Ever "import" woodworking tools from other parts of the house?

[Jesse Cloud]

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"?

 

[Alan m]

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.

 

[MarkF]

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.

 

[PaulMarcel]

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.

 

[Tinker]

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

 

[Wood_Junkie]

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.  [big grin]  )

...$1.50 at the Asian market gets you a "rifetime supry"

You're naughty

 

[peter halle]

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

 

[Ken Nagrod]

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?

 

[peter halle]

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

 

[PaulMarcel]

Brilliant, Peter!

 

[PaulMarcel]

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...