Jesse Cloud
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Location: Placitas, NM Member Since: Jan 2007
Posts: 1452
Festooling at the end of a dirt road in New Mexico
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« on: June 11, 2011, 02:04 PM » |
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This topic produced an interesting thread on another forum, but I'll bet the Foggers do even better...
The question is what 'tools' have you found outside the shop and changed their purpose into something useful for working wood? Many of us 'borrow' the wife's iron or hair dryer for veneering or softening glue. I save used toothbrushes for cleaning hard to reach parts of the bandsaw and tablesaw. Lots of common household items can be pressed into use as spreaders or containers.
What's your favorite "find"?
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Alan m
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Location: Ireland Member Since: Aug 2010
Posts: 3017
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« Reply #1 on: June 11, 2011, 08:00 PM » |
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those credit card sized cards you get shooping vouchers on make great scrapers for glue and vanish. i use them for scraping the sanding disks if i am sanding a painted or waxed etc surface as the disk is perfect under all that crud.
weighing scales.
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now
ts 55+2 1400 rails+ 1 lr32 1400 rail, domino+assortment systainer+ domiplate, ct 22 with boom arm+home made thien baffel, lr32 set, rotex 150, home made MFT,home made work center, 6 t locs for other tools, of2000 , ro 90, mft 800, trion , ls 130
wish list
of 1400, MFT 3,, even more t locs for other tools
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
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MarkF
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Location: Concord, NC Member Since: Jan 2007
Posts: 272
Concord, NC
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« Reply #2 on: June 11, 2011, 08:44 PM » |
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I use a baby bottle warmer to keep my hide glue bottle warm:  My 48" roll of Butcher paper comes in handy for all kinds of things:  My wife's a Quilter. Her cutting rulers come in handy. Especially the big 24" squares. Great for truing up an MFT sawguide. The latest are emery boards from a Beauty Supply store for small detail finishing repair jobs. They have a Micromesh like abrasive in 3 different grits on it. Not bad for less than $2.00. |
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PaulMarcel
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Location: Chandler AZ USA Member Since: Mar 2008
Posts: 1195
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« Reply #3 on: June 12, 2011, 03:40 AM » |
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I use canning jars for finishes; the two-part lid makes it easy to toss out the cover and replace it when it gets grimy; those lids are pretty inexpensive, too.
Takoyaki pick. Okay, takoyaki is an awesome Japanese fast-food, and I picked up several picks used to roll them while in Little Tokyo (and many from the real Tokyo). Just a wooden handle with a very sharp pointed tip. A little like a much sharper scratch awl. Useful wherever you need a small pinhole or to grab something stuck somewhere.
Used dryer sheets; rub them on a plane for the anti-static effect.
Fabric softener... I put some in a bucket and mop the rubber and "rubber-ish" floormats in my shop. Again for antistatic. Sawdust doesn't stick to it; sweeps nicely. Need to redo it about every year.
Chopsticks as stirsticks for finishes; $1.50 at the Asian market gets you a "rifetime supry"
Bamboo skewers are good at poking out glue-squeezeout in corners where you can't reach (they are too soft to cause damage). Also great at unplugging a glue bottle.
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Visit my blog for Festool adventures Shirt size: L  Twitter: @HalfInchShy |
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Tinker
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Location: Ridgefield, CT Member Since: Jan 2007
Posts: 1794
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« Reply #4 on: June 15, 2011, 04:36 PM » |
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Toothpics, those round ones with the sharp points. Ever since i got rid of my "cadilacs", i don't wear glasses except for reading and close work. I buy the cheapest i can find and the screws that hold the bows to the frames are forever falling out. If they don't fall out, it is because i spend so much time tightening them, but eventually, they do fall and get lost. My chiropractor told me his little trick and it works.
When a screw fall out, take a round toothpick and jam it into the hole and then twist it as if it is already threaded. when it is tight, just break off the excess and VOILA! you are back in biz. for me, that is more shop time.
Tinker
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Wayne H. Tinker
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Wood_Junkie
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Location: Madison, Wisconsin - USA Member Since: Dec 2009
Posts: 1307
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« Reply #5 on: June 15, 2011, 05:27 PM » |
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Fabric softener... I put some in a bucket and mop the rubber and "rubber-ish" floormats in my shop. Again for antistatic. Sawdust doesn't stick to it; sweeps nicely. Need to redo it about every year.
GREAT tip! Though, if I make them easier to sweep, my younger daughter might not get the joy of vacuuming them (she currently loves using the Festool floor kit to help daddy clean.  ) ...$1.50 at the Asian market gets you a "rifetime supry"
You're naughty |
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Peter Halle
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Location: Powhatan, Virginia USA Member Since: Jul 2007
Posts: 6526
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« Reply #6 on: June 15, 2011, 06:18 PM » |
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A pasta machine / roller/ cutter can be used to cut veneer stringing.
I also use canning jars for finishes if I haven't used then for pickles.
A dough scraper can take care of the worst of glue squeeze out.
Peter
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The tools in my truck were talking the other day. The Dewalts, PC's, Boschs, Makitas were not happy. They also were in the minority. Their complaint: They felt unused and unappreciated since the Festools moved in. I guess the truth hurts.
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Ken Nagrod
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Location: New Jersey Member Since: Jul 2010
Posts: 3438
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« Reply #7 on: June 15, 2011, 06:28 PM » |
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A pasta machine / roller/ cutter can be used to cut veneer stringing.
I also use canning jars for finishes if I haven't used then for pickles.
A dough scraper can take care of the worst of glue squeeze out.
Peter
What kind of sauce would you use with that? |
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Peter Halle
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Location: Powhatan, Virginia USA Member Since: Jul 2007
Posts: 6526
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« Reply #8 on: June 15, 2011, 06:45 PM » |
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I can't say for sure, but that meal might have wood flour and pine nuts as ingredients. If it was around the winter holidays, maybe while cooking we would listen to some classic Burl Ives.
Back to the friendly topic a pasta machine really works for veneer inlay strips.
Peter
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The tools in my truck were talking the other day. The Dewalts, PC's, Boschs, Makitas were not happy. They also were in the minority. Their complaint: They felt unused and unappreciated since the Festools moved in. I guess the truth hurts.
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PaulMarcel
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Location: Chandler AZ USA Member Since: Mar 2008
Posts: 1195
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« Reply #9 on: June 15, 2011, 07:14 PM » |
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Brilliant, Peter!
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Visit my blog for Festool adventures Shirt size: L Twitter: @HalfInchShy |
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PaulMarcel
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Location: Chandler AZ USA Member Since: Mar 2008
Posts: 1195
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« Reply #10 on: June 18, 2011, 04:23 AM » |
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Just used hockey tape for about the fourth time since this thread. Sticks well, but not tooo well (sticks to itself the most). Like a thick fabric so some give. Comes in many colors. Just put a couple strips on my jointer guard so the locking screw quits making sharp divots in the aluminum; also holds better. Use it to make stuff more or less non skid. With Bench Cookies, well, you've got a game...
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Visit my blog for Festool adventures Shirt size: L Twitter: @HalfInchShy |
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