Thread: Workshop Safety

At my age, if I drop something I think "Do I really want or need it".
Kryn

Originally Posted by KBs PensNmore

At my age, if I drop something I think "Do I really want or need it".
Kryn

"For crying out loud" - Your only a young fella just wait until you get older.

Bob

Originally Posted by KBs PensNmore

At my age, if I drop something I think "Do I really want or need it".
Kryn

I might not be as old as some of you old f@rts but my back is damaged from my time in the Army.

Being on a Veterans Affairs pension, I have an Occupational Therapist come and visit once a year and arranges for me to get any assistance I might need. Last year she suggested one of these, but I told her I needed one for the house and one for the shed too. She thought that was a good idea so that's what I got. It's great for the small things. For everything else there is still trolleys and the engine crane. So even if I drop something I don't need I can still pick it up before I trip over it.

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Originally Posted by doug3030

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I use one of those a fair bit in the shed. Not because I can't bend or kneel down (although it's handy for that too) but because invariably small things like spanners, washers etc fall down behind or under benches etc and it saves me shifting stuff around to recover them.

I keep one near the exercise bike to pick up dog balls as the dogs like to play fetch while I'm riding the bike.

Originally Posted by BobL

I keep one near the exercise bike to pick up dog balls as the dogs like to play fetch while I'm riding the bike.

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Originally Posted by BobL

I use one of those a fair bit in the shed. Not because I can't bend or kneel down (although it's handy for that too) but because invariably small things like spanners, washers etc fall down behind or under benches etc and it saves me shifting stuff around to recover them.

I recently put a strong magnet on the end of a stick which works well. The added benefit is that I can swish it through sawdust or shavings and find that errant screw. Unfortunately I needed it a week or so ago, and for the life of me have no idea where I decided was a logical place to store it. I will probably end up making another one, then go to find a home for it, and find the original.

Originally Posted by LanceC

I recently put a strong magnet on the end of a stick which works well. The added benefit is that I can swish it through sawdust or shavings and find that errant screw.

A good trick for finding screws in the dust in the vacuum cleaner dust is to put the magnet in the bottom of a plastic cup.

That way it still attracts the metal objects but when you pull the magnet out of the cup all the metal falls off of the cup and none of it gets stuck to the magnet.

I have one vacuum for metal swarf and another for sawdust but no matter how careful you are there is always some small metal swarf in with the sawdust. This little trick keeps the fine metal filings off the magnet.

And never throw out an old microwave without taking the magnets out first.

Originally Posted by LanceC

I recently put a strong magnet on the end of a stick which works well. The added benefit is that I can swish it through sawdust or shavings and find that errant screw. Unfortunately I needed it a week or so ago, and for the life of me have no idea where I decided was a logical place to store it. I will probably end up making another one, then go to find a home for it, and find the original.

SWMBO bought me a magnetic pick-up stick. Cost about $5. It concertinas down to about 160mm and extends to around 600mm. It sticks onto a shelf bracket near my bench ready for use. It also has a clip to hold it in a pocket like a biro.

I made up a magnetic broom a few years back from the two Al tubes from the handle bar stem from a kids scooter.
The inner tube has a steel bolt screwed into the end and A 25mm long by 25mm diam REE magnet stuck onto that.

Push the inner tube to the end of the outer tube , collect swarf and the holding the end of the tube as shown over a bin pull teh inner tube upwards and teh swarf drops into the bin. WORKS A TREAT
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Unfortunately it doesn't collect too well off steel/castiron machinery like the drill press table or mill, especially down inside the T-slots so I use a shop vac with a narrow nozzle on it. Its one of the few times I use my shop vac.

Originally Posted by Chesand

SWMBO bought me a magnetic pick-up stick. Cost about $5. It concertinas down to about 160mm and extends to around 600mm. It sticks onto a shelf bracket near my bench ready for use. It also has a clip to hold it in a pocket like a biro.

Me too, I have one each on the metal lathe, mill and wood lathe, they are amazing how they can grab that little bit of metal or screw you just managed to drop.
Rgds,
Crocy.