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General Tips And Tricks

Discussion in 'The Tool Shed' started by durangotang, Feb 18, 2021.

  1. Feb 18, 2021
    durangotang

    durangotang Member 2022 Sponsor

    Not Western CO
    Joined:
    Mar 17, 2010
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    501
    There are a lot of people on here with a lot of good ideas, or at least things they've learned from plenty of bad ideas. I'd like to hear some of your ideas on storage, organization, uses for everyday items, hacks, "did you know you can use X for Y", etc.

    I'll start with two of mine:

    1) Ditch the bolt bucket/small parts bins. Organize all the small stuff. It takes some work up front, but these cheap containers they sell everywhere make it easy to sort all your bolts/nuts by size so they are readily available. Even small parts, electrical switches, connectors, air fittings, etc all have a home. I'm probably up to about 20 of them now and they have decreased my stress in the shop 50%.

    152022399_758539271739487_1858874370615082963_n.jpg

    2) Don't throw away spray can lids. They are the perfect size for putting gas in a carb, draining small amounts of fluid, holding nuts/bolts for a project, etc.
     
    timgr, Ol Fogie and dozerjim like this.
  2. Feb 18, 2021
    boopiejones

    boopiejones I can’t drive 55

    California east bay
    Joined:
    Mar 16, 2020
    Messages:
    545
    I keep plastic food containers from things like cottage cheese and yogurt. The containers are great for mixing stuff, or soaking/cleaning small parts and the lids can be used as trays to keep parts from rolling around, or as a disposable surface for mixing epoxy, etc.
     
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  3. Feb 18, 2021
    Mr Vaughan

    Mr Vaughan

    i use magnetic parts holders
    absolutely. they make pretty good organizers, too. an ice cream tub CAN be used to soak A/T clutches...
     
    Ol Fogie likes this.
  4. Feb 20, 2021
    Ol Fogie

    Ol Fogie 74 cj5 304, 1943 mb

    Southern...
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    Nov 24, 2019
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    I save all of my coffee cans. Some may hold as much as a quart or so, and some of the bigger ones may be almost 1/2 gallon. work perfect for disposable paint buckets when brush painting trim and such. I like the plastic ones with the snap on lids. I also use them to clean paint brushes in when using mineral spirits. I use mineral spirits in a 5 gallon pail (2 gallon or so) to wash up my paint gun, brushes and every thing with paint on it. Then I divide the contaminated mineral spirits into 5 or 6 clean coffee cans, snap on the lids, sit on a shelf somewhere and do not disturb them for 2 or 3 months or so. The suspended paint in the mineral spirits will settle and separate to the bottom of the coffee can and leave clear mineral spirits on the top that can be drained off and recovered for reuse. Then dump some sawdust on the settled paint, allow it to dry then it can be disposed of coffee can and all. I have found that I can reclaim about 80/90 percent of my mineral spirits this way multiple times.
     
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  5. Feb 21, 2021
    timgr

    timgr We stand on the shoulders of giants. 2022 Sponsor

    Medford Mass USA
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    Aug 10, 2003
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    Since I was a boy, I've loved peanut butter toast at breakfast. I accumulate a lot of plastic peanut butter jars, and they are excellent for storing hardware and other small parts. Back in the 50s and 60s, baby food jars were the usual choice for garage storage. Anyone with young children or grandchildren had a ready supply. Unfortunately those were glass, and happily modern jarred goods - like PB - come in plastic jars now. Used to save glass jars, but it all goes in the recycling bin now.

    You can build shelves sized for these jars, or the closet organizers are a lot faster, and probably cheaper with the high cost of materials now. These work really well. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D8OYUTM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    I use an organizer like Durangotang shows for dry wall screws. I also have one that was given me a long time ago, that I use for power resistors (it's not ideal).

    Tuna cans are better than spray can tops for holding a few parts or small quantities of liquids. I have a couple of magnetic parts holders too, which are ok.

    If you like the plastic organizers, visit the sporting goods section of Walmart (maybe Target or other big box stores too?), specifically the fishing equipment. Fishermen use plastic sectional boxes for lures, and - at least at Walmart - they are very reasonably priced. They work well for small tools like loose bits and such.
     
