Shop Apron

[Buddy Forshee]

Does anyone wear a shop apron? What are the pros and cons? Thanks!

[Mike Evertsen]

aprons and shop coats are good for keeping saw dust,,stain and glue off your clothes,,,I don't have one but thinking about getting one the last few years,,,

[Dave Richards]

I like wearing an apron in the shop. It does help keep sawdust and stuff off your clothes but I like having the pockets. My ears tick out too far for me to keep a pencil behind one. :p

My favorite apron came from the WoodenBoat store but SWMBO managed to shrink it in the wash and I'm now using one from Rockler because it was free a few weeks back.

[Wolf Kiessling]

Can't think of any cons but the pros are that it helps keep finishes off the clothing and most of the dust, chips and shavings. Some of the wood residue still gets behind the apron but most of it is caught. The advantage is that when I go into the house, I take the apron off and most of the residue stays in the shop.

I bought the largest one I could find, I believe it was from Woodcraft, but I wanted a still bigger one. SWMBO used that one as a pattern, when it was worn out, then expanded that and made me a larger one. Having the extra pocket is useful occasionally but it is just a minor convenience (for me).

[Ed Marks]

I wear one when I'm dealing with a lot of small tools. Things like marking guages, short rulers, pencils, marking knives, small combo square, remote for DC, small block plane, etc. all fit in the pockets really well and keep me from spells of CRS (can't remember stuff) whe I can't find the tool that was in my hand 30 seconds ago.

If you're shopping for one get one that does not hang only from your neck. Many connect the straps that go around your mid section to the neck peice. That way you don't have the neck strap digging into your neck all day.

I can't think of too many cons.

[Todd Burch]

I used to wear one all the time. It was a leather welder's apron from Grainger. No pockets though. I would have liked at least a pencil pocket. After wearing it for a few years, I finally made the connection that the reason all my tshirts were stained on the belly was because of the dye in the leather. I would sweat and my shirts would pick up the dull, dingy yellow/brown dye that the leather was treated with. Wearing just the stained tshirt pulled too much attention to my belly, not to mention they all looked dirty. I haven't worn an apron in 3 or more years now. If I did wear one again, and I would if I found one I liked, it would have a pencil sized pencil pouch, and a larger single or dual front pouch I would use for primarily for my tape measure, my 6" steel rule and dust collector remote.

Todd.

[Brad Hammond]

Does anyone wear a shop apron? What are the pros and cons? Thanks!


i wear one. i used to wear one from lee valley, but i'd recenlty found a "super bib" from amazon.com in pigeon forge and i like it alot. more pockets. the only mod i'd make to the super bib is that it doesnt have flaps over the pockets like the lee valley. chips and such get in the pockets.

brad

[Jim Shaver, Oakville Ont]

Hi,

I wear an apron from Lee valley, I store what I need like a 6" measure and a pencil in it, It keeps me clean too.

Take care,
Jim

[Wes Bischel]

I wear a leather apron with a rough suede like finish on it. I picked it up years ago from AMT. I agree with the comment on the neck strap - try to get one with the additional straps especially if you like to load up your pockets. I find it keeps me cleaner and allows me to work without fear of getting glue etc. on my clothes - since I do all of the laundry, this is very important!

Wes

[Julie Wright]

I wear one from HF. The price is was right and there ar e lots of pockets. Its nice to attempt to keep your clothes cleaner and also very nice to have all those pockets for those small hard to find tools.

Now where did I put that pencil??? :)

[Mike Mastin]

I purchased one from Duluth Trading Company and wear it quite often now. I has shoulder straps and a locking clasp that is attached on the side near the hip. It is not too hot and is very comfortable. I am so disorganized without it. I was always looking for my tape measure, pencil, etc before I got the apron. And it does a pretty good job of keeping me cleaner too.

[Russ Filtz]

Ditto for the cleanliness and tool holding, but another important aspect of an apron is protection! It can help prevent bumps, bruises, scratches, etc. and can really help in a kickback situation (esp. the leather ones). Kind of like a bulletproof vest.

[Howard Rosenberg]

it bugged my neck and I caught it on everything.
Now I use TYVEK coveralls but the zippers don't last - I think I'm going to buy cotton jumpsuits like auto mechanics wear to keep the dust off my clothing - some have pockets everywhere.
Howard

[Ted Shrader]

The Lee alley apron is easy on and off and comfortable to wear. Pockets in the right places. Keeps the glue, dust and wood chips off very well.

When something more substantial is required, I have a leather apron from Williams Sonoma (I never cook with it ;) ). It was on closeout for VERY little $$$.

Ted

[Matt Woodworth]

Hey everybody, I rarely wander to the power tools section of the forum. I've been wearing an apron for a couple of months.

I started with a leather tool belt like Norm. After a little while I figured out the best placement for my measuring tools and it held everything nicely. The problem was that it had metal hammer rings on the side and the extra width from those rings made me wide. Because I'm not used to the extra width I used to bump things all the time.

