Workshop tips and hacks

[Lefty]

Thought it might be useful to share some workshop tips and hacks.

Layout, consumables, handy little tricks and things you like to do.

Bring them on!

I’ll start:



Lights everywhere. Can’t have too much light but I don’t like floodlights on the floor that shine right in your face everywhere you turn

Oh and cable ties everywhere too, zipped onto cable trunking.

[Lefty]

More cable ties. And tape measures everywhere. I must have 8x tape measures but the ideal number is clearly n+1

[Lefty]

More cable ties.

And sharpies. Sharpies everywhere.

Stanley blades too actually.

[Grumbler]

Rubbish bins and safety glasses everywhere. Because I know I’ll start a job, realise I need eye protection, then crack on because they’re out of reach. And I’m a messy worker.

[sherman]

Blue roll.

Is it a workshop without some?

[Lefty]

sherman said:

Blue roll.

Is it a workshop without some?

Oh yes, that’s a good one.


I only recently discovered you can buy WD40 in 5 litre bottles and you get a spray bottle with it. Much cheaper than tins.

[hidetheelephants]

sherman said:

Blue roll.

Is it a workshop without some?

No. A bale of rags is good too if you do a lot of messy stuff, although you need a lot of room to store them.

[ric p]

hidetheelephants said:

No. A bale of rags is good too if you do a lot of messy stuff, although you need a lot of room to store them.

I have a large plastic bin where every item of old unwearable clothing gets torn up into squares / strips for use a rags. Constant supply of ruined t shirts, fleeces, shirts etc feed the bin!

[hidetheelephants]

If you can get a few 25 litre/5 gallon plastic drums from a local garage or council tip, cut them up to make really durable trays for storing bits of whatever it is you're doing work on, washing bits in solvent/soapy bubble or as a catch can for drips etc.

[Jap90s]

As the lights are never in the right place

Wand type inspection lights with variable power

LED band head torch

A hydraulic table - fantastic for working on things at varying heights

[RammyMP]

Lefty said:

More cable ties. And tape measures everywhere. I must have 8x tape measures but the ideal number is clearly n+1

I have tapes in several locations cos the wife ‘borrows’ them then fails to return them.

A load of pencils stashed all over as well.

[Mazinbrum]

This cordless power tool shelf from Temu is great.

[Grumbler]

A used hacksaw blade screwed horizontally to the side of a work bench makes an ideal saw holder.

[GasEngineer]

Lefty said:

Thought it might be useful to share some workshop tips and hacks.

Great idea for a thread but please don't use the works "hacks" in this context*.

*for reference please see the "Phrases that annoy you the most" thread.

[jfdi]

Lefty said:

More cable ties.

Do your hostages keep breaking free?

[Doofus]

Lefty said:

Look at the mess I've made

I ciuldn't handle that. A place for everything etc.

I have some essentials in my wheelie stool thing. Everything else, I can get from where it's kept.

[Lefty]

You mean the shelf of random spanners and the shelf of random screwdrivers?

In fairness my tool chest is very well organised and those tools always go back in their respective places - the shelves are for overflow of random weird sized things. But, yes, point taken

[Lefty]

GasEngineer said:

Lefty said:

Thought it might be useful to share some workshop tips and hacks.

Great idea for a thread but please don't use the works "hacks" in this context*.

*for reference please see the "Phrases that annoy you the most" thread.

Fair enough. Common usage and all that.

[Lefty]

Jap90s said:

A hydraulic table - fantastic for working on things at varying heights

Yep, awesome things. This isn’t mine but I’m going to buy one - and want one that goes a bit higher



Used for lifting the back end of the tvr body, removing the diff and any number of other tasks where you need sturdy support.

See also the little trolley thing - excellent.

And the fold up blue plastic trays - I have hundreds of these, handy for keeping little pieces and nuts/bolts/washers together

[wolfracesonic]

Mazinbrum said:

This cordless power tool shelf from Temu is great.

When drilling holes in your nicely whitewashed walls, hold your vacuum nozzle under the drill bit to stop brick dust settling on the joints;)
More seriously, some sort of cushioned flooring next to your favourite faffing work area.