    Last edited: Feb 21, 2021
  6. Feb 21, 2021
    ITLKSEZ

    ITLKSEZ Hope for the best, prepare for the worst

    Liberty Lake, WA
    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2015
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    6,656
    Don’t use Solo cups for solvents. :schooled:
     
  7. Feb 21, 2021
    Glenn

    Glenn Kinda grumpy old man Staff Member

    Apopka, Fl
    Joined:
    Sep 21, 2002
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    12,367
    Funny coincidence about this thread. I've been on a reorganizing my garage/shop mission lately and parts, tools, misc. supplies and bolts are what I just finished. Lowe's also has some really nice containers, etc. Mentioned them as another source.
     
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  8. Feb 21, 2021
    timgr

    timgr We stand on the shoulders of giants. 2022 Sponsor

    Medford Mass USA
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    You mean the plastic cups? I use paper cups for paint and small qtys of solvents frequently. Paper only.
     
  9. Feb 21, 2021
    Jeff Kline

    Jeff Kline Member

    North Central PA
    Joined:
    Apr 18, 2019
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    54
    Screw Jar lids to the bottom of shelves, double your shelf space (y)
     
  10. Feb 21, 2021
    ITLKSEZ

    ITLKSEZ Hope for the best, prepare for the worst

    Liberty Lake, WA
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    Yeah, the red Solo party cups. They dissolve in just mineral spirits.
     
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  11. Feb 21, 2021
    durangotang

    durangotang Member 2022 Sponsor

    Not Western CO
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    Mar 17, 2010
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    I seem to go through more aerosols than I do tuna... but I like the tuna can idea. Do they tend to have that weird plastic membrane on the inside? Ever had any interaction between it and gas/solvents?
     
  12. Feb 21, 2021
    timgr

    timgr We stand on the shoulders of giants. 2022 Sponsor

    Medford Mass USA
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    Mmm, none that I've noticed. I've put thinner and xylene and gasoline in them. I think the plastic is to keep the tuna from picking up odd taste from the can material. They are all stamped now, with a zip top. May not even be plated under the plastic coating.
     
  13. Feb 21, 2021
    PeteL

    PeteL If it wasn't for physics, and law enforcement... 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Hills of NH
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    As Red Green famously said, if you are collecting screws in glass jars, you are entering Old Farthood.
     
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  14. Feb 21, 2021
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
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    I ended up buying a harbor freight toolbox for screw/bolt/nail/etc storage. It was the cheapest decent size set of drawers I could find.

    It's a bit messy right now because we've moves and been working on the house for the last 3 years. It's due for a round of cleanup.

    I've got it organized with bins and labeled Zip-locks. I can usually find things pretty quick:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    I put it under the bench with no wheels. Since it's not the full depth of the bench, I made shelves behind it for long metal storage:
    [​IMG]

    Bigger stuff is in labeled bins on shelves:
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Feb 22, 2021
  15. Feb 21, 2021
    Lockman

    Lockman OK.....Now I Get It . 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Silver Hill,...
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    Fireball ....... You are one of the most fastidious members on here. Very good job , as usual. (y)
     
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  16. Feb 21, 2021
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
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    Milk crates are a cheap easy trick to keep small wood scraps organized:
    [​IMG]
     
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  17. Feb 21, 2021
    Lockman

    Lockman OK.....Now I Get It . 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Silver Hill,...
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    Ha-Ha. My Uncle & brother were both Milk Men . BTDT, our entire lives. The older fiberglass ones were great for standing on , stacking together for table supports , Albums, Book shelves , ect, ect . Of Course, it helps if your an old Hippie , too. :rofl:
     
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  18. Feb 21, 2021
    jeep2003

    jeep2003 Well-Known Member

    Upstate NY
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    May 30, 2006
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    Last week i went through most of the screws and nails around my basement. Have way too much from doing cleanouts and such. I combined all the like into one container and put similar fasteners in the same place. I had no idea it was as bad as it was. I got rid of probably 50 containers. So much more organized now.
     
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  19. Feb 21, 2021
    PeteL

    PeteL If it wasn't for physics, and law enforcement... 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Hills of NH
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    Weren't they actually designed to hold LPs? :D
     
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  20. Feb 21, 2021
    Mr Vaughan

    Mr Vaughan

    or strawberry crates, they fall off of trucks fairly often, and can be scavenged from the side of the road.
     
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