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I’ve just finished cleaning out several 5 gallon joint compound buckets that had been collecting in the corner of my workshop from past jobs.
Like many of you, I have Bucket Boss tool organizers that I use on a regular basis, but now I have a bunch of empty buckets.
These buckets are great and it seems a shame to toss them so I was wondering, what are some of the things you use your buckets for?
-Mark
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fill em up with hot water and epsoms salt.
open a cold beer.
stick my feet in the bucket.
put the beer in my belly.
Eric
I Love A Hand That Meets My Own,
With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.
Ya know, I have no idea what they can be used for, But that still has not stopped me from collecting every single one of them I have ever come in contact with.
My family wants to put me on a 12 step program....I have a few hundred in the loft of the barn, cleaned and neatly stacked.
I'm thinking I could supply a bucket brigade in case of a fire,
or cover every plant in the yard when a frost is coming,
collect alot of rainwater if the well fails,
screw shoes to them and make some cool stilts for every kid in the elementary school,
mix alot-o durobond.
I have a few hundred in the loft of the barn, cleaned and neatly stacked.
Great...I come here for help and now I gotta go and build a barn for my buckets.
The projects never end! :)
-Mark
Hmm. Ive got a bunch too. always have
I paint , mud , durabond , water, grow tomatoe plants in, carry stuff to and from the job, trash cans, cleaning fish , washing truck, throwing soapy water on DW, Her beating me with it , dog waterers, cement, drywall tools and supplies, morter tools, nail bins on the job, to eat up floor space in the shop.
Tim Mooney
I had this problem with buckets so I put them on the sidewalk outside with a sign saying "Free, help yourself"
Most of them were taken by someone who ran a stables -- to carry water and food for the horses. She came back for more buckets on a regular basis after that.
IanDG
Did you ask her inside for a beer?
I hate it when I think like that . Not .
Tim Mooney
extension cord holders...drill a hole in the side for the outlet, roll the cord up clockwise every time and they will flake out nicely
Cord holder
I attached a four inch plastic toilet flange with a bucket high piece of 4" pipe in the bottom of the bucket. The cord feeds in clockwise around this and does not get tangled up.
They are good for air hoses too.
Or rope.
Or chain
Or ????
Return them (a few at a time) to HD. Say they were an x mass gift. At $5 each you could buy alot of tools. Course you may need to spray paint them orange first.
They would make for a unique shed.
Buy some "parachute bags" (round canvas bags with 6-8 compartments) and fill them with an assortment of nails and screws. A bucket with 3-4 parachute bags can save you hours going back and forth to the truck (or the hardware store) to get the right nail/screw.
Drill holes through the side of the bucket -- one row about halfway up, another row near the top. Thread shock cord in and out through the holes. Slip tools into the loops you make this way. A cheap "Bucket Boss" equivalent.
in an early FHB there was a tip to use buckets by turning them into storage units for nails, screws, various fasteners, etc - this is accomplished by securing a 4 way divider in the bottom of a bucket (3/8" plywood or somesuch), then neatly cutting the bottoms of 3-4 other buckets off a few inches high and securing dividers in them - these then fit into the original bucket, giving a nesting storage unit of 16-20 compartments - top it off by cutting the locking ring off a lid so that it will set on the top...
You really want to know what I use buckets for ?????
To defacate in on a jobsite without a port-a-john.
So many builders don't get them and they make the best toilet in a pinch (pardon the joke).
You asked.
>>To defacate in on a jobsite without a port-a-john.
I was doing some work for a florist that owned the house next door where I was working. I had to use the bucket-john so I did my business and snapped the lid on then threw it in the dumpster behind the flower shop.
The fruitcake running the flower shop went out to the dumpster and found himself a nice 5 gal bucket and went back inside with it. Imagine his surprise!
They also make a porta john in a tree stand.
I use them for Christmas tree stands. We usually get a bigger tree and a big stand is hard to come by.
I cut a plywood disk that fits the bottom of the bucket and screw it to the base of the tree. Stand it up and fill it with rocks around the trunk, then top it off with water
good for moving dirt or busted up concrete when there isn't enough to justify a dumpster or truck/trailer
fill buckets in basement - carry up - load in van/truck - dump at dump site - no need for extra handling or shoveling
Two and a walkboard make redneck scaffolding.
They are great when demo'ing a tile bath, just about all you want to carry when full.
We buy the cat litter at Sam's and it comes in square buckets. They are piling up faster than drywall buckets here. Not sure which I least prefer to do, scoop cat boxes or do drywall, pretty much of a toss (throw) up. I throw various assortments of tools in them for each job. Problem is getting things back where they were supposed to go.
Great for extension cords.
