Don't throw it out

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.

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

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Originally Posted by rufflyrustic

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

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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

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,

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.

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....

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. :)

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.

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.

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Originally Posted by zenwood

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

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

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.

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

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!

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Originally Posted by Harry72

Magnets lot of magnets...

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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!

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.