Diy $5 shaft puller

Got bored tonight and decided to try to make a shaft puller. I'll eventually make the diy hydraulic puller, but for now this one will do. It's obviously not for someone who pulls shafts often, but 90% of my pulls are steel shafts so I rarely need a shaft puller. For those times that I'm dealing with graphite, I couldn't justify spending a bunch of money on a puller.

My project was based on a $5 Harbor Freight can crusher. They sell two models, but get the cheaper, all metal one. http://www.harborfre...sher-46406.html

The more expensive one has a plastic sliding mechanism, but the cheaper one is made out of 16 gauge steel, so it's pretty beefy and handles the heat well. The plates don't bend when pressure is applied and the slider stays on track for a straight pull. The weakness will probably be the arms that connect the handle to the "crushing" plate, but if the epoxy is heated enough there shouldn't be a lot of force involved in removing the head.

Measure and drill a 3/8" hole in the sliding piece (making a pilot hole, then using a stepped drill bit http://www.harborfre...campaign=082016 worked nicely for me). Then cut the slots for the shaft in both pieces with a dremel metal cutoff wheel or your cutting tool of choice.

I mounted it to a scrap of 2x4 and clamped a vise clamp to the shaft so it would press against the non-moving flat metal plate. I may put a cheap vise at the end instead of the clamp, but that extra $15 would quadruple my budget. :swoon:

Add heat, then push the handle forward to extract the shaft. I pulled three shafts with no signs of problems. Only one of them was graphite because they were just for testing, but even the graphite shaft pulled clean with no twisting.

I have a couple improvements in mind, so I might make another one. If anyone has suggestions or just wants to laugh at how hackish this is, feel free (I laughed at it myself) . I'm almost embarrassed to post it, but it's kinda cool to make something that works for $5.

See this post for pics: https://forums.golfwrx.com/topic/1057104-diy-5-shaft-puller/?do=findComment&comment=17218140

2 year Update:

Still going strong. Arms are still solid and I haven't had any problems with mine. Many dozen shaft/adapter pulls without any problems.

Only change to the puller is decreasing the size of the slot on the shaft-end of the puller. I've also changed to a metal sided shaft clamp to prevent the shaft from sliding forward when pressure is applied to the club head:

1) Changed from rubber shaft clamp to a metal-sided one: http://www.golfworks...t-clamp/p/EMSC/

Note: If you've ever bought a grip kit, you probably got a normal rubber shaft clamp for free. It's definitely usable, but the metal sided-version allows me to clamp down a little tighter and prevent sliding.

2) Changed from my original bar clamp to Swivel Pad Locking Pliers for tighter grip and quicker clamping and release: http://www.harborfre...iers-39534.html

3) I use a Dollar Tree silicone pot holder to catch the club heads so they don't get scraped on the metal sides: https://www.dollartr...o?method=search

That's brilliant creative thinking. Geronimo!

I love DIY solutions, and that one is pretty slick. Nice job.

what happened to the shaft with the iron in it from the first picture?? In the TV biz we called that a continuity error.

well done though. I like the ingenuity

Very cool!

[quote name='joey2aces' timestamp='1402408148' post='9466007']
what happened to the shaft with the iron in it from the first picture?? In the TV biz we called that a continuity error.

well done though. I like the ingenuity
[/quote]

I originally posted it on facebook, but when I started this writeup I realized I needed an "after" picture and hadn't taken one so I grabbed that old putter and decapitated it. I already had that iron head reshafted by the time I started this thread.

OFF WITH THEIR HEADS! Nice Mych, cool beans.

By the way, if anyone is interested in making one here are a few things to look out for (or think about solving):

1. Handle moves in the same direction where the heat is applied, which isn't the best solution and makes it hard to apply steady pressure. I had to do quite a bit of heating with the handle retracted, then push the handle forward to see if the epoxy had loosened, then reheat. The slider and metal "box" act like a heat shield which redirect the heat up toward where the handle travels. I usually use a barbecue mitt or welding glove to avoid burning myself, but I still don't like holding my hand over the heat for very long.

2. I made the clamp-side slot too big. My slot is almost big enough for the rubber/silicone clamp to go through. That hole is already there in the crusher, but in the future when I cut the slot it will just be wide enough for the shaft to fit through. With a vise, this would be a non-issue.

3. I'd rather use the crusher in the "pull" direction rather than the "push" direction. That would require mounting a vise on the open end (toward the slider). I think the handle will be much steadier pulling than pushing. It gets a little wiggly when pushing.

4. I need to find a cheap non-flammable cleaner/lubricant. There are metal shavings in the slider's track, but I'm not sure what to use to clean those out. I used a can of compressed air and a wet towel, but it still isn't moving quite as fluidly as it was before I drilled & cut it.

5. It's also still usable as a can crusher, so I want to figure out a removable wall-mount for when I'm not using it for shaft pulling. I don't really need a can crusher, but I have to find a place to store this thing anyway, so why not crush some cans with it?

Just made version 2... Almost the same, but with a smaller slot on the fixed end and straighter/cleaner cuts. I'm pretty happy with it for now. Now I just need to think of a new project to try.

