Shop Tricks

[carpenter383]

..."burn an inch" meaning I hold the 1" mark on the short point...[/url]

I agree this is an accurate way to measure (cutting an inch etc)...but sometimes holding a tape against certain types of moldings can be awkward.

[note]
something else that probably should be pointed out for non-profrssional wood workers is...when doing such work as trimming/casing where there are multiple miter joints...you should almost always measure "short points" of angle/miter cuts...The reason being...all milled stock may not be perfectly dimensioned...and on intricate joints even a fraction can make a big difference (especially on stained or finish work that does not get calked and painted)...by cutting "short points" should one piece of material me slightly different it will show up on the (outside) long points that can easily be trimmed back on the opposite piece which is not nearly as noticeable...FWIW

Yes I agree 100% Milled trim does vary slightly, wood varies worse than mdf.
Also even if the profile looks the same and is considered to be the same profile by name like "colonial" or whatever it will vary from batch to batch in thickness and contour. Typically if it you match the BACK SIDE of the moulding from one bundle to the next, it will all be the same.

 

[kenstrac]

In a pinch I use a finish nail in a drill for a pilot hole.
If you drink a lot of coffee as I do Maxwell House the have been using square containers for awhile and wife had 20 hanging around cut half of lid leaving the collar and stack them up like storage bins ,Write whats inside on the rest of the lid good for screws -nails -nuts-bolts- etc and you can take the container with you to your project or to the hdwe store for a refill instead of trying to get a paper bag home with 5lbs of sheet rock screws.

 

[BearKiller]

>> KEEP YOUR FUNNELS CLEAN <<


Depending on the diameter and length of a funnel, I have had to devise some creative means to protect them from dirt, dust, and debris.

Also, I have seperate funnels for coolant/anti-freeze; this keeps oil out of my coolant and anti-freeze out of everything else.

I store the smaller funnels in those neat red plastic Folgers cannisters; no one at our house will go near coffee, but the in-laws drink enough to float a battleship every ROOK night.

Larger diameter funnels and my big double-element MR-FUNNEL fit nicely in lidded five-gallon buckets.

I cap the pointy end and drop the cut-off bottom of a jug or bottle over the big end of those long pointy funnels, anything to keep the filth out.

I avoid those neat pleated accordian-style funnels, on account of all those little pleats just being hidey-holes for all manner of grit, grime, and dead mice.

In the bed of nearly every pick-up I look in, I see a filthy funnel rolling around in a pile of last years fertilizer, a spilled bag of HI-MAG minerals, several drill shavings, some pea-gravel, and hair from fourteen dogs.

When these guys need to prime an injector-pump or top off a newly-rebuilt transmission, they will grab that usually pleated funnel from the truck-bed, knock it against their boot-heel a couple times, poke it in wherever they are adding whatever, and pour away.

 

[carpenter383]

>> KEEP YOUR FUNNELS CLEAN <<


Depending on the diameter and length of a funnel, I have had to devise some creative means to protect them from dirt, dust, and debris.

Also, I have seperate funnels for coolant/anti-freeze; this keeps oil out of my coolant and anti-freeze out of everything else.

I store the smaller funnels in those neat red plastic Folgers cannisters; no one at our house will go near coffee, but the in-laws drink enough to float a battleship every ROOK night.

Larger diameter funnels and my big double-element MR-FUNNEL fit nicely in lidded five-gallon buckets.

I cap the pointy end and drop the cut-off bottom of a jug or bottle over the big end of those long pointy funnels, anything to keep the filth out.

I avoid those neat pleated accordian-style funnels, on account of all those little pleats just being hidey-holes for all manner of grit, grime, and dead mice.

In the bed of nearly every pick-up I look in, I see a filthy funnel rolling around in a pile of last years fertilizer, a spilled bag of HI-MAG minerals, several drill shavings, some pea-gravel, and hair from fourteen dogs.

When these guys need to prime an injector-pump or top off a newly-rebuilt transmission, they will grab that usually pleated funnel from the truck-bed, knock it against their boot-heel a couple times, poke it in wherever they are adding whatever, and pour away.

