FREE rare earth magnets for jigs

Thanks alot for posting this great idea, I love it!

-- A hammer dangling from a wall will bang and sound like work when the wind blows the right way.

good tip. Thanks

-- Alan, Prince George

cool

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

Great way to make use of stuff that just may end up in a landfil….thanks for the tip.

-- Woodworking.....My small slice of heaven!

:-) As an IT professional by trade I frequently obtain hard disks from machines destined for scrap to ensure the data on the drives is wiped in compliance with federal regulations. Thank you for giving me a use for the 60+ hard drives I have in a case in my office.

-- Looking for free wood working plans? Visit us at www.AwlFreePlans.com

Rare magnets can be expensive but you can find great deals like this at Lee Valley:

http://tinyurl.com/ygx5rj4

50 magnets of various sizes and shapes for just $15 or so!
The package deals cut the cost by 50%. A good alternative if you don’t have any unwanted hard disks or don’t want to spend time on extracting the magnets from them.

-- The time I enjoy wasting is not time wasted

Mark D.,

I’m pro at computers also..

Throw away old HD’s full of personal data is NOT a good idea
Software to erase / wipe out are slow and only work if the HD still good
Sometimes the controller die, and you can’t do that

I like to disassembly em, bend and hammer the disks
They are hard to kill, but with persuasion they GO
Terminator way. Unrecoverable and fast!

I just hate that small screws – and use the Side cutter pliers to remove (much easier)

Lucky you.. now, 2 X 60+ FREE magnets are just waiting for you!

————————

ChuckM,
free IS better
:D

Great idea.

-- Daniel R. Locaputo

I’ve used them before. I probably have about 4-6 arround the shop. But I’ve got about 10 HD in the office in the shop that I’ve pulled all of the data off so they are now scrap.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Good idea, but I would use a torx screw driver to remove the screws. Thanks

-- Dudley Young USN Ret.

Great idea, I’ve got a few HDs from old computers. I’ll give it a try.

-- Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines! Mike D.

I also use Magnets a LOT. Thanks for this tip… it’s a good one!

Thanks for the great tip.

Damn, I’ve been doing this for a couple of years and was hoping the secret wouldn’t get out. I guess as long as the word is out I can share my disassembly routine.

• Use torx drivers to remove all the metal cover screws, remember some will be under labels. If the cover doesn’t just fall off or come off with a slight amount of effort, you haven’t removed all the screws.
• Remove top metal cover.
• If necessary, remove any screws holding the actuator in place.
• Remove the actuator plate and magnet with a large flat head screwdriver. This will reveal the coil and bottom of the actuator.

You now have one magnet and can stop there if you want, or

• Remove any screws holding the bottom of the actuator in place.
• Use large flat head screwdriver to pry the bottom actuator plate out. This will break the plastic coil, so be careful as plastic may fly.

You can use the magnets as-is, attached to the actuator plates or remove them carefully with a cold chisel or punch and hammer and a sharp tap. They are not very hard to remove – just remember they are magnetically attached to the plates as well as glued. A sharp tap will break the adhesive but the magnet will not come loose.

This may be helpful.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/fullimage.php?image=1424

Don’t forget about laptop hard drives either – same procedure only the magnets are smaller.

(googling “hard drive parts” will help with this if you aren’t familiar with the internal of a hard drive.)

robdew,
Are you trying to steal my post?
LOL – just kidding

Tanks for the extra info
I never see that page and hope it help others in LJ

Maybe it’s one old tip, but a good one!

——————-

BTW, I don’t have the torx screwdriver !
brute force works :D

awesome idea I am a computer tech as well. I have a program that will obliterate all the data.

-- There is no such thing as a mistake. Its called a design modification Rick Kruse, Grand Rapids, MI

Dangit, I’m an IT guy too and I had not thought of doing this (despite knowing full well they have rare-earth magnets in them…) Guess I have some dissecting to do on some old drives tonight ;)

cool if it’s free it’s for me

Clever… can I put it on my fridge?

