Frugality in the shop?

Probably should know but what is SCMS? Acronyms are good if you know them or only want to communicate with those who do.

Sorry, Bill!
Sliding Compound Miter Saw.

-- Gene 'The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.' G. K. Chesterton

Not exactly a revolutionary tip, but I use plastic TV dinner trays to hold hardware as I’m assembling projects

the wrenches is a great idea

haven’t had much luck
with the drill bits
standing up though
and getting another to stand
on the point of it
is even harder

i still do with the boat building axiom

‘by guess
or by God’

-- david - only thru kindness can this world be whole . If we don't succeed we run the risk of failure. Dan Quayle

freebee wood like pallets , old tile tables other old furniture to steal … eerrrrh salvage the legs from
to make toolhandles
candy plasticbins 8×8 or 10×10 inch with the lid is good too I know there shuold be some that is about
8×15 inch I think they are better in some cases if you want to store tools in them
old bed rolers is good to have clamps in and other bigger items
salvage old hardware to the day in about 15 years from now you maybee can re use them again …. :-)
use old sawblades for cardscrapers and in scratshstock
old circelsaw blade cut in smaller piece to make marking knife and carvingcheisels other types of iron
can be used simular … but the difficult part is to figur out what type of iron it is
used bandsaw blade can be used for scratshstock and scrapers as well
an old worn out socketspanner set can be used to bend different things around it has all size in one place :-)
and can be used to trace the pencil around if you need one particular round size on your pattern
the old feders from the cars back in the 20 and 30 is great for iron for tools :-)

and if you make sawdust enoff you maybee shuold consider to by a maschine to make pellets
out of it and either sell them or get a pelletburner your self …. :-)

the rear axel on an older Volvo is great to build a windmill with …. lol
old popcans can be recycled to make a sun to air heater or a watersolar panel so you don´t need so many pellets ….. LOL

old plastic botles is great to cut up and mix two component epoxy glue on
and last don´t be affraid to transform one tool into another tool you need :-)

Dennis

The used 2 lt. soft drink bottle cut in a scoop form or funnel.
You don’t want to get me started about off cuts. I hate to throw any wood away (but I do once a year).
Nut, bolts, screws, rivets…....you know.
Recycle paint thinner.
Old socks for storage bags for my planes.
Small pieces of sandpaper.
On and on.
However, my shop is cleaned at the end of every work day. That’s just the way I was tought.
By the way, I have an adapter to set the timing for a 1973 Ducati 750cc GT.
Bill

-- [email protected]

I use plastic soda bottles for funnles old pellrts for firewood

-- wchips

I think I should get a prize for being ‘frugal.’ When I needed to weigh down some air-dried sawn boards, I scooped up DOT road sand off the sides of our road and funneled it into used plastic milk jugs. Made good weights for nothing, and I didn’t waste my much-needed cinder blocks.

I collect ladies’ emory boards to use as sanding sticks in tight places. They work great for de-fuzzing inside grooves.
Salsa jars make small containers for a 2” paintbrush to go into.
All the plastic credit card offers get their edges cut with pinking shears and make nice glue spreaders.
Plastic coffee can lids get cut up for shims in different things.

-- http://barbsid.blogspot.com/

Hi Gene,
Yup. I’m with you! I too squeak when I walk!

You know that “dust collector cyclone lid” we all end up buying? I’ve found that the output pipe just fits inside a filter bag. That, assembled and hooked in line to our trusty but dust clogged shopvacs yields a good, relatiovely long lived dust collector without the hassle of cleaning out the filter..

-- -Gerry, Hereford, AZ ” A really good woodworker knows how the hide his / her mistakes.”

I save every coffee can, every peanut butter jar, every mayo jar etc. They get filled with random odd screws, small cut off bits, paint, etc. Every screw I place, I think first, can it come out of the random screw jar or is it important and need a special screw? I just stacked some small odd shaped green boards and stickered them with a laundry basket (broken) full of odd shaped 1 X 4 and 2 X 4 cut offs…....

-- When you are asked if you can do a job, tell 'em, 'Certainly I can!' Then get busy and find out how to do it.”   Theodore Roosevelt

Reused packaging:

saving scrap:

-- Darrell, making more sawdust than I know what to do with

Here’s another example. I reused sport drink caps for chisels. http://lumberjocks.com/devann/blog/21182

-- Darrell, making more sawdust than I know what to do with

I don’t throw anything away without taking it apart first, even an old sofa. I found some good hardwood in there, even if I didn’t find a use for it until about 15 years later. Anything mechanical I get all the screws, nuts and bolts out of there I can, even springs. And electrical cords, motors and wheels. I use cat litter as dessicant to keep my wood biscuits dry. I make my own wood filler. I’ve done some finishes on boxes using home made prep/stain: tea, coffee, iron/vinegar, tobacco/ammonia, I’ve even processed husks for walnut oil (not really worth the trouble).

-- Don, Royersford, PA

I use a lot of coffee cans to store things in. I was also very patient on Ebay when I bought a lot of my tools and didn’t mind waiting on the right ones to come along and set a limit not to go over and stuck to it.

-- helluvawreck aka Charles, http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com

I like the wrench idea.

Barb, I’m pretty sure the government will be knocking on your door soon looking for their sand.

Frugal? I’m wiping on finishes with my old, tattered underwear. :-)

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"