Neatest Tool Since Sliced Bread

I'm using wood, since it's much easier to make mistakes on a soft material like wood. Now that I can see all the mistakes I made, it should be much easier to make the correct one from steel. I did buy some 304 SS, but I don't have a drill press that will turn slow enough on the bigger drills. I will probably just use some steel flat bar from Lowes.

I started with the bracket and location of the pressure regulator. I bought a tool 2 years ago and finally have a situation to use it. I used it for only one hole, but where it really shines is precisely locating multiple hole at one time. It would be impossible for the home shop to get all 5 holes located in a bracket, but with this tool it should be NO problem.

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Sure enough it screwed together in perfect alignment without any coaxing and without any choice words. There would have been no way to measure accurately, I would have had to make the 2 holes bigger than needed to make it align.

 

Those are neat. I have the punches that transfer through holes. I’ll have to get a set of those too.

 

Cool tool. Why didn't I think of that? Please, don't answer that question......

 

I built my cover plate for my head using painters tape and a black crayon. Covered the head, where the bolt holes are located with the blue painters tape and then used the crayon to shade the tape to show me where the holes were located. I then removed the tape and cut the excess tape with a scissors then transferred the tape to the metal and traced the pattern to the metal. Then I just cut out the metal and drilled the holes. But your tool is much Cooler and you finally got to use it.

 

Another great way of making a template.

I've also used the computer and MS Visio to make a life size print of the dash. Then just tape it to the board and
mark the centers to drill.

If you don't have MS Visio, then download "Open Office" it's free.
Apache OpenOffice - Official Site - The Free and Open Productivity Suite

Their program called "Draw" is the equivalent of Visio.
Apache OpenOffice Draw

 

I need to check out ms visio and draw Thanks!

 

Nice job Indy. Always nice to have the right tools when fabricating. Here's a small assortment of my hole transfer dots and hole finders.

 

Another helpful tool for laying out some projects is clear 1/8" sheet plastic. We use it at work when laying out a doubler of various sizes where you can't get to the backside to pick up holes. With it being clear you can pick them up from the front. It's thick enough to be a little rigid to accurately locate holes yet plyable enough to conform to mild curves such as an airplane fuselage.

 

Explain the application of those long devices. Is there a name for that grid you have, might want to search to see about getting one.

 

Long devices = Hole Finder. I prefer the non drill bushing type and instead it has a small spring loaded punch in its place. In the picture above the top tool is the bushing type and bottom tool is punch type. I used them last night when I picked up the holes in the new fan mount brackets I bent at work. I made the brackets from sheet .090 7075T6 aluminum.




Grid is simply a hobby mat. Michaels has them. I use it sometimes when laying something out. Each block is 1" but sometimes I consider them as 1/2" or even 1' depending on what I'm laying out. I also sometimes use graph paper when laying something out.

 

Learn something new every day ...... thanks!

 

If you don't, then you're not reading or watch enough each day.

 

I use a aviation hole finder like jet mech , one I have since A&P school 40 years old still works