The things you don't realise you need...

[andrewr79]

I just spent a couple of hours pottering around the corner of the garage I like to call my workshop. It's amazing how such a small space can get so messy!

I started looking at the multitude of 'things' that were there, as most of my tools are now on my pegboard. I'd expected the shelves to be empty once that was done but it wasn't to be. It got me started thinking about all the 'non-woodworking' gear that's part and parcel of having a workshop, and yet never seems to rate a mention. Here goes a list to help anyone starting out!

#1 - Dustpan and Broom or a good shopvac. You will make a mess. You should clean it up occasionally. If you can mount a hardwood strip with some magnets in it on the head, all the better as it can pick up stray nails before they end up in your foot or tyre!

#2 - A decent stool. All this woodwork stuff is hard work and hard on your legs, feet and back. And it makes a good spot to stick your cuppa when you're actually working rather than taking in the surroundings

#3 - Writing implements. Yes, you probably bought a carpenters pencil, but you'll find it's too thick for fine work, and until I made a holder I lost one at least twice a day. Get a cheap box of 2B pencils instead, and make them a nice container. Add a thick and a thin black sharpie and a white tailors pencil as well, and you should be set.

#4 - Good Lighting. I get to 6pm now and find it's too dark to see properly in the garage. The one overhead light isn't enough. Get a swinging desk lamp or somethign you can swing over your workbench when needed, it will help your work and your eyes.

#5 - Labels or a labelmaker - after the initial setup, an organised workspace means you spend less time setting up or finding things and more time working.

#6 - Tv or Radio. It can get lonely out there, sometimes a bit of company can be nice!

#7 - Postit's - for labelling parts that are done without marking the finish

#8 - Notepad - for those all important idea's, todo lists and shopping lists for your next trip to the hardware store or timber yard

#9 - Jars -start saving them, because you'll fill them up with nails and whatnot before you know it.

#10 - paper towel. It's not just useful for those kitchen spills!

#11 - a bin. Otherwise all your scraps of sandpaper and whatever else will end up sitting in piles or on shelves until you clean it out. Better to throw it out as you go!

Feel free to add to the list!

Cheers
Andrew

[duncang]

That's a pretty good list - I like the idea of the magnets in the broom to pick up the nails. I've been trying to be religious about sweeping out after ever days/weekends work in the shed, just like my high school shop teacher taught - yesterday I found a little grub screw which I didn't realise I'd lost the day before thanks to this process.

I'd add a bag-o-rags (aka. all my old torn up clothes and jocks) - always handy for cleaning up, wiping down, polishing etc. Oh, and PPE - a couple of pairs of safety glasses so that they're always straight to hand, rubber gloves, dust mask, safety-thongs. :2tsup:

[Christos]

Slight variation to number 5, white masking tape used with marker as labels.

[Chesand]

Slight variation to #9

I have replaced all glass jars with plastic jars from honey and peanut butter. They bounce a bit better than glass.

[A Duke]

Hi,
Empty tin cans. Fruit cans for soaking brushes. little tuna can for that little bit of finish so you don't pollute the whole lot or if you want to dilute or colour a little and some of those plastic lids for them. They get dumped after a use or two.
As for #10 I have a triple dispenser, paper towel, grease proof paper and cling wrap.
Regards

[andrewr79]

Duke

Is the cling wrap for sealing finishes or for clamping odd shapes?. If it's the latter then thats the second time today I've run across that idea after never having seen it before!

I'm also thinking that some sort of wood storage rack is a must. Workbenches and toolboxes always get a mention, but the woodrack doesn't always and I the amount of stock I've picked up in just 4 months is overwhelming without something to manage it

- bookshelf/bookends - for storing all your woodworking books and magazines close at hand

- easel/bookstand - for making the above readable while you're following the plans

[A Duke]

Hi,
Cling wrap has many uses like wrapping a wet paint brush until the next coat instead of cleaning it just don't leave it too long, keeping glue off things although the greaseproof is better at that. I have heard of clamping with it but have not tried it yet.
I moved my wood rack (a Triton) to it's own shed which it now has t shear with another and the dusty.
Regards

[cookie48]

Those foam type mats from Bunnings etc by you work bench. SSSSooooooooooo much easier on your fett and do not take much to pick up and sweep around etc.

[BobL]

One of THE most useful things I have is a set of trigger bottles with various liquids in them.

1) Water: for general cooling things that can't be easily dunked, eg grinding something that's being held in a vice.
2) Metho: for squirting on Ally while its being cut, drilled or tapped
3) Turps: for cleaning etc
4) Cutting lube, for tapping steel, and inevitably the bottle on the DP runs out and I just need another squirt or two to complete the job.
5) Kero: Cleaning machine parts
6) Degreaser solution: Cleaning

CAVEAT; Make sure the bottles are well labelled so you are not squirting a flammable liquid onto the wrong place. I use a different shaped and size bottle for water compared to all the other bottles.

[RETIRED]

CAVEAT; Make sure the bottles are well labelled so you are not squirting a flammable liquid onto the wrong place. I use a different shaped and size bottle for water compared to all the other bottles.You're no fun.:wink:

[billym]

beer frige

[NCArcher]

A Tea Lady :roll:
Well at least one forum member has found one to be handy around the shed.

[metester]

I find myself using my conversion calculator quite often. I grew up with metric and imperial sometimes does not come naturally!

[andrewr79]

Liking the ideas guys!

I never thought of a calculator, but I generally work from my head not plans so that could be why!

