Paul demonstrates how to make a Rag-in-a-can Oiler. A useful accessory for smoothing cuts with saws and planes. For more information on these topics, see paulsellers.com or woodworkingmasterclasses.com
Mr Sellers, I'm 75, been doing simple carpentry, shed-building, minor woodworking projects for over 50 years. I've always kept an oily rag hanging on a hook, but it was always too dry (had to add oil) or too wet (...because I just added some oil). I've tried various methods to improve my oily rag, such as rolling it up and pounding on it with a hammer to distribute the oil. Nothing worked all that well. Now, I subscribed to your channel for woodworking tips, sharpening tips, tool tips...but this rag-in-a-can oiler is a perfect example of why I love your videos -- simple ideas to resolve everyday issues faced by ANY man or woman with a need to use hand tools. Thank you.
Sellers, in my opinion, is such a great instructor. I think it's how he varies his tone of voice and his choice of words that keeps my attention and makes his instructions easy to follow. If my teachers growing up could hold my attention half as good as Sellers, I would've enjoyed learning and had been excited to go to school.
I feel very lucky to watch a man just for the way he works. You make the specific project seem like a secondary issue. The most important thing is the state of mind of the artisan. Though I'm not even a moderate hobbyist woodworker, as a farmer - mastic grower, I want to thank you for helping me so much to calibrate my state of mind and use my body effectively on my farming. Greetings from Chios - Greece!
I completely underestimated how much this would reduce the friction on a plane. The first time I tried it I pushed with the usual amount of force and flopped belly first onto the bench and nearly threw my plane across the shop.
Unfortunately, household / bicycle oil on the sole of a plane also tends to stain the wood with iron for the first few passes. No matter how little oil is used; it lifts any oxidised iron from the plane and deposits it on the wood. So only do this if you intend to do multiple passes. Pure mineral oil doesn't have that side effect, and is even slicker, but doesn't last very long.
@Art Heen Try sewing machine oil. It's clear and will not stain cloth. That should translate to not staining wood. I don't have a plane so I can test the theory.
I am going to make Rag in a can this weekend. I am 70 years old and setting up shop in garage to make some picture frames. Been watching about one year. Made my first hand cut dove tail box. Thank God for wood filler. Franklin in Chattanooga TN.
Heck no just the right age. I am trying to learn some older ways of doing things. I bought a used table saw, I just finished an all wood wood lathe from watching youtube. Would like to turn some bowls. Been making some hand carved spoons. Its Fun Franklin
Franklin Sevy that's the point. I'm about to receive a massive input of money from government, I'll put my shop together and hopefully become a woodworker
Brilliant idea!! I found it hard to get the rolled up fabric into the can so, I used a large screw band hose clamp around the fabric about 10-15mm above lip of the can to compress the fabric then push it in. Once pushed in loosen the clamp, move it up 15 mm and repeat. Great thing to have around.
After too many years in a tiny city-centre flat I now have the workshop space and a house to fill with furniture. I have been binge-watching your videos for the past month, I have just made a rag-in-a-can oiler. My first project; now I need to get on and make the workbench, restore an old plane, acquire a spokeshave, sharpen tools properly… Thankyou, every moment of your presentation is informative, a pleasure to watch and listen, and learn.
Wife: lets go, we're late, wtf are you doing Me: hold on, im learning how to put a rag into a tomato can, only 7 minutes left Wife: rethinks her life choices Me: well, she left, guess i can test it out!
It's amazing how I just watched someone stuff a shirt into a can and enjoyed the whole thing. Great job Paul. Your ability to teach is amazing. Keep up the great work
Thanks for letting me see that demonstrated again. It brought back memories, because it's a technique my Granddad taught me. I'm blowing my own trumpet here, but I've refined it a tad. If you use a plastic pot instead of a tin can and warm it up a bit, the plastic expands sufficiently to get the rag in easily without all the faffing about, and contracts to hold firmly, as it cools. In addition there is absolutely no chance of damaging tools with metal to metal contact when you use it.
