Unusual Uses Of Woodworking Tools

[Bill Space]

Some years ago we stopped by a friend's house one afternoon to find him doing yard work. He was edging the grass next to flowerbeds by his house. The edge of the grass was curved nicely and I doubt anyone could have done it better.

This is guy is a PHD that holds various patents and is certainly no dummy.

His tool of choice to do the edging: A standard circular saw!

Pretty funny at the time, but actually a good example of thinking outside the box.

Anyone else ever run into someone using a woodworking tool in a way you never would have thought of?

I still laugh when the mental image of him sitting on the grass with the circular nearby pops into my memory!

Bill

[cody michael]

I ripped some pieces of vynil siding with my tables away for the shed I built.

[Max Neu]

I hate to admit it,but I have used various tools(cordless drill,air nailer) in place of a hammer.

[Mike Schuch]

I was building a retaining wall and had several heavy concrete retaining wall blocks to cut. I used my 7.5hp Redstar RAS with a concrete abrasive blade to score the blocks. They then split exactly where I wanted them to with the slightest tap from a hammer and chisel. I use same RAS quite a bit to cut PVC pipe (with my cheap 16"blade).

My geared head WalkerTurner 5hp RAS is dedicated to metal cutting with a nice heavy steel table and a couple different vices bolted to the table. I just couldn't let that poor Walker Turner rot away on someones car pourch so I paid $50 for it and spent a month restoring it.

My 18V Dewalt drill with a "Revolver" brush is the best tool ever for cleaning the soap scumm out of the shower!

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[Matt Day]

Similar to Mike, I had some calcium buildup in the bottom of a toilet that I couldn't get off. Bought a cheap bowl brush, cut the handle partly off, and chucked it in the drill. Worked good, but still didn't get the grime off.

[russell lusthaus]

I use my cordless drill to make ice fishing holes.

Russ

[Wes Ramsey]

I hate to admit it,but I have used various tools(cordless drill,air nailer) in place of a hammer.

I heard a quote recently - if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. In this case I think that quote deserves a twist: if all you have are nails, everything looks like a hammer :)

I'm guilty of this as well as other tool offenses. My very first use for my new Grizzly G0513X2 bandsaw was to notch the back corner of a plastic shower step I installed for the wife over the weekend. I also use buffing wheels on my lathe to polish scratches out of CDs/DVDs (works better than you'd believe!) and I've been known to use ratchet straps as clamps and wrenches when the 'right' tool is not one I own.

[Jim Sevey]

Our mixer broke. The motor burned up most likely from being overloaded during some mashed potato mashing. I brought my cordless drill in (after blowing it off and wiping it with one of my cleanest shop towels) and chucked up a single beater in it. Smoothest mashed potatos ever...with power to spare.

[mreza Salav]

Had some tiles cut with water jet machine for backsplash in our kitchen, used my edge sander (with fine grit) to give micro bevel to the cut edges and smooth the sharp edge.

[John Gornall]

Daughter let a pot go dry and burn. Scrubbing didn't do it. Took the pot to my shop, dropped a green abrasive pad in it, put the random orbit sander on that and left it running. The sander wandered around the pot and in 15 min the pot was like new.

Going back to trimming the lawn with a circular saw. My neighbor had an old 12 inch saw blade. He laid out and drilled 3 holes. Then he drilled matching holes in the wheel of his reel type lawnmower and bolted the blade to the wheel and proceeded to trim his lawn. He would hold back so the wheels were spinning and it worked quite well.

[Jak Kelly]

I have used a saw-z-all to cut roots out when removing a stump, beats using an ax, especially when there are lots of rocks. Most likely will ruin a blade.

[Earl McLain]

I have used a saw-z-all to cut roots out when removing a stump, beats using an ax, especially when there are lots of rocks. Most likely will ruin a blade.

I've done the same for digging post holes. Then i discovered it was faster to hone the edges of my post hole diggers. Now i save the reciprocating saw for roots bigger than an inch or so.
earl

[Rick Potter]

Nothin' better than my 18V Makita sawsall for trimming branches up to three inches or so. Use a special blade for tree trimming I got at Lowes.

[Erik Loza]

I hate to admit it,but I have used various tools(cordless drill,air nailer) in place of a hammer.

Hahaha, glad I am not the only one who has done that.


I have used a saw-z-all to cut roots out when removing a stump...

Nothin' better than my 18V Makita sawsall for trimming branches up to three inches or so.

+3... The Sawzall is BY FAR my favorite tool to use for anything. Branches, roots, cutting off metal fence posts to the ground, etc. I feel like a surgeon with his scalpel with that thing.

Anyone ever use an old chisel as a pry bar? The sharp edge gets into crevices that the regular pry bar can't.

Erik

[Jeffrey Martel]

Anyone ever use an old chisel as a pry bar? The sharp edge gets into crevices that the regular pry bar can't.

Erik

I discovered that my neighbor thinks that is their primary purpose. Secondary purpose is to open paint cans. He handed me one where I think the sides were sharper than the front when we were building a fence.

[Dave Cullen]

I have cut the bone of a spiral ham with a coping saw so it would fit in the oven. Have also cut beef marrow bones for making soup base on my bandsaw. Makes a helluva mess.

[keith wootton]

i used a hirsch mortise chisel to remove deteriorating 1x6 redwood expansion joints between shop wall and floor.took a whole day. ow!

[Jesse Busenitz]

our mixer broke. The motor burned up most likely from being overloaded during some mashed potato mashing. I brought my cordless drill in (after blowing it off and wiping it with one of my cleanest shop towels) and chucked up a single beater in it. Smoothest mashed potatos ever...with power to spare.


:D:D:D rotfl

[Frederick Skelly]

His tool of choice to do the edging: A standard circular saw!

