Anyone with welder?

[William]

Hi, I want to weld "locking bit holder" to a cordless screwdriver which just has regular non-locking magnetic bit chuck.  The weld doesn't need to be solid around.  Just 3 spots will do.  I tried all kinds of "glues", but they don't last.

Does anyone have (arc) welder, and willing to accept a dozen donuts as payment?

[ssfc72]

Sorry William, I don't have a welder. Sounds like you would need someone who has a Mig welder.

regards

Bill

[Jason]

In Peterborough, they have (or used to have) a place you could borrow tools from for an annual subscription fee. I'd expect they have something similar where you are, William. It'd save you buying one if you can't locate someone with it.

[William]

Thing is, you need skill/experience to use it properly.  If I have the skill, then I'd have a welder already.

Background:
I have string trimmer (Craftsman) that uses single line spool.  So far, I've been manually winding the line around an empty spool, and it takes too long.  When I drop it, the entire spool unwinds, and I have to start over.  So, I built a "spool adapter".  You just turn it with one hand and hold the line with the other hand.  Trick is turning it.

• Screwdriver is first choice.  It's lightweight.  But, you need locking bit chuck, otherwise the spool adapter falls off, due to slight axial force.  Most screwdrivers come with just non-locking magnetic bit holder.  Screwdrivers with locking bit chuck (aka. quick-change) cost more, way more than incremental cost of the extra part.  They cost more than my string trimmer!
• Manual drill.  Yes, the ones with a handle.   But, it needs to be fixed to bench vise.  So, I have to walk back to garage to re-spool.
• Corded drill.  It's too heavy/big, and fixed to garage.
• Cordless drill.  Again, too heavy/big to carry around.

[William]

Found a solution.  A thick layer of "5 minute" epoxy glue (from Dollarama).  It hasn't cracked yet.

[ssfc72]

Very good William, now your are ready for the grass trimming season. :-)

How about posting some photos of this "spool adaptor" so we can see what you have made?

[William]

I made the top one first.  It's made up of 8 pieces...

• 5/16" bolt with 1/2" head cut off,
• nut and rubber washer for centering (the two ends have different diameter), and
  
• bolt, socket, and hex tail are soldered together.

Then, I made something better, bottom one.  It's just 3 pieces...

• 7/16" bolt with countersink head, and
• bolt and hex tail are soldered.

Its larger diameter made it self-centering, so eliminating the need for spacers and washers.  Drilling a hole in the bolt head was challenging.  I couldn't keep my cordless drill straight (I don't have a drill press), so the hole ended up too loose and off-axis for compression fit.  I had to solder the hex shaft.

[ssfc72]

Nice work William. Thanks for posting the photo.