I recall seeing a video of a guy who tied a loop of rope to an upended bucket, stood on it, then hopped around on that while finishing a ceiling. Kind of poor-man's mudding stilts.
painter up in Fairbanks used them for stilts without the ropes - shifted weight and spun bucket to walk around room
oh yeah.........and a buddy of mine screwed an old pair of shoes to the bottoms for taping.
lolI Love A Hand That Meets My Own,
With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.
I've heard some pretty impressive drumming done on them as well
drill small holes in bottom and 1-2" hole in center, cut some landscape fabric to fit bottom. Fill with potting soil, leaving approx. 4"from top not filled. Plant your tomatoe plants upside down in large hole and hang handle from hook or pole. Keeps the fruit off the ground and less bug problems, and easy to water.
Scott Peterson used them for anchors..............Regards,
Boris"Sir, I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow" -- WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1934
his boat didn't come with them??
Good to hear from you Boris.
EricI Love A Hand That Meets My Own,
With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.
Sell them for a couple of bucks apiece.
mike
Paint them orange, go park in front of your local Home Depot, and sell them for $3 a piece.
Doesn't it just kill you that HD wants almost $3 for them? They used to ask me if I want to buy the bucket that I've used to tote stuff to the counter with, I just tell them it's simply not my color.
I too used to upend them and rope them to my feet for taping. It's very dangerous though because if you slip up and you start to go over, the ankles can snap like nuthin'. I use them for all of the above and more.
My name is Jerry.....and I'm a bucketaholic.
Cut the bottoms out of them(about 3") and use them for watering /food bowls for your dogs. Hey.......come to think of it that would make a darn good ceral bowl for me...............COOL!
We use them for storage of parts. Once the garage is tight, in go the shelf units and here come the buckets.
Always use more. You would not be in Orange County, CA, perchance?
They are color coded:
Green - framing - loaded with nails and such.
Red - electrical
Blue - plumbing
Yellow - painting
On occasion something related to that trade winds up in that bucket.
We use them for trash. We have lots of uses. We use them to mix mud for tiling.
Aside from buckets for various trades, I have one of mine set up for caulk. Pop-riveted some ABS inside to hold an assortment of caulk tubes along the walls. Towels, bottle of water, latex gloves, small trash bags, cauling iron and everything related to caulk in one bucket.
The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.
Figure out a good way to separate them when you need one.
5lbs of ice or snow & a Rack of Beer!
I knew I'd like you!
EricI Love A Hand That Meets My Own,
With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.
yALL GET OUT OF TOWN.
I actually read this and had forgotten it .
A king size minnow bucket or bait bucket . Two buckets together . One bucket has the holes in the sides as normal. Make a spring door in the lid and then keep the lid on.
Tim Mooney
If I recall correctly, Duluth sells a whole book of ideas regarding what to do with 5 gal buckets. Almost bought it on impulse on day but thought better of it.
I've got about ten of them in the garage. Wife always wants to throw them away but I won't let her. Soon as she does, I'll need 'em. And I'd shoot myself before I'd pay for one at Home Depot! (although in all honesty I actually did buy one last year out of desperation!) So I'd shoot myself before I ever bought one.... again!
Ha, in a bind I bought one once.
Now everytime I see it I hate it!
be a funky orange HomeDepot bucket sitting there
Buy dividers at Home Depot or Deluth Trading for screws, nails etc. I also use one to move my Skil saw around and I keep the extra blades in the bottom with the wrench. I store all my tie down straps and bungie cords in zip lock bags then store then in a bucket. If you live in snow/ice country it does not hurt to keep a bucket with some sand in the trunk or the back of the truck. Buckets are also handy for chain storage. That is all I can think of at the moment.
Sunvalleyray
Back in my pre-pickup truck days I had a BMW 633, worst vehicle I have ever driven in the snow. Super ride otherwise. For something with Bavaria in it's name and blood it would just go all over the place in the slick. Filled two with sand with lids on and put in trunk. Super improvement!
633? What year?
My second car was a '80 633. One time it spun around while exiting highway in the rain and it wasn't even going fast. Forget about driving it in the snow. Otherwise great car. Clocked at 240 Km/h with no sweat.
Brewing beerdrill holes in the bottom and load with wood shakes, dip em in primer or prservative vatgathering kindlingI used too fill em with coal to tote to the stove when I had thatstack with 2x12's across them for quick shelvingforms for big sand castles/snow forts..cut out the sides for shin guardstoting hot peppers from the patchcompost containers when canningfilled with water they make a good heat sink around the wood stove AND emergency "A" fire extinguisherthe lids hold a 10" saw blade for transit with a bolt hole drilledthe lids are great frisbee's for maniacle dogslids for target shooting, and makes a strainer at the same time!sealed buckets for floatation on the trot line or snapper hooks.should I keep going? LOL
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
Oh yea,
Ive got a camping trailer and weve done quite a it camping in parks with electricity.
