10 COOL Homemade Tools that you really need !!

today we're going to be making some of the most useful tools that you need in your Workshop every build you've done or are planning to do will probably involve at least one of these tools and the best bit is they're all made from scraps that you've got around your Workshop right now I'm going to start the footage right now cuz the builds are so simple themselves that you don't need me talking you through every stage you can watch the process as it goes and I'll show you them in action instead when the time's right you see this may be the most start making video I've done so far this year and that doesn't feel good at the start of this journey I had no idea what a balancing act this was between YouTuber and woodworker and I feel like recently I've drifted away from being a woodworker leaning closer towards being a YouTuber and though that is technically my job title being a woodworker is how I started and it's where I find my happiness and so this video is the start of trying to tip the scales Back Again by taking expensive tools and try to make custom Replacements that perform as well but don't blow the budget scrap wood begin a friendly fun build with plenty of mistakes make this a very start making video and me a very happy woodworker if you hadn't guessed this first one is a very simple bench cookie it really serves two supporting purposes number one when sanding and I might have made a slight upgrade for that purpose that I'll show you in a second and number two is cutting down sheet goods and for both there are really only two criteria that should be met the first one being that it's nons slip and the second that it doesn't M your work I've covered these bench cookies with cork which ticks both boxes it's nothing special it's really cheap but do note it can be a little bit brittle around the edges but don't worry as a lot of these tools we're making have some kind of grip element added on I'll tell you about all the other options that I've tested a little later on there's quite a few and some are actually far better than others while we're on the subject of criteria another one is that they should all be the same height and you actually need enough of them so that if you're cutting a large piece of ply down you can support both sides of the cut so that the blade doesn't get pined so four criteria then well not quite there are other criteria but they are true for all of the other tools that we're going to make today let me explain let's take cost first one thing that we all have in common as Woodworkers is that we've all spent money on this hobby so while cost may not be your number one priority just know I've saved you £32 if you make this and later in the video I'll show you how to save a further £30 by not buying this and on top of that another £22 by not having to buy this but if you do happen to watch this and decide that you do want to buy those tools go ahead they do a fantastic job but let's just ignore money for a moment making your own tools offers you the chance to add a level of customization that you just can't buy something that fits your grip like a glove size that suits you can go fancy or basic make as many as you need these things can't be ignored but in truth none of them come close to the main reason that I'm making these and that is the main reason that I'm suggesting that you should make them there are days that we all have where we head into our workshops and are hit with Woodworkers block we can't seem to get our teeth stuck into the project that we du to start or the one that we're halfway through and this can leave you feeling unfulfilled and frustrated trust me I know all too well I said this before with the French cleat video These are the days where a little wind goes a long way or maybe you just need a 30 minute excuse to head into the piece of your sawdust therapy space there's nothing wrong with that these are the days and having a quick project that will also benefit your workspace is the double win that you probably need and that that's why I'm making these I've made two of these bench cookies with the dog underneath dog biscuits if you like because I wanted the extra bit of stability for when I'm sanding just to make sure the vibrations and the workpiece don't move all four cookies across your workbench so this way two are completely fixed and now for the criteria of customization this tool offers you infinite possibilities and all it is is a simple push stick but and this has become apparent to me over the past few months not all push sticks are built equal and every woodworker likes the ones they like and so I've made as many as I can think of to see if you spot the one that will work for you because there's one simple truth that I think we can all agree on this push stick that comes with your table saw is simply not good enough we can do so much better so go and grab your favorite saw then go and draw around the handle cuz I bet that shape suits you more than than any shape you can draw freehand I've actually made two of these as I think this shape suits my needs the most but I want to adapt the rest of the push dick and in my usual style I'll probably take it way too far but really a push dick only needs to cover a certain amount of non-negotiable factors and these in no particular order are you need to be able to push the wood that you're cutting forwards you need to hold it against the fence you need to be able to push it beyond the end of the arriving knife got to keep your hands suitably far above the blade and and it needs to contain nothing metal that could damage your blade or fly out from the push dick control is the key to confidence and don't worry if this one looks way too complicated for your needs I've also thrown together a few simple ones that I won't show you the build process for and these might be the perfect fit and so there you have it you've got your push stick and the real beauty of this is that removable sole not only can you recut these as much as you need but if you find that one's a bit too thin and you're ripping a wider stock make yourself a different shoe you only need to cut a Groove in it that matches the one in the handle and then you can join the two together with a piece of quarter inch P line up the holes put your bolts back in and then you've got a new attachment this one here's got triple width on it but you could go further what about combining a push