At the risk of asking a stupendously dumb question, where might one find a suitably sized plastic pot? Asking for a friend whose mind is currently drawing a blank 😄
This thing works great and has become a staple on my workbench ever since I heard about it. And for everyone trying to find every possible issue with it, Sellers has been using it for OVER 50 YEARS. I think if there were any issues at this point he would be well aware of it.
This is what makes RU-vid so special. Little known down home ideas from around the world that are so simple yet so obscure. My grandfather actually taught me something similar to this years ago as well. He also taught me how to clean lawnmower air filters with gasoline and how to use asbestos for insulation but who's counting! ... Haha! 😂😂 Great video Paul!
My late big brother was an apprenticed carpenter. He showed me the rag in a can idea many years ago and I'm really glad Paul has this media to be able to share the idea. This video prompted me to make another one partly because after a while you can't trim the frayed cotton anymore and partly because I had a long piece of 5mm thick by 40mm wide leather to try. I prepared the can as Paul instructs, Packed the bottom with some of the oil filled tee shirt from the last can. Then I coiled the leather real tight a forced it into the can before re-charging it with 3 in 1 oil. This comment is over three years later April 2020. I'm using the same can which works no better than the rag idea but the upside is there is no fraying and it doesn't catch on saw teeth.
It's funny how we think we know. I've used the same rag in a can oiler and worked with men who taught me and did the same for over five decades now and never once did I see this supposed problem occur. It just sits there on my bench wide open for daily use over a lifetime.
In School, my woodwork teacher (Mr Cook) showed us this little gem, and here I am, 50 years later, still using a rag in a can oiler, and I've never had any issues with it :)
My apologies if I was stepping on your approach to the rag in a can. I used the towel as it was the only thing I had suitable for the application. I have no doubt your idea is perhaps better, I consider you to be the definitive source regarding these and other areas. Thanks for your videos.
paul please can you help me,im on a very tight budget, and i need chissels and a plane ,ive been waiting for aldi chissels but they havent been in stock for over a year, so any budget ones you like?, and also a budget plane to cover most basic diy, im very good at sherpening and have watched and will do like your videos, thanks for the vids and all the best
@@lazycarper7925 Really the cheapest chisel on the planet will work. Although you will to work a lot more getting them in tune; you know flat bottom,and proper edge. An once their tuned,and properly sharp you will have to keep the edge keen by stropping more often then a high quality set,but it will work just fine until you save your funds up to buy a good quality set. i got mine at Harbor Freight a four piece set of bench chisel for $8.00 u.s an after a lot of work they've done well for almost three years now. I'd love to get a nice set,but these haven't broke... yet. lol
When I started buying grown up tools, this is the first thing I made. lasts ages and REALLY SAVES the tools. Brilliant. Having paul sellers on my phone has saved me immeasurable work. Thank you Paul.
Its a useful thing, I have something similar I made using one of those tubes you get drill bits in, that way I have a lid on it. I can then keep mine in the tool box without making a mess. I use mine with cheap motor oil as its for rough outdoor work and preventing tools rusting.
Thank you for the great idea. I watched the video with my wife and we made a couple of these the next day. to make things easier for my wife, I put a couple of large hose clamps around the roll of fabric to compress it when putting it into the can. She was able to put almost an entire long sleeve XL cotton shirt into an 8 ounce can - amazing!
Great idea, nice little project. Thanks for sharing!
4 года назад
Today I just made my rag in a can oiler. I am excited in a few days I will have my perfect tool to oil my tools. Before I experimented with light machine oil and it is like Paul said, it leaves no markes. Thank you Paul for this awsome tip.
I just made myself one and will start using it tomorrow! I only came here to warn anyone willing to go for it that watching the oil dripping on the rag and getting soaked in is ADDICTIVE!!! I lost 2 hours of my time watching it go slowly drop by drop and put the whole oil container into my rag in a can! That is not a problem, but just wanted to warn you that if you're not relaxing at 10pm like I am this could cause time budgeting issues! Thanks Paul for the knowledge you pass onto us.
