I've been realizing recently that I have a lot of stuff in the shop 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" wrote in message > 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.
Mon, Jan 22, 2007, 10:46am (EST-3) aenewho...@gmail.com (Andy) doth posteth: I've been realizing recently that I have a lot of stuff in the shop that I wouldn't consider traditional "shop-type stuff". <snip>
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.
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.
> I've been realizing recently that I have a lot of stuff in the shop > 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!
> I've been realizing recently that I have a lot of stuff in the shop > 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!
> In addition to band aids, a bottle of Betadyene<s/p> found in every > E/R room on the planet.
snipped other useful stuff
> 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
On 22 Jan 2007 10:46:12 -0800, "Andy" <aenewho...@gmail.com> wrote:
>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.
One thing I have, which many might think is strange, is a 2 X 2 foot pc of Granite counter top. Very level and nice to use when you need a solid base, easy to clean as well from most glues.
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.
> Andy wrote: > > Anything you have to add to the > > list?
> Beer
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.
> 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! :-)
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.
> 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.
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.
> > 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.
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.
> > 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.
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