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some advice on workshops, wood and metal working, being a morlock (in the OTHER sense of the term cc @clarkhat) etc. https://twitter.com/Mach_Scholar/status/947940615102390272 …
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3/ WHICH tools? Two rules of thumb: (a) buy for the projects you know you're going to do, not because it seems you should have them (b) get a set of baseline tools no matter what (hammers, wrenches, socket sets, etc.) Harbor Freight can be good for this stuff!
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4/ third of two rules: (c) do not get combo tools or clever tools. Six different sockets embedded in one big plastic disk? No. Buy a damned socket set.
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5/ fourth of two rules: (d) acknowledge that this is going to cost a lot, over the years. Don't shy away from that. Just put it as a mental line item in your budget You spent $20 buying a set of socket set extensions and $40 on vice grips? Well, you put $60 of gas in car....
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6/ Browning agrees w "buy tools for a PURPOSE": https://twitter.com/BrowningMachine/status/947942244425916417 …
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7/ one caveat to this: if you've done something w the wrong tool, go ahead and buy the RIGHT tool and put it in the tool chest. You'll use it again. You've already proven that you're the kind of guy who does XYZ project.
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8/ As they say in software engineering: eat your own dogfood. As you buy tools, start using them IN YOUR WORKSHOP. Build a quick utility workbench of 2x4s and plywood. Build some shelves.
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9/ Storage and accessibility are key. Maybe put up French cleats on the walls. Make pegboard and shelves that hang off of them. Also, buy some toolchests at Harbor Freight. Amazing value for the dollar.
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10/ Buy books. What youtube videos. Anything you ever want to do has already been done, and you can look at pictures of it. Buy the book / watch the video, then do it yourself.
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11/ There are so many good workshop books. Many come from Taunton press. Speaking of, get a subscription to Fine Woodworking, although Wood or Woodworking might be better for beginners. A cover of Fine Woodworking caught my eye c. 1990 and I've subscribed ever since.
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12/ Keep your shop tidy and organized. It's more fun and more rewarding to go in the shop when you can reach out, grab the tool you need, do the job on a clean bench, and put it back. Contrast with searching fruitlessly for 5 minutes, finding it, then pushing crap off bench...
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13/ organization goes beyond just tools, toolboxes, pegboard, and learning to operate a broom organization is about noticing at a conscious level annoyances...and fixing them! This isn't a kitchen or a dining room. You can CHANGE things!
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14/ What bugs you the most? Cleanup is a hassle bc dustpan and brush are 40' away? Pound a nail into edge of workbench, keep dustpan and brush there.
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15/ work is slipping around on your bench? Get some bench dogs (or make them) then drill a bunch of 3/4" holes in the top of your benchtop. (Holdfasts are great, btw! So underused. You can forge your own, as I did, or just buy them)
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16/ Big hassle to stretch an extension cord to your bench every time you want to work? Time for a project! Mount a new outlet on the wall, or the ceiling overhead. Buy a retractable cord spool...or mount a powerstrip under your bench.
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17/ Pay attention to the annoyances, because you can SOLVE them...and the act of solving them involves practicing your workshop skills.
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18/ Agreed: workbench is a traditional first project. I strongly advice a cheap utility bench. There are dozens of plans online. Basically just plywood, maybe hardboard top, 2x lumber. Don't stress quality - you'll make a better one in a few years. https://twitter.com/BrowningMachine/status/947944794587910144 …
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19/ Don't work tired. Or hungry. Or frustrated. Walk away and come back another day. You will NEVER do something awesome in that last 15 minutes of pissed off rage. You WILL break tools and ruin projects.
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20/ YES. I've got a bunch of shallow 4" deep shelves. Nothing gets lost. Also, label your toolchest drawers. Use the 80/20 rule when organizing: put the commonly used stuff on pegboard right in front of your bench. Less used stuff goes in drawers.https://twitter.com/Kenneth_St_Cyr/status/947945361188024321 …
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21/ I've got a copy of that!https://twitter.com/Watchman_motto/status/947945702747000833 …
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22/ When you go to the hardware store for three 1/4" x 4" bolts, get a whole box. You won't really notice the $14 price tag, and now you've ALWAYS got bolts on hand. (Buy nuts at the same time).
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23/ Speaking of: always take parts with you to the hardware store. You THINK you need a 1/4" nut...but you actually need a metric nut, or 1/4" FINE. Two trips if you just use your brain as a proxy for things instead of using THINGS themselves.
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24/ Related: better than measuring to cut is putting a piece in place and striking a pencil line on the piece, then cutting on the line. A pencil (or marking knife) is accurate to 1/128". A measurement is accurate to 1/32" +/- 3 inches, because you're an idiot (so am I).
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25/ Yes, I've got lots of books planned. Should I move The Morlock Way up ahead of The Whole Dirt Catalog (on homesteading) and Aristillus books 3 and 4?https://twitter.com/Watchman_motto/status/947946421642317829 …
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26/ Foam pads, yes. Or better yet, livestock rubber mats from Tractor Supply. Think ergonomics. Fans, area lights, task lights, dust control, space heaters, etc. And, again, move them where YOU want them. https://twitter.com/BrowningMachine/status/947946421176668160 …
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27/ Do the kind of shop stuff YOU want to do, not what you think you should want to do. ...but also do the kind of workshop stuff you HAVE to do. When the sink starts leaking, time to pick up some faucet wrenches. Learning dovetails will have to wait.
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28/ ...but do fun stuff too! Woodturning is not particularly useful (once you've equipped your house with 3-4 wooden bowls, you're done), but I love it.
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29/ For big iron, there is no substitute for big iron. If you can't afford a new $3,000 cabinet maker's table saw, don't get a crappy $500 contractor's saw. It's not the same, it feels sketchy, it's louder, it vibrates. Go on Craigslist and find a 20 year old one.
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30/ Maybe don't jump in the deep end and buy a 90 year old one that's missing bearings, belts, and motor. Save that for later when you've got more skillz.
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31/ speakkng of equipment, workshop stuff is not stainless steel cutlery from Target. It needs to be cared for. Get a dehumidifier and run it all the time to prevent rust. Learn to sharpen your tools. If it cuts, it dulls. If it dulls, you'll learn to sharpen it.
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32/ Your sharpening center alone will be an area that you have to invest in. ...but once it's kitted out, you can sharpen ANYTHING. Scissors cut poorly? 2 minutes and they're LITERALLY better than new. Chainsaw? Handsaw? Lawnmower? Brushhog?
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