Shop tricks or techniques

[LC]

Got some shop time today and while working on some knives got to thinking all the great knife builders on here theres probably tons of stupid little techniques they use that if you got to visit their shop you'd leave saying "now I'm gona do that at my shop" So heres a couple little things I'll start it off with:

First picture is of my epoxy glue stick. They are made of  thin stainless steel strips that are in all windshield wipers. Theres usually two strips in each wiper and seem to come in two sizes small and perfect! So before you throw away your next old wipers cut one end with diagonal cutters and slide them out. Cut in two and belt sand a radius on each end. After gluing you can wipe off with acetone, wash off or as I do wait till the glue just starts to set and scrape off with a old razor blade.
 

The next thing is I bought one of those magnetic tool holders and mounted it on the wall beside my woodburner. They make great knife holders when applying handle finish or when gluing on handles. Mine is vinyl wrapped so it don't scratch the finish. I liked it so well I bought one and put it above my bench. Holds my scripers,auto punch, files,etc works great and I seem to always put stuff back there instead of tossing in a tool box, drawer where you seem to constantly have to dig for what you want. Sorry for the picture quality can't seem to get a pic without bad reflections that make the blades look weird but you get a idea.
 

[Lin Rhea]

LC,
      I attend a meeting of knifemakers once a month and "shop tips" are written down nearly every meeting. We are wanting to publish a booklet soon. We'll see.

     Another spin on mixing glue is to cut the corner off an envelope and squeeze open the cup it makes. Mix your epoxy in it and pour out of it. I get enough junk mail to keep me supplied with mixing cups.

   For very small amounts, I stick a piece of painter's tape to the table and mix on it, after which I just tear it off and trash it.

   I get popsicle sticks from the hobby store to mix with.

                    Good subject.       Lin

[ber643]

Yep, I use craft "Popsicle" sticks (used to save real ones when we had kids around - LOL) and also bamboo shis-ka-bob skewers (which I use for many things)- both from WallyWorld (skewers in the grocery section),that is when I don't find them at yard sales and flea markets, which one often does. I mix on small (cheap) paper plates or small squares of tinfoil. The "Envelope Corner Cups" sound neat too.

[OconeeDan]

Thanks for those tips.

I use post-it notes for epoxy, just tear off the top used note when you are ready to use a clean one.

And I use toothpicks.

[brettlandon]

Toothpicks work well with epoxy.  I use 5 minute epoxy for my scales and the toothpicks get discarded each time.  Now what will I do with the rest of them (200 to a box), Hmmmmmm....

-Brett

[LC]

Keep em up! Neat ideas. I use to use the pop sickle sticks myself for years till the only "local" knife maker I know showed me his glue mixing sticks. Particularly the smaller sized stainless sticks make getting glue down in holes on those occasions when you mount scales first and install the pins lastly. Also works great for the same reason when installing threaded inserts in my TD risers. Use to always dab glue on the outside of the threaded insert and then screw it in but it seemed most of the glue just squessed out when the insert threaded in. Kinda the same when installing pins. They also work great when I'm installing a hidden tang in antler it's easy to fill the hole in the antler full of epoxy.

[ALW]

Amazing, I thought I was the only one that used the strips from the windshield wipers to mix my epoxy!  And from a WV boy too.  I must have twenty of those things in my workshop.

Aaron

[Dallas]

I save plastic yogurt lids to mix epoxy in.  When the left over epoxy dries it just pops out of the lid and the lid can be reused.

[robtattoo]

Here's a couple.

1) Save your sawdust! Sounds dumb, but I have plastic film tubs full of different wood dust. Everytime I use a new handle wood, I save a tubfull of dust from it. That way, when I come to use it again, if there's a warp in the knife handle (it happens!) leaving a gap, rather than re heat-treating the blade to flatten it out, I can mix up some of the appropriate dust with the epoxy & use it as gap-filler. 9 times out of 10, you'd never even know it was there!  

2) Buy more clamps! You will never, ever hear any man say 'I got too many clamps!' You'll often hear 'I neeeeeed another clamp!!!'

[ber643]

I forgot about the toothpicks - the round ones are the best! Other great stuff here too.

[LC]

Now thats what I'm talking about! lol Man lots of useful info in the above posts.
 
ALW just because this state is behind 20 years doesn't mean the folks living here have to be!
 
Dallas:I save plastic yogurt lids to mix epoxy in. When the left over epoxy dries it just pops out of the lid and the lid can be reused. Cool!

Robatto:2) Buy more clamps! You will never, ever hear any man say 'I got too many clamps!' True enough! Sawdust saving idea is great too you can bet I'll start doing that.

Come on guys next time your working in your shop think about every step and ask yourself "I wonder how every else does this or surely everyone knows to do this" Maybe,maybe not! Your never too old to learn new tricks. I've got a buddie who will watch me do something I've done for years and he'll say "why don't you do it this way?" Dang more times then not his "new" way is better than my old way. Heck after proof reading this maybe I'm just stuck in a rut! Ah I don't care atleast I know where I'm going.

[tippit]

Here's a little tip I use.  I free hand grind my blades but my profession as a veterinarian doesn't look great with a lot of metal grit under the nails.  

So I started doing my doing my grinding with latex exam groves.  What I found is they are Great for grip and heat.  When I used to get too close to the belt and grind my own nail or skin down, now when the belt hits the glove it just catches & tears the glove.  I now do All my work with exam gloves    Doc

[el oso]

I mix epoxy on the paper side of old pieces of sand paper. I love the magnet idea! and the sawdust.

[el oso]

I just thunk of another one. although every one might do  this? I use a small drill bit and a light duty drill to make my stich holes on my sheaths. It may be cheating but it dose make it easy.

[OconeeDan]

Need another bandsaw, but are limited in shop space?
I made a wall mount for a Milwaukee portable bandsaw using a 2x12 and metal straps.  Made a cutting platform from mild steel.  
End result is a wall mounted metal cutting bandsaw, works great.

[tomh]

Lin will you give us a shout if your knife makers association ever prints that book?

Great tips guys! this one is getting bookmarked fo sho!

[LC]

I agree lots of good tips here. Lin let us know if you ever get your clubs tips to book form. Never thought about the portable band saw being made semi portable. Heck I've been needing one of those in my job anyhow! Got to give this some serious thought now!

[Doug Campbell]

Probably the slickest thing I've seen in a while was one Doc shared a little while ago. A buddy had a bucket of water under his belt grinder which I'd tried and just got a cloud of dust and grit in my face. Well he puts dish soap in the water to break the surface tension then the dust and grit hits the water and stays.

This has done more that any one other thing I've seen in helping keep the mess down in my shop.

[Doug Campbell]

Here's one for you guys starting to grind your blades out of flat stock. It's helpful to mark a center line down the length of the blade edge. This makes it alot easier to keep everything straight and centered. Pretty much essential on forged blades like mine with a few dips and humps    There are a few tools that will work but this is the easiest I've come up with.

This is a regular carbide tipped scribe you can pick up lots of places. I ground one side flat ruducing the thickness maybe a third. I then lay the blade on my flat micarta block, which can be about anything slick and perfectly flat, and simply scratch a line around the blade. Turn the blade over and do the same thing again and you have it. I keep a couple of pieces of flat .020" thick stock handy for shimming different thickness of blade.
 
 

[JEFF B]

i use bamboo chop sticks for mixing glue and also they make good pins for knife handles. and the best thing of the lot is they are cheap but thats me i love cheap. or free