Introduction: Removable Tool Mount
Not yet having the workshop of my dreams, where i can set up tools and machinery for ever, I have had to adopt sharing the workshop with cars, by day it's a workshop, by night it's a car garage.
One ongoing frustration was not having a permanent mount for tools like my Bench Grinder, and having to use F clamps to hold it on the bench... It finally I had an idea - after following a car with a removable tow bar...a Removeable Tool Mount.
Parts (all my steel is recycled)
- Bolt, (A) and Nut (at least the thickness of your flat plate + the Nut)
- Bolt (B) (10-15 mm wider than the larger Rectangular section) + Nut Large washer
- 2x Bolts, (C) with washers, and nuts each.
- 2 x lengths threaded rod with double nuts (D)
- 2 lengths of Rectangular section Steel: One just larger than the other to slide easily in out but not move. Length of Plate steel Short length of steel rod Length of steel pipe that just big enough for the C bolts to pass through Scrap steel to make a base for which every tool is going to be using the mount
Step 1: Step 1. the Permanent Mount.
Having a solid steel bench in my little outdoors garden shed / grinding shed (to stop the naughty sparks burning down my shed when I am not looking;-) I built my Mount to bolt on to this bench.
- Cut the larger piece of Rectangular section to the width of the steel on the bench
- Cut two pieces of pipe off to match the height of the larger piece of Rectangular section
- Found the center of the upper face of the section and welded both pieces off pipe vertically on either side of the center.
- Drilled a bolt hole through both sides of the section about 20mm in from one end to take the (C) bolt.
- Drilled holes to match the positions of the vertical pipe in the bench
- Cleanup the steel and added a coat of rust killer used the (B) bolts to fix the mount to the underside of one of the bench rails.
Step 2: Step 2. the Tool Base
Using 3x smaller Rectangular section and angle Iron I built a base for the Bench Grinder that matched the position of its rubber feet and the two notches where the Grinder base is bolted to the bench normally.
- I started by marking the center of one piece of Rectangular section and drilling a pilot hole through the center, followed by cutting out the top face with a hole saw, of enough room to weld the (A) Bolt nut in position on the inside bottom.
- I joined the 3 pieces of section with angle iron on both ends to form the rectangular base, welded the (A) Nut in place.
- Using a template for the grinders fastening bolts (in my grinder this template acts as a wiring shield and can be removed by taking off the rubber feet) I drilled two holes in the center of the outer frame, and welded the threaded rod in.
- Clean up and paint.
- Then bolted the grinder on to the base using double lock nuts.
Step 3: Step 3. the Removeable
- Marked out the width of the base place on the piece of plate, then marked the center and drilled the hole to accept the (A) Bolt, placed the A bolt through the hole and welded the large washer to the plate.( to act as a spacer)
- Placed the Base and Grinder on to the Plate, and screwed in bolt (A), rotating the base and marked the clearance for 180 degree rotation, then added 30mm to this clearance line and cut off the remainder of the steel plate.
- Welded the end of the plate opposite the hole on to the end of the smaller piece of steel plate, pushed the smaller into the mounted piece and marked the position of the (C) bolt, then drilling out through both sides.
- Cleaned up and coat of rust kill paint.
- My bolt (A) was slightly to long so i slipped a washer and piece of pipe on its shaft to act as a spacer.
Problem Solved:-)
Since then i have modifided the mount to suit several other tools, and am currently working the next generation of mount that stays connected and rotates out of the way.... will have to get out of bed on the right side again to finish this idea....