Never ever tell your wife how much room you have in your garage after cleaning it up. She will find stuff to fill the extra space.
Ricky

 

DO NOT use an angle grinder without wearing some good leather work gloves!!! I was using an angle grinder for the first time tonight and that little booger has some strength! I was using a Black & Decker with a thin cut off wheel and swapped it from my left hand to my right hand and in a split second the wheel caught my left hand glove and sliced thru it like butter. Luckily it only got the first two outer layers of skin. One layer deeper and I'd have to explain to my wife that I need to make a trip to the hospital for some stitches. Also, if you need to swap hands I would suggest turning the angle grinder off first.

Keep it safe.

-Ron

 

DO NOT decide to paint the inner fenders and firewall of your truck just because everything around it and on it has been removed- sure it was easy and looks good.......but that "personal heater" and spray liner fumes...well....luckily all body parts are still together, although the flames destroyed my nice warm heater.

 

Do not expect a thick quilted flannel shirt to protect you from flying metal debris emitted by your angle grinder.

I was grinding away on a piece of frame support and started to smell a strange burning scent. I look down and there is a 1 inch hole melting/smoldering through the lower front part of my flannel shirt. I didn't think the grinding sparks would concentrate in one area of my shirt. I was wrong. Live and learn. Oh well, now my shirt will be cooler this summer with the extra hole.

 

Make sure you do not wear synthetic fabrics around welding, grinding, or open flame. -Cotton or Wool only!

 

Don't put the fire extinguisher on the top shelf.
Finding a ladder or a temporary height adjustment device during a moment of duress is not the safest thing you can do in the garage!

 

Ok people I have a dumb friend who decided to build a roll pan and weld it in by himself. LOL This is the funny part. He doesent know how to weld. For one he bought the wrong gloves and lit them on fire. Then somehow he made the roll pan to long and wrapped it up to the gas tank and managed to weld it to the gas tank, without realizing he could have blown himself up. So the leseon her is use the right gloves and please dont weld things to your gas tank when its full. LOL

 

I see some posts on jack stands, but this needs to be said. DO NOT use cinder blocks as jack stands, they look strong, but are about as strong as a cardbaord box.

See for yourself, hold one out in front of you and drop it on the concrete floor.

Make sure when welding or torch cutting, your pants are OVER your boots, I have a nice burn scar on the top of my foot where a glob of hot lovin made it into my shoe years ago, and on top of it, I was teaching a welding class. Attaboy.

Here's one, make sure all the tools are off the top of the motor before you start it up. A screwdriver coming off the fan at warp 9 isn't much fun.

This one was priceless, I did this a couple of years ago. If you happen to have a good friend who's a diesel mechanic for a trucking company, and he just so happens to be sleeping in a chair in his office,(and a deep sleep it was), don't grab a gallon of windshield washer, twist a coathanger though the handle so the hook is pointing up, and hang it on the pull string for the air horns on a truck right outside his door. This will cause you to be chased across the yard by a very mad mechanic holding a large bar in his hands.

 

my number one rule when somebody is in the car and i have at least one body part around the engine belts- I MUST HAVE THE KEYS! oh, did you not want me to start it up with your hands in the fan? never happened to me yet and never will!!!!! trust no one!

 

I wasn't planning on it, but now that you mention it.....

 

Above all else:

1) Never let your wife/significant other "decorate" your shop/garage

2)Leave your toolbox unlocked with a 13 year old around

 

My 14 year old says he always puts the tools back in the proper place. He doesn't know why they show up in the driveway, in the yard, etc.

 

When I bought my newest set of tools, I gave my 13yr old stepson my old set. I even gave him his own toolbox and lock. I instructed him on proper tool care and also told him that if I found his tools laying around the shop or yard that I would take them. Needless to say, I now have about half of them back!! He has gotten better about puttin them away since he has noticed that he has fewer tool to work with.

 

I tried something similar without the lock.
My 'Higher End, Lifetime Warranty' tools kept showing up in his toolbox!

 

Never pour concrete when you arent wearing shoes. It gets hot...real hot...shockingly hot.

Never stick the straw of a can of silicon spray lube down in the sunroof. Then you get to take the whole damn thing apart.

I second that one.

Never let the transmission drain plug fall into one of those funnel top drain pans. It is a chore to get out. Especially when the fluid is HOT and you cant find a magnet strong enough.

Always disconect the (-) terminal...that is probably my number one. Arcing is not fun.

My last one, when you do a compression test, dont forget to put one of the spark plugs back in...