Using stuff the way it wasn't meant to be used

[Ray Martin]

Wax paper as you do. Plastic wrap/saran wrap I use to wrap up brushes in between coats of finish, pie tins to put feet of projects in while I am finishing them, a laptop computer to surf the site and pull up project plans, a hand truck to wheel my dust barrel out, a hydraulic lift cart to haul lumber and let my daughter ride up and down on, and last but not least, a tennis racket to swat japanese hornets or bumble bees that seem to like to wander in here.

Harbor Freight sells a bug swatter that looks like a tennis racket. It's actually an electronic bug zapper. It's like the lamps you hang in the back yard, but in the shape of a racket. I bought a couple of them last year and they work great.

Ray

 

[Ray Martin]

Just re-read the list. Don't think anyone mentioned drinking Folgers coffee. It comes in plastic containers with plastic lids. These cans are great for paint, nails, small parts, and the Japanese bumble-wasp bugs mentioned earlier in the thread.

Ray

 

[Travis Porter]

I hadn't thought of the Folgers containers and I drink Folgers coffee. I will use that one!

 

[Gotcha6]

I think Vilas' deal with Sears mandates he mention them by name. He's pretty much locked in to them as a sponsor. Norm seems to take the subliminal approach by making sure you see the tool logo every time it isn't too obvious - and he has multiple sponsors to consider. Just a difference in philosophies on opposite ends of Madison Ave.

 

[Gofor]

I think the Folgers containers are the best paint container going. They are easy to grip while painting on a ladder, and because you grip from the side, you don't have to worry about the can handle being in your way. The plastic top to keep it fresh 'til the next coat is another bonus. The large opening makes it easy to load the brush and tap off the excess without ending up scraping the edge as you pull it out of the container.
Great design for something not intended by the seller!!

Go

 

[Tarhead]

I use laminate (Formica) samples and cut up soda cans as shims.

I once used freezer paper under glue-ups but don't see it in the store anymore. It's much wider than wax paper.

 

[Bigdog72]

For those who have dropped their Unisaw arbor nut and are tired of doing so, you need to buy one of these. Without a doubt, THE BEST ($22) ACCESSORY I HAVE EVER PURCHASED for my Unisaw. It has a small stabilizer attached to the nut (but can spin independently). There is a recess that allows you to place the nut on the arbor and it won't fall off, before starting to thread it. It also comes with the smaller nut on the left you can use with dado blades. There is one for L (36-660) & R (36-659) tilt Unisaws. It is a Delta part and also available from other sources.

So, I finally got around to ordering this nifty item and find that it is no longer available from Delta. Did a web search and found one place that had one for a right hand saw. Any one have an extra for a left tilt or know of a source?

 

[gator]

I once used freezer paper under glue-ups but don't see it in the store anymore. It's much wider than wax paper.

Freezer paper is what I use. The back side is also good for sketching out full size drawings of pieces. I get mine at the grocery store in the same aisle as the tin-foil and waxed paper.

I do/have used just about everything on the posts so far from handtrucks to butter cups.

When I first put my shop together (on the cheap) I found that free cardboard tubes that carpet comes on (free from carpet installers) is 4" and all 4" fittings fit nicely. I have slowly changed over to PVC as I reroute some lines but still have a couple of lines of cardboard that work fine after 8 years. Dumpster diving got me an old bakers cooling rack on wheels that, with shelves, makes a handy 'cut-off' storage rack. My router table (pics in my gallery) is an old desk wing that I extended the legs on and enclosed the knee hole for a DC plenum and cut the plate cut-out over the knee hole. Even have three drawers for storage. Works great for free.

I found that pint canning jars make great containers for mixed shellac, the lids seal really well. To grind shellac flakes really fine for faster dissolving, I use a $6.99 coffee bean grinder from Wally World.

George

 

[CarvedTones]

This one is probably pretty standard - my hide glue pot is a $10 electric teapot from Walgreen's with a candy thermometer and steel cups from the dollar store. Put a little water in the bottom, heat to about 145 degrees, mix hide flakes and water in a steel cup and set it in the water to heat up. It's a little tricky to get the dial just right; it seems to be affected by how much water is left and whether or not the top is open.
An item I am on the look out for is a big old hot plate. If you heat the soundboard and rim of an instrument before you glue it with hide glue, you get more open time.
While looking for a hot plate at the thrift store, I almost got myself a precision router base for my rotary handset. There was a study scope (like a microscope, only for 3D stuff like small bugs) that didn't work for about $2. I figured I could use the focusing mechanism for very accurate depth selection. But when I got it home, I took apart the busted optical part and found the prism just needed to be reattached. Then it was an $80 scope and I gave it to the kids instead of "wasting" it in the shop. Dang priorities. :dontknow:

 

[Steve W]

What a great thread -- I'm surprised I didn't see it earlier.

Toothbrushes work great for general cleaning of small areas (getting sawdust off threads, etc) as well as brushing the metal debris out of sandpaper being used to "scary sharpen" plane irons & chisels.

Single-edge razor blades with the "backbone" removed make nice shims (finally got my BS aligned using several of these!)

The ever-present Cool-Whip containers are great for stashing darn near anything that fits in them.

The old kitchen cabinets made their way to both my shop and my garden shed. A bit off-topic, but my garden shed had, when I moved to this house, a cleanroom table made of very high quality stainless steel. You can sometimes find these surplus and they make great potting benches as NOTHING will rust or rot them and they're perforated on top!

I also have a 140 year old rotating apothecary cabinet that has 88 small, tin-sided drawers that I'm now using for various hardware. This came out of an old drug store in the town I grew up in. The guy who used to own the store gave it to my dad and my dad gave it to me. It weighs a couple hundred pounds but I considered it worth moving with me...

:kermit: Steve