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What are your favorite supplies to work with?


Mini maniac

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I am currently working on two houses....the laser cut Chantilly and the enormous Dollhouse Inc renovation.  I have certain items that I can't imagine not utilizing when working on these houses.  I guess they are my "must have" tools.  Things like my mp3 player, modge podge, EZ cutters, chalk paint and wax, furniture repair markers, yadda yadda yadda.  Just curious if any of you have certain things that you just gotta have handy even if you don't use them all the time?  

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Masking or painters' tape, utility knife and packs of blades, steel dressmakers' pins (for hinging), steel straight edge, Miter Master, strip wood, iron-on wood veneer rolls, Probond, staples to fit my heavy duty stapler, the hubs' belt & disc sander and his bandsaw...

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I agree with holly on the steel straight edge (many uses for me) also I have these 3 metal blocks(had them for 20+ years, not sure where they came from) that are slightly larger than a tic tac container that I wrap sandpaper around (80,120 and 220 grit). They are just the perfect size for me and since I work with wood a lot, I probably use them every time I’m in the shop. 

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Mechanical pencil, fine and think point black sharpies, xacto knife, cutting mat, 4 inch steel square, 12 and 18 inch cork back steel straight edges, editors scissors (they are long), masking tape, white glue, easy cutter, Blade Runner, pin vice, Emory boards and various grades of sandpaper, paint brushes, acrylic paints, miniwax stain pens, iPad, waste basket (hahaha).

The list really goes on and on, but these are things I keep close at hand and use on every build.

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Metal straight edge, round toothpicks, utility knife, scissors, tacky glue. paint extender,  water bottle caps (I save them in a plastic bag use them for mixing small amounts of Testor's paints if I'm making a "custom" color), nail art brushes that I buy from the dollar store, sanding twigs, blue painters tape, cutting board, India ink pens, strip wood.

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I take for granted my self-healing cutting mat and clamps (you cannot have too many clamps) and reverse tweezers, straight and bent.  I won't even list my "have to have"s for mini furniture making.

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My must-haves are the basics....sandpaper blocks, xacto knife, straight edge, level, various size tweezers,,,but i really love my dremel tool (and all the attachments even though I dont know what more that half of them do). I also have a headset magnifying glass that I look silly wearing but cant live without.

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I have some gorgeous pliers that my hubby bought me recently that I love!  Plus tweezers are a must!  My new fav is a really cool ruler that has holes on each measurement so that you can be sure you're marking those tiny measurements correctly!  My favourite blade to work with is a Fiskars fingertip control craft knife.  Plus there is a new Fiskars set with different sorts of blades that I use a huge amount!

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I need to get more tools!  Lol, I am missing so many of those items. I have a dremel but I have only used it once or twice.  Started a fire the first time.....i didnt know what I was doing. Just got a set of long tweezers from Harbor Freight that I am looking forward to using.  

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I discovered reverse tweezers back when dinosaurs walked the earth and I worked as a paste-up artist for offset print shops, pre-computers.  In addition to sanding I use my Dremels for cutting and drilling and routing.

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54 minutes ago, Mini maniac said:

I have a dremel but I have only used it once or twice.  Started a fire the first time.

:hmm: Enquiring minds want to know, Terry. How did you do that? 

I have an assortment of the tools mentioned above, but my absolute go-to, the tool that spends the most time in my hands, is the emery board. 

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19 hours ago, Thimble Hall said:

Lots of things but my surgical scalpel and #11 blades is a favorite tool

I'm with Jeannine! I would be totally lost without my 'Swann Morton' scalpel.......I use the 10a type blades but much the same as the 11. 

I'm often asked how I cut mount board with accuracy...........well when I do it's because of the 'Swan Morten'!

And yes I'm watching 'Mad Men' at the moment!

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7 hours ago, KathieB said:

:hmm: Enquiring minds want to know, Terry. How did you do that? 

I have an assortment of the tools mentioned above, but my absolute go-to, the tool that spends the most time in my hands, is the emery board. 

So, I was trying to bash an addition into my Orchid.  I wanted to cut in a doorway.  My husband got me a dremel and instead of reading the directions ( I have a tendency to get real excited about things so I just jump in.) Anyway, cutting the doorway, I was caught in a corner and all of a sudden I could smell and see smoke.  I finally let off the button and it was glowing.  It looked like I laser cut the doorway, lol!  I put out the glowing embers and decided I would read the directions.  ho hum, that's it in a nutshell. 

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5 hours ago, Mini maniac said:

ho hum, that's it in a nutshell.

lol ... been there and done that myself, but managed to stop short of glowing embers. Had a nice wood smoke fragrance in the studio for a while. :D 

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I sort of did that when I was disassembling the Pierce I was rehabbing and forgot to let the barrel  of the heat gun cool before I set it own on the wood block I was using to protect the desk top I used to build on.

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  • 1 month later...
On 7/31/2018, 5:09:09, Mini maniac said:

I need to get more tools!  Lol, I am missing so many of those items. I have a dremel but I have only used it once or twice.  Started a fire the first time.....i didnt know what I was doing. Just got a set of long tweezers from Harbor Freight that I am looking forward to using.  

how on earth did that happen please tell as I have one too

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7 hours ago, asherah said:

how on earth did that happen please tell as I have one too

I basically got it jammed when cutting a doorway.  It was my first time using it....started to smoke and then for some reason, i just kept going.  Finally stopped when I felt extreme heat and saw orange.....lol.  Keep in mind, I was cutting inside an already built house and was in an awkward position so I didn't have the best view.  Smoke alarm went off too.  I still laugh at it.  

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I strongly  recommend ONLY using a Dremel to cut if you can mount your piece flat and clamp it down tightly.  Then be exceedingly careful and stop cutting immediately if you feel any  sort of resistance or "drag".  Terry is lucky her Dremel merely caught fire and didn't kick and remove body parts.

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I've had some burn marks from my Dremel as well, I was using the drum sander.....No smoke, but the burnt wood smelled kinda nice:doh:. I bought this attachment but I haven't used it yet. My husband bought me a mini jigsaw from micro-mark, but it is so slow....that's part of my problem, impatience.

3 hours ago, Mini maniac said:

I basically got it jammed when cutting a doorway.  It was my first time using it....started to smoke and then for some reason, i just kept going.  Finally stopped when I felt extreme heat and saw orange.....lol.  Keep in mind, I was cutting inside an already built house and was in an awkward position so I didn't have the best view.  Smoke alarm went off too.  I still laugh at it.  

 

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14 minutes ago, Mid-life madness said:

I've had some burn marks from my Dremel as well, I was using the drum sander.....No smoke, but the burnt wood smelled kinda nice:doh:. I bought this attachment but I haven't used it yet. My husband bought me a mini jigsaw from micro-mark, but it is so slow....that's part of my problem, impatience.

 

Wow ... this attachment has nothing but bad reviews on the website you posted. Be very careful with it, and be sure to wear safety glasses.

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