My old auntie used to use a hatchet. No kidding. So this doesn't seem as strange to me as it might to others.

[Mike Schuch]

I have used a saw-z-all to cut roots out when removing a stump, beats using an ax, especially when there are lots of rocks. Most likely will ruin a blade.

Oh yeah, cordless sawzall for Christmas tree hunting in the woods (Oregon with a Christmas tree permit... we usually bag our limit!)

[Allan Speers]

I once had to go to a friend's wedding, with a 3-day beard, and had run out of razor blades.

I briefly considered using my Bosch oscillating tool, :eek: but luckily I came to my senses. :)

[Wade Lippman]

I use my Dewalt jigsaw to cut pills in quarters. Works great for that; while I have have found very little use for it as a woodworking tool.

[Brian Tymchak]

Some years ago we stopped by a friend's house one afternoon to find him doing yard work. He was edging the grass next to flowerbeds by his house. The edge of the grass was curved nicely and I doubt anyone could have done it better.

His tool of choice to do the edging: A standard circular saw!



Certainly thinking out of the box, but I'd sure hate to hit a rock with that setup..

[Matt Krusen]

This is one of the funniest threads I've read in a while. In regards to the using a random tool as a hammer thing, has anyone else ever looked at something that needs a little encouragement with a hammer and thought "That won't take much force, I'll just use my fist."? Terrible idea... Don't ask how I know.

[Prashun Patel]

Very timely thread!

For the past few years I've been a hit at my kids' elementary school's pumpkin carving night.

My cordless drill and mortar mixing attachment has made quick work of cleaning out the inside.

And while I won't let the kids use it, a drywall saw cuts a toothy smile very efficiently.

[John Gornall]

Forstner bits work great in pumpkins!

[Dave Cullen]

A Dremmel with a wire wheel will take cured epoxy off your skin... of course, it takes a bit of skin too if you're not careful.

[Tony Leonard]

I have a B&D Edge Hog. If you look real close, it is a circular saw on a stick with wheels! Works great!

[Keith Weber]

Not specifically a woodworking tool, but... I had a roommate about 25 years ago asked me if he could borrow my toolbox to work on his car. I pointed him to my truck keys and said my toolbox was in the cab. After about 20 minutes, I was curious what he was up to, so I went outside to see. He was using my nicest screwdriver as a cold chisel with a hammer to knock out the door lock out of his door after his key broke off inside it. That was the last day that I ever let anyone borrow my tools. I still have that screwdriver in my box to remind me why.

So as not to come across like the selfish kid in the sandbox that won't let anyone touch his toys, I do offer to come over with my tools and give the guy a hand if I'm asked about lending out a tool by someone I don't trust. They usually like that better anyway.

[Pat Barry]

I use my cordless drill to make ice fishing holes.

Russ


Lets hear more about that

[Dave Cav]

Our mixer broke. The motor burned up most likely from being overloaded during some mashed potato mashing. I brought my cordless drill in (after blowing it off and wiping it with one of my cleanest shop towels) and chucked up a single beater in it. Smoothest mashed potatos ever...with power to spare.

BTDT. Years ago the inlaws were over for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner and the power went out. The turkey was about done; the woodstove worked fine to run the pressure cooker to cook the potatoes and other vegetables, and the cordless drill worked great for mashing potatoes.

I use my smaller band saw all the time to cut rawhide dog chews into smaller pieces. The dogs love to sniff around the sawdust. Ya gotta be careful cutting those things though, one snagged once and rotated my finger into the blade. Took about three stitches to clean that one up.

[Mike Schuch]

Very timely thread!

For the past few years I've been a hit at my kids' elementary school's pumpkin carving night.

My cordless drill and mortar mixing attachment has made quick work of cleaning out the inside.

And while I won't let the kids use it, a drywall saw cuts a toothy smile very efficiently.

I have brought my cordless drill with various sized drills and hole saws to pumpkin carving night. A couple 1" ~ 1 1/2" holes make great eyes and marshmallows colored with markers make much better pupils than just leaving some pumpkin flesh for pupils. I will help many of the kids drill their own holes (I hold the drill and they squeeze the trigger). One year my daughter used several 1/4" holes about 1/2" deep to give her pumpkin a bad case of acne. After a couple weeks it looked even more realistic!

I never thought of a mortar mixer for cleaning out pumpkins though... thaT is GENIUS! Any tricks you want to share? What style mortar mixer do you use... I have 3 or 4 of various styles I have collected over the years. I would love to see a video!!!!

[Bill Ryall]

Cordless drill and hole saws for carving pumpkins.

Most recently SWMBO's wooden meat tenderizer mallet thingy broke as she was preparing a big dinner. 20oz leather handled Estwing straight claw hammer was substituted. She was NOT amused when she saw what I was doing... (but I cleaned it and wrapped the head in plastic first)

[Mike Schuch]

Most recently SWMBO's wooden meat tenderizer mallet thingy broke as she was preparing a big dinner. 20oz leather handled Estwing straight claw hammer was substituted. She was NOT amused when she saw what I was doing... (but I cleaned it and wrapped the head in plastic first)

I WOULD NOT BE AMUSED EITHER!!! Everyone knows THIS is the correct tool for tenderizing meat!

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;)

Or THIS if my Ex is doing the cooking!
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I have often considered making tires out of her chicken breasts. I know such a set of tires would easily outlast any automobile ever made! I don't know how on earth you can vulcanize chicken breasts... but she does... and she can do it very consistently!

[Tom Stenzel]

Lets hear more about that

It's more common than you think, I know several people that do it. Once my work supervisor was drilling a hole in the ice like that. Except when the auger went through it popped out of the chuck. As far as I know it's still on the bottom of Lake St. Clair!

-tom