No instrument other than the awl has yet managed to win such popular love, expressed in numerous sayings, jokes and aphorisms. But finding the instrument itself on the shelves will be problematic. However, anyone can make an awl hook or any other shape!
What kind of awl is exchanged for soap - types of tools
An awl is one of those simplest tools, without which sometimes all the work goes to hell. For example, you needed to pierce a small hole in a leather jacket to carry a keychain, it doesn’t seem complicated. But there is no awl at hand, and then the rushing begins in search of a gypsy needle or a sharp object that can make the right hole, picking with these inconvenient devices in the right place with subsequent wounds to the palms, scratched skin and ruined mood for the whole day.
The absence of an awl in the list of our household tools is explained by the less frequent need for it, although if it were available, you would probably find more than one point of use for it.
Plus, when such a need arises, you start to think - well, don’t run to the hardware store for some kind of awl. When we have to buy some kind of tool, then we’ll buy an awl... True, when it comes to visiting hardware store, no one will even remember about the awl until the moment when it is needed again. And the situation described above is repeated again. This cycle can be stopped in just half an hour by taking the time to create an awl. By the way, in this case you will be completely confident in the quality of the instrument! But first, let's figure out what can be meant by this word.
Awl as it is - from stationery to shoemaking!
Stationery hole punches, in a sense, can be called a form of evolution of the stationery awl, because once upon a time not a single paper production could do without it. It was the stationery awl that was the first to feel the effects of progress, giving way to a more advanced hole maker. An awl of this type is distinguished, first of all, by its rather “flimsy” design - a thin rod, a plastic handle. However, in order to pierce several sheets of paper you don’t need more.
- A shoe awl, which is often used in shoe workshops, has a stronger rod that can pierce the leather and a reliable handle.
- An awl-hook is also often called a shoe awl, but this is not true, since the previous option should be called the same. If you really want, then a shoe awl-hook. Its main difference from a regular awl is the tip of the tool in the form of a miniature harpoon.
- An awl with an eye, also known as a sewing awl, is distinguished by the fact that at the end of the tip there is an eye similar to a needle, different sizes. In many ways, the tool is capable of performing the same functions as the version with a hook, but still it is inferior in strength, so this type is much more often used in tailoring to work with suede, fabrics or soft leather.
- The triangular awl allows you to perform work with particularly hard materials, since the presence of three sides gives the rod a special strength. However, the holes are larger than when using a regular awl.
- An awl knife is a special type of tool that has gained popularity among Pu-erh tea connoisseurs. The fact is that pu-erh comes in compressed bricks or tablets, which should be divided into layers before use, preferably without damaging the compressed leaves. It is for these purposes that an awl knife is used, which, unlike regular tool, has a flattened and sharpened tip, which is convenient for separating tea.
We make an awl with our own hands - a convenient modification
The awl itself is not multifunctional. However, you can make it with your own hands, which is able to bring together all the functions performed different types sewed This is achieved thanks to the ability to change the head with the rod. And making a set of rods is not difficult.
To work you will need: wooden handle, which can be taken from an old file, a piece of sandpaper, an eight-millimeter bolt up to 4 cm long, a three-millimeter bolt or screw 1 cm long, wrench for the size of a large bolt, drills with a diameter of 6 mm and 2.5 mm, a drill (or even better - drilling machine), a tap for cutting threads, several bicycle spokes, preferably from old Soviet wheels, as well as a whetstone or electric sharpener. The second can be used if you have experience with such a tool.
How to make an awl with your own hands - a step by step diagram
Step 1: Prepare the handle
If the handle is new or has not been in service for a long time, it must be properly sanded sandpaper to get rid of hangnails or dirt. Then we drill a hole in the handle with a depth equal to the height of the eight-millimeter bolt.
Step 2: Making a bolt attachment
The eight-millimeter bolt will serve as an attachment for different rods. To do this, we drill two holes in its head with a 2.5 mm drill - one directed into the depth of the bolt, about 2-3 cm deep, and drill the second from the side in the head, trying to intersect the first as accurately as possible drilled hole.
Step 3: Attach the bolt to the handle
Lightly drive the bolt into the prepared hole and then screw it in to the full possible depth using an open-end wrench. The tighter the bolt is, the better.
Step 4: Carving
In the side hole, use a tap to cut a thread for a three-millimeter bolt.
Step 5: Preparing the Rod
Bicycle spokes are made from alloy carbon steel, which is often used in tool making, so best option I can't find one for an awl. We cut the knitting needle to the length we need and grind the tip to , trying to get an even point. Please note that an awl that is too long loses its strength with every millimeter of length; it can bend at the most inopportune moment, so it is better to make a short tool.
