{"id":35861,"date":"2020-04-16T09:00:36","date_gmt":"2020-04-16T16:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/?p=35861"},"modified":"2020-04-13T11:05:45","modified_gmt":"2020-04-13T18:05:45","slug":"lego-centering-jig","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/lego-centering-jig\/","title":{"rendered":"LEGO Centering Jig"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve been getting a great response to\u00a0last issue\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0query about favorite print DIY magazines and mail order catalogs (see some below). The\u00a0search continues<\/a>!<\/p>\n

LEGO Centering Jig<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"It's

It’s two. Two. Two tips in one.<\/p><\/div>\n

Arthur Tait writes on the FB\u00a0Shop Hacks group<\/a>: \u201cTwo tricks for the price of one photo. Center finder made of LEGO. Works well. Rare earth magnets taped to pencils. Stick the pencils everywhere around the shop. I have no hair left, so my pencil doesn\u2019t stay behind my big ears anymore. I stuck a little bit of metal to my cap above my ear and now it\u2019s like the good old hairy days of yore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Getting a Handle on Your Files<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"It

It can’t fulfill its full tool destiny without a handle.<\/p><\/div>\n

In this recent Cool Tools video<\/a>, Sean Ragan makes the case for why you need to get a handle<\/a> on those nekkid file tangs. He even designs and 3D prints his own handle (and includes the STL file).<\/p>\n

Making an Awl from an Old Drill Bit<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Awl

Awl you need is a drill bit.<\/p><\/div>\n

I love\u00a0projects like this\u00a0<\/a>for making simple, everyday tools. You need a lathe to make a handle like this, but if you don\u2019t have one, you could buy or reuse an existing handle. I\u2019ve never thought of repurposing an old, dull bit like this.<\/p>\n

Toys!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Increasing

Increasing your reach.<\/p><\/div>\n

For my tool recommendation this week, I wanted to think of a tool that\u2019s been a trusty companion for decades and my eyes immediately landed on my\u00a0Swingline long reach heavy duty stapler<\/a>. I\u2019ve had this beast since the 1980s when I had a graphic design business. I\u2019ve use it to saddle stitch countless booklets and newsletters and to bind my early 1990s zine,\u00a0Going Gaga<\/em>. Because of my heavy involvement in zine publishing in the 90s, people getting into zine-making today often ask me what tools they need. Besides a computer and a printer, you basically need a desktop\u00a0guillotine paper cutter<\/a>\u00a0and one of these and you\u2019re well on your way to being your own press.<\/p>\n

Life Hacks<\/strong><\/p>\n

Padma Lakshmi demonstrates how to fold and close a bag of chips without the need of a bulldog clip or rubber band. This could obviously be used on any type of similar bag. Via\u00a0Boing Boing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Shop Talk<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"machinestcover\"<\/p>\n

Here are some of the print catalogs and DIY magazines that readers say they enjoy.\u00a0More<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Earl Adams:<\/strong><\/p>\n

ARC Magazine\u00a0<\/a>– Free welding magazine from Lincoln Electric – excellent articles about interesting people, welding tips, and projects.<\/p>\n

WAWAK<\/a>\u00a0– Monthly catalog of top-quality sewing supplies, thread, zippers, scissors, etc. at good prices.\u00a0Excellent customer service.\u00a0Well worth signing up for.<\/p>\n

Springfield Leather\u00a0<\/a>– Industrial sewing machine catalog. Good suggestions and information on sewing machinery & supplies.<\/p>\n

Rex Burkheimer:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Home Shop Machinist\u00a0<\/a>and\u00a0Machinist\u2019s Workshop<\/a>\u00a0from Village Press. High-quality magazines for the hobby machinist.\u00a0Workshop<\/em>\u00a0is the more advanced of the two. Each is issued on alternate months, six issues per year each. Worth every penny to subscribe.<\/p>\n

Adam Palmer:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Harken catalog<\/a>. It\u2019s sailing gear, mostly blocks and running gear, but there are a lot of interesting attachment devices and ways to increase purchase that are useful beyond sailing.<\/p>\n

<\/div><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gareth’s Tips, Tools, and Shop Tales – Issue #42<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[2371],"tags":[2372],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35861"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35861"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35861\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35868,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35861\/revisions\/35868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}