Replies

1. 
   Mad_Dog | Dec 11, 1999 02:29am | #2

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   Oven cleaner takes resin buildup off of sawblades. Coca Cola removes rust. Everyone knows about soap on screws. Lots more, I'll have to wake up my brain...

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   Guest_ | Dec 11, 1999 03:26am | #3

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   Liquid dish soap to thin buckets of joint compound w/o making it watery.Lipstick to mark drywall/paneling for box cut outs from the back side.Wire coathangers for everything.Paper plate/Cups for glues and paints.

1. 
   Guest_ | Dec 11, 1999 05:21am | #4

   *Johnsons paste wax on the table of every stationary tool I own. A thin coat makes all the difference.Gallon milk jugs (don't cut out the handle) makes great storage for screws, nails, etc.Wax paper - under something you're glueing together so that it won't stick to the work bench.Ed. Williams

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   Ron_Budgell | Dec 11, 1999 06:22am | #5

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   I've used a dresmaker's tool (I think it's called a pounce wheel - a toothed disc on a handle). You lay a full size drawing on your stock (We're not talking houses here), follow the lines with the wheel which punches holes through the paper to mark your pattern. You can use carbon paper between the pattern and the stock to make the lines more visible.

4. 
   Guest_ | Dec 11, 1999 08:42am | #6

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   A pair of scissors, about 10 to 12" overall length.

   Ditto the coathanger wire.

   32-oz Dannon yogurt cups to soak oil-based paint brushes. Also useful for retaining small parts during remodeling.

   5-qt ice cream pails for larger loose parts. Also serves well as small paint buckets.

   Domestically, Steve

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   Guest_ | Dec 12, 1999 05:23pm | #7

   *Holding the brads...biggest problem is that every manufacturer has different size boxes and clips, so any container that holds them right today, might not if you stop at a differnt supplier tommorrow. But anyway, after wasting too much time pondering such questions myself, I came to the realization that within my colection of tools, scrap materials, and know how, if I can't slap together a custom container to hold damn near anything, I ought change proffesions. For smaller items, try folding up a box on your brake from scrap ductwork or flashing.Household goods that work:try lipstick for marking door strike locationsAlluminum foil-balled up loosely-use to approximate clearances where you cant see, like behind odd shaped appliances, under lids, etc. most often in installing kitchen accesories that shouldn't fit.

5. 
   "Drywall_Queen"_of_Gri | Dec 15, 1999 01:21am | #8

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   My favorite household tool is using the bottom part of the broiler pan for holding drywall compound. It's wide, and it has four flat sides for wiping the application tools on, and the best part is that the broiler pan is totally clean when you're done using and cleaning it from the abrasive action of the gypsum. It also makes it easy to add a bit of water to and mix it in. It doesn't look very professional, but then, I'm not, so that's ok!

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   Guest_ | Jan 05, 2000 02:53am | #9

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   The most common one would be the coffee can but, those international coffees also have a great box for small screws or other small stuff. 35mm film canisters are great for holding wax when I need it to lube screws. What containers or any other things have you found a good use for ? I especially would like something to hold brads for a nailgun.

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   Guest_ | Dec 10, 1999 08:19pm | #1

   *The liquid laundry soap containers are perfect for holding bar oil and mixed gas for my chainsaws. Whoever made the funnel-in-a-spout deserves as large a pat on the back as the inventor of the pull tab.The large soap jugs work as handled containers when the front is cut away.How can you forget the universal five gallon bucket.I get kitty litter in the square buckets. They waste less space in the cabinets. A Bucket Boss still works on the square ones.Milk crates!I put Fast Orange in shampoo bottles. The bottles with the rocker top as opposed to the hinged ones works best. I stash a bottle in every vehicle.Tom