And what would a Workshop Page be without Shop tips?
That's pretty simple, buy the best quality you can afford. If you can't afford new, buy used. In the shop or
on the jobsite, given the choice between two tools, you'll always reach for the better quality tool.
Quick conversion tip, and one that's easy to remember; 1/32nd of an inch equals about 32 thousandths of an inch, (actually 0.03125 inches.)
It also gives you an idea of the differing tolerances of woodworking and metal working.
that come with bulk purchases of water, soft drinks, etc., are pretty handy for parts sorting, storage, chemical paint stripping small parts,
etc. Here one is set on the lathe bed under the chuck to collect all the floatsom/jetsom stuff.
Cut up, they make great "soft jaws" for various clamping and chucking reasons.
Have several pair of safety glasses stationed throughout the shop, that way there's no searching for them, and no reason not to use them.
And always buy eye protection that meets ANSI Z87.1 standards, the minimum requirements for eye and face protection from impact hazards.
I keep bandsaw guides positioned about 1" over the work piece. This provides ample support for the blade and good visibility of the line.
Positioning guides "just to clear" the work piece (as recommended in various venues) invites jamming the work under the guides,
as well as obscuring the cut.
Use them around the shop, for wood and metal handling.
When ripping large sheets on the table saw, the trick is to keep your eye on the far right corner of the sheet as you enter the cut.
are good for making notes, as shim stock, clamping pads, as masking paper, and they measure 0.0038 inches in thickness.
The best "accessory" I've ever added to a drill press is a reversing drum switch.
on a three jaw chuck with a Sharpie, for repeatablity when re-mounting stock.
Credit cards are kind of useless now-adays, but while your FICO score continues to diminish you can still use those
defaulted credit cards for spreading glue and screeding grain filler.
Before sealing, I usually top off an opened can with propane gas to prevent skinning over during storage.
Ideally, store end mills in the plastic sleeves they came in, if not available, wrap them in a plastic baggy to protect them.
Are inexpensive, and not only limited to grinders. Here, mounted on the mill to deflect chips and oil sling.
will substitute for Prussian Blue on metal, but also a China marker will leave a nice fine line on metal turning on the lathe.
There's few things magical left, but this stuff is an exception. By far this is the best machining lubricant I've tried.
Surfaces straight off the lathe look ground and polished, knurls are crisp, and it's even good for tapping.
I use this product as a sacrificial barrier over my VFD display.
Similar, (if not the same) stuff as the low tack protective film used on consumer electronics.
