"non-shop" stuff that's useful in the shop
Andy
that I wouldn't consider traditional "shop-type stuff". Several things
I found myself running upstairs to get, or just little accessories that
make life in the shop easier, so I've brought them downstairs or gotten
a duplicate for the shop. I thought I'd share my list, in case anyone
else might find some of these things useful. Many are probably
mainstays in your shops also, but maybe not - I'm curious. (I didn't
include things like paste wax, pencils, and extension cords, assuming
those are basically standard woodworking supplies, even though they
might not be tools, wood, or hardware.) Anything you have to add to the
list?
1. Scissors or shop snips - mine are "Ultimate Craft Scissors";
slightly heavier-duty than average home scissors.
(http://www.fiskarscrafts.com/tools/t_ultimate-craft-scissors.aspx). I
use these so often they've earned a place in my apron pocket. Chunks
of rag, twine, fine wire, veneer, etc.etc., often need cutting.
2. Small, cheap hot glue gun
3. Band-aids
4. Small containers - plastic bags, yogurt cups, clamshell boxes from
borg hardware, etc. all get re-used in some capacity.
5. Cable ties (zip-ties) and velcro wrap strips
6. Masking tape, duct tape, Gorilla tape, electrical tape
7. Twine/light rope
8. Weather stripping - just finished re-doing my home-made air cleaner,
which I sealed up with weatherstripping, but I've found it handy for a
little bit of sealing, padding, or slightly non-slip stuff for various
other uses.
9. Distilled water in spray bottle (for water stones and surfaces to be
gorilla-glued - distilled prevents mineral buildup in either of these
uses)
10. Cheap disposable straight razor blades (mini-scrapers, back-ups if
my utility knife isn't handy, etc.)
11. 3-in-1 oil (stored away from project wood and tools)
12. Rare earth magnets - thanks Lee Valley!
Andy
Swingman
> Anything you have to add ...
~ TV tray, plastic, fitted with router/sanding pad cut to size, like a
drawer liner: Use it for all the precision measuring, marking and layout
tools (marking knives, rules, pencils, saddle squares, bevel squares, pencil
sharpener, extra lead, erasers, chalk, etc.) that you need to layout lines,
dovetails, mortise locations, etc. Keep the loaded TV tray stored in a
cabinet, and take it to wherever it is you need to do this type work.
~ Coat hangers, wire: Good for hanging plans over bench, or any time you
need a piece of wire, any piece of wire! You know, to
reach/grab/hold/pickup/nudge from under work bench/etc.
~ Clothes Pins: Think "You can't have too many clamps." regardless of size.
--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 1/06/07
J T
posteth:
I've been realizing recently that I have a lot of stuff in the shop that
My versions:
1. Scissors or shop snips <snip>
Just some el-cheapo scissors.
4. Small containers <snip>
I get small snap-on top plastic containers from the grocery store. Work
for small amounts of paint too.
5. Cable ties (zip-ties) <snip
I've got some big ones.
6. Masking tape, <snip>
Just masking tape, but seldom use it. For those very, very, rare
occassions I need duct tape, got some in the house and vehicle.
7. Twine/light rope
8. Weather stripping <snip>
As a matter of fact I'll be using a bit for a future project - but don't
anticipate using more later, but never know.
9. Distilled water <snip>
Water, yes; distilled, no. I've got a deep well, and the water tests
almost chemically pure, son don't need to mess with distilled water.
10. Cheap disposable straight razor blades (mini-scrapers, back-ups if
my utility knife isn't handy, etc.)
I have fishing knife my dad made 60 years or more ago hanging in the
shop. So far that does every thing I need.
11. 3-in-1 oil <snip>
I've got some Marvel Mystery Oil in a pump oil can and in some small
eye-drop bottles. The eye-drop bottles are one of my better ideas.
12. Rare earth magnets - thanks Lee Valley!
Radio speaker magnets. One on top of the drill press holds drills and
chuck keys very nicely. One on a string is great for picking up screws
and nails from the floor, or behing machines, especiall out of sawdust.
Doesn't work with non-magnetic screws. Welding magnets.
Also:
Waxed paper.
Old hair dryer.
Magic markers.
Chalk.
Window fan.
Broom.
Dust pan.
Jug of white vinegar.
Wire coat hangers.
Plastic file case - holds tool paperwork, a couple of reference books,
etc.
Mesh fruit bags - holds small pieces of trees, for later
turning, or carving; and
unassembled cam clamp parts.
Two or three plastic buckets.
Large plastic jug - that gets all the odd
screws, bolts, etc.
Large liquid soap jugs - make excellent
scoops, much sturdier than milk jugs.
I also fill some with sawdust, for
traction for the vehicles in winter on
ice and/or snow..
Window fan.
Chainsaw - for when I want to do delicate
wood carbing.
Probably more, but that's all I can think of right off the top of my
head.
JOAT
Bugrit. Millennium hand AND shrimp.
