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Handy Shop Modifications
Dale McLaen has three ideas that make shop work easier.
“The open-top, 30-gal. drums we use for garbage cans get pretty heavy when full,” says McLaen. “It was always difficult to keep them on the hand truck and maneuver around obstacles or over rough ground.”
McLaen resolved the problem by adding a simple
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Handy Shop Modifications FARM SHOP Tools Dale McLaen has three ideas that make shop work easier “The open-top 30-gal drums we use for garbage cans get pretty heavy when full ” says McLaen “It was always difficult to keep them on the hand truck and maneuver around obstacles or over rough ground ” McLaen resolved the problem by adding a simple double-finger swinging hook to his hand truck Attached at a height to grab the lip of the drum it hangs out of the way when not in use “The hook is made from a 9-in piece of 5/16-in rod and a 1-in piece of pipe with a matching center hole ” explains McLaen “It took about 30 min to build and paint It makes moving the heavy garbage containers a breeze ” The height support device is another neat shop helper It lets McLaen fine-tune the height of material he is working on with a sliding pipe leg and a top-mounted automotive scissors jack The overall height can be adjusted a total of 28 in The 2-part vertical leg is a 2 3/8-in O D pipe butt welded to a steel plate that is in turn welded to a 15-in car rim base A slightly smaller upper leg pipe slides inside the larger pipe The scissors jack base is welded to the top of the inner pipe “I welded a 14-in long 1 1/2-in pipe to the top of the jack to support the material ” says McLaen “A bolt through the pipe secures tabs at either end of the pipe to help hold material in place ” McLaen drilled 2 holes in the lower pipe and welded nuts to the whole surface D-handle set screws fabricated from scrap bolts lock the inner pipe in place after it’s adjusted “The inside pipe gives me about 14-in additional height ” says McLaen “The scissors jack provides another 14 in of adjustable height I get close to the desired height with the pipe and then fine-tune the setting with the jack ” Marking the insides of tight spaces with a carpenter’s pencil can be frustrating McLaen’s angled pencils make it easier “I took 2 ordinary carpenter’s pencils and cut the ends off with my miter saw ” says McLaen “Then I glued them back together at various 90 and 60-degree angles to the original pencils They cost me less than a buck each and make marking a lot easier ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Dale McLaen 13756 Hwy 11 Rutland N Dak 58067 ph 701-678-5232; mclaen@drtel net
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