stick with a push paddle so you got all the benefits of the paddle with all of the grip but you've got the the reach and the distance from the blade of a push stick and I'm going to show you how to make the paddle base in a second but first let's just have a quick run through of all the different push sticks that we've made so far over to the table saw first The Benchmark push stick the one that comes free with your table saw the material is not very good there's no grip at the front and it puts zero pressure on the front of the piece you're pushing through the table saw it's no good if you want to upgrade it this is a much better piece of Kit the only thing lacking on this again is the pressure on the front of your workpiece but it can still do a very good job but not as good as these two you see these two are the simplest to make they are disposable push sticks these are perfect for keeping your hands a suitable distance above the blade looking at around 3 in there and worth pointing out this stage always make sure your blade only has three teeth showing above the height of the work piece you're pushing through it so these are are quick and easies but as someone who considers himself very much at the learning stage with a table saw these do have great push from the back they have great weight down on the front great control you can tip it slightly towards the fence to keep your workpiece wedged against it however because your center of pressure is over the workpiece with the handle on top of it you do tend to get a lean on over the table towards the end of your cuts and if you are very careful to stand to one side of your table saw it can leave you a little bit off balance I'm sure as an expert that's not a problem but for for people learning that might be what these have proved though is that if you do put the additional grip on the bottom you will gain the additional control so if you're looking for disposable quick and easy and you're confident with your table saw these are very good next up this one it's probably going to be the most controversial out of two because it's half push paddle half push stick Pros first and this will be the same for the next one your hand is absolutely nowhere near the blade and because the handle comes away from the push dick towards you when you're pushing the piece of wood through and you get it past the ring knife your center of balance is not compromised you can stand to the side as much as you like and you're not having to reach over the table in order to finish your cut let's talk negatives this is wide so you can't cut stock that is thinner than it but if you're looking for a little bit of confidence and you're working on a smaller let's say a more square piece this gives you a lot of control so it's definitely one I'm going to use but it's not going to be the most used which is the same style but has the wider piece on it I believe this is going to be my push stick of choice going forwards at least until I get some more confidence on the table saw and the beauty of it is if I'm ripping down a thinner piece I can interchange as much as I want between all four of those I think I've got the right push stick in there somewhere but that's the table saw covered however there are other power tools within your Workshop well let me explain what I've got planned my push dicks that you see here will only be used on the table saw and only for larger panel Cuts or long to medium rip Cuts while other Cuts where the piece can sit under the push block I'm going to use this gripper Pro and don't get me wrong the video would have sounded a whole lot more appealing if I could have said at the start I'm going to save you the60 that this thing will set you back but I've come to the realization that there is nothing I can make that will be at least as good as what this specializes in and for that reason I'm going to be keeping this as one of my first string tools to use with the table saw but what you're watching me build now is an accessory that will cover all of the other power tools where keeping your hands as far away as possible from spinning Cutters is a priority or more so where control will increase your safety because like so many of you I started with a cheap set of these push blocks and they are very quick to lose their grip but that is not the biggest risk they are overall too small and made from an incredibly brittle plastic I don't fancy testing these up against a router bit or a planer blade anytime soon and that's why I'm making a custom push block but not for the table saw I'm not afraid to tell you that even 18 months down the road since making my router table I still maintain a very healthy respect for it it's an amazing addition to the workshop it opens up jobs that would be next to Impossible without it but it can bite and just because the bits don't look as scary as the table saw blade don't let that fo you and so not only am I going to make a push block that will give me a raised hand position and a superior grip through what I'm using on the base but I'm also going to make a second block and this one's interesting this one will replace your miter gauge on the router table and it is the simplest of all in design it'll not only increase your accuracy but also reduce tear out and keep your fingers safe and it is as simple as it gets I promise I won't even need to show you the step-by-step build just the block but we'll swing back around to that cuz first we need to finish this push block now a quick reminder of the criteria of this one first no no screws or Nails just the Dayo fixing a nice feeling handle fully customized a removable and adjustable heel to push the work through no matter the thickness and little to no cost or skill required a scrap W start making build and don't worry as I've promised earlier I will talk you through all the grip materials at the end because this one is a huge recommendation here so let's just draw up a really quick conclusion here this rubbish it's an absolute waste of money so that leaves us with our two comparisons and I have to be honest with you here for shape size and comfort there's nothing between them grip wise this is a rudimentary test but if I push down on both and pull them apart on the same piece of wood there's no give there is one feature that I think I might have outdone this G Ripper on and that's the little tabs at the back that lock onto the piece of wood and push it along now these drop