my greatest invention

Frank Fusco

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Location
Mountain Home, Arkansas
I'm not very clever at designing things.
But, I like stuff simple.
This is simple.
Where to put my drill press key has always been a problem. Those rubber thingys just don't work. Putting in my pocket or holding in mouth has drawbacks.
One day I got smart for a minute or two. I put a rare earth magnet inside some tape and taped that to the handle of my chuck key. Project took about a whole minute.
Now, the key is always at hand right on the side of my dp table. Grabbing to use and replace is second nature. And the key doesn't go astray, like those that will be found one day when the shop is restored to it's original garage use and grass is growing over me.chuck key.jpg
 
That looks real handy, Frank. I do something similar...I put a rare earth magnet on the side of the drill press housing, and just got in the habit of putting the chuck key on it whenever I'm not using it.
 
I actually use the magnets inside old harddrives. they are strong as heck, and it holds any of my tools against a metal surface. (for instance, when working with my router table, I just stick the wrenches against the metal legs)
 
be careful frank, one of the woodworking companies might steal your idea and charge 7.95 for that.

when I first started woodworking, I bought all those little chatkas, the pencil holders, etc........trying to make it look like a real shop........now I just look to do things that are simple and convenient, like taking the can from a can of corn and nailing it to the wall to hold pencils.
 
That looks real handy, Frank. I do something similar...I put a rare earth magnet on the side of the drill press housing, and just got in the habit of putting the chuck key on it whenever I'm not using it.

That's what I do, too. No tape or glue needed. The magnet sticks to the drill press, and the key sticks to the magnet. The magnet is more strongly attracted to the DP casting than to the key shaft, sot it works out quite well.

Allen's use of hard drive magnets is also good, but I don't currently have any old drives lying about. Besides, getting the magnets out of the drive can sometimes be a pain, and the round magnets are fairly cheap on Ebay.
 
On a similar note, I have one of those little magnetic parts trays you can get for a few bucks from Harbor Freight. It's attached to one of the vertical surfaces at the headstock end of my lathe. It's got a couple of different chuck keys and other metal bits and pieces stuck to it. Being vertical, it doesn't fill up with wood chips.

I do like Frank's approach for his, though. With the flexible magnetic "tag" on the key, it'd be easy to stick in a variety of locations.
 
Good idea Frank. I keep one of those rare earth magnets on top of my table saw Biesmeyer fence to hold my tape measure. It's always there when I need it.

Joe
 
be careful frank, one of the woodworking companies might steal your idea and charge 7.95 for that.

when I first started woodworking, I bought all those little chatkas, the pencil holders, etc........trying to make it look like a real shop........now I just look to do things that are simple and convenient, like taking the can from a can of corn and nailing it to the wall to hold pencils.



I have soup cans screwed to the wall for pencils, acid brushes, hot glue sticks, popsicle sticks and wood skewers, zip ties and what ever else your imagination can come up with.
 
I use the "Earth" magnet system. Mine is stuck onto the center of the "lower the drill" mechanism. Let's see if I have a pic.

Advantage is that it is always in the same location and easy to reach. I used a 3/4 inch magnet. I normally stick the end of the key that goes in the hole of the chuck to the magnet. There is plenty of poof to keep the key attached, however the magnet is tugging on a small area so it is easy to remove the key on purpose.

You will notice in pic #3 that the center of the magnet is well worn. It has seen a lot of key "placements."

Enjoy,

JimB

I really like your key holder. It is a clever idea. However, I am an old goat and I go by the rule, "Don't Make Me Think." I want the key in exactly the same place every time so I don't have to look to place the key and I don't have to look to grab the key. And I wouldn't be consistent enough in where I would place the key---even though I do enjoy consistency if the magnet were on the key .

By the way, "Don't Make Me Think" is the name of a book. It is aimed at programmers who, among other things, set up web pages. Basically it says to make the site very easy to navigate, to go back, to exit, to pay, to find what you want, etc.
 

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Going with the "whatever you have handy" approach, I used one of those retractable ID card holders for the key on my DP. Got one as a give-away at a conference and had no real use for it. The retractable line is long enough to reach the chuck & it always goes back to the same place. No accidentally setting it down meaning to "put it on the magnet later", etc. I can't say it is idiot proof, but is is "this-idiot" proof. :rofl:
 
I do as Matt has mentioned. The plus side of having a zinger attached to the dp key is it makes sure it aint in the chuck when you hit the on button. :) Then there is the point Jim mentioned on it being in the same place.
My tools aint organized yet to the extent i aim to have em but once i put them somewhere i end up putting back there repeatedly. Now if only i could get the initial place correct. :)

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2
 
I want the key in exactly the same place every time so I don't have to look to place the key and I don't have to look to grab the key.

It has become so second nature for me that it gets put back in almost exactly the same place everytime. Same when I reach for it. Without looking or thinking, it is right where I need it. An improvement might be to use red or blaze orange duct tape.
 
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