Bottle Jack Useful Accessory Build (Or - Bye, Bye High Lift!)

Shank said:
Cerakote should adhere well to properly blasted steel.
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I have some, and may try it. But everything I’ve read says that cerakote does not react properly with raw steel, as it does with aluminum and galvanized steel. I always think of the yellowish colored steel items I’ve often seen - but as I understand it those parts are galvanized first. And I’m pretty sure that would add thickness, which would be a problem on my parts.

But, I may be wrong. Have you done it?
 
NashvilleTJ said:
I have some, and may try it. But everything I’ve read says that cerakote does not react properly with raw steel, as it does with aluminum and galvanized steel. I always think of the yellowish colored steel items I’ve often seen - but as I understand it those parts are galvanized first. And I’m pretty sure that would add thickness, which would be a problem on my parts.

But, I may be wrong. Have you done it?
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Firearm parts aren't galvanized are they? You can Cerakote nearly everything for pistols and rifles (beyond the aluminum AR receiver). I'm curious now if there is a primer process. And the thickness issue isn't one when it comes to firearms typically.
 
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NashvilleTJ said:
Thanks. I get a bunch of good-natured ribbing about being OCD (I even ribbed myself earlier in this thread), but I never, ever spend time looking for something - and I have a tons of tools - and to me that actually saves a lot of ime.

Congrats on retirement, Mr. White.
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Thanks but the last name is Miller. White is in reference to my TJ . lol
 
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Andy-WhiteTJ said:
Thanks but the last name is Miller. White is in reference to my TJ . lol
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Andy-WhiteTJ said:
Thanks but the last name is Miller. White is in reference to my TJ . lol
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Mr Miller nice to meet ya... I'm a Mr White

Andy-WhiteTJ said:
I'm starting to realize that. I also realize that things are taking longer to do than what they used to.
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Yes it does.. I'm always SHOCKED how much longer stuff can take sometimes.
 
I started out today with a few goals for the hold down solution.

1) It had to be quick to get the jack on and off, with no tools. So, no bolts, wing nuts, loose hooks, etc.
2) Any parts had to store within the footprint for the base. For strorage, the base will just fit under the drawer in the back of the rig.
3) It must still function as a high-lift base - ya' know, just in case... :rolleyes:
4) And of course, it had to be plenty strong.

So here is what I came up with. First, I used a little CAD (Cardboard Aided Design) to design and cut two pieces of 3/16" plate for the left and right sides of the jack. Since the jack is recessed flush with the base, they lay flat.

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Nothing like a big band saw to cut pieces like this.

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Next, I cut and tacked on two pieces which will drop down into the lattice on the base. These pieces will provide the mechanism for the hold-down.

I mentioned these magswitch magnets recently in another thread. Perfect for jobs like this. And even though they get covered in metal shavings when grinding around them, turn off the magnet and the metal dust and shavings drop right off. They are also crazy strong.

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This is the left-side piece, tacked up.

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It drops into the base like this:

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I did the same for the right side:

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Satisfied with the fit, I finish welded both pieces:

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To firmly secure these pieces to the base, and therefore secure the jack to the base, I will pass a 3/8" clevis pin through the lattice work of the base, front to back. The pins will also pass through the vertical plates and secure both hold-downs in place.

Obviously, the holes through the five sections of the base need to be perfectly aligned, and to do this I fired up the drill press with the longest drill bit I have. It took a bit to get the setup correct, but it worked like a charm.

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Repeated on both sides.

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To get the proper alignment for the holes in the hold-downs, I used a transfer punch through each of the four exterior holes. The transfer punch passed through two of the holes in the lattice sections, so the alignment worked well.

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And then back to the drill press - this time with the table in a more conventional position... :)

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I ordered a couple of 3/8" stainless clevis pins with R-Clip retaining rings from McMaster - they will be here tomorrow. To test my alignment I used a pair of 6" x 3/8" bolts.

In these pictures you can see how the interface works.

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And finally - here it is with the Jack installed. The bolts slide through with just a touch of resistance - there is no play at all and the hold-downs lined up precisely. I'm pretty happy about that.

And the jack is in there tight with no movement at all. It does seem very secure.

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I'm happy with how it turned out, and I think it will work well. After the pins come in, I'll do a final fitment and throw on some paint.

What do you all think - worth the effort?

Either way - it was a fun project.
 
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B1Toad said:
Very nice work. Which band saw is that? For wood?
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It's a Jet VBS-18MWEVS, designed for both wood and metal. It's a beast. 18" throat, 220 volt, 150" blade. It has two belt gearing options - one high speed for wood, and low speed for metal. The motor is also variable speed. All told it will run from 50 feet per minute all the way up to 3500 feet per minute.

I used to have a very high-end Laguna Tools wood only band saw, but it was wood only and would not operate slowly enough for metal, so I sold it and picked up this one - which had just been released. I use it a lot for furniture, and I've resawn 15" oak. As I said, it is a beast.
 
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NashvilleTJ said:
It's a Jet VBS-18MWEVS, designed for both wood and metal. It's a beast. 18" throat, 220 volt, 150" blade. It has two belt gearing options - one high speed for wood, and low speed for metal. The motor is also variable speed. All told it will run from 50 feet per minute all the way up to 3500 feet per minute.

I used to have a very high-end Laguna Tools wood only band saw, but it was wood only and would not operate slowly enough for metal, so I sold it and picked up this one - which had just been release. I use it a lot for furniture, and I've resawn 15" oak. As I said, it is a beast.
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Very nice, there was a time I wanted a big vertical saw but I didn't get one. I've managed to get by with a Dayton horizontal band saw and a Portaband in a stand.
 
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