AWESOME...I am going to make one of these asap. What a great frugal idea!

How clever!

stacking functions in a great way.

I like the homemade drill-press how-to video Paul has posted.  Good design, well explained, and easy to build.

Here’s a how-to Youtube video of another drill-press build.  The design has some basic similarities with the wooden one, but uses metal parts and a spring instead of wood and a bungee.

This fellow uses common steel tubing of various sorts along with common small spare parts.  He stick welds his frame together, although MIG would work just as well for this.  His welds are quick & crude, though this doesn’t matter for the end he wants to achieve.  Although his alignment of many parts is casual, note that he uses his 45/90-degree magnet to position & hold the post perpendicular to the base — very important so that holes drilled will turn out perpendicular.

The guy positions and fastens a drill-press vise directly to his base.  My preference would be to grind the welds on the top surface of the base flat, then attach a rectangular piece of very flat 5/8 or 3/4” plywood on top of the base.  This would be better for drilling holes in various sizes of wood work pieces.  You could position and screw-in a drill-press vise on top of the plywood when you wanted to.

I'm thinking of starting a thread on the theme of 'homemade gadgets'.  I don't use the term "gadget" in a belittling way.  Permies.com is a "hands-on" bunch of people, doing most of everything themselves (DIY).  Sure there are junky things for sale that are of little use or will soon break, but many a gadget — factory produced or homemade — can be helpful and a time saver... and without being costly, can just make tasks easier.

I've come across a number of posts here about small-investment things you can buy that are useful.  But there are some amazing, independent gadget designers and makers on our planet, a whole lot of them in what we call the Third World.  I don't think I'm in their league, but I do sometimes make things that are useful to me.  And maybe worth showing, since someone else could make them too (or improve on them).

I want to take a few pictures.  And I'm hoping to post in the Gear forum, but maybe also Homesteading and elsewhere.

I have a whole folder on my computer filled with Homemade Implements. The fact is, I sheep farm and there is not enough money in it to hire employees so I must work alone, meaning I have to get a lot done with only me doing so. At the same time, I cannot afford expensive implements at the local dealership, sooooooooooooooooooooo I build what I need myself.

Some have been failures, but then some have worked incredibly well!

Travis Johnson wrote:I have a whole folder on my computer filled with Homemade Implements. The fact is, I sheep farm and there is not enough money in it to hire employees so I must work alone, meaning I have to get a lot done with only me doing so. At the same time, I cannot afford expensive implements at the local dealership, sooooooooooooooooooooo I build what I need myself.

Some have been failures, but then some have worked incredibly well!

Yeah, Travis.  I've already looked with appreciation at a number of things you've made along this line, of which you've taken pictures & posted. 👍

Joel Bercardin wrote:I'm thinking of starting a thread on the theme of 'homemade gadgets'.  I don't use the term "gadget" in a belittling way.  Permies.com is a "hands-on" bunch of people, doing most of everything themselves (DIY).  Sure there are junky things for sale that are of little use or will soon break, but many a gadget — factory produced or homemade — can be helpful and a time saver... and without being costly, can just make tasks easier.

I've come across a number of posts here about small-investment things you can buy that are useful.  But there are some amazing, independent gadget designers and makers on our planet, a whole lot of them in what we call the Third World.  I don't think I'm in their league, but I do sometimes make things that are useful to me.  And maybe worth showing, since someone else could make them too (or improve on them).

I want to take a few pictures.  And I'm hoping to post in the Gear forum, but maybe also Homesteading and elsewhere.

Not sure if anyone else here watches this guy's channel, but he is super clever/handy at making things from scrap washing machines, treadmills, etc.  Here's a video of his homemade (mostly from wood) band saw using a scrapped treadmill motor.  He shows it ripping a 7" section of maple, and 1/2" section of steel plate.   He also has a lot of clever work space videos, electric motor wiring, and how to make wooden gears.  Super easy to listen to, and well edited videos.
Jeremy Fielding,

S., thanks for posting that.

I check in with Jeremy's channel about once a week... his knowledge, imagination and skills are pretty impressive, not to mention his dedication.  I hope he's got his shop relocation worked out.


P.S. Your last name being Tenorman, does "s." stand for Sax?

Joel Bercardin wrote:S., thanks for posting that.

I check in with Jeremy's channel about once a week... his knowledge, imagination and skills are pretty impressive, not to mention his dedication.  I hope he's got his shop relocation worked out.


P.S. Your last name being Tenorman, does "s." stand for Sax?

I agree with all of what you said.  Glad to see other people watch him too.  I'm surprised how low his views are sometimes.

Sax would be cool, but no it's not what it stands for.  Just a simple common first name.