Wednesday, May 21, 2014

10 min Hack #5

Trying to pull something apart but don't have a long enough driver bit or the driver bit body is too large to fit into the hole?

Standard on the left, modified on the right
Chuck it up in a drill, run the drill the opposite way to a running bench grinder and trim it to size. Using a bench grinder maintains the roundness of the bit. A file, or angle grinder could also be used, extra care would need to be taken to ensure bit roundness was maintained.


Lastly or firstly if the hole is large enough for the bit to drop into place, cut a slot in the top to receive a flathead screwdriver. I used a die grinder. A file, hacksaw or super thin cut off wheel in an angle grinder would also work.
Pat self on head for a job well done.
Till next time


9 comments:

  1. How do you return it to its normal size?

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    1. You don't, this is permanent. If you're lucky you'll have a spare bit to modify.

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  2. nicely done i rather like this and could come in very handy, prob don't email to pat though, can see him angle grinding the head off a perfectly good drill attempting this. only thing i would add is somehow coating it to stop it rusting, i wonder if one could dip it in oil and heat it or something kinda like seasoning a bbq or spray it with zinc paint.

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    1. Can't you just repeat the process and remove the rust? Preventative maintenance is so 20th century.

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    2. Yep, apply an oil that has a high smoke point like flaxseed oil, pop in a super hot oven for an hour and done.

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  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. sounds like a great idea, just do it when marissa's not home. actually, the amount of stuff you could use a shed oven for is endless. Al, you should definitely consider buying one, prob get something off gumtree for $50. Oh and marissa, thought you people embraced the philosophy prevention is better then cure.

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    1. Oh yes, preventative medicine is very important. But is it better then cure? With the best medical research fund in the world I'm sure we'll sort that question out...

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