{"id":36527,"date":"2020-07-02T09:00:25","date_gmt":"2020-07-02T16:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/?p=36527"},"modified":"2020-06-30T14:22:01","modified_gmt":"2020-06-30T21:22:01","slug":"using-clamps-to-spread-things-apart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/using-clamps-to-spread-things-apart\/","title":{"rendered":"Using Clamps to Spread Things Apart"},"content":{"rendered":"

Using Clamps to Spread Things Apart<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Turning

Turning a clamp into a spreader bar.<\/p><\/div>\n

In this\u00a0\u201cOne Day Build\u201d video<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0Tested<\/em>, where Adam Savage is upgrading a rickety workbench, he shares a great tip. You can use\u00a0Quick-Grip-type bar clamps<\/a>\u00a0to spread objects apart, too. To do this, all you need to do is reverse the sliding clamp on the bar so it\u2019s moving away from the fixed clamp.<\/p>\n

Lazy Susans in the Shop and in Projects<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Taking

Taking your tools for a spin.<\/p><\/div>\n

More Savage content. In\u00a0this video<\/a>, Adam talks about his love of swivel bearings (aka lazy Susans).\u00a0Cheap aluminum models<\/a>\u00a0are great for low-weight applications, but if you want to rotate something heavy, you need a heavy duty swivel. Adam extols the virtues of the\u00a0Rockler Heavy-Duty Swivel Bearing<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a06″ HD Swivel Bearing<\/a>. But, it looks like you can get\u00a0much cheaper<\/a>, highly user-rate heavy-duty (1000 pound capacity) swivels, too.<\/p>\n

Cool Trick for Avoiding Splitting Soft Wood<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Back

Back ‘at thang up.<\/p><\/div>\n

Here\u2019s a cool trick from the\u00a0Toolbxapp IGram<\/a>\u00a0page. If you\u2019re drilling into soft wood that would normally require drilling a pilot hole to avoid splitting, you can use the reverse pilot hole trick instead. First, sink your screw as normal, but only until it bites well into the wood. Now, reverse the drill and apply downward pressure to force the screw in most of the way. Then, re-set the drill to forward drilling and drive the screw home. No splitting. Neat!<\/p>\n

Getting More from Your Random Orbital Sander<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Look

Look at those adorable… I mean annoying “pigtails.”<\/p><\/div>\n

This\u00a0Stumpy Nubs video<\/a>\u00a0has some great tips on overcoming problems with an orbital sander, like patiently stepping through several incremental grits when sanding to remove spirals and pigtails and using high-quality paper as it\u2019s less likely to tear and create pigtails. He also recommends using an\u00a0abrasive cleaning stick<\/a>\u00a0to extend the life of your disks. Oh, and another tip: Store your sander with a sanding pad on it. Otherwise, over time, the weight of the tool will begin to flatten the nylon Velcro hooks on the bottom that hold the disks in place.<\/p>\n

Step Bit Shoot-Out<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Putting

Putting step bits through their paces.<\/p><\/div>\n

On the always informative\u00a0Project Farm<\/em>, Todd does his usual admirably rigorous testing, this time on step bits. He tests a wide range of bits, from one costing under $7, all the way up to $50. In the end, the\u00a0DeWalt Step Bit<\/a>\u00a0($43) did best over all, but the\u00a0Temo bit<\/a>\u00a0was a close second. He lists the Temo bit at $30, $13 cheaper than the DeWalt. Sadly, Amazon offers this bit at the same price as the DeWalt (so. shop around to find it cheaper).<\/p>\n

Maker’s Muse<\/strong>
\n\"laptopbackdrop\"
\nI\u2019ve written about folks using their laptop screen as a light table for tracing. Here\u2019s another great off-book use (from the\u00a0Tiny Furniture IGram page<\/a>) \u2013 using your screen as a photo backdrop for small items.
\n\"laptopbackdrop2\"<\/p>\n

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

\"Squeezing

Squeezing out every ounce.<\/p><\/div>\n

On\u00a0Cool Tools<\/a>, reader\u00a0LarryA2010<\/a>\u00a0responded to my item about using binder clips for hanging paint tubes and similar items (GTTST #49<\/a>):
\nThe only things missing from\u00a0<\/em>Sarah Bentley\u2019s<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0tube board are some some\u00a0<\/em>Stainless Tube Toothpaste Squeezer Keys<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and a $9 knock-off\u00a0<\/em>Squeeze Roller Metal Tube Wringer<\/em><\/a>. They both squeeze every last drop out of your tubes and are pretty good looking.<\/em><\/p>\n

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

Gareth’s Tips, Tools, and Shop Tales – Issue #52<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13684,"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\/36527"}],"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\/13684"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36527"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36527\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36539,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36527\/revisions\/36539"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}