Simple handy shop stuff I use almost every day

[Guest]

I know there are a couple CT’ers working on new shops, and got to thinking about some of the simple shop stuff that makes a difference in ease or efficiency. I have posted some of these before, but I used each of them today, and use at least a couple of them every day I work in the shop.

Portable bench/table
A sheet of 3/8 thick inch plywood cut in half lengthwise gives me an easily portable workbench (two actually). Bonus, a piece of newspaper spans the tops edge to edge for paint, varnish or epoxy work.



Reinforced on the bottom that surface is plenty rigid, and I can carry it around with one hand. Way handy when the benches get crowded. We also use them as serving tables for parties.



Workmate top
A piece of scrap ¾ inch wood with a piece of 2x4 screwed lengthwise in the middle to clamp in the Workmate. That top is sacrificial (note the filth, errant saw cuts and drill holes), but I’d rather eff up a scrap of plywood than my Workmate top, which I have already replaced once from such abuse.





Just size it so the tightening cranks on the workmate clear the top for easy no-fuss on and off. 16x36 works well for me; serendipitously, that was the size of scrap wood I had available when I made the first one.

When I need a small, solid, working height portable platform for a tabletop sander or router table that’s my go to, especially if I want to move my dust and shavings work outdoors, or at least away from the tool covered shop benches.

Quad multi-plug outlet with illuminated switches

We have several of these in different places. Really handy for switching on battery chargers without plugging/unplugging. See also tanks and aquaria lights, heaters, filters, etc. Meant for DJ racks, the shop mounting boxes are an easy DIY from 1x3 wood







Available from Sam Ash Music:

http://www.samash.com/american-dj-pc4-4-channel-ac-power-center-apc4xxxxx

Water, soapy water and alcohol spray bottles

I love having spray bottles of water, soapy water and alcohol available. My shop has no sink, so soapy and rinse water was previously a go-and-fetch-a-couple-buckets, and where I once oops sloshspill wasted too much alcohol my supply now lasts much longer (Yuengling’s excepted).



Got a simple handy shop suggestion?

 

[Guest]

One more thing. Maybe two. Er, three. (Hey look Ma, no photos!)

Battery op leaf blower. Another used almost every day item. Sometimes, if it is a massive clean up to ready to shop as party central, a more powerful plug-in blower and extension cord. I don’t run gas operated stuff in the shop for fear of aerosolized contaminates. The battery op blower is always hanging there ready to go.

In the old Farmersexual thread the question was raised:

There IS something fishey here, I've never seen a woman go BAREFOOT into a man's shop, hell, I won't even go barefoot into a shop. Metal filings and big splinters in the feet suck!

My shop floors are, admittedly, unusually clean. Part of that is because the shop has a smooth, sealed concrete floor that is easy to leaf blower clean. Hell, I mop it once a year before parties. The shop, emptied of boats, can seat 30+ for dinner, and that’s where the raucous smoking, drinking and spilling crowd gathers late into the noisy night. It’s a mess to clean up in the morning, but worth it.

I routinely leaf blow the floors after I have made a bunch of dust or shavings. If my clothing and beard are covered in dust, especially after sanding fiberglass & epoxy (to which I have developed some sensitivity), I step outside and turn the leaf blower on myself before I remove any PPE, changing clothes and showering.

I sometimes blow out the apparently clean shop before starting work. If I am going to do paint, varnish or epoxy work and don’t want dust motes or stirred up debris settling on my nice smooth work I open-garage-door blow out the shop before I begin. I blow everything, ceiling, walls, benches and floor. Several times; I blow it out, wait a few minutes for the dust to settle and blow it out again. And rinse and repeat again.

Added benefit: Blowing off the benches enforces the put things back where they belong rule. A 20 oz roofing hammer won’t blow away, but loose screwdrivers, pencils and small parts will. I know better than to leave a messy bench when the blower comes out.

Under-bench shelving. Part of that is that clean up blow-ability is that I have almost nothing on the floor except bench and chair legs. The stuff that would be stored on the floor is on half depth shelves below the benches, set back far enough to tuck get my feet and knees under if seated at the bench. There are few right angle corners, nooks and crannies on the floor to trap blown debris. Stuff stored on the floor is the enemy of shop cleanliness

Or maybe just storage shelving in general. I had shelving in mind when I designed the shop, and provided lots of shelving space, including a 40 inch wide partial wall that separates the seated-height from standing-height benches. More wall space for pegboard and shelving with no SF loss.

The Louis De Palma window between the enclosed office and main shop. Probably the best functional feature of my shop, and quite unintentionally; I had a leftover window.

https://www.google.com/search?q=lou...&biw=1280&bih=894&dpr=1#imgrc=CM_FqIKmoqDsYM:

That spare double- hung window went in the interior wall between my office area and the main shop. With an exhaust fan aimed out a shop window I can have one-way fresh/unstinky/unpoisonous air flow through my office.

In summer there is a window AC unit in the exterior shop office window, and I can open the interior Louis De Palma window and regulate the temperature and humidity in the main shop.

I expect Alan will build my dream shop on his new property, and DougD will build two cobbed together lean-to’s, provided he doesn’t fall off a ladder while putting the roofs on.

 

[Boatman53]

Artist palette knives, I think I have 6 or 7 different lengths, widths and shapes. I use them almost every time I use epoxy or caulking compound.
Jim

 

[Magnus919]

No Title

Spring clamps.

 

[Odyssey]

Because I work in small confined interior spaces or the spacious outdoors I need portable not permanent work tables. I have several. They're one of those things people give you when they've done with post party cleanup or old basement clear-outs. Need a card table? Sure. Take this folding table off my hands? Yeah, no problem. Don't know where this came from, nobody came back for it? I'll give it a good home. I recently swapped out 3 folding legs from 2 work tables to make a 12 foot pine plank buffet table for a family thing. A little bit of sawdust, noise and poly smell and hey presto. Another table. I'll probably leave this one at the wedding for the next folding table hunter gatherer. Problem is I've now got at home a legless table and another with a serious limp.

ps . Funny thing, I thought for a second Mike was posting photos of pressure gauges. Four identical ones??