The deal seems to be putting a light recept in the bottom of bucket and using cord as a hanger. They use the bucket with light as a yard light in camp. Its the best weather proof light Ive seen as far as the amount of light it puts out.
Tim Mooney
the lids hold a 10" saw blade for transit with a bolt hole drilled
Ah, SPHERE is a thinker. Milkbones to you.
first time I sent blades in to be sharpened, my grinder guy asked for as many lids as I could get him. I use cardboard spacers between the blades so the teeth don't hit each other. after they are sharp he has some dip it type goo on the teeth to keep em shiney new till i need to use them.Eddy likes the gravy coated type bones..basted, IIRC...LOL.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
the lids hold a 10" saw blade for transit with a bolt hole drilled
Ah, SPHERE is a thinker. Milkbones to you.
The lids also make a good soaking tray for cleaning your 10" blades
Mr T
I can't afford to be affordable anymore
Same year pretty sure, anthracite gray, tan interior. Four speed ( really needed 5th). Really loved that car. If you ever noticed the little handles for the interior vents were illuminated by fiber optics. Pretty up tech for 1980. That was an enduring body style.
In the snow it would spin (swap ends) if you let off the gas too rapidly. One of the best cars I ever had in the snow was and old 75 Volvo 245 wagon, just had the euro style Michelin tires. Was in a big snowstorm in Bavaria and was driving by the local Benzes and BMWs in the ditch with their chains on. Gas station would not sell me gas because I had no chains.
I remember an article in FHB a guy used them to build retaining walls instead of concrete block. He would fill them with stone half way , a little concrete and then stack them up. Cover the whole thing with stucco wire and stucco it. Teh end result looked like an adobe wall.
I have a couple with "bucket buddies" in them for the smaller hand tools I carry around and keep several more handy for all kinds of things.
I also have a few plastic milk carriers (both the square and the rectangular) that I use organize and carry my:
I find it really handy to be able to grab the appropriate bucket or milk carrier and know that I'll have the necessary tools for whatever job I'm doing.
I cut the bottom out of one and replaced it with plexiglass, then cut a smaller hole out of the bottom of another, painted the inside of both flat black and wired the open ends together. Use it for looking down into the lake after dropping stuff off the dock and boat. Works great.
Stick rebar or old bolts out through the sides, fill them with the extra concrete from a pour and use them for dock and float anchors. Or in my case a small boat mooring.
Someone mentioned the parts holder idea from an old FHB issue. Made one of those for my plumbing parts a few years ago when I saw the article. Works as well as the commercial trays and it's free. I cut the rim and bail off with a jig saw and trimmed the trays to size with a table saw set just high enough to cut through the side of the bucket.
Used a jig saw to cut some plywood rounds and routered in a rabbet for covers that fit and can hold a lot of weight. Hold em on with bungees.
oldfred
I store bird food, dog food, cat food, opened bags of grout, thinset, Portland cement.
I use them to mix anything. They are also good for storing funnels, filter wrenches, grease guns, and anything else associated with vehicle maintenance.
They are easy to store and easily labeled.
I have to confess to a storage case fetish... I've practically got cases for my cases. All these ideas almost (almost) make me wish I did more mudding... almost...
I got a bunch of these Gamma Seal lids from a garage sale and use the buckets for all the different setting type drywall powders, grout, thinset, ice melt, and one for keeping stuff dry on canoe trips
http://www.wisementrading.com/foodstorage/buckets.htm
http://www.healthyharvest.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=731
http://www.nitro-pak.com/product_info.php/products_id/723
Edited 12/29/2004 3:45 pm ET by Shoeman
You can also get them at Duluth Trading, for $5.99
http://www.duluthtrading.com/items/99904.asp
Barry E-Remodeler
Thanks for the link. Like I say - I got mine at a garage sale for a buck a piece or so with the bucket. Did a google search to post a link, and then edited to add other links when I saw them cheaper on other sites.
They really are handy for joint compound powder and such.
As a builder, I need a lot of nails, which I buy by the 50# box. They fit in them perfect and you don't have an old box getting soggy and falling apart. I mark them well. 16's, 8's, screws, drywall nails, ect. Very handy.
Redneck scaffolding. yes.
finishing. yes. even the swirl thing.
carrying water.
to mix mortar for tile. This way, when it is late and it gets hard in the bucket, I just throw the whole thing away.
Drywall buckets are a great tool.
But you know what is funny is on the buckets themselves they say that they should be used for no other purpose. Read it yourself.
I think that's mainly to keep people from putting food in them and absorbing tastes or smells from previous contents.
I figured this thread could use one more idea. Here's mine:
In case it's not obvious, those are paintbrushes hanging in there.