Tools
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
De-burring tool...de-burring the thin scalloped edges of the wing ribs is a bit tricky. Make a simple tool to do this easily and quickly. Click on this link to view the YouTube video that shows how I made it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBhJDWxetUw
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rivet Squeezer
This simple plywood jig transforms a two handed squeezer into a one handed squeezer. Think of it as a poor man's pneumatic squeezer. It holds the rivet squeezer steady so you only have to push down with one hand. Very useful for small parts that can be held in the free hand. And, for those large pieces, you can easily remove it and use it like you normally would. I have shown it lying loose on the bench, which is how I often use it. I also showed it clamped to the corner of my bench, and this works well when I am riveting larger parts that don't fit between the squeezer and work bench.
These pictures give you a better view of the jig itself. Three pieces of 3/4 inch plywood and some screws make the basic jig. I then added some tea cup hooks so I could use heavy duty rubber bands to hold the squeezer. It worked good without this mod, but I couldn't resist making it a little bit better :-)
You can see the rectangular notch in one end of the jig for the head of the squeezer. I cut this rather carefully so it grabbed the head securely with very little slop. The other end has a half round notch for the handle. I found my hand was rubbing on this part of the jig during use, so I rounded it with sandpaper.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deburing holes
This is my manual hole deburrer. Yes, it is home made. I was in a hurry one night and rather than order one and have to wait for the UPS man, I just made it from things laying around in the shop. Not worth making one, just order it. Note: the cutter on the business end of the tool is a 3 flute cutter. You can actually sharpen this on a bench grinder. If you use a cutter with more flutes, this is near impossible. I strongly suggest you use the 3 flute version!
This is my motorized version using a Black and Decker stick driver, with a chuck inserted into the end for holding a drill bit. Why a drill bit? It is easy to sharpen, and I can get them in long or short versions. Long drills are great for deburring holes in awkward places.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clamp for workbench
This is a wood working clamp I purchased from WoodCraft. Very nice to hold sheet metal for deburing, etc. I had a normal vice on the corner of my bench, but this works much better for thin metal. Just drill a hole and spin on the wing nut and washer!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cleco Pliers Modification
This standard tool was modified by adding a spring to give it a action. It opens on its own power, so just a squeeze is needed to operate. Not a big deal, unless you are going to install 10,000 rivets/clecos :-)
Two holes were drilled in the pliers. One at the cleco end for the spring to slide into. The other hole was in the end near the handle so a 4-40 screw and lock nuts could be installed to hold the other end of the spring.
Oh yea, I found the spring in the hardware section of the local Lowe hardware store.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------