c/everyday-tool-hacks

Update: I've been using the wrong side of a utility knife blade for probably a decade

I was cutting open a box of printer paper at the warehouse, and my blade just kept snagging. My coworker Mike walked by, looked at it for a second, and said, 'You know you can snap off the dull part, right? There's lines on it.' I stared at the blade. I always just used it until the whole thing was dull, then tossed the whole blade. I never noticed the scored lines. I felt like an idiot. I've been throwing away 90% of a perfectly good blade for years. What other basic tool thing have I completely missed?

2 comments

aaron_gonzalez•1d ago

PSA: My old drill battery died right when I was putting up a shelf in my garage

I was halfway through drilling the second hole and my Ryobi 18V just gave up, no warning at all. I remembered reading that sometimes the contacts get dirty, so I took a pencil eraser and rubbed the metal terminals on both the battery and the drill. Popped it back on the charger for like 20 minutes and it took a full charge, got the shelf up no problem. Anyone else have a quick fix for when a tool battery acts like it's totally dead?

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oliverp56•2d ago

I finally figured out why my drill bits kept breaking on simple jobs

For months, I was going through bits like crazy on my basic Ryobi drill, even on soft pine. My buddy, who does handyman work, came over and saw me just pushing hard and running it full speed. He told me to slow the drill down and let the bit do the cutting, which felt wrong because I thought more speed equals more power. Now I use a slower setting with steady pressure, and my last pack of bits has lasted over six months. Do you guys think speed or pressure is more important for making bits last?

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sanchez.mary•6d ago

My cordless drill battery died halfway through building a deck in my backyard

I was putting up the last railing on my deck in Denver when the battery just quit, and I didn't have a spare. I ended up using an old 18v charger from a different brand, holding the contacts in place with a rubber band for about 20 minutes to get enough juice to finish. It felt janky but it worked. Has anyone else had to do a weird emergency charge like that?

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skyler_smith2•6d ago

My roommate called my duct tape fixes 'a crime against tools'

I was using duct tape to hold the handle on my old broom for like, the third time, and he just looked at me and said, 'Dude, that's a crime against tools, just drill a small hole and use a bolt.' So I went to the hardware store, got a 1/4 inch bolt and nut for 50 cents, and fixed it in 5 minutes. It's been solid for 6 months now. Anyone got other good ways to fix wobbly handles without buying a whole new tool?

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emma_smith•6d ago

Why does nobody talk about the hidden filter in your shop vac?

I spent 45 minutes trying to figure out why mine had zero suction, turns out there's a secondary foam sleeve inside the main filter that gets clogged solid. Anyone know a good way to clean that thing without ruining it?

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leo_lopez•7d ago

Watching my brother-in-law try to use a drill without changing bits made me cringe

Honestly, he was trying to drive a 3 inch screw into a stud with a tiny pilot bit still in the chuck. Ngl, I've seen this a bunch of times. The bit gets stuck because the screw head strips out the soft metal, and then people think the drill is broken. I keep a magnetic bit holder on a lanyard right on my drill case now, makes swapping them out a two second job. Anyone else got a quick fix for keeping bits handy?

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abby_kim55•7d ago

Can we talk about that one time a clogged shop vac took over your whole afternoon?

I was cleaning up sawdust in my garage last Saturday and my shop vac just stopped pulling. I figured it was a quick fix, maybe a full bag. Nope. I spent the next 3 hours taking the whole thing apart. The hose had a solid plug of fine dust packed about a foot deep, and the filter was caked even though I just cleaned it a month ago. Some people say you should just buy a new filter or a more powerful model when this happens. Others swear by a few simple hacks, like wrapping the filter in a pantyhose to catch the fine stuff or using a leaf blower to blast out the hose from the other end. I tried the blower trick and it finally worked, but my Saturday was basically gone. What's your go-to method for dealing with a totally clogged shop vac?

2 comments

leem34•8d ago

PSA: I finally got my old cordless drill to hold a charge again

Tried cleaning the battery contacts with a pencil eraser after seeing a random comment online, and it actually worked for about 20 more minutes of runtime. Anyone know a more permanent fix for these old NiCad packs?

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richard578•10d ago

My cordless drill battery used to die after 15 minutes, but now it lasts over an hour.

I started storing it in a kitchen drawer instead of the cold garage, and the difference after a month is crazy. Anyone else find a simple spot change that saved a tool?

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michael398•11d ago

My week was saved by a zip tie and a piece of a milk jug

Had a critical bracket snap on my pressure washer mid-job Tuesday, but I cut a plastic shim and secured it with a heavy-duty zip tie to finish three backyards. Anyone have a better temporary fix for cracked plastic housings?

2 comments