I've been working with wood since I was five when my grandfather introduced me to woodworking, but made a rag in a can two years ago when I first saw your video and it work really well, I'm now retired so you are always learning. Thanks Paul
Excellent - I'd made one about a week ago and I can see it's Rag-in-a-can 1.0 without some of the refinements here, but it works :) I'd suggest, not the least flippantly, that if you sold Paul Sellers t-shirts without your name on them, but with a prominent Rag-in-a-can in the center, any of your regular viewers would know who was behind it!
Nice video, Paul. I built an oiler last year, where I had seen the oiler with you. I also took an empty can of tin and then took the pants leg of an old jeans pants and then soaked with oil. I also use the oiler for my saws and planer. Thanks for the interesant and educational videos. Greetings from Germany.
Fantastic Paul! Thank You, been making Sawdust for 52 of my 61 years and Honestly never thought of Your Rag in a Can. Not saying that I don't Lubricate Bladed and Irons. Far from it, but I've been more the Hunk of Bees Wax, Can of squirt oil and a rag to wipe off the excess. again Thanks ... And we Yankees might say, "Cool Tool" my friend... Have Great Week, Joe
I've been lubricating tools with ends of candles for decades. And advising others to do the same thing. I have to revise that now. Damn you Mr Sellers. You have ruined everything.
Absolutely Brilliant ...... i remember my dad using one when he worked for the CO-OP cabinet / furniture making. when i was little.........thanks Paul........for sharing ..........
This is one of the very best sites I have ever found on RU-vid-! I am preparing my own workshop in the garage and a lot of the inspiration for this has come has come from watching these Paul Sellars videos, I have had the deep desire to make things with wood for many years but have been put off by my lack of knowledge, Mr Sellers is helping me overcome that and I am deeply grateful to him. Thank You Paul.
Thank you Paul, I have been hobby woodworking for a while and just made an oil can. I cannot believe the difference it made when I was planing some wood, like it had just been sharpened.
Excelent gadget and superb filming and music. So appropriate metal string on a wooden guitar and that's the essence of woodworking steel and wood. Bravo!
I wish I had the means to bring you to my shop and keep you for several days; you've likely forgotten more of what interests me than I'll know. Thank you for what you're doing here on RU-vid.
Great idea Paul. Seen you use this many times. Thanks for sharing how you make one. I'm surprised how much rag you can get in a can. All the best. Really enjoy the videos thanks again for sharing your knowledge.
In addition to a rag-in-a-can, I also have a second one that is the same, except for being tied with sisal around it instead of being stuffed into a can. That one, I use for oiling and cleaning my oil stones and anything cast iron, and as it gets dirty, I shave off the top with a knife, and it's ready again.
Thanks for the video, it's an amazing idea and easy on the wallet. I just made one with an empty fruit can that I cut in half and a few washcloths I cut into strips to fit. I found the washcloths would slide in and out pretty easily, probably due to my can not having a rim. So I anchored the cloths in place by drilling a couple screws in the side of the can. I noticed the screw heads that stick out also help me grip the can and manipulate it around easier.
Thanks! When lubricating saws and planes at school, most people looked for a can of paste wax, which was messy and did not provide full coverage to the saw or plane. This is perfect. I used a regular sized Campbell's Soup Can and 1½ TShirts, cut in a strip, and about 8oz of 3-in-1 Oil, about 2 bottles. Works perfectly.
I made one tonight... I used flour sack cloth dish towels and a $0.26 can of tomato sauce. I ironed two of the dish towels and this made them easier to roll and put in the can. Thanks!
Awsome! I am going to try this to use to finish my blacksmithing pieces. Although I think the rag would have to be quite a bit more soaked with oil. It would also work for keeping a protective coat on my hammers and tongs.
Finally!! A project i CAN make without even sharpening & it smells good too!! I guess covering the face of your vise with leather is another of those SECRET ideas.. Thanks Paul.. Gary/Hk Luthier in Training @ 51 years old..
