Miscellaneous home workshop tips

[theholycow]

http://www.autospeed.co.nz/cms/A_110573/article.html

- Use a rubber grommet at the chuck-end of a drill bit to prevent your drill chuck from mangling the material when the bit breaks through. Not in the article but a similar idea, there are small clamps called drill stops that you can add to a drill bit to prevent going in too deep (such as this $5 set).

- Add a spring to your bench vise to end the slop.

- Rubber near the end of the vise handle shaft prevents finger pinches.

- Ice cube trays are great for sorting and storing screws.

- Sandwich thin material between sheets of plywood to prevent chatter, flop, and mangling with reciprocating/band saws and otherwise control the material. I've been doing this forever, in more contexts than just the way described in the article...it really helps keep my work in control.

- DIY 4-way allen wrench made from...allen wrenches. Good for adjusting a tool with 4 different size allen screws, I guess.

- Cut bolts flush against surface by turning hacksaw blade sideways and using wood blocks to offset it down from the hacksaw frame.

- Cheap smooth bends in round tube: Mount a couple V-pulleys to a board and bend between them to avoid kinking. Nice idea!

- Use a trianglular pencil eraser as sandpaper backing for tight spots

- Improvise a bar clamp from a bench vise (meh, not impressed).

I'm pretty sure we've had a thread about this stuff before...but go ahead and post up your ideas!

[VetteOwner]

we have those well gallon sized plastic jugs of catlitter and we just cut the tops off to make a nice square tub. we have 3 of them with 1/4" bolts 5/16" and 3/8"+ of bolts, washers, nuts, lock washers so when your building something all you need is right there. (obviously take a sharpie and label the edges so you know whats what)

when we buy the stuff we buy it by the pound (tractor supply stores usually do this) MUCH cheaper than paying 10 cents a bolt from lowes/ace hardware.

[GasSavers_Pete]

- Fishing tackle boxes are also a good choice for small nuts , bolts , screws etc.
They have plastic drawers so the contents don't spill if knocked over bumped.

-A small piece of plastic or paper ( "post it" notes work well) wrapped around a drill to form a "flag" helps blow the drill swarf away so you can see where you are drilling. Helps as a depth gauge too. No weight to talk about so the drill doesn't vibrate.

- A split piece of garden hose is another good finger saver on a vice handle.

- A rare earth magnet (or three) under a metal dish is a great workshop temporary store for nuts bolts screws etc. The magnets keep the stuff in place but don't get i the way when you need the contents of the dish.
Metal dog food and water dishes work well , are large , stable and cheap.

Peter.

[Mayhim]

-Ziplock baggies and Sharpie to mark them for holding related fasteners on a disassembly project. An old idea, but works great. Notes can be placed on the baggie or on a piece of paper placed into the baggie.

-Old pill bottles for same. Somewhat space limited but good for small things in the computer parts box.

-Electrical tape to tape the drill chuck on the electric cord. Place it down the cord to where it's right where you need it to use it. I've used this one for a couple of decades and it's always worked well. You have to have a rubber or other chuck holder to have something to wrap to the cord.

-Vise grips holding the metal workpiece placed in a vice to hold for welding. Place the ground on the grips or on the vice wherever it's close and fits.

-Auto-darkening welding helmets for the old and hard of seeing. I'll never be without one again.

[theholycow]

When disassembling for later reassembly, here's my strategies for fasteners:

- Put the bolts back in their holes and nuts back on their studs once the parts are apart. Tape them in place if necessary.

- Photograph the unit. Print the photograph. Punch holes where the fasteners go and stick them through the paper. Or, for nuts/washers, tape them to the paper. This works best on small things like a laptop computer.

[GasSavers_Pete]

Drill chuck keys: I used two cable ties on mine.
One around the chuck key itself and another to hold it to the cord. This allows the chuck key to move and rotate as needed but never gets left behind or becomes lost.
Use the plastic ties...metal ties with sharp edges and wires for electrical components are not a good mix.

Peter.

[theholycow]

Are you guys talking about the chuck key? I keep getting confused but that makes more sense.

Chuck key:


Chuck:


I too attach my key to the plug end of the cord. It doesn't get lost, and it does remind me to unplug before messing with the chuck. Most drills come with a rubber clip to hold the key to the cord but the clip often breaks.

[GasSavers_Pete]

Ooops , Yeah chuck KEY is the item not the chuck itself.
I have to say I have become so sloppy these days partly through laziness and partly through thinking:
I know what I'm talking about therefore so does everyone else !

Some great tips there too.

Peter.