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Gallery, Projects and General => How do I?? => Topic started by: RichardDepetris on May 21, 2017, 12:49:23 PM

Title: Tips and suggestions for keeping stuff from falling off your bench
Post by: RichardDepetris on May 21, 2017, 12:49:23 PM
It happens so often that I never gave it much thought, but it has become a real pain.  While I am working on a project on my bench, there's always screws and small parts that fall on the floor.  I have to stop what I am doing to get on my hands and knees to look for it. It usually takes several minutes to find a small part.

Aside from installing a trapeze net under my bench, how have you resolved this situation? 


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Title: Re: Tips and suggestions for keeping stuff from falling off your bench
Post by: mexican jon on May 21, 2017, 01:16:59 PM
Work on the floor  :doh:  :lol: :lol:
Title: Re: Tips and suggestions for keeping stuff from falling off your bench
Post by: RichardDepetris on May 21, 2017, 01:17:52 PM
Work on the floor  :doh:  :lol: :lol:
I was actually thinking about it.


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Title: Re: Tips and suggestions for keeping stuff from falling off your bench
Post by: awemawson on May 21, 2017, 01:22:47 PM
A strip of the flexible magnet that's part of a 'fridge door seal glued around the vertical periphery of your bench. Not much use for brass screws but the steel ones will get caught  :thumbup:
Title: Re: Tips and suggestions for keeping stuff from falling off your bench
Post by: mexican jon on May 21, 2017, 01:23:23 PM
Work on the floor  :doh:  :lol: :lol:
I was actually thinking about it.


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:D :D :D
Title: Re: Tips and suggestions for keeping stuff from falling off your bench
Post by: Lew_Merrick_PE on May 21, 2017, 01:28:17 PM
Richard -- I use a "tray" with CRS Bars glued to it.  I then "attach" a bunch of magnetic cups to the "bars" into which I place my "small parts."  Unless I knock over the entire "tray," they stay where I put them.
Title: Re: Tips and suggestions for keeping stuff from falling off your bench
Post by: PekkaNF on May 21, 2017, 01:43:48 PM
If that is wood table a shallow half round groove if you have a routter is a good solution. Anyt other "stoppers" are nasty to arms. Some old writing desks had some interestin features on the front.

Another thing is to keep floor clean, contrastic color helps.

I usually clean when I first have dropped something on floor and frustrate with swarf and it takses ages to find the part I dropped.

Pekka
Title: Re: Tips and suggestions for keeping stuff from falling off your bench
Post by: Joules on May 21, 2017, 02:31:30 PM
I built a jewellers bench top I can mount in the bench vice on my steel bench.  The jewellers bench can have a tea towel pinned underneath to catch fasteners etc.   Very handy for working on small and intricate parts.   Something like below.
Title: Re: Tips and suggestions for keeping stuff from falling off your bench
Post by: mklotz on May 21, 2017, 03:03:30 PM
Self-adhesive foam weather-stripping applied at the front edge of the bench can provide a forearm-friendly barrier for both ferrous and non-ferrous parts.

If you don't want it on the bench all the time, apply it to a thin plastic strip that can be laid down when needed and removed when not.

Do your work on a soft, tight-weave, light-colored fabric so that small parts won't bounce if dropped.  An old baby blanket works well as do the newer micro-fiber cloths.

For jobs where springs or clips are likely to "jump out", do the work with the work and your hands inside a transparent plastic bag.  Clothing bags from dry cleaners work well.
Title: Re: Tips and suggestions for keeping stuff from falling off your bench
Post by: Mike E. on May 21, 2017, 03:39:30 PM
If you have a wooden bench top, consider using a router with a ball shaped cutter to cut a shallow groove about an inch in from the edge, along the length of the bench; similar to the pencil groove on old time school desks.
Title: Re: Tips and suggestions for keeping stuff from falling off your bench
Post by: awemawson on May 21, 2017, 04:46:25 PM
Hi Mike welcome to the forum  :thumbup:

How do you fancy popping over to the introductions section of the forum and telling us all about your workshop and projects ?

http://madmodder.net/index.php/board,3.0.html

Title: Re: Tips and suggestions for keeping stuff from falling off your bench
Post by: Mike E. on May 22, 2017, 04:02:56 AM
Hi Andrew, thanks for the welcome. I'm slowly finding my way around the forum and have posted an introduction.

Cheers
Title: Re: Tips and suggestions for keeping stuff from falling off your bench
Post by: wgw on May 22, 2017, 05:30:03 AM
Can't help with falling off- a wet &dry vac. cleaner is good , just search in the bottom for dropped bit. Hold a torch flat to the floor, shows up dropped bits.