"non-shop" stuff that's useful in the shop

[Andy]

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. 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]

~ 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.

[J T]

Mon, Jan 22, 2007, 10:46am (EST-3) [e-mail] (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".

My versions:

1. Scissors or shop snips Just some el-cheapo scissors.
2. Small containers I get small snap-on top plastic containers from the grocery store. Work for small amounts of paint too.
3. Cable ties (zip-ties)

[J T]

Almost forgot.

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.

JOAT Bugrit. Millennium hand AND shrimp.

[Lee Gordon]

Those fake "credit cards" that come in the mail. The can be used as glue spreaders or for mixing small amounts of epoxy.

Lee

[Old guy]

Paper Towels Pencil paper, magic markers Plastic grocery bags\ Intercom to the house Extension telephone

Old Guy

[Joe]

purpose

[Len]

used as glue

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]

Magnets out of old microwaves. They are very powerful

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

[Lew Hodgett]

RE: Subject

A Medical Kit

In addition to band aids, a bottle of Betadyene 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]

snipped other useful stuff

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]

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]

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.

[JKevorkian]

I found that those Playtex Nurser refill bags are really handy for storing small '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]

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 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]

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]

Yup!

Washes all that dust down nicely.