Wednesday morning tip

Sometimes it the simplest things that are best

Toothpicks work great!

Re: Wednesday morning tip

Lan Brady

I use bamboo skewers(Dollar Tree). Since they are split, the grain is straight and creates a great capillary action. Lan

that's one reason I don't buy that brand

GaryG in MD

good idea

Re: Wednesday morning tip

John K Jordan

Good tip! Before I got the little capillary tubes I sometimes used a fine piece of wire. Another thing that works are disposable syringes with fine needles, inexpensive at any farm store.

JKJ

Re: Wooden tounge depressors....

Jesper, Denmark

Clean, easy to shape with a pair of scissors, useful for a myriad of things like stirring paint, spreading glue, mixing epoxy, shaping epoxy fillets, shims, wedges in small tenons etc. etc.

Safe for small kids to play with.

Box of 500 are not expensive and last half a lifetime - I'm on my second box.

I buy Craft sticks

john lucas

ONe of the best things I've done over the years was to buy craft sticks in 2 sizes and either Dixie cups of craft cups in large packages. The craft sticks come in several sizes. the one in the picture is the small. they are perfect for mixing paint, epoxies and anything else that needs to be stirred. The craft cups are about half the size of Dixie Cups and are perfect for those small batches of anything. No more scrounging around the shop looking for a piece of wood and a nail to mix epoxy. the larger craft sticks are about popsicle stick size and are perfect for stirring those small cans of stain.

Re: I buy Craft sticks

Dale Gillaspy

Agreed John. I went to a restaurant supply store and bought a case of the little plastic cups you put condiments in at fast foot restaurants. They are great for small batches of anything.

Before my kids got older, I used to get tongue depressors from their pediatrician. I would trade her a little pen or bud vase for a big handful, and she loved it. Now I have to buy them.

Re: Wednesday morning tip

William Duffield

I once had a waste basket woven from thin bamboo. Bamboo is too stiff for a waste basket, but after it self-disassembled, I salvaged the vertical slats for just such purposes as described in this thread.

Have you tried kabob skewers for dowels?

Keith Newton

If you find yourself needing some small diameter dowels, these are really tough compared to most wooden dowels, and they are cheap, even from the grocery store.

Re: Have you tried kabob skewers for dowels?

William Duffield

I hadn't tried them in the shop, because all our kitchen skewers are steel or aluminum, so I've added them to my grocery list. I'll drop them into the can with the bamboo scraps, acid brushes and pipettes.