Lee Gordon
list?>>
Those fake "credit cards" that come in the mail. The can be used as glue
spreaders or for mixing small amounts of epoxy.
Lee
--
To e-mail, replace "bucketofspam" with "dleegordon"
_________________________________
Lee Gordon
http://www.leegordonproductions.com
J T
Popsicle sticks. I highly useful item, for shims, building jigs,
and more.
Folding chair. One of the most valued things in the shop. Takes
little room folded up, and easily moved out of the way. And invaluable
for just sitting on and relaxing, letting a little classical music flow
thru the ears, smelling the sawdust, and just feeling good about life in
general. It's also very handy for sitting while using the router and
router table, and scross sww, but that's really just secondary to just
having it there to sit on and relaxing. Sometimes I wad up moving out
of my way every minute or so while I'm working on something (small
shop), but it's one of the last things I'd be willing to get rid of.
Old guy
Pencil paper, magic markers
Plastic grocery bags\
Intercom to the house
Extension telephone
Old Guy
"Andy" <aenew...@gmail.com> wrote in message
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Joe
"Lee Gordon" <bucket...@comcast.net> wrote in message
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purpose
Len
> list?>>
>
> Those fake "credit cards" that come in the mail. The can be
used as glue
> spreaders or for mixing small amounts of epoxy.
>
> Lee
>
Same with those 'free' AOL sign-up CD's that clog the mailbox.
They're also useful as emergency signalling mirrors for the
back-pack or boat.
Len
Allen Roy
Cheap scissors for cutting paper and the like, more expensive fabric
scissors when doing upholstery.
Clothes pins for holding small things together
Empty tv dinner trays come in handy at assembly time
Formica samples from the BORG. Great for using on caulk for a (near) perfect
bead. The large ones are great for mixing epoxy on
Large roll of 24 in wide paper from an auto finish store. Line the bench or
use for template work up
Saran wrap works to keep parts together while in storage
Box cutters for people that can't hang on to a razor blade (like me)
Mini glue gun with colored glue sticks
Write on board to prevent memory loss
Allen
"Andy" <aenew...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1169491572.0...@38g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
Lew Hodgett
A Medical Kit
In addition to band aids, a bottle of Betadyene<s/p> found in every
E/R room on the planet.
Adhesive tape and some individually packaged 2x2 sterile gause pads.
Tweezers
A sharp X-Acto knife in a protective cover.
I keep all of the above in a sealed white plastic container with a big
red cross painted on it.
Have used it a time or two for some rather basic stuff.
Glad I have it.
YMMV
Lew
Andy
>
> In addition to band aids, a bottle of Betadyene<s/p> found in every
> E/R room on the planet.
> I keep all of the above in a sealed white plastic container with a big
> red cross painted on it.
Excellent idea. I made a trip upstairs just a couple days ago to wash
out a minor cut, but a little disinfectant and a bandaid would have
been plenty. One related item I use fairly often is super glue -
actually holds minor cuts together for a couple days, instead of just
covering them up. The "liquid bandaid" they sell isn't even close.
Andy
Leuf
>I've been realizing recently that I have a lot of stuff in the shop
>that I wouldn't consider traditional "shop-type stuff".
Self-adhesive shipping labels. I print a lot of patterns off the pc,
but they're also handy just to use in the shop. Easier to draw on
paper than wood and then you just stick it on. Easy to see the lines
regardless of what wood it is.
-Leuf
bdeditch
of Granite counter top. Very level and nice to use when you need a
solid base, easy to clean as well from most glues.
JKevorkian
'stuff' and keeping a paintbrush moist.
Sonny
Drinking straw - for blowing sawdust out of dowel holes and other
crevices.
Q-tips - for applying glue in dowel holes and such.
Golf tees - for caning chairs, though these may be considered standard
for this application.
Medical needle holders or Stat - for delicate and/or specialized needle
nose plier
applications.
Clip board
Bullentin board
Post-It note pad
***Paper Drapes - For any of you that have connections to hospital
personell, especially someone in the surgery department: some
sterilized surgical tools and trays, prior to use in surgery, are
wrapped in special paper drapes. These drapes are double ply, are
water proof (to a point), are 4' X 4' (can be opened to single ply 4' X
8' ; These drapes (blue in color) are tough and cloth-like, excellent
moisture barriers (paint, varnish, solvents), can be used for resting
clean work on, drapery for doing finish work and for finished work,
reusable for years (dry rot is evident after 2 yrs). The surgical
teams discard these drapes prior to surgery, after they unwrap the
tools/trays for use in surgery....they are not reusable for sterile
applications. Ask your hospital connection person to inquire at the
surgery desk/staff about collecting a trash bag of these drapes for
you. It's not usually an imposition for a Circulator (surgical team
member) to collect these for someone.
Sonny
B A R R Y
> Anything you have to add to the
> list?