I don't have the spray bottles set up the way Bob does, but I do have a bottle of white vinegar with steel wool in it and a bottle of strong black tea kicking around for finishing!

Anyone got a PC in their shed/garage? I'm seriously considering building a fold down shelf with one of the old lappies in it with wifi so I can look stuff up without coming upstairs. If they get dust in them and die, well they did their 10 years so no complaints!

[Sawdust Maker]

...
Anyone got a PC in their shed/garage? I'm seriously considering building a fold down shelf with one of the old lappies in it with wifi so I can look stuff up without coming upstairs. If they get dust in them and die, well they did their 10 years so no complaints!

Nah

But I've been thinking of taking one of those portable DVD players and setting up next to the lathe to practice technique a la taming the skew, etc

[BobL]

Liking the ideas guys!
I never thought of a calculator, but I generally work from my head not plans so that could be why!
I find I'm often doing a bit of trigonometry so a basic calculator is not usually enough so I use my iphone with an HP45 app on it.


I don't have the spray bottles set up the way Bob does, but I do have a bottle of white vinegar with steel wool in it and a bottle of strong black tea kicking around for finishing!
Sounds like ideal candidates for spray bottles!


Anyone got a PC in their shed/garage? I'm seriously considering building a fold down shelf with one of the old lappies in it with wifi so I can look stuff up without coming upstairs. If they get dust in them and die, well they did their 10 years so no complaints!

I thought about setting up an old PC in the shed but as I'm likely to just be browsing the web and maybe a bit of email, I'm going to go with an iPad instead. We put iPads in zip lock bags and use them in our clean laboratories at work. SWMBO is likely to upgrade soon and I will then get her old one.

[metester]

I have an old PC connected with wifi to my main system in the house. I use it to look stuff up when I need to, have some woodworking software I occasionally use and I also have it hooked up to an old amplifier and speakers for listening to the radio or music from the main system etc using iTunes. Finally, I also have a TV tuner card installed so as I can watch football etc. One caveat though.....if I am using power tools the video stays off. Safety suggests you need 100% concentration when using them.

[The Bleeder]

Small whiteboards attached to my tool cupboards (old wardrobes). All ideas are written on them plus I have one for the 'shed shopping list'.

[jasons673]

I use the canisters my scotch bottles come in, some are metal or cardboard with metal lids and bottoms. I use a metal one for the chainsaw file, grease nipple and spare chain. Handy for throwing in the 4x4 with the chainsaw and off down the paddock. The cardboard ones I can cut to required height, with bits and bobs in. I also have an old kitchen clock I've hang in every work shop I've had for the last 15 years.

[Handyjack]

Cork can be handy. On a verticle suface for notes or plans. Loose to seperate items for airing or prevent marking.

Cleaning up regularly is a must. I had a mate who had ankle deep shavings on floor and bench. How can you find things?

Conversion, tap and drill charts on the wall. Usefull when needed.

Clock - so you know when the glue is set, time for another coat of paint or tea time.

[Andy Mac]

These are a few of things I use in the shed:



A couple of those non-slip rubbery mats always on hand, kitchen sort of item also used to grip jar lids etc. They work well under small items for routing, often saving the need for clamps.
Various strips of thick felt ready for use in the vice for gripping odd or round shapes.
Commercial ice cream tubs for storage and transport, and really good for keeping various parts of a (small) project together.
Plastic moulding as used to join bathroom/shower sheeting, which I use for marking out curves, but it requires a third hand!
Carpet or similar to put down on benches and horses to protect work. The best stuff I have now is light weight and came off a wall in a commercial building, and I have a roll ready to cover the bench top in a jiffy.

Cheers,

[Ashore]

Like andy with the carpet but I use old bath towels

1. Old CD DVD disk sleeves ( the ones that hold 50 CD's etc) are good for holding diffrent size cutting, grinding disks for your angle grinder

2. Old kitchen cutting boards , you know the white ones , recessed slightly into a work surface for tapping items without damage or cutting on , chisel onto etc

3. Special coaster, (I use one made from huon ) glued down in an out of the way spot, and train yourself to only put your TL coffee mug ...or beer down there . That way the beer of coffee mug doesn't go the way of your pencil or tape ( to that place you cant find and then magically reappear three weeks later.)

[tea lady]

A Tea Lady :roll:
Well at least one forum member has found one to be handy around the shed.
Yeah! I want one of them! :rolleyes::p

[Lawriet]

Variation to #6 - Radio has been replaced by Ipod/Iphone now-a-days

In relation to water - my little shed has its own hot and cold running water, its own sewage connection with a refrigerated water dispenser :D and I do take the laptop down sometime to play DVDs/Blurays look up stuff with the WIFI or 3G connection or use the IPhone 3G connection. Iphone also has as calculator and conversion app :wink:

My how times have changed and how electronic we are - I remember when my work didn't even have a fax machine or a computer and we used to do the sums in our head.

However - no beer fridge - note to self - must stay away from beer when fingers are close to router/spindle moulder/bench saw etc If I have to walk to the house to get it, I have to think about it.

[tea lady]

I put the radio or any other technology (like the hands free phone from the house:rolleyes: ) in zip lock bags. Also the baby monitor. :D They might even come big enough for lap tops. :think:

[A Duke]

Hi,
Two things I forgot in my contribution,
1) plastic shopping bags: one for rubbish, one for recyclable rubbish and one each to put over the power tools on the shelf to keep dust out of the motors and switches.
2) tooth brush: To brush the router bits' teeth after use.
Regards