I thought I’d post these two little shop helpers I recently made up. The first is something most have seen, but maybe a newbie can get some use out of it: A sandpaper cutter. I’m lazy, so I find myself using sandpaper longer than I should because cutting it to fit my sanding blocks is a bit of a pain. I got fed up with my own laziness and made this super simple sandpaper cutting jig:
It’s simply a piece of plywood with a hacksaw blade. The blade is raised up off of the plywood by some washers so that the sandpaper will fit under it easily. I drew a line on the plywood for the two types of sanding blocks that I’ve got. Now I just slide the sandpaper under the blade and rip it off. No more measuring or cutting with a box cutter or scissors. I can’t believe how much easier this is and I’m kicking myself for not doing it sooner.
The other little shop helper is a modification of a Black and Decker Workmate. In my little garage shop, space is at a premium and everything needs to be on wheels. So I set out to put a mobile base on my workmate and still make it collapsible. The base is a simple plywood platform with locking casters. I wrapped the base with a couple of 2×4s for rigidity and some 1/4” plywood for looks. I also added a larger 3/4” MDF top to the workmate. The top is attached with dowels that are glued to the MDF and sized for the holes in the workmate top.
I wheel this little thing all over the shop to hold pieces I’m milling, to help with glue ups, and to provide a small light duty assembly bench.
Hope it helps someone out. Thanks for looking.
Cory
-- The secret to getting ahead is getting started.
4 comments so far
Rick Dennington
home | projects | blog
2885 posts in 1360 days
#1 posted 614 days ago
AAHH….shop projects…...nothing like them…..we all need them, just a question of what we need as to what we build… I made a sandpaper cutter like yours about 4 years ago (just a tad different), and never looked back…. These things are as handy as a pocket on a shirt. I like the cart for the W.M, also. I have one, but hardly ever use it. In the beginning, I added a wide top on mine too, and I had my planer bolted to it. But it was too low, and killed my back, so I put it aside. But it’s there if I ever need it…...
-- " Don't ever wrestle a pig in a mudhole....he'll be having more fun than you..!!
flippedcracker
home | projects | blog
91 posts in 619 days
#2 posted 607 days ago
I just went through all your posts. They’ve really inspired me to organize my garageshop better. i love all the carts. Thanks for sharing everything.
Cory
home | projects | blog
704 posts in 1586 days
#3 posted 606 days ago
Thanks, Rick and flippedcracker. I appreciate the comments.
-- The secret to getting ahead is getting started.
AJswoodshop
home | projects | blog
1038 posts in 443 days
#4 posted 282 days ago
Nice! Always handy to have a extra table.
AJ
-- If I can do it.....so can you! -AJswoodshop
Have your say...