If you do need to clean a funnel, spray it with some carb cleaner and it will look like brand new

 

[larryccf]

i keep one of those 3000' rolls of saran wrap in the shop - we used it for fiberglassing a lot but then i found a thousand other uses, like covering the funnels when not in use, or today i dis-assembled an eaton hydro unit and used some pcs to cover the two case halves when we finished up to keep grit out

and there was a "motor rotor" in the hydro, basically a round hunk of steel with 5-6 1" steel piston balls inside - eaton sez use a large rubber band to hold those balls in their respective openings - it was easier to use a strip of saran wrap to wrap the rotor before pulling out

also, when taking the hydro apart, i put a 12"X12" pc on the bench, out of the way, and any small pcs (woodruff keys etc) that i don't want to have to look for, goes on it, then i simply fold over when i'm thru so if they get knocked off the bench, they'll stay together - when there's a lot of small pcs, i've layered one sheet on top of the earlier one after i've folded it closed

i also use it for masking when spray painting - etc etc - when thru painting, even though i clean the can lip and lid, i pull a pc of saran wrap across the opening on the can before putting the lid on - helps to ensure a good seal so i don't find the paint skinned up -

at $8 for the roll at costco, it's cheap enough, plus it's about 1/20th the cost of what the wife pays for saran wrap for the kitchen, so i built her a small cabinet to hang a roll in, under the wall cabinets - the box comes with it's own cutter

surprising the uses you'll find for it when it's handy

 

[BearKiller]

i keep one of those 3000' rolls of saran wrap in the shop ---
surprising the uses you'll find for it when it's handy

That stuff has gotta be good; tigers can't smell through it.

 

[larryccf]

LOL - and to think some folks only use it to wrap sandwiches

 

[ovrszd]

On another tire subject, I read of many who have "ran a tire off the rim".

In most cases, when a tire is run flat and rolls off the rim, it breaks the wire cable within the beads.

This may not be evident to the un-trained eye, especially to the one that just paid big money for the tire and is not wanting to see that it is now a junk tire.

In any case, the ability of the tire to hold itself together under air pressure has been compromised; and, it can and sooner or later will blow off the rim again with death or maiming being highly possible.

Also, in most run flat situations, the "roundness" of the rim will be compromised, thus making the inflated tire/rim a potential bomb just waiting to blow up in someone's face.

If a tire came off the rim and does so again later, consider yourself lucky no one was killed, slash the sidewall and throw that tire away.

Wow,,, in my Jeepn world I'd have to throw away most of the tires I currently run. And in my group someone would be buying at least one new tire every weekend. Sorry Bearkiller, can't agree with this one as described. If you ran your flat tire down the highway for a few miles and then tried to reseat it I'd agree with you but that's not how you stated your case. We often roll a tire off the rim, jack up, clean the bead and wheel, and re-air with no sideaffects.

 

[ovrszd]

Just like driving a truck, operating a tractor, or eating at a fast-food resturant, there are dangers all around us; having a 110/12-volt adapter or two around is way down on my list of ways to get killed.

I hafta go with cityfarma on this one. Bad idea. Not everyone reading these posts is gonna be as knowledgeable and capable as you BearKiller. Any cord that can be easily plugged into a hot plug and has bare ends that are now HOT is a very bad idea.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I hafta go with cityfarma on this one. Bad idea. Not everyone reading these posts is gonna be as knowledgeable and capable as you BearKiller. Any cord that can be easily plugged into a hot plug and has bare ends that are now HOT is a very bad idea.

I have a box in my garage of "death cords" that I picked up in with a bunch of other stuff at an auction. They are all about 12 inches long and have a mixture of different amperage and voltage ends. Most are male ends on both ends of the cord. I don't know what they were used for originally, but I keep them around for parts for fixing plug ends on extension cords, etc. To date I've just been keeping them as is, but I may disassemble them after the passionate pleas in this thread.