First bar end tool: complete.

After a total redesign, I got to the point where I had to decide how I was going to mount the quick links to the shaft.

I had reasonable luck with ‘plunge’ milling the side of the shaft on a previous iteration, if I kept the tool close to the point at which it was bolted to the cross slide tool holder. I augmented this with a G clamp and kept my fingers crossed.

It worked well enough and I then cross-drilled the job for the quick link ‘stubs’.

I then took the shaft down to the same diameter as the flats of the quick link mount area and skimmed off a wee bit of material here and there (nearly wrecking it in the process – but that is another story).

End cap on, Dynaplug tool in place and boom! it is done.

I learned a lot. Not least that there is significant variation between different bars and so this is truly a one off type of tool. Yes, I could make more, but my hope that with different O rings you could adapt it to different bars is extremely unlikely to come to fruition. As such, this will not be joining the DeWidget as a dRj0nbagworks offering….oh well!

The next project is a bar end plug for the Chain Barrel by Clever Standard and then the one after will be a bar end plug that will accept a PVC tube holding C6 bits for a bit driver hex key tool. I *may* adapt a pivoting hex key that would utilise the PB Swiss magnetic bit holder that mounts to a 5mm hex key and thus the whole thing will go in the bars. We’ll see.

The PVC tube idea is lifted from Industry 9 – whose MatchStix is a great inspiration. Ok for now.