APRIL 1996

Improvised gear puller

Problem: You need to pull a gear but don't have a gear puller handy.

Solution: You can improvise a gear puller to remove a gear or V-pulley from a shaft. You'll need two or three bar clamps and a block of wood.

Drill a hole through the centre of the wood block and put a bolt through it. Run a nut on to the bolt to take the load, using a size a bit smaller than the diameter of the shaft.

Line up the end of the bolt with the end of the shaft. Then align the bar clamps over the wood and the gear (see  illustration). Tighten each clamp equally to pull the gear off the shaft.

When removing a V-pulley, be careful not to apply pressure to the thin outer flange. A scrap piece of wood can be used to apply the pulling force at a section of the pulley inside the flanges.

Fitting pipe for welding

Problem: How can the task of fitting two pieces of pipe or tube together to make a "T" be made less challenging?

Solution: This fast method takes away the frustration of making a "T" from pipe or tubing for welding, soldering or gluing.

First, cut two 45-degree angles at the end of the pipe, leaving two points (see fig. 1).

Second, round the two points on a grinding wheel (fig. 2). Check your work against the other piece of tubing until a good fit is obtained. When you finish, you're ready to connect the pieces (fig. 3).

A Mr. O hard hat goes to Brad Brown of the Ministry of the Environment in Mississauga, Ont., for both of these ideas.