Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without!

[Warren]

I like this thread, it's already given me some good ideas. I especially liked the one from Bruce about the printers blankets. We have several here in town I will have to hit up. I also want to know where he gets particle board free.

Thanks. Warren

[LarryB]

Great thread idea... I have made a few of my simple tools by using my grinder. I have a few stainless bolts and when an idea hits I'll start grinding away. I am not good enough to make stamping tools but modeling tools and such are ok to make. I make what I can to save money... and its also fun. So please keep the ideas coming.

[bruce johnson]

Warren,

While you are at the print shops, ask them for particle board. I get it at the same place. Once all their workers have a lifetime supply, it is free to haul off. Some of their paper comes in on pallets and the particle board is put on top of the boxes and then the pallet is strapped. The particle board prevents the load strapping from digging into the paper. I use the particle board for cutting on, especially with the roller blade knife. Once it has chipped out and rough, it is yet recycled. It goes to the glueing table or I put it on my oiling/dyeing table. I think I have related that I oil with a paint roller. Any overflow absorbs into the particle board. Once the oil has pretty well saturated the board, then an oil saturated board makes a dandy fire starter. I am sure about three of these will burn a wet mule.

[ArtS]

What kind of printer company, newspaper?

ArtS

Most all my cutting patterns are made from printer's press blankets. I get them from a local print shop across the alley. They are used on offset presses. One side is rubberized, and the backing is a durable cloth. The rubber side down doesn't slide around on the leather. Toss a bench anvil or shotbag on it and it stays put. They have enough body to run a knife right along the edge or not move with a tracing stylus. I can write things on a the cloth side with a Sharpie. I can ID what it is, what gusset and zipper length are needed, handle size, etc. I can rivet pieces together for longer things like back cinches. It sews on my machines. I have sewed up trial pieces and mailed it to guys as test patterns. I did a over the saddle horn cordless microphone holder for a mounted rodeo announcer, and it had to be just right. That made life easier. Mock up cell phone patterns are easier, too. They cut with knives or heavy scissors.

I originally got the idea from Bill Gomer's video. He made saddle seat patterns from them. I make all my patterns from it. These are not cheap new, over $100 for some sizes I am told. When they start to wear out, they toss them. My guys clean them with solvent before they give them to me. Every so often I find a stack of them in the back of my truck at work. They also work for drawer and tool box liners.

[Warren]

Nice to know Bruce. I used to get all the dunnage from a plywood retailer here in town. I know the manager. Dunnage is the 1/4" luan plywood that they wrap the plywood in before they strap it for shipping, kind of like what your talking about. I have quite a few items made from that stuff, some of it is made out of several pieces laminated together to get the right thickness. When it's free you can do a lot with it. Unfortunately now they send it back to the manufacturer to be reused, so I can't get any more. I do go by Home Depot and Lowe's Home Center fairly regular and check out their pallet stacks. You would be surprised what they throw out and what you can make out of pallets. I've made ground blinds for hunting, free standing racks for yard tools and equipment, tables, and workbenches. Some of them are made from very good oak that you can use for other things if you pull or cut them apart for the lumber. I have one of the plastic pallets that I use for the front porch to my shop. It sits on the ground and since it's plastic it won't rot. I am going to glue a piece of outdoor carpet to it one of these days.

Warren

[TwinOaks]

Great ideas, folks! Here's mine: Haggle on the price. This may seem blasphemous to some people who've been taught that the price you see is the price you pay. But ask anyway...what are they going to say? NO? Gee, then you have to pay the listed price. This is especially true if you find 'close outs' or 'clearance' items. I think a lot of people will be surprised at how much a person will compromise when they're trying to get rid of 'stuff'. If there's only a few pieces of a certain item ask for a substantial discount to take all of it.

[Johanna]

The best stones I have were freebies from a monument company. One has a guy's name spelled wrong on the side that I don't use, and a couple have a chip on one of the corners. I have a rose granite stone that the date chipped on that we used to use in the shop, but somehow it wound up being the threshhold to the south barn door. Go figure.

I go to our local newspaper and get end rolls, which is the unused newsprint of a roll that doesn't have enough paper to justify being put on the press. It has yards and yards of paper the kids can color on, or I can use for packing material or whatever. At the Evening Leader in St. Marys, anyway, these are free.

We always saved old shower curtains for when we did airbrushing or other messy projects. I don't see why you couldn't make pattern templates from them.

One thing that I remember being told over and over is that there is no such thing as scrap leather in a shop. There will always be a need or reason for even the ugliest hide, if nothing else to punch holes on. I've been letting the kids play with small pieces, too. I knew a man in Ga. who emptied out his mini punch sets carefully, and used the plugs as spacers in bone bead necklaces. Great ideas here, thanks everyone for contributing to it.

Johanna

[LarryB]

I got two plastic bins with a lid that is on a hing and they stack. I put all my scraps in these so if I do a small project I dig in them to use a scrap instead of cutting off of my large leather.

[barra]

Even the tiniest scrap can be useful.

Cut out leather spacers/washers

Use to test stains/oils and dyes

Use them as glue spearders.

Barra

[Canuck]

I made clicker dies using the backside of bandsaw blades

This was done by using scrap plywood as a base, scrap 1/4" plywood to make a template and wrapping the blade around the template. Foam rubber from packaging is used inside the die to make sure the leather comes out of the die.

I use scarp pieces of leather for other projects like wallets and the like.

I use solar panels to provide electricity to run my lights and computer in the shop.

Surplus stores will sell plastic cutting boards by the pound. Old railway rails for anvils

I've made jigs out of scrap pieces of wood.

Goodwill stores for old leather coats, and furs, as well as belts for the hardware.

I use the file folders for patterns too as mentioned before.

Great thread thanks for the ideas