If you want to make a rod for a hook, then flatten the end of the knitting needle with a hammer, cut out a notch for the thread in the middle of the flattened area. You can cut a groove with a needle file or a small grinder with diamond blade. The second option is more convenient, since the groove is narrower and deeper. The notch should be at an angle, directed towards the tip, so that it is convenient to grip the thread. Once the notch is ready, grind the point to create a miniature harpoon shape.
Then, to get rid of small burrs that will interfere with your work, take a nylon thread lubricated in GOI grinding paste, adding a drop of machine oil. We clamp the rod in a vice with the tip up and hook the thread into the notch. Move the thread from side to side for at least 20 minutes to get it perfect flat surface grooves. All that remains to be done is to insert the desired rod into the fastener we made and tighten it with a small bolt. At your leisure, you can add rods of different lengths, thicknesses and shapes to your collection.
Greetings to all those who like to make something out of nothing.
Today we will make a universal handle with collet clamp. This handle can be useful both for working with needle files and for an awl, drill and other tools with a shank of suitable diameter.
Tools needed.
1. Angle grinder.
2. Electric drill, preferably two.
3. Industrial hair dryer.
4. Sharpening machine.
5. Gas burner (if necessary).
6. Vise.
7. Drills.
8. Wrench.
9. Sheet asbestos.
Consumables and donors.
1. Defective file.
2. Baking pan handle.
3. Hairpin.
4. Cap nut.
5. Cutting disc 1 mm thick.
6. Epoxy resin.
7. Threads.
8. Sandpaper.
In one of the sets of needle files I came across this miracle.
Most likely marriage. It cannot be used for its intended purpose and it was decided to make an awl out of it, so to speak, a needle file, especially since the old awl from a bicycle spoke did not justify itself.
First, let's temper the metal, since the needle file is too fragile. To do this, warm up the file with an industrial hair dryer. For safety, we do this on an asbestos sheet.
After this, we clamp the file into the drill and round it, carefully bringing it to the side plane of the rotating stone of the sharpening machine.
The final finishing is done with sandpaper.
The awl is ready, it's up to the holder. In our bins there was a handle from a mold for baking all sorts of nuts, bears, etc. The form itself was safely sent to be melted down, and the handle came in handy.
Let's make a collet clamp and the handle will be universal. The handle already has threads, but you need to drill a hole for the file shank.
Next, take a pin with a suitable thread and drill a hole strictly in the center. We came across a hardened pin, drilling it was a pain, so first we annealed it gas burner. We also use asbestos for safety.
In order to drill a pin in the center, it is recommended to hold the drill in a vice and the pin in the drill chuck. If there are two drills on the farm, then we clamp both the drill and the pin into the chuck and drill towards each other, the drilling accuracy increases significantly. The main thing is to drill at low speeds.
We screw the cap nut onto the stud until it stops, clamp it in a vice and use the drilled hole as a guide to drill.
Now comes the most important part. We make two cuts in the hairpin, cross to cross. This must be done very accurately and carefully; if you doubt your ability to wield an angle grinder, it is better to use a hacksaw.
In this design, only the nut must rotate, so the pin must be wedged in the handle. To do this, we wind a thread around the thread, coat it with epoxy resin and, with some effort, screw it into the handle with a wrench.
In order to speed up the drying of the epoxy resin, heat it with a hairdryer.
The nut can naturally be painted, this will give the product a finished look.
They gave away this car adapter as unnecessary, I don’t know whether it’s working or not, I have nowhere and nothing to check it on. It lay there for about a week, and even began to think about sending it to the scrap yard, because it was constantly getting in the way. In addition, there are already a whole bunch of wires in the house from various equipment, and then there’s this coil that will definitely never be useful. But at the last moment I liked something with its shape, the body of this adapter. I decided to gut it and make a handle for an awl from the body.
The adapter is very easy to disassemble; just unscrew the nut from the end that holds the fuse. Then remove the metal ring from the end of the halves.
After which, you can halve the elements of the case and remove the electronic insides from them.
I threw the board with the wire into the trash, but I decided not to throw away all this iron ammunition, they complete themselves very beautifully, appearance handles.
I selected a self-tapping screw for the awl of a suitable length, besides, they already have an almost ready-made shape, you just need to grind off the thread from it and the awl is ready. The main thing here is not to grab a rawhide that looks like a nail, but modern self-tapping screws, for the most part, are all hardened to some extent. I clamped it into a screwdriver to evenly remove the spiral from it.
Apply an awl on an electric sharpener the required form very simple, but unfortunately I don’t have it. Therefore, I first tried to sharpen the self-tapping screw with a Dremel. But after 5-10 minutes, this mini disk turned into dust almost completely, and the comb on the screw was only slightly dulled.
I tried to sharpen it by hand with a regular block. This is, of course, not a rewarding task, sharpening red-hot pieces of iron by hand. But still, the turning process went much faster than when rustling with a Dremel.
