Time saving Work Tips

[fstedy]

   I thought it might be informative for us to list some of our favorite Work Tips. One of the greatest tips I ever got saved me on many an occasion. Did you ever have to open an existing copper pipe and re sweat the joint? Then you know about water turning to steam and blowing the solder out of your new joint. You take some fresh white bread without the crust and make a dough ball out of it then stuff it into the tubing. It dams the water back long enough for you to sweat the joint. When you turn the water back on the bread dissolves and will flush out of the system.

[sgtmaconga]

nice tip.

[ScottAR]

Just take out the screen from the faucet you open.  Don't want any
clogs. 

[OneWithWood]

If you had to be up later than normal and you are really tired, do not set the alarm clock.  You will wake up when you have had the sleep you need.  You may have to be a bit more organized to get all accomplished but you will have a clearer head and rested body to get it done.   Just another reason to not work for the man.

[CHARLIE]

Working with a dull cutting tool is dangerous. It makes you push harder or swing harder to cut which can cause an accident.  Always check a tool before you use it and make sure it is sharp. If not, stop and take the time to sharpen it. You'll be glad you did. A sharp tool does a nicer job and is safer.

Shop bandsaws are particularly dangerous when the blade gets dull. Don't ask how I know this. A dull blade makes you push the material into the blade with more force and you have a good chance of running your hand into the blade when the blade cuts through the wood. If your blade is dull......change it!  A sharp blade does a nicer job and is safer.

When cutting on your shop bandsaw, stand to the side of the blade instead of in front of it. By doing so, it helps keep your hands from in front of the blade. 

[Tom]

^{Work ?!?!} 

[Coon]

Yes Tom,  some of us have to. :D :D  But just remember if you enjoy what you're doing it may not very well be even though you exert alot of energy doing so. 8)  With that said, I think I had better go and get some done before I am sent to sleep with the dog.  :D :D

[zopi]

If you are doing a job you do not like...you are doing something wrong. -Zig Ziglar.

getcha one of those benchtop benders from harbor freight...the thingy with the lever and dies...for bending bar stock..it's like a cheap Hossfeld....  need to hang tools on the wall...whip out a custom hook for it....got rope? hook in the rafters..wife wants a potrack in the kitchen? 

hanging baskets on the porch?

you get the point...I bought one of these (ok I needed an excuse to buy a neat tool...but you'll notice wifey is ok with the sawmill..) awhile back to make some miscellaneous little widgets...and I seem to turn to the thing all the time..got new extension cords? hang em...

the bender itself is not a time saver (!) but being more organized and able to get to things without diging through the piles..is. ;D

besides, you now have an excuse to go buy a new tool.  8)

[CHARLIE]

Problem: One of the things I enjoy is building small boxes like jewelry boxes or smaller.  I found it difficult to get the hinges lined up exactly where I wanted them and hold them there while drilling pilot holes for the screws. 
Solution: If the hinge is going to be on the outside of the back, I put a thin spacer between the lid and box and clamp the lid and box together. Then I put a little bit of the 5 minute 2 part epoxy on the leaves of the hinge, put them into place and line them up. Wait for the epoxy to set good and then drill the pilot holes and put in the screws. The hinge stays in position.  It the hinges are to be inside in a mortised area, then put a thin spacer between the lid and box in the open position and clamp them together before putting the hinges in place with epoxy.

Problem: Wood is very hard and you are worried you will either break a small brass screw or strip out the slot in the head of the screw.
Solution: First, drill a pilot hole.  Then screw in a steel screw that is the same size with the same type thread as the brass screw.  Remove the steel screw and easily screw in the brass screw.

Problem: To make driving a screw into a hard piece of wood easier, you like to put some wax or lubricant on the threads of the screw, but it's never handy.
Solution: Buy a wax ring made to set in a toilet base.  Make sure it is a bee's wax ring. Leave the ring in it's plastic holder and just hang it on your peg board. Before driving a screw, push the screw into the wax on the ring. The wax ring will last for many, many years.