Don't throw it out

[jmk89]

From time to time, clever ideas for the reuse of what would otherwise be domestic garbage as workshop aids come to light. I thought I would start a thread to pull these together.
To kick off, a couple of my own:

the containers that dishwasher tablets (at least the Morning Fresh ones) come in make an excellent disposable mixing pot for small quantities of epoxy and other similar resins. It won't be enough to epoxy a boat (even a Puddleduck) but for a couple of joints, it is ideal.
Small quantities of nuts, bolts, screws, nails, dowels etc can be kept in the little metal tins that are being used to sell Eclipse mints (dimensions are about 2cm x 4cm x 8cm). When you've got enough of them, you can make an appropriate rack for them to practice your dovetails and finger joints.

[RufflyRustic]

Little tins!! Eclipse Mints???? Where can I get one? That's *just* what I've been looking for!!!!!

Thanks JMK89!

Now, back to the thread, the little aluminium pie dishes. I find they are just great for holding little amounts of water for when I'm puttying - timbermate putty that is. Only thing is you gotta hold them down when you're working outside and the wind is blowing :rolleyes:

cheers
Wendy

[jmk89]

Little tins!! Eclipse Mints???? Where can I get one? That's *just* what I've been looking for!!!!!

Since Eclipse is a Wrigleys brand, I imagine that you should be able to get them at most places that sell chewing gum in a wide range - certainly they are available from the kiosks, convenience stores and newsagents of Sydney city.
One way I have found to increase your supply of the tins is to introduce the mints as a great breath freshener to your work colleagues and arrange to collect their spare tins when they finish them.....

Jeremy

[Andy Mac]

I keep those blister packs that nails and panel pins come in now. Separate the lid part and they become ideal mixing containers for small qtys of epoxy.

Cheers,

[durwood]

If you have dust extracing hose or pipe and find using duct tape to connect the two parts together is a pain or when you need to disconnect it or you have pipe fittings that are not the correct size to put together for a good fit get a tire or bike tube (depending on the size pipe ) tube and cut a length about 100 mm or 4 ins and stretch them over the two components.

It will seal off properly if there is reasonable tension on the rubber and the sizes can be different by up to 25 mm or an inch on large diameters.

[JDarvall]

Kids pencils.....my kids don't really use the white and other really light colouring pencils. They normally end up in the bin. But in the shed their handy for marking darker timber.

Playing cards.....again loose packs that are missing cards. Kids again. Make great shims in the shed. Shim anything with a playing card. Disposable but consistant in thickness.

Envelopes that come in the mail. Use them for taking notes in the shed. Quite thick so they don't tear up easy, stuff into pocket for shopping lists....(actually use them as shims as well).

Of coarse, ice cream containers for painting. yogurt containers are often a good size too. Old olive oil containers look good as pot plants (lovely pictures of virgins rubbing up to vines and stuff)

Any old electrical appliance. I take off the power cords as parts, for some other powered thing that needs a new cord.

Also the switches in appliances aren't always cheap. Take them out for latter as well. Motors from washing machines.

Coffee jars.....see through jars with strong lids basically. Good storage.

paddle pop sticks for stirring glue.

Kids skateboards and scooters. Handy sized bearings and wheels in them.

Theres more I think....they'll come back to me latter.

new there's some more.
Old cheap bed steel frames. Can get for $5.....got a great deal of handy angle iron in those.

Re-claim timber from anything really. Except I stay clear of the really cheap knotted pine, MDF, chipwood, mouldy ply.....that kind of stuffs pointless..

I'll think of more latter for shore....

[JDarvall]

oh yeah,,,,,anything cotton. Not too old. Make good rags in general. Can never have enough rags. I tell you what do make good ready to go rags that you don't have tear up....Nappys. At garage sales they sell them cheap.

Newspaper. That stuff goes straight to the shed....heaps of uses there.
I think thats about it. :)

[Ashore]

Have posted this before , The plastic containers that spindles of blank CD'S & DVD'S come in are great for angle grinder disks, or upside down with the centre stem removed as a good clear stackable containers for screws nuts etc.

[zenwood]

Those plastic 2l soft drink bottles can be cut into perfect cones to go between vacuum hoses of different diameters. Masking tape seals them up well.

We use UHT milk, and I always have a few leftover packs for holding small amounts of paint, stain, shellac, thinner, solvent, etc. They can be stored folded flat, and reassembled with a piece of masking tape across the bottom, then cut to the perfect height.

[Cliff Rogers]

Those plastic 2l soft drink bottles can be cut into perfect cones ....

The also make a funnel in a hurry if you don't have one.

