Well, that certainly turned out well. I've always heard that necessity was the mother of invention, but in this case your wife inspired this one. A really great solution for the clamp problem. I think you are wise to go back after to tap your muse.
A Poor Retired Plumbers Take on Clamp Storage
What’s wrong, nothing, somethings up. Nope everything’s hunky dory. I was getting the stare, you know, the I’ll find out what’s up stare. Are you bored again. Nope, might be. Go out to your workshop and play. Did she say play. I don’t play in the workshop I retorted indignantly. Oh, she said, what do you do then. I create, envisage, have inspirations, and I have the occasional epiphany. that’s all I could think of. So why are you not out there being inspired, she asked.
Well, I have been, and I’m inspire less. Haven’t got much wood as it’s ten times the price it was last year, and all my inspirations come from having a lump of wood to work with.
Well, go out and invent something she said. Invent what I asked. Use your imagination she replied.
So, as I sat there twiddling my thumbs, I placed my philosopher’s hat on, which is too small for my fat head. Now I have never considered myself an inventor. I could never come up with the likes of a Rubik Cube. Why because at that point I realised I was a solutions or necessity man. And why would I never be able to invent something like a cube because it doesn’t solve anything. You can’t fit a cube on to an internal combustion engine to make it more efficient. It is what it is. Effectively a toy that made the inventor I presume a billionaire.
No, my inventions are purely based on solving a problem around the house or workshop. I can usually dream up something that makes life a little easier. One example is the spice rack I posted some time ago and as my wife’s collection of spices outgrew the rack, I had to devise some method of increasing capacity without comprising valuable cupboard space. All I did was add a piano hinged rack to the front of the existing one and fitted a couple of toolbox clasps to hold them in situ. (See photo). Unfortunately, my spice rack is not going to rack up the millions.
So unfortunately for me a man of necessity I was, I am and will be.
Let’s get back to the build before I get any more morose.
So, what have you got to work with she asked. Just piles of cuttings I replied. Well let’s head to your romper room and get inspirationed. So off we went.
So, as she took in my surroundings her eyes almost immediately honed in on the mess under my table saw outlet table. What are they she asked. My clamps don’t have any walls left to hang them on and I don’t have enough wood for a portable one.
So why not keep them where they are and make a make something to fit under the out-feed table. Oh, I said, that might work. I could get all my cuttings of ply and stitch them together. What do you think I enquired turning to the empty space she recently occupied. I assumed at this point her work was done and Eve had left the building.
After spending half an hour staring at it and another half hour rummaging through the cutting shed, I got to work on a drawer. I didn’t have enough ply to make a fully enclosed drawer, only half a sheet of 3/8 ply which I used for the carcass. It’s the only part of the build I glued, the interior I just pinned and screwed as clamps don’t last forever and I might in the future have to change the layout to accommodate different types.
I did use biscuits as I could not afford a ten-thousand-pound Domino machine. I am not going into the build as it’s not rocket science, photos tell the story.
I paid £20 for two sets of heavy duty 600mm runners which I doubled up at each end, and to stop it sagging in the middle I used ten old furniture casters in two sets of five which works really well and makes the drawer run freely.
As you can tell all my clamps are cheap and nasty, because I could not afford the five-thousand-pound Bessy ones. You might say £50 is not bad for a clamp, but one clamp is not enough. You need at least half a dozen of each length, Ouch.
So, there it is, my wide mouth drawer. Widest drawer in my Street.
Cost was just £20 for the drawer runners, everything else from stock
I am now bored; I’m just going to fetch my inspiration from the house to get me going again
Colin with the widest drawer somewhere in Scotland
Well, I have been, and I’m inspire less. Haven’t got much wood as it’s ten times the price it was last year, and all my inspirations come from having a lump of wood to work with.
Well, go out and invent something she said. Invent what I asked. Use your imagination she replied.
So, as I sat there twiddling my thumbs, I placed my philosopher’s hat on, which is too small for my fat head. Now I have never considered myself an inventor. I could never come up with the likes of a Rubik Cube. Why because at that point I realised I was a solutions or necessity man. And why would I never be able to invent something like a cube because it doesn’t solve anything. You can’t fit a cube on to an internal combustion engine to make it more efficient. It is what it is. Effectively a toy that made the inventor I presume a billionaire.
No, my inventions are purely based on solving a problem around the house or workshop. I can usually dream up something that makes life a little easier. One example is the spice rack I posted some time ago and as my wife’s collection of spices outgrew the rack, I had to devise some method of increasing capacity without comprising valuable cupboard space. All I did was add a piano hinged rack to the front of the existing one and fitted a couple of toolbox clasps to hold them in situ. (See photo). Unfortunately, my spice rack is not going to rack up the millions.
So unfortunately for me a man of necessity I was, I am and will be.
Let’s get back to the build before I get any more morose.
So, what have you got to work with she asked. Just piles of cuttings I replied. Well let’s head to your romper room and get inspirationed. So off we went.
So, as she took in my surroundings her eyes almost immediately honed in on the mess under my table saw outlet table. What are they she asked. My clamps don’t have any walls left to hang them on and I don’t have enough wood for a portable one.
So why not keep them where they are and make a make something to fit under the out-feed table. Oh, I said, that might work. I could get all my cuttings of ply and stitch them together. What do you think I enquired turning to the empty space she recently occupied. I assumed at this point her work was done and Eve had left the building.
After spending half an hour staring at it and another half hour rummaging through the cutting shed, I got to work on a drawer. I didn’t have enough ply to make a fully enclosed drawer, only half a sheet of 3/8 ply which I used for the carcass. It’s the only part of the build I glued, the interior I just pinned and screwed as clamps don’t last forever and I might in the future have to change the layout to accommodate different types.
I did use biscuits as I could not afford a ten-thousand-pound Domino machine. I am not going into the build as it’s not rocket science, photos tell the story.
I paid £20 for two sets of heavy duty 600mm runners which I doubled up at each end, and to stop it sagging in the middle I used ten old furniture casters in two sets of five which works really well and makes the drawer run freely.
As you can tell all my clamps are cheap and nasty, because I could not afford the five-thousand-pound Bessy ones. You might say £50 is not bad for a clamp, but one clamp is not enough. You need at least half a dozen of each length, Ouch.
So, there it is, my wide mouth drawer. Widest drawer in my Street.
Cost was just £20 for the drawer runners, everything else from stock
I am now bored; I’m just going to fetch my inspiration from the house to get me going again
Colin with the widest drawer somewhere in Scotland
