[dorkbotdc-blabber] Make: Online Toolbox

[Jason Schlauch]

Dental Tools: I use them most often for scraping grime or paint from
screw heads so a driver will fit.  They have also proved themselves
worthy in various other cleaning tasks as well as part disassembly and
assembly.

Plastic pry bars: Good for disassembling relatively "soft" items
(iPods, laptop bezels, dashboards, cameras) without marring them.
Google "plastic pry bar".

Air compressor/tools: Buying even a modest air compressor gives you
access to a wide range of tools that will themselves become
indispensable.

Clamps: Go to Harbor Freight and stock up with an amount and variety
that seems unreasonable at the time.  It won't seem unreasonable
later.

Dremel Stylus: This has become my go-to tool for ad-hoc cutting,
shaping, and cleaning.

"Universal Work Holder": This thing: http://tinyurl.com/are4lg   It
keeps fingers away from the business end of a Dremel, gives you extra
grip on smaller items, and still allows you to move the work piece
around.  You can also unscrew the handle and use it to clamp odd
shaped items in your bench vice.

Cordless Impact Driver: I got a refurbished DeWalt impact driver and
love it.  It's not for dainy projects (get a smaller LiOn driver for
that) but it puts large screws through lumber like bullets through
butter.




On Fri, Feb 27, 2009 at 4:25 AM, Gareth Branwyn
<garethbranwyn at comcast.net> wrote:
> Hello Gareth's Brain Trust
>
> For my next Make: Online Toolbox column, I want to do 5-10 tools that you
> didn't know you couldn't live without until you've lived with them -- or um,
> something like that. The basic idea is tools that become an indispensable
> part of your workflow once you discover them. They can be anything from a
> modest tool (solder tip cleaning genie) to something more substantial (a
> laser cutter).
>
> What are some of your candidates?
>
> So as not to unnecessarily burden your in-box, my next column after that
> will be on jigs, rigs, and clamps. What are some of your favorite third
> hands around the shop?
>
>
> Thanks so much for your input. Always appreciated. If I use your
> suggestions, I will provide links 'o love back to your websites.
>
>
> Gareth
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