down on a little hinge effect but they don't stay down so what you do is you hook it on the back of the wood and you can push it along what I like about the way this one's designed is because you can drop down the block at the back to whatever height you want and then just lock it into place with a Twist You've Got No Worry that it's going to flick up on you while you're working whereas these because once they're down there's nothing locking them down it's a worry that I have that you'd accidentally lean it on the board itself and then you don't realize you haven't got the support you think you might have it's a minor detail honestly you could buy one of these and be very happy just saying there's a chance you can make one that's just about as good and it's going to cost you a lot less okay I promised you that this would be just about as simple as it gets and it's for your router table all you need is a square of ply with one 90° Corner this is going to be your leading Corner that attaches to your fence and your piece of work if you happen to have all four perfectly Square that's just going to add to the versatility of this and then you just need two pieces of 3/4 in ply with the D to hold them together so you don't need screws that is going to sit within the square the square has to be the widest point on all four corners if you are going to use all four and in the top I've put two Doos one on each side for grip what we're going to do is attach these two together so if you want to use the blue tape and CA glue trick go ahead I'm going to use a little bit of double-sided tape because one of the benefits of this is that only the Bas gets spoiled the top you take off and put on a new base and that's our push block made because the way this this works while the top edge here rides along the fence your work piece is up against the other Edge and as long as you've cut your base right this is going to keep everything nice and square when you're cutting things like doos and because the piece of wood that you're putting the D on is being followed by this base the base is going to take the tear out not the piece of wood you're working on so it solves two issues but not only that the one thing you'll find with a MIT gauge on a rat table is it's really hard to stop that piece moving around as you cut the D with this this will lock it down perfectly Square that's about as simple as it gets and I guarantee that will be one of the most useful push accessories that you have if you got r a table remember these detailed orbe it random pictures for a minute we're going to bounce back to them I think I need to give you a little background to why I've included this set of tools and yes there's going to be more than one in truth the first couple are designed to combat just one single issue that I have with dog holes and that is that the dog is only one size so in some circumstances you can end up up actually having to bridge quite a gap with whatever you're clamping the piece with now I know that doesn't sound all that bad but really why can't we make a bench dog that is just more versatile so that is going to be the aim of the first part of this section you see mft or multifunction tables have been popping up all over the place recently either bought to ensure total accuracy where the holes are perfectly spaced out using a CNC or made from a template giving them what I assume is the second most accurate Grid or sadly like mine drilled as close as possible but in no way reliably accurate and though part of me wishes that I'd done it better and made my holes a little closer you have what you have and it's performed okay so far but as all you really need to make a bench dog is just some Dow the same dimensions as the holes you've cut and a bit of scrap hardwood I've decided to have a little bit of fun now if you haven't already figured it out I'm planning a dog that is rectangular in shape where the four sides are all at different distances from the edge of the Dow see that way instead of screwing out the clamp you're using another 10 mm you can simply twist the dog so that the Gap is instantly filled the plan is to do a thin one which is aimed as a planable stop if you like so it sits below the piece your clamping and one that is chunkier for well chunkier clamping you'll notice that I'm putting a slight under bevel on the side so that the clamped piece is inclined to hunker down onto the table rather than be raised up when you put it under pressure and I know I've said this too many times to count so far but like all the builds so far there's no metal fixings in these so a slip with a hand plane will not result in an hour of sharp happing and with the dogs being made from hardwood if they're too tall you can simply plan them down it isn't perfect it's pretty good but I tell you what would make it perfect if you had two of these one of them was of larger Dimensions so then you could Bridge any Gap back to the drawing now this was an idea that I had that was a battle between what I thought was possible and what maths and physics say might not be those original rectangular dogs offer four adjustments and I thought that could be surpassed in practic Al it by a hexagon which I believe would be six sides all getting progressively further away from the Dow leading to an almost unmatched flexibility unless somebody figures a way of doing it with an octagon but I'm not 100% sure that that's going to work so let's give these a quick test I have no doubt that the shortest and the longest will work perfectly because when clamped the Dow sits directly in the middle of the face it's the ones on the side that I'm a little bit dubious about because I I wonder if it will just all get a bit higgledy so let's prove a point let's do the shortest face first rock solid if we bring the clamp out in increments we should be able to just twist this and it will work this is the biggest most dubious one I think in my in my eyes the second denomination wow yeah I I can't pull the board up I want to show you this closeup and I want to show the reason that I think it's a bit dodgy because you see the face that's attached to the wood here the center line is drawn across here which is well away from where the D goes you know what let's get a hammer let's try with a hammer I'm confident I could dislodge it if I really gave it a whack but to be honest how much pressure do you need wow the last dog I want to make is one that I've needed