[bsrlee]

Plastic peanut butter jars - now they are made of clear plastic they don't shatter when you drop them on a concrete floor (or drop somethink hard & heavy on them). The only down side is they now use some super-sticky glue on the labels where to old ones peeled off easily.

2ltr (& 3ltr) milk bottles/jugs make good RTV & resin mixing pots when cut down & you can keep reusing them for a while as the hard resin just pops out when you flex the sides.

[Sprog]

Eucalyptus oil for removing that super-sticky glue used on the labels :D :D

[Harry72]

Magnets lot of magnets...
One on the drill press holds the chuck key.
Line up your jointer blades and hold the spare ones.
Pick up steel screws from the sawdust.
Hold push blocks/pads right where you need them(at hand)
I got an old audio "midrange" speaker with the cone and voice coil removed(its solid backed like a bowl, not like a normal speaker), its on a shed rail... bloody brilliant to chuck(from across the shed) spare screws/washers at it... catches them perfectly!

The list goes on and on

But the best I have found is...
ever worked under a car laying flat on your back, a magnet on the floorpan to hold nuts/bolts/spanners right where you can reach them with out being a contortionist trying to grab them off the floor because they are always just out of reach!

[BobL]

Magnets lot of magnets...

I sometimes put a magnet in my shirt pocket and carry bits and screws on the outside of my shirt. One magnet I have is so strong it can carry 6 ,150mm bolts through the cloth, trouble is getting them unstuck aint easy and has torn the pocket!

[masoth]

Wendy's little aluminium pie dishes are a great saver on the BBQ.

Uh? :confused:
Well, no nothing to do with the workshop, but still useful - cooking eggs in them on the barby saves a lot of cleaning. There are other uses too.

[Ashore]

Wendy's little aluminium pie dishes are a great saver on the BBQ.
- cooking eggs in them on the barby saves a lot of cleaning.
Another way to cook eggs on the BBQ is to cut a capsiuum into 2 cm thick rings and use these as egg rings, they add a great taste to the eggs.:)

[soundman]

The screw top plactic bottles that golburn vallley fruit come in are great for larger bolts & stuff.

Its almost wort having ladies arround just for the surplus that is usefull in the workshop.

There's the best polishing cloth that there is........




well worn cotton underwear from a fat lady:eek:



all types of stocking are good for paint strainers.


The untimate compliment form a workshop type man....... thats a lovely dress dear ..... it will make a great paint strainer when it worn out.

Lipstick no longer a suitable colour.. good for marking lock strikes.

The squeeze bottles that hair dye comes in make great glu bottles.

and so on.

cheers

[RufflyRustic]

.....Lipstick no longer a suitable colour.. good for marking lock strikes..........

And here I was thinking all along that there was no room in my toolbox(es) for lipstick:rolleyes: Do you know how many times I wondered what I could use to mark matching surfaces like this????

Now, where's that old lipstick, I think I may still have a tube left ......;)

Cheers
Wendy

[AlexS]

Old pneumatic tubes cut into strips make great clamps for irregular shaped objects. Also glue little squares of them onto the faces of other clamps.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Broken long tool handles, such as shovels, picks, mattocks, etc. can be shortened (and returned if you have a lathe) to make new short tool handles: hammers, chisels, turning tools. Esp. when they're old hickory. Perfect!

Have an old dot matrix printer lying around? Strip it down and remove the steel shafts. Handy for use as drifts and modifying into other tools. I've made a few chatter tools and replacable tip turning tools, using these as the shaft bodies.

And those replacable tips are made from damaged jointer/thicknesser blades, while the chatter tool uses old jigsaw blades with the teeth ground off.

[Graha]

If you know anyone in the I.T. field, see if they can get their hands on plastic covers which backup tapes come in (usually DLT covers - they will know what you are talking about). They stack nicely, and are a good size for holding screws/bolts/lots of small bits (110x110x30). They are also usually transparent enough that you can see what is inside them.

As a side use, my partner also uses them to hold rubber stamps she uses for scrapbooking.

Graha.

[Iain]

Wooden chopsticks from the noodle shops are great stirrers as well as serving a multitude of other purposes.
I have an old vertical blind track which I use to hang objects that have been been painted or whatever to dry, make big hooks out of fencing wire and feed through the little loops in the track.
One day it will be fixed to the wall on a hinge so it can be swung out of the way when not in use.

[havenoideaatall]

Old non-disposable Nappies make great rags

[TommyC]

Old butter knives are great as putty applicators, and if you need a tricky shape to get just the right angle for a corner or curve, they can be ground down to suit. I have heard of spoons being used this way too.

[Groggy]

1 litre milk cartons (plastic) are great for nuts, bolts, screws etc when cut to a set length. They also make excellent mixing containers.