[quote name='Mych' timestamp='1402444647' post='9469957']
Just made version 2... Almost the same, but with a smaller slot on the fixed end and straighter/cleaner cuts. I'm pretty happy with it for now. Now I just need to think of a new project to try.
[/quote]

How about a $5 time machine?

A time machine would be great right now. I blew out my achilles last night playing softball. If I could move a day back or a few months forward that would be pretty awesome. I wonder if I can chip & putt on crutches?

That is awesome! I love Macgyver creations!

Mych thanks much for this idea

Picked a crusher up today at HF Tools and quickly modified it and proceeded to extract several graphite shafts with ease!

More pics?

Noticed price went up to $15 or 20 on ebay.

More pics?

 

Noticed price went up to $15 or 20 on ebay.

Pics of just a can crusher or one converted to a shaft puller? You're probably just seeing the can crusher on ebay. I'd get it from Harbor Freight, they're always priced around $5 there. Depending on what tools you already have, it shouldn't cost (time or money) to make.

If you wanted one bad enough, I could make one and ship it. I don't know exactly how much that would be though.

Mych, anytime u feel like u wanna "unload" your older versions to refine/fine tune to a newer model, let me know... i'd buy one of ur previous, older versions... ;-)

More pics?

 

Noticed price went up to $15 or 20 on ebay.

http://www.harborfreight.com/16-oz-can-crusher-46406.html

Mych, anytime u feel like u wanna "unload" your older versions to refine/fine tune to a newer model, let me know... i'd buy one of ur previous, older versions... ;-)

I haven't really found anything I want/need to improve, but it sounds like a couple of people are interested in buying one. Shipping would probably cost about $5 (not mounted to a 2x4). I'd probably be looking at about $20 total to cover cost, shipping, and a 6 pack of beer to survive a couple hours in my hot Texas garage. I could throw in a rubber shaft clamp also, I have a few of those laying around.

Mych, anytime u feel like u wanna "unload" your older versions to refine/fine tune to a newer model, let me know... i'd buy one of ur previous, older versions... ;-)

 

 

I haven't really found anything I want/need to improve, but it sounds like a couple of people are interested in buying one. Shipping would probably cost about $5 (not mounted to a 2x4). I'd probably be looking at about $20 total to cover cost, shipping, and a 6 pack of beer to survive a couple hours in my hot Texas garage. I could throw in a rubber shaft clamp also, I have a few of those laying around.

So, u'd be making them brand new, right?

Not bad... i'd be interested if brand new, as u kinda "paraphrased"...

Mych, anytime u feel like u wanna "unload" your older versions to refine/fine tune to a newer model, let me know... i'd buy one of ur previous, older versions... ;-)

 

 

I haven't really found anything I want/need to improve, but it sounds like a couple of people are interested in buying one. Shipping would probably cost about $5 (not mounted to a 2x4). I'd probably be looking at about $20 total to cover cost, shipping, and a 6 pack of beer to survive a couple hours in my hot Texas garage. I could throw in a rubber shaft clamp also, I have a few of those laying around.

 

So, u'd be making them brand new, right?

Not bad... i'd be interested if brand new, as u kinda "paraphrased"...

Yeah, it would be new. I'll make a couple this weekend and take more pics of the process. If everything looks good to you, we can exchange PayPal/shipping info.

I am also interested. $20 for the latest version?

I'm interested in this, too. I really like the DIY approach, kind of bummed I didn't come up with that myself.

I am also interested. $20 for the latest version?

There's really only one version of the puller itself. The other stuff is just what I use for clamping the shaft. I don't have any extras of the metal-sided vise clamp, but if you want the swivel pliers I could pick those up for an extra $4 at Harbor Freight.

I'm interested in this, too. I really like the DIY approach, kind of bummed I didn't come up with that myself.

Really anything that can create a straight pull with a little pressure would do the trick. This just happened to be the cheapest thing I could find to do it.

Ok, so, final price of $20 for just the puller (& rubber shaft holder if any available)...

And final price of $24 for puller w/swivel plier (& rubber shaft holder if any available)...

Correct...?

PM me your paypal address when done w/the sell set (just need 1 puller). I'd most likely ask for the swivel plier too. Thx!

Awesome!!! Very creative and the price is right for someone that just wants to tinker with their own stuff.

Awesome!!! Very creative and the price is right for someone that just wants to tinker with their own stuff.

Yes... totally agree.

I've been looking for a shaft puller for months everywhere online. The good ones (even used) are pretty steep (price wise). The cheaper "DIY" or lower end models, have read their respective reviews and just too many people not happy w/their purchase.

Looking at the photos & thinking about the overall concept & thought procees that OP but into this puller, it should do the job for those of us that do very little shaft pulling or wanna experiment (me on both instances!).

Nice job, very clever! I'd take one of these bad boys for $20 for sure. PM me if you have an extra one you can let go.

I made 4, but one has arms that aren't very well centered. I may still sell it, but I need to test it first to make sure it's stable. The other 3 are ready to go.

I found 2 spare rubber shaft grips. I have 2 swivel pliers available also.