Brake Rotor Makes Great Base For "Third Hand"

Brake Rotor Makes Great Base For "Third Hand" FARM HOME Cars 34-2-39 With a little ingenuity and some scrap steel, Mike Erdelen of St. Charles, Mo., made a handy and inexpensive "third hand" work support for his auto repair shop. His idea can be adapted to practically any shop. The unit consists of a larger pipe welded to a brake rotor that serves as a base and a smaller pipe that telescopes in and out and is welded to a U-shaped plate that supports the work. To hold the tool at the correct height, Erdelen welded a 3/8-in. hex nut over a -in. dia. hole drilled near the top of the base pipe. A 3/8 by 2-in. bolt threads into the nut to act as a set screw. To make the set screw easy to tighten by hand, he welded a short rod across the head of the bolt. Depending on your needs, you could build a tall "third hand" like the one shown in the photo, or scale it down to hold work at any comfortable height. "I like this unit because it doesn't have a large tripod base like commercial units," says Erdelen. "It's a lot easier to work around this one." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Mike Erdelen, Fred's Car Care, 1130 First Capitol Dr., St. Charles, Mo. 63301 (ph 636 946-1446).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.