[I_wanna_Shed]

If you know anyone in the I.T. field, see if they can get their hands on plastic covers which backup tapes come in (usually DLT covers - they will know what you are talking about). They stack nicely, and are a good size for holding screws/bolts/lots of small bits (110x110x30). They are also usually transparent enough that you can see what is inside them.

As a side use, my partner also uses them to hold rubber stamps she uses for scrapbooking.

Graha.

I work in IT and put a mate onto this tip yesterday funnily enough. They are VERY handy!

[masoth]

I'm surprised this one hasn't been posted, but maybe some have not used screw-top jars as under-bench suspension storage.
Screw the top under a bench, fill the jar with whatever, then suspend.

[Ashore]

I'm surprised this one hasn't been posted, but maybe some have not used screw-top jars as under-bench suspension storage.
Screw the top under a bench, fill the jar with whatever, then suspend.
Trouble is the lids rust and get tight , if you drop one you need a magnet to pick the metal up before the glass, and they can vibrate loose,


Rgds

[masoth]

But......... but........... but, the lids are plastic now. I think.:rolleyes:

[masoth]

......... and, I just noticed Ashore is (was) an engineer. Why would you have a vibrator in the shed????

[soundman]

Aaaarrrrghhh not the "jar thing" :eek: the "jar thing" is officialy and universally accepted as THE most UNcool hint or tip that anybody can raise.
Any person who raises the "jar thing" is perfectly fair game for all forms of derision.
However just this once.
We'll let it pass if you promise not to raise it again in polite company and certainly not to admit to have " done the jar thing".
And If you have "done the jar thing"
A. blame it on a previous occupant or a relative
B. claim that it was done in youthfull ignorance a long time ago
c. Specificaly done to frighten of burgulars or evil spirits.

additionaly you are strongly advised to take steps to negate the bad fortune and loss of reputation caused by mentioning the "jar thing" by.
a. purchasing a high qulaity tool without delay.
b. cutting hand cut dovetails
c. french polishing something.

FYI I rmember seeing the jar thing complete with illustrations in a coppy of popular mechanics in the early seventies..... It was a stale tip then.

cheers

[zenwood]

Hehe: Have a greenie soundman.

Suspended jars? Each to his own, but not for me.

[masoth]

Sob, sob.
Why did I draw attention, and (wonderingly) did I say I employed said suspension jars?
:)

[Ashore]

......... and, I just noticed Ashore is (was) an engineer. Why would you have a vibrator in the shed????
Run a compressor, drill press, band saw, Scms etc will all produce vibration of differing amounts, and I believe that anyone who has ever had the jars system has either dropped, bumped, or had one come loose and break, As mentioned before a lot of containers ( peanut butter etc ) are now plastic and to use them would be fine , but glass jars, your just looking for trouble in my view.

Rgds

[Groggy]

Well, I DO use jars in the shop, but not for nails etc. I use the coffee jars with the plastic seal between the lid and neck.

They contain shellac, thinners, cleaning fluids, experimental finishes (allright then, stuffups :o), small quantities of mixed stains. They sit on shelves with a lip on the edge to stop them vibrating or being bumped off.

[JDarvall]

Well, I DO use jars in the shop, but not for nails etc. I use the coffee jars with the plastic seal between the lid and neck.

They contain shellac, thinners, cleaning fluids, experimental finishes (allright then, stuffups :o), small quantities of mixed stains. They sit on shelves with a lip on the edge to stop them vibrating or being bumped off.

Yeh, me too. Nescafe. but no lips on the shelves :o

[mic-d]

a bendy drink straw is a great way to blow out dust from holes you've just drilled in concrete, unless you have a compressor handy.
Cheers
Michael

[bitingmidge]

Aaaarrrrghhh not the "jar thing" :eek:

I thought about this thread and giggled this afternoon as I did the "jar thing".

OK it's a modified "jar thing" using plastic jars that a particular brand of preserved fruit now comes in, and they stack in the back of the cupboard.

I keep my steel wool in them, saves it from going rusty, and because they are plastic, you can drop them, or if you are in the mood, fill them with nails and throw them at the neighbour's cat, and they won't break!

I use one for lacquer thinner/brush cleaner as well, the plastic seems to be a type that's impervious to it (well I can only guess what goes into the fruit preservative :eek: )

Plastic bottles are a hang over from sailing, where we used to keep anything glass off the boat, just one more thing to break and cause a clean-up.

Cheers,

P

[soundman]

The use of jars as such I believe is perfectly acceptable both technicaly and socialy as long as they are not:eek: :eek: fastened to the undersied of surfaces by their lids. :eek: :eek: Oh no I've said it.... :confused: no no someone leand over my sholder & typed that...:( ( I'll have to go to carbatec on monday)

This is the scotish play of workshop practise....
The tip that craftsmen can not hear.
You would be better "mentioning the war"

Don't mention the "jar thing".