Beer
WouldWerker
I hope you're joking... alcohol and power tools are a dangerous
combination... I speak from the experience of recently cutting the
back of two fingers severely with a plate joiner; partly due to having
just drank a beer on an empty stomach. This caused me to be a little
less cognizant of what I was doing... and I did the dumb thing of
holding a small piece of wood with my left hand, plunging down on it
with the joiner, joiner grapped and ran across my finger (took 18
stitches, including 2 to hold tendons together). Again, in retrospect,
I believe the beer dulled my thinking enough to have me do something I
would probably have thought otherwise. BTW, this was the first serious
accident in 30 years of woodworking.
Chris
Charlie M. 1958
>
>
> I hope you're joking... alcohol and power tools are a dangerous
> combination... I speak from the experience of recently cutting the
> back of two fingers severely with a plate joiner; partly due to having
> just drank a beer on an empty stomach. This caused me to be a little
> less cognizant of what I was doing... and I did the dumb thing of
> holding a small piece of wood with my left hand, plunging down on it
> with the joiner, joiner grapped and ran across my finger (took 18
> stitches, including 2 to hold tendons together). Again, in retrospect,
> I believe the beer dulled my thinking enough to have me do something I
> would probably have thought otherwise. BTW, this was the first serious
> accident in 30 years of woodworking.
>
> Chris
>
I always figured the biscuit joiner was about the safest blade-equipped
power tool in my shop. Thanks for the reminder to be careful.
As a recovering alcoholic with 10 years of sobriety, I can tell you that
I am definitely glad I waited till I quit drinking to take up
woodworking! :-)
Charlie
Sonny
> I hope you're joking...
Chris, when we're finished making all that noise, in the shop, we stand
back and admire that thing we just created. Beauty is in the eye of
the beer holder.
Sonny
B A R R Y
>
> Chris, when we're finished making all that noise, in the shop, we stand
> back and admire that thing we just created. Beauty is in the eye of
> the beer holder.
Yup!
Washes all that dust down nicely.
Doug Miller
>I always figured the biscuit joiner was about the safest blade-equipped
>power tool in my shop. Thanks for the reminder to be careful.
http://www.woodworking2.org/AccidentSurvey/search.htm
Select "biscuit machine" in the Type of Tool dropdown, then click Search. Ten
accidents reported, *seven* of which involved hand-holding the workpiece in
some fashion.
--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)
It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.
Robatoy
> Lee Gordon
> http://www.leegordonproductions.com
That is one helluva resumé you got there, bro'.
Check out a pal of mine:
http://briankeelan.voice123.com/
respectfully.
r
Robatoy
B A R R Y wrote:
I must admit I love my beer as much as the next guy. Scotch even more.
Brandy is the king of beers...*G*.
BUT!
Only when I'm done with tools. My wonderful wife is just a few credits
away from setting up her own practise as a Nurse Practitioner and I
refuse to be her first patient.
She's almost 20 years younger than I, and there is NO way she'll ever
be able to rub that in because of some stupid mistake.
file:/famous last words/
r
Lee Gordon
http://briankeelan.voice123.com/>>
He's good. With competition like that, no wonder it's so hard to get work.
WouldWerker
Charlie M. 1958 wrote:
> WouldWerker wrote:
> >
> >
> > I hope you're joking... alcohol and power tools are a dangerous
> > combination... I speak from the experience of recently cutting the
> > back of two fingers severely with a plate joiner; partly due to having
> > just drank a beer on an empty stomach. This caused me to be a little
> > less cognizant of what I was doing... and I did the dumb thing of
> > holding a small piece of wood with my left hand, plunging down on it
> > with the joiner, joiner grapped and ran across my finger (took 18
> > stitches, including 2 to hold tendons together). Again, in retrospect,
> > I believe the beer dulled my thinking enough to have me do something I
> > would probably have thought otherwise. BTW, this was the first serious
> > accident in 30 years of woodworking.
> >
> > Chris
> >
>
Let me add a couple of things:
1. I'm actually thankful for the accident... It was bad enough (i.e.,
I still have my fingers) to wake me from being too casual about what
I'm doing in the shop. I now have my mind more in the "is this the
safest way to do this" set.
2. There's a reason the plate joiner has two handles... use both
hands. When that thing graps, it takes off as bad as an out of control
router.
Chris
PS... I still enjoy my beer; but only after shop time.
J T
sayeth:
I must admit I love my beer <snip>
Indeed, nothing quite like the satisfaction of a cold beer on a
warm day. That said, all I drink nowadays, if at all, is some of the
non-alcoholic beer - rated at less than 0.5% alcohol by content. One is
all I drink, because even at that low level I can feel the alcohol, and
two would put me on the couch for the rest of the day. Ah well, mayge
again in the next life. Think reincarnation.
Lou
Please tell me he didn't say he loves his beer as much as he loves the
next guy!!!
Sorry, just had to.
Lou
Robatoy
I get it....LOL... I best re-phrase that, huh?