It's A Gift To Be Simple

One of these days I am going to post some of the experiences I had some 30 years ago, visiting all the Shaker villages, and, at the invitation of Faith Andrews, having lunch with several of the last living Shaker sisters...those were the days!

However, as my posts tend to be lengthy and "wordy" I thought I would just post a simple thought for today.  (As the King says in the movie, "Mozart", "too many notes!)

In the past I posted my methods of vector clamping, and you can use the search box to find that.  Today I was cutting some more clamping blocks and I thought that it might be interesting to some of you, as a kind of a "Shop Tricks" feature.

I am not related to Dunn-Edwards!

Whenever I visit the paint store for stains or paint, they always hand me a bunch of stir sticks.  Even though I might actually need only one, they generously hand me a dozen or so.  My first thought was, "Hey, they are cutting down the forest to make these, so be careful how many you give out!"  But, as I approach my 7th decade on Earth, I am resigned to the fact that the majority of humans really don't think about how their actions might affect the rest of us.

Quick and Simple

So I take this handful of clean white wood sticks and cut them up at the band saw into small pieces.  This wood is nice and soft, so it makes a perfect clamping pad for any clamp.  I always keep a small box of them at the bench or wherever I do my clamping.  They last for a long time and are free.

Clamp pads in use

Another trick is to take some thicker wood and cut it into small blocks with a "V" sawn on one side.  Now, when you need to apply a clamp on the outside corner this "V" block provides a perfect clamping pad.

"V" Clamp Blocks

Just thought you would like to know.

Works Every Time