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Threadchecker ArticleA well supplied shop has a lot of items in it. I remember when I first started my shop Icollected as many wood screws, nuts, bolts and hardware that I could find. I wanted tohave a collection that saved me from going to the hardware store every time I turnedaround. Part of this backfired since all my neighbors found out I had some stock, theywould soon come to me asking if I had “this or that”. Today I have a whole drawer devoted to hardware. I use to use those real nice bins with presorted hardware that youcould buy at your favorite home supply. I cannot keep them organized; it’s just not how Iwork in the shop. Sorting wood screws from machine screwsfrom washers to locking nuts is not the way I like to spend my time. However I do stand in awe whenever I go toAce hardware and can navigate my way to the exact size bolt or screw that I need withtheir well organized system.My solution: the tool that you keep finding use for.Everyone once in while you find a tool that you want to add to your collection. Part of you is hesitant since it’s not an everyday tool, but once you have it, you are glad its there.Compressed Air was my first big discovery and now I cannot live without it. I keepfinding more and more use for it. My latest is the threadchecker . I don’t know about you, but I cannot look at a screw or a bolt and tell you what size it is. The jigs that HomeDepot and Lowes use are limiting and they really don’t work that well. (plus they arealways hidden somewhere) More importantly, those jigs are
not 
at my house which iswhere I need them. I bought a threadchecker fromRouter Table Depotand it grows in popularity in my shop. First of all, you can size any size screw or bolt by simplyscrewing it or threading it onto the jig. All size screws, both metric and standard arethere. So you get an immediate answer of what size you have and what you may need togo by.A good example of this was I was getting ready to install a router table insert onto a new router. The screws that the manufacture gives you for the job are just a little too short for the new insert since it is thicker than the base plate. One of the first things I noticed isthat all router manufacturers use different sized screws so there is no “standard” in thatindustry. Secondly I did not know what size I had. So I put it on the thread checker andinstantly found out it was 8/32”, very cool. So off I go to Ace Hardware, where I zip in,grab what I need and head back home. No more standing in a crowded isle trying tofigure out what I need or try to find someone to help me.The second job was the ceiling fan. We got the box home from the store and was half way through the installation and found out we were missing one screw. (ever have thathappen?) Putting the fan up is kind of an event and the idea of taking the thing down,repackaging it and returning to the store did not sound like a pegged fun meter to me. SoI headed out to my screw box in the shop and found out the size screw I needed. After 45seconds of search I discovered I had the very screw I needed and saved myself a trip.(whew) This may not sound like much, but if you live far from the nearest Lowes or Depot, this can ruin the day.
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