to make for a long time and after d singing my hand plane one too many times on my metal dogs I've decided to make a wooden planing stop but remember when I said that my holes are not laid out in an accurate fashion well this is an issue and the only way to combat it is to include a little bit of Versatility so here are the criteria again no metal included hardwood top one fixed Dow and one that can be moved a few millimeters each way so that any pair of adjacent holes can accommodate the planing stop and the hardwood needs to be fairly thin so that I can PL down something around 7 mil and it sits beneath it that doesn't sound like too much to ask you did see my issue with the planing stop being that it had metal pegs had to replace them so the locked one is now wooden Dow you can pop it in and then I've made this what it does is it sits inside the groove and it can move sideways so if you're a few millimeters off with your holes that doesn't matter so we can now set it up on any pair of adjacent holes cuz I may not have made it perfect but at least I got fairly close to a grid let's give it a quick test as we wrap up this video I think we've got to the stage where I can actually save you the most time in this entire process and that is the research phase because you can make anything you've seen in the video and just make it out of scrapwood and you don't need to put any of the grippy stuff on the bottom most of them will do a job but if you add the grip on then they're suddenly doing a very good job so let's just quickly talk about this this is a cheap baking sheet of silicon as far as I can tell nothing easy is going to stick this to your workpiece and that is a shame because it is the grippiest out of everything I tried 5 minute epoxy I obviously tried wood glue I tried contact adhesive I tried spray on contact adhesive I tried a PVA glue that was the same one that I used on the roof for the rubber that I stuck down up there and I tried CA glue and I tried goop none of them work on Silicon probably one of the cheapest ways to go is sandpaper yes it works but I worry that that's going to mile your work and that leaves us with the options that actually work pretty well you've got cork you've got a sticky backed foam which is used to stop Furniture slipping things like that you've got rubber that's already got an adhesive attached to it and that's quite heavy duty and then you've got the NIT trial cork which is basically cork mixed with Nitro rubber these will all do a job for you so if you got them lying around that's great for cork all you need is wood glue and that's a big benefit for everything else take away your fancy glues just get some spray on contact adhesive that from the local hobby shop stuck the nitr on perfectly and during the testing process I actually found a late edition which is the rubber draw liner that I use for sanding on top of so to test these before starting the process I just made tiny bench cookies each one one with a different grip on it first of all rubber with the adhesive already on it is doesn't M your work sticks perfectly but the adhesive never goes off not the stuff I got anyway if you get just a sheet of nitr with normal contact adhesive that is a good option cork we've talked about I worry how it functions over time and the edges are brittle but for ease of use CU you can put it on with wood glue cork is a very good way to go the rubber mesh that I use for holding pieces while I sand them is good and you just use it with spray on contact adhesive but it frays around the edges and I think over time it's not going to be all that robust the adhesive based foam pads now this foam felt very familiar and I didn't know where I'd actually felt it before in this video Until I did a bit of b-roll with this this is the cheap foam pad my complaint with that is that the foam loses its stick over time and quickly so to be fair the sticky back foam is very easy to apply very cost effective you don't need any glue with it but I don't think that it's going to hold up over time and that leaves us with the night trial cork this is easy to attach spray contact adive again it's sturdy around the edges because of the rubber that's penetrated through it it is grippy it's not that expensive you buy a gasket sheet I'll put the link in the description for all of these so you can test them out and so that that is what I recommend to add grip to anything put it on the inside jaws of your Vice and then thank me later like anything we do in our workshops nothing is going to come out perfectly but you're going to have some fun building it along the way and you can add to it adapt it for the next time I stand by what I say if you ever walk down to your workshop and you don't know exactly what you want to make on that day but you're desperate to do something just grab some scraps throw them together and make something useful for your Workshop people everywhere are talking about mental health at the moment and that is brilliant and I make no secret about the fact that this right here in this Workshop is my therapy there's two questions that come up a lot in the comments of my videos one and this is mainly from people who watch a lot of the French cleat videos and the workshop storage Etc they say Well when do you actually get time to make anything in your Workshop I'm making stuff every day it doesn't have to be things to sell it doesn't have to be Furniture big items make something that makes you happy and the second one is why do you make videos for YouTube see for me that is the easiest one to answer I make them because I imagine that there's going to be people watching them who will make some of the things they've seen in that video and it will genuinely help them along on their Journey or if nothing else they'll have a bit of fun while making it if you've enjoyed this video let me know in the comments if you've got ideas or improvements for me pop it down there as well if you like builds that help out in the workshop that's a really good video if you're new to the channel and you're just exploring what videos we've got take a look at that one I thank you so much for your time I'll see you over there

Channel: Start Making (Woodworking)

Views: 128,447

Keywords: #woodworker, #woodworking, #diy, #howto, #homemadetools, #tools, #pushsticks, #benchdogs, #pushpaddles, #grripper, #DIYBenchCookies

Id: QZBIrMT98IQ

Length: 23min 54sec (1434 seconds)

Published: Sat Jul 06 2024