As part pennance here's an other thing not to throw away.
Chain saw files... If you use one regularly you will go thru a few.
When they are too blunt to sharpen a chain they will still cut softer stuff quite well.

They make good scribers just sharpen one end the file bit makes a nice nonslip grip.

I have one with a point on one end and a angled knife edge on the other ... very handy.

They would make nice hardened round stock for all sorts of uses.


remember
Don't mention "the jar thing"

cheers

[journeyman Mick]

.............or if you are in the mood, fill them with nails and throw them at the neighbour's cat, and they won't break!.............

Peter,
would you like me to PM you some plans for a handy PVC pipe cannon?:eek: :D ;)

Mick

[stevebaby]

The use of jars as such I believe is perfectly acceptable both technicaly and socialy as long as they are not:eek: :eek: fastened to the undersied of surfaces by their lids. :eek: :eek: Oh no I've said it.... :confused: no no someone leand over my sholder & typed that...:( ( I'll have to go to carbatec on monday)

This is the scotish play of workshop practise....
The tip that craftsmen can not hear.
You would be better "mentioning the war"

Don't mention the "jar thing".


As part pennance here's an other thing not to throw away.
Chain saw files... If you use one regularly you will go thru a few.
When they are too blunt to sharpen a chain they will still cut softer stuff quite well.

They make good scribers just sharpen one end the file bit makes a nice nonslip grip.

I have one with a point on one end and a angled knife edge on the other ... very handy.

They would make nice hardened round stock for all sorts of uses.


remember
Don't mention "the jar thing"

cheersDon't mention the war!
I did once,but I think I got away with it...:)
If I think about the J-word...does that mean I have to buy some new tools as penance?

[soundman]

Even just thinkig about "the jar thing" you would be wise to at least go and buy a new carpenters pencil, or a coppy of FWW, I supose sharpening a chisel would be sufficient.

cheers

[black1]

i know that everyone uses those ajax bottles for glue bottles. it easy to see the green of the bottle and the red lid shuts tight as well, just thought i would mention it . nuff said:cool: :cool:

[julianx]

A simple way to avoid the vibration problem when doing the jar thing is to screw the jar lid to the top side of the bench rather than the underside. much less chance of it vibrating loose:D

[masoth]

Oh well, as Ned is reported as saying, 'Such is life!' - my sarcastic/comic question "Why would you have a vibrator in the shed????" was misinterepreted.
It was NOT related to the jar thing.
It was a rude, suggestive question.
I apologize to Ashore if this was embarrassing in any way.

[doug the slug]

A simple way to avoid the vibration problem when doing the jar thing is to screw the jar lid to the top side of the bench rather than the underside. much less chance of it vibrating loose:D

Ok then how do you get the jar on and off the lid without spilling the contents? turn the shelf upside down?:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

[Ashore]

Oh well, as Ned is reported as saying, 'Such is life!' - my sarcastic/comic question "Why would you have a vibrator in the shed????" was misinterepreted.
It was NOT related to the jar thing.
It was a rude, suggestive question.
I apologize to Ashore if this was embarrassing in any way.
I realized that and to counter what I thought was a rather good quick answer I answered it as if it was the most serious question that realy needed a well explained answer. Just my sence of humour

So don't apoligize mate , if anything I should have put one of those green face things after my answer , but thought that I would then look like I wasn't being sinceer :D

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Whooosh, Doug?

[black1]

we gave our grandpa all the nails and stuff out that came out of the bottom of the boxes that were in the work van one day. (you know the ones that fall out of ya nail bags and boxes.
next time i saw him bout two months later he had sorted all the nails and screws and boltsand nuts and plugs and dynabolts out into jars (sorry) and they were screwed under a shelf. had about thiry differnt jars there.
dont think he ever bought any nail or screws ever again. :cool:
he even built his own caravan and table saw:cool:

[Cliff Rogers]

Whooosh, Doug?

All the way to Gillie :D

[Groggy]

Ok then how do you get the jar on and off the lid without spilling the contents? turn the shelf upside down?:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:No mate, it's dead simple. You glue one of those rare earth magnets on the (outside) base of each jar to keep the contents on the bottom!

grmph

Ah crap, I giggled - did I give it away? :o ;):p:D:D

[Cliff Rogers]

...glue one of those rare earth magnets on ....
Will that work for me? :confused:
I've got a false mustache in one, potato chips in another, a Santa Claus mask in another....
if you ever saw that Jerry Lewis movie, you will know what is in the brief case. :D