In the Workshop

Work Table: Looking for a inexpensive work table. Discarded or blemished hollow core doors are inexpensive or even free. They make great building tables. Simple 2 x 4s can be used to make a bottom frame support and legs. Using the hinges to attach it to a basement or garage wall will allow you to raise or lower it out of the way when not in use. Submitted by Maximillion

Covering Table: Another use for hollow core doors. With the home renovation craze, hollow core doors can be found for free. If the door isn’t perfectly straight though, you could end up with built in warps in your bird. Don’t throw it out though. Cover the door with a couple of old blankets (a few dollars form garage sale) and you now have a great covering table that won’t scratch or dent your plane as easy. Fold the blanket over the sides and under the tables edge. Secure it with upholstery tacks or nails. Submitted by Maximillion

Makeshift Washer: In a pinch for a washer or motor mount shim. Pennies and dimes with the right size hole drilled in them, make fabulous makeshift washers. Submitted by Maximillion

Shop Cart: Bolt an old drawer to the top of a used TV cart (from garage sale or thrift shop) with casters. It makes a wonderful shop cart to hold tools or other odds and ends which can now be easily moved from one side of the shop to the other. Submitted by Maximillion

Nut and Bolt Identifier: Identify bolts and nuts easily. Most modelers will end up with a bowl of various size nuts and screws. Use an old cutting board made of polycarbonate or buy a small one form Wal-mart for just a few dollars. drill a row of holes (slightly smaller then the size screws you use) and use the screws themselves to tape threads in to the board. Label each tread size e.g. 2-56, 4-40, 6-32, 2mil, 3mil ect. Now drill another set of set of holes just below the first and glue the corresponding bolts thread side out. You can now use the threaded holes to identify bolts and the threaded bolt to identify nuts quickly. Submitted by Maximillion