Smart Shop tips!

[pmsmechanic]

Ya I keep old tips too. It's really handy when you go to use a previously used can of spray paint and the tip is plugged.

 

[dragoneggs]

Okay here's another one... if you haven't played around with CA glue with spray accelerator, give it a try. I use it frequently as such temporarily holding something until I get a couple screws or brads in (picture frames, building simple jigs for woodworking, etc. Instant bond. Much faster than just using CA glue. But place the piece exactly where you want it as there is no moving it once it comes in contact.

No wait for glue to dry, no worries about hitting a nail/brad while cutting or drilling, and you can usually snap the wood pieces off with sharp blow if you need to tweak it or salvage the wood for another use. When it fails the wood tends to be intact.

 

[Fuddy1952]

Here's a tip!
Harbor Freight vibratory tumblers aren't expensive, the smaller one. Get one and toss the plastic round top. Replace it with a locking style shoebox size plastic box from the dollar store. Drill, mount it on platform. Inside box use an empty (of course ) pickle jar. Put media and tools, etc in jar) locking box. As it runs you can see jar slowly turning.
Two advantages: no dust and it holds much larger things than the small round tumbler. Does a fantastic job.

 

[Aussiebushman]

Hoping a bunch of us will chime in here with their tips. I have a bunch...

Get in the habit of putting your tools away when finished for the day. I rarely have a cluttered workspace and I never search for the tool I am looking for. Except for a tape measure. Got four or five laying around but never where I need one.
:confused3:

The only problem I have in finding tools is that the possums borrow them and don't put them back where they found them.

 

[gsganzer]

It may have already been posted, but I saw a nifty way to store battery powered drills and drivers using PVC pipe with a slot cut in it, like this...

 

[downsizingnow48]

This the best rag solution I have come across so far.

 

[dragoneggs]

For those of you that cut up 4 by 8 ft plywood using a circular saw and straight edge. Buy a piece of 1in Pink hard foam board insulation. Comes in 4 by 8ft panels. Just throw it on a table or flat ground. Set your blade 1/8in or so deeper than your plywood thickness and cut away on your sacrificial backer board. Once you are done, it is nice and light and you can throw it anywhere to store it.

 

[Fuddy1952]

Grandad thought of this years ago (50s). Instead of throwing one gallon metal cans away he cut as shown by the black line, straight down about 5", up at angle across, down other side to match, removing the spout area. Pliers he'd bend sharp edge inside 1/4". Then lined up on a shelf. Each one different sized nails, screws, etc.
You saw what it was then it had a handle to pick it up by, contents went to bottom.

 

[bigtiller]

I've shown this before but here it is again.

My drill bit holder in 1 inch thick hard wood. Drill each hole a 64th inch oversized to allow for wood movement and about 1/2 inch between bits to have room for getting the bit you want. Identify the sizes with garage sale price stickers and cover the stickers with clear tape to keep them on the board and clean.

 

[dragoneggs]

I've shown this before but here it is again.

My drill bit holder in 1 inch thick hard wood. Drill each hole a 64th inch oversized to allow for wood movement and about 1/2 inch between bits to have room for getting the bit you want. Identify the sizes with garage sale price stickers and cover the stickers with clear tape to keep them on the board and clean.

View attachment 659732

Nice! I need a misc bit rack like this. So many are laying down mixed up that I have no clue what I have.

BUT what do you do to make your largest drill size hole 1/64th oversized? :laughing: