Does anyone else....

[jonmulzer]

.....use shop tools for more domestic purposes? When we moved into this place for a while we used a small cannister vacuum to sweep the hardwood floors (all hardwood, no carpet) but it constantly needed emptying so once when it was my turn to vacuum I went to the basement and grabbed the ShopVac. Since it is a newer, quieter one it was possibly less noise than the other vacuum and obviously had no trouble with clogging from dog hair. Of course my gf made fun of me at first, but not she asks me to bring it up when she has to also. Works out great even if it is unconventional and a bit larger than necessary.

Has anyone else found domestic uses for their shop tools they might want to share?

[crokett]

I used a drill to whisk eggs once. And mix pancake batter.

I've used a hammer to crack walnuts and a util knife to peel an apple.

I too used to vacuum with a shop vac. It worked and so why buy another vac?

[Black wallnut]

I've used my G0555 to half a Turkey frozen. I've used hand saws to cut bone in deer chops.

[Uncle Cracker]

Never!

[p8ntblr]

I've used my G0555 to half a Turkey frozen.

It doesn't totally gum up the wheels or other components? I understand it's frozen but doesn't the friction from the blade melt some of the meat? Did the turkey have a saw dust flavor?

[Richard in Smithville]

A dozuki works great for cutting up raw hide dog treats.

[shoottx]

A putty knife for cleaning the floors after the LOML goes on a cooking binge.

[gearbuilder]

When I was a kid my dad cut a frozen turkey in half on the table saw. Our dog would eat saw dust any time he went in the garage.

Jamie

[gary]

The Dremel with a sanding drum works great on my wife's toe nails. Yes, I did it.

[Uncle Cracker]

The Dremel with a sanding drum works great on my wife's toe nails. Yes, I did it.

Say it ain't so...

[mpc]

I too have used a drill for mixing batter - cookie dough batter. I fried a Hamilton-Beach hand-held mixer on this stuff (it's thick). For the next batch, rather that fry my new H-B mixer, I tried a Ridgid 18volt hammer drill - in regular (non-hammer) mode. It can spin only one mixer beater at a time but it doesn't slow down at all with the thick batter. In fact, it darn near spins my arm off instead. Beats mixing by hand!

Ridgid shop vac: routinely used as a garden/driveway leaf blower. And as a blower to knock the heavy dust (or sawdust) off the cars. And to blast unwanted creepy-crawlers out of the garage and down the driveway. My house has vaulted ceilings... when spiders make their webs my house vac cleaner (one of those drag-along turtle style vac) hose won't reach... but the plastic extension hoses from the Ridgid shop vac fit over the metal pipes of the house vac to extend it just enough...

Mom saw the Ridgid 18volt caulking gun (yes, I bought one of those multi-tool kits a year or two ago on clearance!) and thought it'd be great for cake frosting/decorating. Haven't tried it that way yet...

Ridgid 18volt flashlights have seen duty working on cars, reading by the bedside (no bedside lamps... ), camping, and during power outages.

mpc

[OpaDC]

And of course everyone here has used the monster Craftsman pry bar as a screwdriver. (or is it the other way around?)

[Pappy]

I may have to try the drill/mixer. Love homemade divinity but the plastic gears in the mixer don't!

[cabinetman]

The Dremel with a sanding drum works great on my wife's toe nails. Yes, I did it.

One that shouldn't be tried is to use a belt sander on calluses. Can get outta hand quickly. DAMHIKT.
.

[leehljp]

Back in 2001, while in the States and 5 days before returning to Japan, I broke my wrist in two places falling from a collapsing alum. ladder. It resulted in the need for a hand to elbow cast. Eight weeks later, in Japan, I used my Fein MultiMaster to cut the cast off without a problem.