Over the years I've built a variety of custom equipment to suit my needs.  Here are some items I've built in recent years and now use in my shop.

An autotransformer is a must for gradually bringing up the line voltage when working on a chassis for the first time.  This General Radio Variac is equipped with everything I could want.  I built it in a portable cabinet with detachable line cord so I can also use it at work. It has a line switch and indicator, a duplex outlet, fuses for input and output, and a voltmeter and ammeter for the load.

Working on a large console in my small shop can be a nuisance.  The cabinet takes up a lot of space, but you need the field coil, output transformer and speaker when the chassis is on the bench.  I solved that problem by designing this gadget to take the place of the cabinet-mounted components.  The two small cabinets are mounted under the lowest shelf above the bench.  The upper unit has a universal 20 watt output transformer with selectable primary and secondary taps.  A switch selects either an internal 20 watt dummy load or the 20 watt speaker at the right, which is mounted on the wall.  The binding posts allow a VTVM, scope or distortion analyzer to be connected across the load.  The lower unit has a suitable inductance and selectable resistance to replace most field coils.  I've made up a number of cables and plugs to match the types of chassis that I work on.  I've provided instructions so you can build one for your shop.