Some of the most useful workshop accessories are the ones you make yourself. A couple of dowels and a piece of rope can create a movable paper towel holder, while a steel screw can help prepare hardwood for delicate brass hinge screws.
In this collection of Woodsmith Quick Tips, four readers share clever ways to improve workbench organization, install hardware, secure pegboard storage, and measure epoxy.
1. Make a Portable Paper Towel Holder for Your Workbench
Paper towels come in handy for cleaning up glue squeeze-out, wiping down tools, and handling other small messes around the shop. But a wall-mounted holder isn't always close to where you're working.
Jeff Hougman of Denver, Colorado, came up with a portable holder that can move around his workbench.
He uses two dowels and a length of rope to support a roll of paper towels. The arrangement gives him two ways to position the holder: He can anchor it in the round dog holes on his workbench or secure it in his bench vise.
That means he can move the roll to whichever part of the bench he's using, rather than walking back and forth to a fixed dispenser.
Woodsmith Tip: Size the dowels to fit your bench dog holes and arrange the rope so the roll hangs securely. If you're using the vise, tighten it just enough to hold the dowel without crushing it.
Shop tip submitted by Jeff Hougman, Denver, Colorado.
2. Use a Steel Screw to Prepare Threads for Brass Hinge Screws
Brass screws look great with traditional hinges, but their relatively soft heads can be damaged or snapped during installation—especially when driving them into dense hardwood.
Peter Sherrill of Forestville, Wisconsin, found a way to prepare the screw holes before installing his brass hardware.
He epoxies a steel screw to a Phillips driver bit, creating a dedicated tool for forming threads in the wood. After drilling an appropriately sized pilot hole, he drives the steel screw into the hardwood to establish the threads.
Once the threads are formed, Peter backs out the steel screw and installs the softer brass screw in the prepared hole.
This reduces the amount of force needed to drive the brass screw and helps protect its head.
Woodsmith Tip: Use a steel screw with the same thread size and pitch as the brass screw, and drill the pilot hole to suit the wood and screw. Let the epoxy cure fully before using the homemade tool. A little screw lubricant can also help during final installation.
Shop tip submitted by Peter Sherrill, Forestville, Wisconsin.
3. Keep Long Pegboard Hooks from Pulling Out
Pegboard is a convenient way to organize tools, but long hooks can sometimes lift out of the board when you remove an item.
Jerry Renken of Spokane, Washington, uses a small aluminum tube to make those hooks more secure.
He slips the tube over the hook's center peg, effectively extending it. The extra length allows him to install a peg lock strap that holds the hook in place.
With the strap installed, the hook is less likely to pull loose during everyday use.
It's a small modification that can make existing pegboard storage more convenient.
Woodsmith Tip: Select tubing that fits snugly over the hook's center peg and works with your peg lock strap. Make sure the hook remains fully seated in the pegboard before loading it with tools.
Shop tip submitted by Jerry Renken, Spokane, Washington.
4. Use Graph Paper as a Visual Guide for Mixing Epoxy
Mixing a small batch of epoxy can be tricky when you don't need enough to justify using a graduated mixing cup.
Phil Huber of Urbandale, Iowa, uses graph paper as a visual reference when measuring epoxy components.
He dispenses the resin and hardener into separate puddles and uses the grid to compare their sizes. For the equal-volume epoxy he's using, matching the puddles provides a quick visual guide to the amount of each component.
The graph paper can be reused when protected from the epoxy.
Woodsmith Tip: This method is appropriate only when the epoxy manufacturer's specified mixing ratio and measuring method allow it. Some epoxies require unequal proportions or measurement by weight, and similarly sized puddles aren't a precise substitute for measuring. For reliable curing, follow the product instructions and use graduated cups or a scale when required.
Shop tip submitted by Phil Huber, Urbandale, Iowa.
Clever Shop Accessories from Everyday Materials
These four reader-submitted tips show how small modifications can make woodworking tasks more convenient. A movable paper towel holder keeps cleanup supplies close by, a steel screw prepares hardwood for brass hardware, an aluminum tube helps secure pegboard hooks, and graph paper provides a visual reference when measuring compatible epoxy.
Each idea makes use of simple materials to solve a specific problem in the shop.