That bumping, and the slight damage that it caused, made me switch to a shop apron like this (http://shop.woodcraft.com/Woodcraft/productr.asp?pf%5Fid=15L06&gift=False&0=product%5Ffamily%2Easp%2Cfamily%5Fid%3D7002%26Tr ee%3D%2CLiar%27s%20Suspenders%20and%20Duckwear%20A prons&HSLB=False&mscssid=FBC2EDD3FA33436C93A8C3D89070373B) one. It's pretty good for holding my stuff and the waist straps keep all the weight off of my neck. However, I don't like the floppy fabric pockets. I had to stop carrying my calculator in it because it fell out every time I bent over. Also, things just seem to shift around more than they did in my leather tool belt.

After I finished my workbench I had a lot of free drawer space to store all my measuring and marking tools in there. I thought I'd try it "foot loose and fancy free" without anything weighing me down. It didn't take long before I realized that I misplace things far too much and that getting my cabinet makers square from under the bench every time I need it was too much of a pain to stay with.

Now I'm back to using my shop apron even though my wife says a look like a dork. :)

[Jim Becker]

I missed this thread the other day, so please pardon my late response. I use what I'll term a compromise solution relative to the topic.

I both turn and do flat woodworking. For the former, I always wear an appropriate garment to help keep chips out of my cloths, especially at the neck-line...they can be "quite uncomfortable", especially as they work their way in the direction that gravity takes them! :D When I first started turning, I bought the most common form of "turner's smock", which is a lightweight shirt-like garment and has collar that can be snugly fastened around one's neck. It's quite effective, but as a pull-over, more cumbersome to put on and take off. I found a different solution at Packard Woodworks which is more like a shop apron with a comfortable, yet snug neck line...and it uses velcro to fasten top and bottom. While it doesn't cover the arms, it's considerably more comfortable for me to use and it's always on me when I'm at the lathe.

Which brings me to flat woodworking. I generally don't prefer any kind of apron. I suppose that if one gets used to one, especially from the beginning, it would have some advantages, but I don't miss filling the pockets with sawdust and so forth. (I'm still amazed that Norm Abram uses that tool belt in the shop, but I guess once a carpenter, always a carpenter!) That being said...that closed neck apron I mentioned above DOES get used when I am using the router free-hand or at my Leigh jig! It does a great job of keeping "router fluff" out of my cloths, including the neckline, since the stream of chips and dust almost always aim themselves directly at the router operator. I really recommend this garment...it's not just for turners, IMHO!

[Jerry Todd]

This is what works for me. Purchased from Duluth, no affiliation.
Jerry

[Dave Richards]

That looks like a nice apron but I don't think I could stand up with all that stuff in the pockets. :D

[Phil Phelps]

...that this has over 700 hits :rolleyes:

[Bill Hanlon]

Does anyone wear a shop apron? What are the pros and cons? Thanks!
I Wear it all the time. It is covered in sawdust and stain and dyes and some glue spots for the final touch. I sand all day and even though i do it outside I am covered in sawdust. I know the apron I have (from Kinglspor) helps a lot but, I am now looking for one that is longer. I remember seeing aprons that had "chaps" that went almost to the floor and now that I am looking for one naturally I cant find it.
I guess if ya don't do a lot of sanding then maybe...... naw, I have one and I wear it.

Bill
I wish I knew how to post a pic also?!?!?!?!?:D

[Bob Reeve]

I wear one that I purchased while attending The Woodworker Academy in Alameda CA. It is leather and has many pockets. The pockets also have flaps so it helps keep the sawdust out and the stuff in. See below

www.woodworkeracademy.com (http://www.woodworkeracademy.com).

Great school by the way.

[Gary Herrmann]

My wife bought me a Duluth Trading apron in 2002 for Christmas. She forgot to give it to me and just gave it to me last month as a "late birthday present." :rolleyes: Its comfortable, but it hasn't become automatic for me to put it on yet.

[Jesse Cloud]

My shop apron is the best money I have spent in the shop. My shirts seem to be magnets for glue, varnish, etc. As the shop is in the basement, I will slip in for a quick task without changing into 'shop clothes'. My apron is on a hook as I come thru the door. First thing I do is put it on, last thing before turning off the lights is to put it back on the hook. I've probably saved a shirt a month that way.

Pockets, on the other hand, are a mixed blessing. I hunted all over the shop yesterday for something that was in my apron pocket all the time.

[Jim Dunn]

shop apron.

[Steve Ash]

My mother in law custom made one for me. It has pockets where I wanted them and a flap to keep the dust out of the pockets at my waistline where I figured I'd have the greatest possibility of getting sawdust in.

She spent a lot of time and love making it for me and I should wear it more often than I do.....it's just that it is so nice, I had to get it ruined.