Helpful Shop Hints

SuperDave

I thought I would start a thread on do-it-yerself shop tips.   I bet there are more than a few great ideas floating around out there. How about sharing yours.

Here is mine:

I save all the long electric cords off discarded vacuum cleaners I use them to replace the short ones on my power tools. Saves a lot of extension cord running..

PaulButler

Nice tip SuperDave!

I have cords off my old power tools in the garden some of which are well over 25' long. I use them in the same way

ernie28

Old battery powered drill where the rechargable batteries have died, I solder on to the drill terminals (so the battery can stay clipped in for balance) a long twin cable with alligator clips on the other end to clip on a smallish 12V battery - not too heavy to cart around. The drill has another lease on life and works well in the workshop or outside in the yard.

SuperDave

I guess no one want s to share hints?

Here is another. I get at least one or two plastic cards of some type in the junk mail. I have been shredding them, but found they are great for spreading Bondo and glazing putty. Then cut them up. No cleaning!

Lee ODell

My uncle told me about when my Dad was driving too fast around a turn on a country road and the rear end slide over a cement corner stone to a one lane bridge. He had to replace the rear end and part of frame. Got it all back together but there was a dent in the drive shaft.

The fix: He drilled a hole in the middle of dent. Pored water in drilled drive shaft hole, welded up the hole then heated around the dent. The heated water caused expansion to push the dent out. No more dent. Dad drove it back home from Mo. to Calif.

Lee O'Dell

Rob Fayette

I have been buffing some long narrow pieces of stainless on my Baldor 1 1/2 hp buffer. The buffer is pretty aggressive and possibly dangerous.  To make it safer I cut some strips off a 2x4 the same width as the stainless is wide.  I cut the wood just a little longer that the stainless strip.   Then I mix up some bondo and spread it along the narrow edge of the wood.  I spread it along the edge that is the width of the stainless.  Then put some strips of wax paper over the bondo.  Then push the strip of stainless down into the non cured bondo.  Put rubber bands around the stainless and the wood strip to hold the stainless in place until the bondo is cured.  take the rubber bands stainless and waxed paper off the cured bondo.  Now you have a nice impression  of the back side of the stainless.   Now you rubber band the stainless back to the wood strip for buffing. The bondo impression holds the stainless firmly in place on the wood strip.   I put a rubber band about every 8 inches or so.  On the area that you are buffing you remove the rubber bands.  When that area is buffed put those rubber bands back on and remove rubber bands from another area that needs buffing.  I find it works good and so far no damaged stainless and if seems much safer.

Rob

keithfullmeryahoocom

Here's one that's only slightly "tongue in cheek". From experience.

When changing your tail light bulb, start by removing your KING-SIZED MATTRESS FROM YOUR BED AND AND placing it DIRECTLY under  the tail light in your car.  Those rare and expensive tail light lenses can be slippery.  :>)....slim