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11-12-2011 07:42 PM
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I admit it, I’m cheap. But, more than that, it’s a long way to town and I might not find what I’m looking for anyway. What use do you other frugal woodworkers make of everyday items. For instance. I use cut up pop cans for shims. If that isn’t enough, I have a chain of old Formica samples that work. My digital calipers have been retired…at least for gauging thickness out of the planer. Now I use open end wrenches. For odd height and spacing of router bits, I use drill bits. That’s when my keyway stock isn’t sufficient. Got a bunch of keyway shorts from a machinist’s cutoff bin. $5.00 and sizes from 1/8 through 3/4 by 1/6ths. Sure beats those brass bars for price and utility. Got tired of paying big bucks for ceramic band saw guides, so I made my own from oak. Soaked them in used motor oil and they work great. A few sptrizes of 409 or Simple Green and my saw blades and router bits look like new. Recently, I decided I’d had enough of cleaning up behind my SCMS so I built a dust catcher. Dollar store $4.00 large plastic storage container on it’s side. 4” Toilet Flange through the side (now the bottom). Lockable sliding sleeve attached to the back (the orig. bottom). 2X3 post fits in the sleeve. 45* cutoffs for feet. Attach the DC hose to the toilet flange. Total cost…..about $10.00 and some scrap wood and all thread. Works like a charm. Now, don’t get me wrong. When it comes to tools and safety, I don’t scrimp. I’m sure there are a lot of you guys and gals that resist opening your wallets or purses and have lots of frugal tips to share. So, how about it?
-- 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
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17 replies so far
#1 posted 11-12-2011 08:09 PM
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Probably should know but what is SCMS?
Acronyms are good if you know them or only want to communicate with those who do.
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#2 posted 11-12-2011 08:14 PM
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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
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#3 posted 11-12-2011 08:30 PM
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Not exactly a revolutionary tip, but I use plastic TV dinner trays to hold hardware as I’m assembling projects
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#4 posted 11-12-2011 09:00 PM
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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
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#5 posted 11-12-2011 09:42 PM
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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
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#6 posted 11-12-2011 10:19 PM
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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]
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#7 posted 11-13-2011 04:11 AM
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I use plastic soda bottles for funnles old pellrts for firewood
-- wchips
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#8 posted 11-13-2011 06:16 AM
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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/
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#9 posted 11-13-2011 06:17 AM
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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.”
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#10 posted 11-13-2011 06:35 AM
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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
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#11 posted 11-13-2011 06:54 AM
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Reused packaging:

saving scrap:

-- Darrell, making more sawdust than I know what to do with
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#12 posted 11-13-2011 05:51 PM
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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
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#13 posted 11-13-2011 06:03 PM
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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
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#14 posted 11-13-2011 07:36 PM
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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
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#15 posted 11-13-2011 07:54 PM
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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"
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