A couple random shop thoughts for consideration and comment by my fellow Creekers.
What do you lose? The floor my shop is always covered with shavings and sawdust, something I suspect most neanders can relate to (except perhaps Brian H. of the famously clean shop ) . There are a few things that always "disappear" and I end up spending hours crawling around on the floor looking for:
* Cap Iron screws (If I had any brains I'd paint these red),
* I use "Ketchup- like" squeeze bottles for storing/dispensing finishes, glue etc. I always lose the tiny little caps and these are red!
* Sanding blocks – especially the small little hardwood blocks I use for tough to reach places. These get routinely swept into the scrap pile and I need to replace them. Maybe something else that should be painted red?
What do you always run out of? I frequently find myself running to the local BORG/hardware store to get something specific I need for a current project. I always end up standing in the store with the one thing I went to pick up, and thinking "there must be other things I need -but damned if I can remember what they are". I'm wondering if anyone else has a list of "shop staples" they routinely pick up when your at the hardwood store? FWIW, mine are:
*Denatured alcohol: it sucks to be in the middle of putting on shellac and suddenly realize you're out of alcohol to dissolve/dilute/apply it with!
* WD-40: My go to rust preventative I habitually spray/wipe on chisels, planes, saws after sharpening etc. When I run out, I can almost see the rust forming.
* Titebond: I always seem to underestimate how much I need for gluing up panels. Nothing worse than stalling out in the middle of a glue up because I ran out of glue.
Shop discoveries? One of things I like best about being in the shop is I don't have to think too much (draw the line, cut the line, repeat). Conversely, in most aspects of life I also try to make an effort to seek out new ideas. 3 things I've recent "discovered" that have made my shop time more enjoyable are:
*Sunflower seeds: they help me cut down on/hide from the LOML my Copenhagen habit and I can spit the seeds right on the floor!
* Podcasts: I've always enjoyed listening to music in the shop. Recently our oldest introduced me to "podcasts", which as I'm sure everyone but me knows are audio recordings on a broad range of different topics you can listen to on demand, through your phone – who knew? A couple I really enjoy are Dan Carlin's "Hard-core History" and "Freakonomics". I appreciate any other recommendations?
* Shop vac blower: I'm mostly a hand tool woodworker and my shop is in the garage. My shop floor is littered primarily with shavings and not that much sawdust. Historically I've always enjoyed sweeping up with the broom and dust pan – – for me kind of relaxing conclusion to a session in the shop. My brother-in-law got me a shop vac for Christmas and I'm a total convert! I now LOVE using the output side of the shop vac to blow all the shavings and dust out of my shop. Apparently my previous sweeping method was missing lots of stuff – again who knew!
What about you, any new shop "discoveries" you care to pass along ?
All the best, Mike