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Shop and Tools: Tips and Tricks

rockota said:
Anyone have a good tip for preventing anti-seize from getting everywhere the moment one looks at the container?
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I never open the can. Burn a small 1/4" hole with a soldering iron just next to the edge of the lid. Then a dab a do ya. I use Q tips to dab enough. Then clean the can with lots of paper towel.
 
Finally remembered to take a pic of finding a short with a big test light. Chased down a shorted visor light in my DD with this the other day

Pretty simple deal, plug a high wattage bulb in place of the fuse that's blowing, when the short to ground is present, the bulb will turn on AND drop the voltage going to everything after it in the circuit protecting the wiring. The light I typically use is this F150 fog light. Sealed beam headlights work well too but they make a mess when you drop em. If left long enough it will put heat in the shorted wire that can make it easier to find with a thermal camera if you're so inclined.

The light is also good for higher current circuits like blower motors that will test good with a normal pokey test light but not actually carry enough current to function.

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I'd pony up for a timberlock with a flanged head so it doesn't fall off when it encounters a stiff breeze. :laughing:
 
Last week Adam Savage talks here about "Rumpelstiltskin Tools" and it really struck a chord with me:


As he says, "once you know the name of the thing you've broken its spell..." That is really profound. With all the information available out there, you can still be at a total loss if you don't know how to name it. This applies to tools, supplies, equipment, etc. Of course, he then goes on to explain forstner bits and transfer punches, which I consider to be basic tools most anyone with a workshop would know about... :laughing:

As an aside, the next segment is on relationships and he has some profound thoughts there too.

He had talked about Rumpelstiltskin Tools about a year ago and about the book, Backstage Handbook:


Here's a link to the book: Amazon.com

My personal Architectural library has a number of books by Francis Ching. I really like his illustrations and find the books well put together. Among them are a couple of these "Rumpelstiltskin" type books:
When I know what I'm looking for but have no idea what it is called, those can be of help to find what I need.

A Starrett Tools catalog is also on my shelf along with an MSC catalog. Paging through the sections usually brings me close to what I'm looking for and then I can narrow it down to what I need.

Having these as physical books really helps as you can page through them. All of this information is online, but again you need to know the name to get you to where you want to go because you're going directly to things. A book is more useful because you can page through to get closer and closer to what you're looking for and narrow it down.
 
DeWalt Tstak is compatible with Craftsman Versastack. The DeWalt stuff is usually cheaper than the Craftsman stuff too.

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PAToyota said:
I've bent a few square tubes around larger diameter pipes, but have always used heat. Doing it cold seems like an awful lot of work.
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How much force does it take to bend versus pipe?
We have a carport that got too much snow on the roof a while back and collapsed and I thought of bending new corners for the wall to roof and roof peak junctions, everything else stayed straight, it just pulled those apart.

Aaron Z
 
With heat you can bend inch to inch and a half square by 1/8" without too much trouble. I haven't tried more than that. It's firm enough and requires some leverage that I wouldn't expect to do it cold. I can't compare it to round tube because I haven't tried doing that with heat - or cold - without a bender.
 
No pics and probably an obvious trick.

Had gate off my utility trailer today. It's a PITA to put back on because the hinge pins have to go in at the same time, so it's generally a 2-person job.

Got pissed today. Decided to cut 1/2" off of one of the pins. Figure they are 6" long, 1/2" won't matter.

Now... one person can install w/o having to light both pins up at the same time.
 
That's really tiny, and not pinned into the existing slab? Seems like it would encourage the post bases to sink below the surface of the existing slab.
 
100% with you there.

Corporate chimerica IS all about the" SALE" today not the good of the consumer ....:frown:
 
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