More Useful Stuff

My wife uses them on fabric when she's sewing. has a special plastic cutting sheet she picked up at the fabric store. S'posed to 'heal' itself from the cut. I don't know just saying.
 
OK so you can get them at most hobby\sewing store do not recall the price but I think it was Joann fabrics I got mine from. Pretty simple one could make it easy enough.
All that said here are some pics.20150513_100307.jpg20150513_100145.jpg20150513_100124.jpgany questions just ask it is 2 sided corse and fine grit just put the blade in the arbor snug it up press it against the grit and twist.
Mark
 
I use soft wood card board some times dense Styrofoam.
Mark
 
I use bounty in the shop as well, but I only get to use most of them once, then the mouse uses them. I use a rotary cutter for my leather work, slices through leather like butter.
 
A mat now thanks to the wife.
 
They make special plastic mats of various sizes usually sold in craft/sewing stores.
 
good safety tip,, thanks




Rangemaster1 said:
Of all the tools I have, one of my most useful is a roll of paper towels. Sure, I use a lot of rags, but the least expensive and safest cleaning rag is paper which easily tears, and won't drag my hand into a spinning chuck. It readily sucks up oil and swarf and can be easily recycled. I buy the cheapest towels I can find, and I buy in bulk, usually from Costco. I have them in three different locations in my shop, so I'm not running all over to get one. They last a long time and I don't need to mess with cost of washing dirty, greasy rags.

Another useful tool I've found is a rotary cutter used by our ladies for quilting and other fabric trimming. I use it to cut up old worn clothing for use as rags. Rotary cutters make cutting fabric a breeze. You can make great rags from any fabric in no time. I hope this is helpful for someone.

Happy machining.

Ron
Click to expand...
 
I have a friend who keeps a roll of TP next to his mill. When he has a critical setup and can't allow ANY bits of crud to get between the work piece and the setup hardware, he uses what I think of as the "medical" technique. Instead of back-and-forth scrubbing, he takes a small wad of TP, wipes once in one direction, discards. Gets another small wad, etc. Repeats as often as necessary to cover the area in question. The TP is certainly cheap enough!

PS - maybe a bit off-topic, but a useful safety tip ... I don't have one of those specialized metal safety containers for oily rags. But here in Arizona's heat, I'm VERY concerned about spontaneous combustion!

I re-use the wide-mouthed jugs that kitty litter comes in. I fill the empty jug about 1/2 to 2/3 full of SOAPY water. The opening is large enough to easily add the oily paper towels. The soap in the water helps it soak in. If the towels accumulate above the water, it's a simple matter to screw the lid on and give the container a shake. When it's full, I seal the jug and drop it in the household trash.
 
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Rangemaster1 said:
Of all the tools I have, one of my most useful is a roll of paper towels. Sure, I use a lot of rags, but the least expensive and safest cleaning rag is paper which easily tears, and won't drag my hand into a spinning chuck. It readily sucks up oil and swarf and can be easily recycled. I buy the cheapest towels I can find, and I buy in bulk, usually from Costco. I have them in three different locations in my shop, so I'm not running all over to get one. They last a long time and I don't need to mess with cost of washing dirty, greasy rags.

Another useful tool I've found is a rotary cutter used by our ladies for quilting and other fabric trimming. I use it to cut up old worn clothing for use as rags. Rotary cutters make cutting fabric a breeze. You can make great rags from any fabric in no time. I hope this is helpful for someone.

Happy machining.

Ron
Click to expand...

I have a rail mounted between two end posts hanging from underneath a wall cupboard near the end of the lathe, and I have two paper rolls on the rail. One is "bog roll" with tear-off sections which are small and finely textured. The other is kitchen towel which is bigger and coarser. They are both absolutely indispensable (yeah - joke - sorry) for keeping the lathe and mill clean. I go through them at a fair rate, so I only buy the cheaper brands. The cheap kitchen rolls have a rough texture, which is ideal. I buy my own supplies and store them in the workshop (because everything else gets "borrowed" if the household run out). If I am doing woodturning and using paper against the wood, I use the special (expensive) paper guaranteed to tear instantly if it snatches. It's amazing how quickly paper can pull your hand into the work, even if you are strong enough to tear the paper. It's all about reaction speed (or lack of it) I guess.
 
I like the idea of TP in the shop. I keep using Kleenex and that stuff isn't cheap. I think I'll start keeping a roll at my bench.

I keep a five gallon plastic bucket in my lathe/mill area for recycling paper and metal shavings. I leave the top open. Easier to just toss stuff in and I don't need to worry about spontaneous combustion. When it gets full, it goes into the big waste barrel for weekly pickup.
 
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