A few hours of work (with smoke breaks, otherwise you can earn a tick) and our carnation is ready. :-)
In principle, you can pick at a wall or chipboard with this awl. But since I am making an awl not for my uncle, but for myself, I decided to bring it to a mirror shine. Here I proceeded in the same way as when sharpening this chisel, that is, from coarse sandpaper to fine sandpaper.
Actually, an almost finished sewing, something like, before and after. I decided to do the final polishing with a zero polish after I glued the awl into the handle.
I broke out all the unnecessary and interfering partitions inside the halves and tried on the sting.
I machined a hole in the cap that previously held the fuse.
To make it easier to center the tip in the handle, I wrapped it copper wire. With wire, it will not dangle in the hollow handle and will be easier to align. In addition, the wire will serve as reinforcement for the epoxy resin.
I covered the holes from the former contacts and the LED with tape.
Then I covered all the cracks through which epoxy could leak with plasticine.
I built sides from plasticine around the hole through which the wire used to come out of the adapter. This hole will serve as a filler neck for the resin, and there will be sides so that during the pouring process, the entire handle will not get dirty with resin.
Mix and pour epoxy resin. Lit tried little by little so that the air had time to escape from the handle.
After the handle is filled with resin, periodically check the level and, if necessary, add resin almost to the very edge of the plasticine sides. In general, you should always leave a supply of resin in the neck, since it is always easier to grind off the excess than to add resin to the formed shells.
The next day, I cleaned off the plasticine and removed the tape.
Since plasticine was also pressed onto the top of the adhesive tape, the resin on the former terminal terminals took the form of pressed adhesive tape. In principle, I knew that there would be depressions here, since I wrapped it with tape, but these depressions do not really spoil the overall picture. It was necessary to wrap it with something hard, for example a piece of plastic or tin.
I ground off the burr with a Dremel and sanded it off with sandpaper.
After I cleaned off the plasticine and smoothed out all the unevenness with sandpaper, I thoroughly polished the awl with a scratch pad until it was shiny.
Actually, the awl is ready.
A fragment of a video with this homemade awl.
We mainly use an awl to make small holes for seeding screws in the wall (chalk) or in chipboard, when assembling furniture, etc. Therefore, I sharpened the self-tapping screw to a minimum, practically only removing the spiral, and sharpening the tip a little, because we don’t need a very thin awl. If you need a less powerful awl, then you should choose a self-tapping screw of the appropriate size. This is if you want to go the same hard way in its production. If you can choose a spring or spoke of suitable thickness, then half the battle is already done. All that remains is to saw off, sharpen and come up with a handle for the awl. Well, the simplest thing is to buy a ready-made awl; I think its price will not be so astronomical.
Which not everyone will consider homemade. Because before people did not go to the store for an awl, but made it themselves. And therefore, such technologies were considered simply "everyday" ...
But I am sure that in the conditions of the current urbanized society, even such simple technology will be useful for someone...
It all started when my father-in-law called me and asked if I had a strong “gripable” awl. He needs to screw screws into laminated chipboard somewhere in a limited space. The screwdriver doesn't fit, you have to use a screwdriver! And “starting” with a screwdriver is quite difficult - you must first pierce the top decorative layer with an awl, otherwise the screw will slide. And I decided to make an awl and give it to my father-in-law...)))
I had several needle files in the basement that were covered in rust. (That is, they can no longer be used as files.) I decided to use one of them as a blank for an awl.
So, I needed:
1. Old needle file.
2. Cutting a cutting from a rake.
3. Trimming water pipe DU15
4. PVAD glue
The set of tools is also minimal:
1. Drill.
2. Angle grinder (Or emery)
3. Any wood saw.
4. Sandpaper (preferably.)
To begin with, I found a needle file and a rake handle. ( Various cuttings I always have in stock for shovels, rakes and other tools, because, in addition to its main purpose, it is very good material for the manufacture of various wooden handles... Well, as it is now, for example))))):
Since the working part of the needle file in my product will, on the contrary, serve as a shank, I placed it next to the handle and with a marker I marked on the last segment a little longer than this working part:
After that, I sawed off the part of the handle I needed:
When making wooden handles for tools, it is imperative to strengthen the front part with a metal ring before hammering in the shank. This is necessary for two reasons - firstly, when you hammer in the shank, the wood may crack, and secondly, then, when working with the tool, this part of the handle will bear the maximum load, and the tree may not be able to withstand it.
I decided to make a metal ring from a DU15 water pipe. Using an angle grinder with a cutting wheel, I cut off about 2 cm of pipe:
Next I prepared seat under this ring, for which I marked the required distance on the tree ...
