Shop Accessories
(Click on the photos for links)
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Flooring Tiles The number one thing I get asked about is my garage flooring. These hard plastic tiles snap together to create a floor is that is easy to clean, easy on the back and knees, really tough, and looks great. They help to smooth out uneven spots and liquids can pass under them.
Pushpin Magnets I use these in my Glowforge laser to hold down thin materials like wood veneer, paper, etc.
Rare Earth Magnets I use these all around my shop to keep small tools where I want them. For example I use them to attach small steel rulers to several of my machines so I always have them close at hand.
Parts Bin A very popular item. I got mine used but these are almost the same as the metal parts bins in my shop that I call "the hardware store". I keep screws, nuts, bolts and various other hardware organized in these bins so I can spend less time running to the actual store.
IsoTunes Ear Buds I just got these recently but I love them. The headphones I used to wear have been hurting my head lately so I wanted something in-ear. These bluetooth buds have 27 dB of noise reduction to shield you from machinery noise and make your music sound great.
Vinyl Strips I used these to control the dust from my miter saw. I use them like like curtains on my miter station and they keep the dust out of my face but still allow the saw to turn and tilt.
Articulating Lamp I've always liked this style of lamp for task lighting over my bench. I put a really bright, daylight-balanced LED bulb in mine.
Glue Bottle The "GluBot" brand glue bottle is much easier to use than off-the-shelf bottles. It prevents drips and comes with replaceable and customizable tips.
Lumber Rack Practical, easy to set up, sturdy, good looking way to store your lumber. You can set them as far apart as you like.
Instant C.A. Glue Starbond is basically super glue plus an accelerator that cures it instantly. Extremely useful stuff, and I always make sure to have several varieties on hand. It comes in thin, medium and thick, as well as clear, brown and black. Great for times when you need an instant bond, jig making, and even filling voids.
Accelerator This is the accelerator for the Starboard instant CA glue. As soon as you spray this on the glue cures within about 1 second. You can also put glue one side, accelerator on the other, and your pieces will stick immediately on contact.
Craft Paper This is the craft paper I use to cover my bench for glue-ups.
Silicone Mat This is actually sold as a pastry mat, but I use it to protect my bench when I know I will have a lot of glue squeeze-out. The glue just peels right off when it dries. They're fairly large (24x16) and come as a two-pack.
Double-Stick Tape MUST HAVE. Sold as "carpet tape", this is the tape I use for all of my router templates. It has just the right amount of holding but you can still get things apart when you need to. It doesn't leave a residue, but if a bit of tape stays on the surface, use the other wad of tape to pull it off. Here's a tip: use an exact knife to cut it and then after you stick it down, use the tip of the knife to peel the corner up on the paper backing.
Stretch Wrap Mostly used for packaging, but I use it to bundle things like dowels or trim pieces before I put them up one my lumber rack, so they aren't loose and falling all over the place.
LED Bulbs These are the LED replacements I have for fluorescent tube-style lights.
Shop Marker I love these Milwaukee "sharpies" for rough markings that are sharp but easy to see.
Craft Sticks Aka Popsicle sticks, I use them all the time as stir sticks, shims, prototypes, etc. and if you have kids they will love creating entire projects with them!
Re-Usable Glue Brush This silicone brush works great and is SO satisfying to peel dried glue out of. I also love that it comes with a glue pan and spreader for large surfaces.
Mechanical Pencils This is my main marking tool for fine lines. I buy these in bulk and put them all over my shop. I prefer the 0.7mm lead because it doesn't break as easily.
Wipe-On Poly You see me use a different brand in my videos because I can pick it up locally. But I've used General Finishes brand with exactly the same results and I love it. It is thinned polyurethane that wipes on SO smoothly with an old t-shirt cloth. Because it's thin, it takes several coats but they tend to dry quickly. Build it up until its perfect.
Bike Hangers Want a bigger garage? Get the bikes off the floor! These hangers use a pulley system to raise and lower bicycles from the ceiling. Its as easy as raising a window shade. I've customized mine by removing the hooks and replaced them with paracord + a clasp.
Air Hose Reel Its really nice to just pull your air hose down whenever you want to use a nail gun or blower. You can flip those around to mount on either a wall or ceiling.
Remote Switches I attach one of these to my belt loop whenever I'm in the shop to control my shop vac, HVLP sprayer, and lightning.
Torx Head Screws My number one used screw for everything from general construction to cabinetry. I will NEVER buy Philips head screws again. Pair these with an impact driver and its the end of stripped-out screw heads.
Backdrop Lowering System This is the hanging and lowering system for my photo backdrop. It allows you to easily raise and lower your "seamless paper" backdrop like a window blind.
Photo Backdrop In the photography industry its called "seamless paper." This will give you a professional look for capturing photos or video of your work. It's very long so if a section starts to show damage you can just cut it off and start fresh. But I can generally go a couple of years before I need to do that.
Carbide Razor Blades These razor blades have a carbide edge, and stay sharp about 10X longer than standard blades. Start using them in your box knife and you'll be impressed.
Micro Sander These micro sanders are really handy for smoothing and shaping tiny parts or hard-to-reach places. Just turn the tiny paper sanding belt to reveal a section of fresh sandpaper.
Allen Socket Set This Allen or "Hex Key" socket set is such an essential replacement for regular "L" shaped Allen wrenches. With an adapter, they connect to your impact driver or drill to make assembly much faster.
Sanding Drums If you don't have a spindle sander, these sanding drums can connect to a drill or drill press.
Assorted Dowels This variety pack of dowels is great to have on hand for dowel joinery and all kinds of other random purposes.
Router Bit Storage I've tried other styles but I like this closed-cell foam the best. The bits are easy to get in and out, and it comes with both 1/2" and 1/4" holes spread over the entire surface. It's also easy to cut if you need to customize it to fit in a drawer.
Disposable Brushes I use a re-usable brush whenever possible but for the right application, these disposable brushes are cheap enough not to worry about.
Intercom My garage does not have a door into the house. So these intercoms make it easy to communicate when "dinner's ready!" They plug in to a standard 110v outlet but use a radio signal to transmit and they seem to work great through several walls.
Small Post-It Notes I use these tiny sheets of paper as shims, mostly when I'm setting fine brass hinges. Some people use playing cards but these are thinner so you get even more control.
Paste Wax This is the wax I use as the final finish for most of my boxes and furniture. I usually by building up several layers of thin wipe-on polyurethane. But after the last layer I gently sand with used 400 grit sandpaper to remove any dust specs or imperfections. Then I polish with wax to end up with a surface that feels silky smooth.
Portable Parts Bin There are a few types of hardware that I keep in bins like this so I can bring them with me. My collection of pocket screws is one of them. This bin is very secure and makes it easy to see what's inside.
Digital Clock I like that this clock has a minimalist design and is easy to read to keep track of my time in the shop.
Pegboard Panels I don't have large sheets of pegboard but I do have these smaller panels strategically located around my shop. They have their own "stand off" pegs in the back so all you need to do is crew them to the wall or even a cabinet door.