24 handy hints for your workshop

When you spill screws, nails, brads or other small metal parts on a dusty shop floor, pick them up in seconds, minus the dust. Screw an 8cm diameter pot magnet on the end of a wood dowel to create your ‘picker-upper.’ To use this tool, place an inside-out sandwich bag over the magnet and start sweeping the area. The hardware will leap up to the powerful magnet as you ‘sweep’ the floor. To unload and bag the metal pieces in one quick step, just pull the bag off the magnet.

When I’m on a jobsite where time is money and I need to make a couple of cuts on the miter saw I measure my cuts from both ends of the board. I only need to take out my tape measure and pencil once. Over the course of a day, that time saved adds up. – Travis Larson

Learn how to get the measure of any DIY job, big or small.

Create a quick disposable dustpan out of an aluminium pie plate. Use tin snips or heavy-duty scissors to cut the pie plate in half. Sweep up the mess and toss it in the bin!

Here’s a nifty way to cut PVC pipe on the fly. Just make a couple of notches in the top of a large bucket. Set the pipe in the notches and you’ve got a stable spot for sawing. As a bonus, you can load up the bucket and carry your tools along, too!

Check out these 8 storage solutions using PVC piping

Tired of waiting for finish to dry on one side before finishing the other side? You can purchase standoffs, but it’s also really easy to make them yourself. Simply drive 50mm drywall screws through 50mm x 50mm squares of 20mm thick stock. The screw points will leave a divot in the finish that can be touched up later, but I always let the back side of my project rest on the screws while the finish dries.

Here’s a way to joint or shape work pieces that are too small to hold in a vise. Flip a hand plane upside down and clamp it in your bench vise. Now you can pass the wood over the plane to joint the edge.

Discover 4 types of wood joints every woodworker should know.

Make a rust-preventing pouch for your toolbox with a scoop of silica crystal kitty litter, a piece of breathable fabric and a zip tie. Toss it in your toolbox to keep out excess moisture and protect your prized possessions.

Stop paint splatter when you re-seal a paint can lid by covering it with a rag or paper towel. Then place a wood block just larger than the diameter of the paint can across the lid and hammer the centre of the block. Rotate the block a few times, hammering the centre each time, to seal the lid without damaging the top of the can.

Here are 26 faster And neater painting tricks.

If you enjoy working with hardwoods, you know how important it is to lubricate screws. It’ll make driving the fasteners easier and reduces the amount of heat produced. But what if you don’t have a bar of soap or a pile of beeswax nearby? Reach for your tube of Chap Stick! The lip balm does a fine job of lubricating screws – and it fits in your pocket.

This simple and inexpensive hauler is perfect for transporting loads of lumber or heavy tools around the workshop. Add a bit of reinforcement to the pallet first; then install four swivelling casters, one at each corner. You’ll wonder why you didn’t make a pallet dolly sooner!

Make a DIY bed from pallets.