Small Shop Tips And Jigs

[sancho57]

Good morning everyone.

Ive been coming to the FOG for a while now. One thing I noticed is like myself most of us have small shops. Some smaller than others but still small. Ive seen some pretty cleaver and creative ideas to maximixe space in a small shop from most of the FOGGERs. I though why not put them in a single thread as sub category here in workshops.
Ive posted some of my ideas for space saving here on the FoG before. The last was under MFT storage. I managed to fit 4 sysports under ea of my MFTs. That virtually held all my festools and other tools. My Makita thickness planer and Jet 6 " jointer obviously did fit but all my other tools did.

Heres a quick solution I came up with yesterday. I bought a new Kreg Jig 5 to replace my 23 year old metal kreg jig because it would only do 3/4 material and didnt have dust collect capability etc etc.

So I needed to find a adapter to fit the dust collection fitting on the Kreg jig to hook it up to my CT.

When I had the bbqs in the UK, Phil gave me a clean ex fitting. I threw it in a drawer and forgot about it. Well I thought it might work for a adapter.
I was right, I trimmed off the rubber nubs on the ends and it fit onto the kreg jig and I can use a 27mm festool hose for dust collection. The photo also shows a simple module I made to mount the Kreg jig on and use one of my CMSs as a stand for it. I keep my modules home made and festool modules in spur shelving on te shop wall near both my CMSs saves time by not having to walk across the shop to get the tools I need and saves storage space as they are all hung on the wall.

Im interested in what solutions and jigs others here have come up with to make our small shop wood working easier

 

[Mario Turcot]

Great idea!

I have the same pocket hole jig and I can tell from your picture, your's if fairly new Nick Ferry did a nice mounting board for that jig from MDF. The holes in it are purely to make it light weight, but you can be more creative and have a purpose for various holes size.

One thing I hate about that jig is the dust port attachment. It pops out very easily. If your hose is not somehow attached and the four little legs that hold it wears off quickly. I'm thinking of gluing mine permanently to the jig.

Mario

 

[rst]

Great tip Jobsworth, I do something similar to adapt my 36mm hose down to 27mm for my sanders and other small inlet tools.  If you remove the attaching collars from the tool ends, they will slip snugly unto the 36mm tool end and stay attached for use.  I've actually done this same thing to my Fein and MR Nozzle hose tool ends also.  The Festool ends will not stay on the nozzles with just a friction fit so I wrapped them with silicone tape to make them permanent.  I've done the same thing to my 27mm covered Festool hose.  I removed the vac end connector and replaced it with another tool end and just plug it into the tool end of my 36mm hoses. to give me a long hose with minimal pressure drop.  It does not stay inserted with tension on it so I use Velcro tape to end the ends connected.

 

[sancho57]

I noticed that the DC connector on the KJ does seem to pop off. But only when i remove the hose. Theres got to be a way of making it more secure. I guess, I could buy a couple extra ones to keep on hand in case it breaks. But there has to be a way.
I think We can come up up with something

 

[sancho57]

Another tip I just came up with, is to personalize the shop.

Ive always just went in the shop to build stuff not really to "enjoy te shop". Though I enjoy building things (if that makes sense). So After watch Marc Spags set up his shop online, I notice he has some stuff hung on the walls personalizing it (spiderman and other things)

So that gave me the idea. To make it well enjoyable and homie.

When I was in the UK I bought some old tools and made a small disply for them to hang in the shop. Its made out of some cheap paint grade ply and some dowl stock but I put a oil finish on it and it came out better than expected.
Photos to come  after i hang them this morning [big grin]
Ok I hung them. I got to get to a old tool sale, I wanna old brace for the colection next. Oh I also took a shot of the old tools and the way I store my CMS modules, both festool ones and ones I made for bench top tools incl kreg jig.

 

[sancho57]

Another tip I got from Thom a FOGGER and one of the cleaverest person I know. I told him I was reorganized my shop and going crazy trying to find stuff. His advice was to buy a label maker and label the shop.

The one I bought could use up to 3/4 wide labels. That’s awesome for labeling drawer fronts letting me know what’s inside , I used 1/2 labels on systainers  Sortainers.
Now I can stand across the shop and when looking for something I’ll know exactly where the thing I’m looking for is at.