And cut an annular notch at the mark. (The depth of the cut is such that approximately the outer diameter of my metal ring remains in the wood:
By the way, for such, rather rude, and, at the same time, minor works for wood, I use this saw, which I made from hand saw for drywall. (I just made a wiring and sharpened the teeth like in a hacksaw):
Then, using a knife that came to hand, I chopped off the extra diameter, leaving it a little larger than necessary, and narrowing it only at the end so that the ring fits just a little:
..And with a hammer he filled it all the way:
Next, having installed an emery flap on the grinder, I processed the resulting handle, rounding the edges of both metal and wood:
Having installed a drill in the electric drill chuck, the diameter of which is slightly smaller than the diameter of the file shank, I drilled a blind axial hole in the workpiece. In this case, I did not use a vice, but held the workpiece in one hand and the drill in the other.
I know that this is a gross violation of safety regulations, but I have extensive experience in such work, and therefore such an operation is quite safe for me. If I need to drill a wooden cylinder “along the axis,” I always do exactly this: I start “by eye,” and then, when the drill is deep enough, I periodically release the workpiece a little, allowing it to rotate in my hand. (I drill at low speeds). This way I achieve centering - the wood is quite soft, and if the workpiece “beats”, you can adjust its position until the drill goes too deep.) But I strongly recommend not repeating my method, but using a machine, or drilling a workpiece secured in a vice with a drill! !!
So, the handle is almost ready. You can case the file. Before hammering it, I dipped it in PVA dispersion. It will ensure reliable bonding and strengthen the wood by impregnating it around the metal:
After that, I hammered the file into the handle with a hammer, leaving only its shank sticking out:
I cut off the excess length, clamped it into the drill chuck, wrapped it in sandpaper, and finished it off. (I didn’t take pictures of the process itself. My hands were full))))
I sharpened the awl with the same emery wheel:
I calculated that for the operation for which I am doing it (punching holes for screws in laminated chipboard), a tetrahedral sharpening is better...
That's all, actually. The awl is ready.
For many, DIY sewing has become a favorite pastime or hobby. However, this process is quite labor-intensive and requires not only perseverance and patience, but also certain skills and knowledge. Experienced needlewomen know that not every material can be pierced or stitched with a sewing needle. For example, when working with leather, fur or cardboard, you simply cannot do without an awl.
What is an awl?
They call it Shilom hand tool, which is used for piercing or stitching thick materials. Outwardly, it resembles a thick needle, which is stuck into the handle for convenience and greater emphasis. Previously, the handle of the instrument was made of wood, but now it is becoming more common plastic handles. Today you can purchase this tool at any hardware or sewing store, but in the past you made awls with your own hands.
Where is an awl used?
The awl has long been used for sewing together rough materials and making holes. For a long time this tool was used in the office. Awls were often used in carpentry and carpentry, but this hand tool is still in greatest demand among shoemakers and seamstresses.
We sew with an awl correctly
Many needlewomen and sewing masters use such a needle with a handle. But, unfortunately, not everyone knows how to sew with an awl correctly. There are several basic ways to use this tool. We sew with an awl using two technologies:
1. We pierce holes and thread the thread by hand. In this case, the awl is used only as an auxiliary tool. This method is popularly called the old-fashioned method, but many carpenters, shoemakers and archive workers resort to this method again and again.
2. We pierce a hole and use an awl to push the thread into it. This method is the most difficult and requires additional skills, because with an awl you can easily break the thread or damage the material.
We sew with an awl using method No. 1:
First of all, you need to take the awl correctly - the end of the handle should rest against the palm of your hand;
The blade of the tool should be inclined at 45 degrees, the punctures should be uniform so that the stitches of the thread are the same;
To make it easier to pierce the material, you need to rest the fingers of your other hand against the fabric with reverse side;
If the awl gets stuck in the material, try turning it around its axis several times;
One hole must be completed at a time, otherwise you will have to spend extra time redoing your work. The holes are best made at a distance of 7-10 mm from each other.
We sew with an awl using method No. 2:
We make holes in the material using the technology described above;
Use the end of the awl blade to pry up the thread and carefully push it inside. Some shoemakers still work using this technology, but more often craftsmen use a special tool - a piercing awl.
How to sew with an eyelet awl?
Externally, a piercing awl resembles a fishhook, which has a special groove for thread. To learn how to sew with an eyelet awl, you need to master the technique of using such a tool. It's best to practice on cardboard or other dense material first. We sew with an awl with an eye:
We pierce the hole using the previous method;
Insert the thread into the groove of the tool;
We stretch the thread;
We pull out the awl from the back side with the thread already in the hook;
We insert the free end of the thread into the formed loop and pull it through;
WITH front side the loop needs to be pulled out, but from the purl side - the thread should be kept in a slight tension, and so on, stitch by stitch.
By following this algorithm of actions, you can quickly learn how to sew with an awl. However, do not forget about safety precautions - work with a sharpened tool, but only in a well-lit room. In addition, to make it easier for you to work, the thread can be dipped in wax, then it will slide more smoothly into the hole.
