the most important thing in the shop when working on projects

[Ted Summey]

I have received my Dad's box of odds and ends then my neighbor moved and gave me his bucket of odds and ends and that is on top of my box of odds and ends. I am thinking they need to go to the recycler and I need to start over. Every time I get ready to make that move I have to fix something and the repair part is in one of those boxes. Maybe the next rainy day I will sort them out.........probably not.

 

[troutsqueezer]

Eye and ear protection.

 

[brin]

I have received my Dad's box of odds and ends then my neighbor moved and gave me his bucket of odds and ends and that is on top of my box of odds and ends. I am thinking they need to go to the recycler and I need to start over. Every time I get ready to make that move I have to fix something and the repair part is in one of those boxes. Maybe the next rainy day I will sort them out.........probably not.

Same exact thing almost...My Dads , My father in Laws and mine...all of our odds and ends or junk boxes ...I have three of them and one or the other has rescued me more than Home Depot or Lowes...90% of the time I will find what I need in one of those junk bins...Problem is how to restock them...they are made up of odds, ends, scraps, misc. nuts, bolts, screws etc....how do you buy such a wide spectrum of disparate junk to restock...? :confused3:

 

[kevin37b]

Everytime I pitch one of those , I need everything in it .

 

[GLyford]

My Dad had about 6' of workbench covered in little bins and boxes all of odds and ends, then a shelf above that with about 4 of the big plastic drawer organizers, and a whole mess of appliance and small engine parts and such in buckets and bins under the benches. I filled a 4x8 trailer with just the "good" stuff to take home, and my brother and I between us still brought about 2 tons of metal scrap to the recyclers consisting of broken appliance parts, worn out pistons, stripped fasteners, bent and rusty lag bolts, brittle and cracking boat trailer rollers and who-knows-what-else.

It's been a handful of years and I still haven't sorted it out, but I have already been able to complete several projects just with what I've been able to find "on top."

 

[riptides]

Something to stop the bleeding when I injure myself.

 

[J F]

Something to stop the bleeding when I injure myself.

This...and A/C in the summer. :laughing: (Some heat in the winter ain't too bad either, but we have pretty mild winters.)

 

[forgeblast]

Something to stop the bleeding when I injure myself.

Liquid bandage, I have cut myself a few times. Most often when filing a chansaw blade, the liquid bandages work real fast.

 

[J F]

I've also got the misc. screw/bolt bucket, and a small trash can with all diff. grits of "semi-used" sandpaper that sits on a work bench that's always getting raided.

 

[SPIKER]

I have about 10 of the bigger Cool Aid Mix plastic ~quart jugs which have large wide mouth lids. I keep the stuff separated (SOMEWHAT) in them. I used Wide Black magic Marker & write 1/4" thru 1/2" in 1/8" increments for bolts & nuts & washers on them individually. so all the 5/16 bolts are together with nuts & washers. they dont break when dropped and dont spill too bad if ya knock em over with lids off. the lids hold about 1cup of stuff when ya pour the thing out to sort thru them.

I have more issues with tools as I lay them down and go after something else or worse carry the tool with me to go get xxx and come back to use both parts without the tool... Then I head out after the tool and set the dang part down half way over to where I left the tool thinking I dont need to carry the part all way over there & that I'll grab it on way back past. Usually I'm back under the car/truck/tractor when I realize I have the tool the fastener but no part . Out from under the thing to hunt down the missing part & again set the tool or the fasteners down somewhere else...

that is why my tag line has been this way for ever...

Mark

 

[Iowachild]

Something to stop the bleeding when I injure myself.

Ahh....something I can relate to!:rotfl:

 

[seymojo536]

I have always joked with my kids; "The job aint complete until one of us is bleeding." It usually winds up being me. Plavix be damned.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

I have always joked with my kids; "The job aint complete until one of us is bleeding." It usually winds up being me. Plavix be damned.

i'll x5 this, I think thats the number we are up to,


What about a BFH????

 

[deathtoblackberries]

I have always joked with my kids; "The job aint complete until one of us is bleeding." It usually winds up being me. Plavix be damned.

For me its "the job aint complete until I get something in my eye"

 

[DJ54]

Same exact thing almost...My Dads , My father in Laws and mine...all of our odds and ends or junk boxes ...I have three of them and one or the other has rescued me more than Home Depot or Lowes...90% of the time I will find what I need in one of those junk bins...Problem is how to restock them...they are made up of odds, ends, scraps, misc. nuts, bolts, screws etc....how do you buy such a wide spectrum of disparate junk to restock...? :confused3:

How to restock..?? Go to an old homestead farm sale, and look on the "junk wagon" We've bought many a dollar boxes loaded with all kinds of goodies. I've spent many a Sunday afternoon's sorting through them. You really have to keep tabs on them though.. I've seen guys load up one box, from other boxes getting all the good stuff.

By the way, does anyone need any NOS sickle guards for an IH grain binder..?? Pop bought a box years ago with a boat load of them in it, to get a part for one of the Super C's, when a small town IH dealer sold out. Too bad they don't fit the sickle bar mower.

 

[flyerdan]

Having a good collection of odds and ends can often bail you out and let you finish a project that would otherwise have to wait on a special part finding mission. I've been pretty lucky at scrounging up stuff; long time ago got a couple of beat up metal cabinets for the shop that I can store lots of useful stuff in a somewhat organized manner. I've got several sets of those HF bins on the back wall where I have nuts bolts and washers sorted to size and thread so it's easy to grab the right one. Of course there is also a deep drawer and wooden box of oddball stuff and one offs that don't seem to fit anywhere else.

 

[sam5570]

well i bought these cabinets several years ago at ts and have not seen any sence they are great for keeping things in order. i paid $22 for 4 of them but not seen them sence. the junk bucket can't organize it just pour it all out in the floor find what you need and pick it all up and put it back.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Special light options, assorted measuring devices, assorted clamps, hammer with a soft and a hard face ...

 

[bxbuggy]

Aside from the misc hardware bins, proper tools, eye and ear protection, firstaid kit, stereo and beverages, the most important thing would be a fire extinguisher! I had a close call welding on a friends old snowmobile. It leaked some gas on the floor, and poof! Lots of fire. Was close to overhead door, so just pulled it outside and shoveled some snow on the whole works. Had to dig my autodark welding helmet out of the snow.

 

[D7E]

We have numerous 5 gallon pails full of old nuts/bolts and some full of old hyd fittings etc but i think cutting torch would be the most used daily .