rid of marks on surface and get a half decent finish (boy 360 brass is nice to machine)

Cut handle off socket wrench with horizontal bandsaw

Machined 10mm end on handle, giving a 2 step end (12mm and 10mm)

Drilled 2 step hole almost through the brass mallet and end of socket, 2 step 12mm and 10mm

Pressed in handle, using Loctite

Went inside and had a refreshing ale ;D

The tool works very well and because it is brass it is easy to find, an unexpected bonus!

 

[zeeprogrammer]

Cool! I was wondering how you did the socket end too. It took me a couple of reads to realize you pressed a socket into the mallet. Missed it cause I thought you'd carved it and couldn't see how.

Very cool! This is on my list of tools to make. I like my mallet (first thing I ever made) but having it handle the draw bar too will be nice.

Thanks!

 

[Tin Falcon]

after close observation I see the steel socket in the brass . but only after the detailed explanation Thanks for the details.
Tin

 

[mklotz]

The approach I used on my version was to form a 3/8" square tenon on the end of the hammer head. The center of this tenon was drilled and tapped - don't remember thread but something like 10-32. A 3/8" drive socket of the correct size goes onto the tenon and a 10-32 screw with a largish washer inside the socket aperture secures the socket in place.

I was young and innocent when I did this (yeah, right) and hadn't learned about Loctite yet. Nevertheless it's held up to two decades of use.

My hammerhead was made of hex steel. Rather than fit a brass head to the striking end, I used some marine bronze I had lying around. It doesn't deform as quickly as brass and the still pristine drawbar nut says it's softer than the drawbar.