Woodshop Tips and Tricks

[Jonz]

I thought it may be fun, not to mention helpful, to start a thread to share some tips and tricks that make life a little easier in the shop and maybe to help each other save a little cash here and there.

Here's one...

My wife and I get several credit card offers every week. I have enough credit cards, but many of these include a fake card with "Your Name Here" or "John Doe". Lots of them are paper card stock which I toss, but many are plastic. These I save and use for glue spreaders. They work great and can be reused many times. I have a whole stack of them.

They make good shims in certain situations as well, as do my paper business cards.

 

[cskipper]

What a good idea - both the thread and the use of the plastic cards.

 

[Steve D]

Great idea JonZ. I'll throw one in - DIY air cleaner. Two options if you want to build instead of buy a shop air cleaner. I built a box sized to fit the tripple pleat filter for a Delta air cleaner and 12x24 furnace filter as a pre filter. I put a blower motor from WW Grainger inside. I covered the exhaust with a return register and put a pull chain switch in the circuit for on off. I wired it to the overhead light fixture in the garage so it comes on whenever the lights are on in the shop. I can also switch it off with the pull chain if I don't want it running for some reason. Total cost was about half the store bought and mine moves more CFM.

Another option is to replace the register with a metal HVAC boot, eliminate the blower and pipe it into the dust collector. This also works great but if you have a small DC, you may need to close the gate to the air filter when running a tool.

 

[DaveO]

Jonz, I really like you credit card idea, I wonder if my wife would notice if I take hers....now that is a money saving tip!:lol: :lol: Seriously, great idea for a thread, I look forward to other ideas like yours and SteveD's. The more money I save the more I can spend on things that I really want. I have one idea that I picked up a while ago off another forum. Use drinking straws to clean up glue squeeze out in corners and between 90 deg. joints. You can pinch them to form just about any angle, and them just throw them away after use. If you have a lot to clean up you can cut the straws after each scoop. Dave

 

[mshel]

Jonz, I really like you credit card idea, I wonder if my wife would notice if I take hers....now that is a money saving tip!:lol: :lol: Seriously, great idea for a thread, I look forward to other ideas like yours and SteveD's. The more money I save the more I can spend on things that I really want. I have one idea that I picked up a while ago off another forum. Use drinking straws to clean up glue squeeze out in corners and between 90 deg. joints. You can pinch them to form just about any angle, and them just throw them away after use. If you have a lot to clean up you can cut the straws after each scoop. Dave

Makes for sticky lips don't it. LOL

 

[DaveO]

Yep, and sticky lips sink ships....D'oh that's loose lips, my bad:lol:


Dave