-- All bleeding will eventually stop.

TraumaJacques,

please remember

you must read, understand and follow the safety rules about using this magnet

this is not a toy – can be dangerous – in special to children!

seek google for “magnet children” (without the quotes) and you can see

Great idea, thanks

-- Whether You Think You Can or You Think You Can't, YOU ARE RIGHT!!!

Been scavenging drive magnets for a long time, never thought to pass the idea along though. Good post. It’d be great to get a book full of obscure shop ideas like this.

-- Ooo, er.

I’ve been doing this for a very long time as well, way before I got into woodworking. Those magnets are good for a very large variety of things besides jigs.

In case you have no access to old HDs, go to HF (harbor Freight) or their website. They have a package of 10 5/16” rare earth magnets for $1.99!
I use them to hang tools all over the shop.

By the way, rare earth magnets are also a great stud finder. Move it over the surface of the wall and when you pass over a nail or screw it will almost jump out of your hand. If I have a bunch of them, and I do, I’ll leave one where I find a stud and keep going. After a minute or so I can see the pattern of studs inside the wall!

d

-- If a man says something in the forest and there's no woman to hear it, is he still wrong?

Great idea!

-- "so much to learn and so little time"..

My old drive magnets are so powerful one will hold a 25 foot Stanley tape measure on a swinging door. The other holds the table saw tools for easy grab and no falls to the floor. I love em, and they are free, as long as you don’t consider the fact you lost a hard drive in the process. Later, BTKS

very cool!! thanks.

(I knew keeping all those useless harddrives will serve it’s purpose some day)

-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

I spent 20 years as an electronics tech in the Navy and another 13 as an IT/Computer tech after I retired. I’ve removed hard drive actuator magnets for years, just never thought of writing it up as a tip.

I have found the best way to glue these neodymium (rare-earth) magnets to something non-magnetic is with construction adhesive, especially plastics.

JimC

Just a quick Safety Warning regarding Rare-Earth magnets.

Handle with care. Magnets can snap together and break skin or shatter on impact.

Can damage computer gear & credit cards.

Rare-earth magnets have strong magnetic fields that can damage electronic equipment and magnetic data storage media. You should keep these magnets away from electronic equipment, computer discs, credit cards, video tapes, and other magnetic media.

Neodymium rare-earth magnets should not be burned. These magnets can ignite and burn at high intensity. These magnets should not be drilled or machined. Drilling may cause high heat to develop resulting in ignition. The magnets may shatter and break when drilled

-- Tim: Remember, if it doesn't say Binford, someone else made it.

Great recycling idea. Thanks.

-- Bruce from Central New York

Great tip. Here’s another great deal on rare earth magnets, 100 for $15.98.

http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/13195

-- David

WOW. How ironic.
Just today I scrapped two of my old computers but removed the hard drives for security.
I was not sure how I was going to distroy the drives, but I know now!
Thanks!

-- Rick, Pa. Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.

Being an IT Manager I see a lot of bad drives. I usually take them apart for the magnets also. Great Tip.

-- If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail!

I have gotten several magnets from Applied Magnets: www.magnet4less.com

Not sure what the strengths are for the Hartville Tool offer but one nice thing about Applied Magnets, they will give you the pull strength of the magnets they sell. Happen to need one with 450lb pull strength?

-- Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.

davidinpcola – Thanks for the info. Such a great deal! I always think the regular prices of rare earth magnets have been inflated. This deal proves it.

-- The time I enjoy wasting is not time wasted

Someone mentioned the magnets snapping together but let me follow up on this issue. During my time in the Air Force I dealt with two mishaps dealing with these magnets. One involved someone playing with them and they pulled together and squashed his finger like a grape requiring 17 stitches. The other involved someone playing with several of the magnets and attempting to keep them apart when the force finally pulled the magnets together his fingers were sandwiched. He broke six fingers. It took the med team 20 mins to figure out how to get them off his fingers without further injury. So users beware.

-- Kelly -- Common Sense, Isn't Common to Everyone. - Me