For my birthday my wife bought me a set of bench cookies for use in the shop. I'd been eyeing them on amazon and she must have gotten tired of me staring at them because she finally pulled the trigger for me. Bench cookies are round plastic risers with padding on either side. The idea is that they get your project off the workbench and they hold it in place. So if you're clamping something they'll keep the clamps off the bench, or if you're painting and want to get the side you don't have to lift the piece anymore. In short, they're an all around useful little tool that makes life much easier in the shop. For the $10 they cost you will certainly get your monies worth out of them.
Some of the reviews have raised concerns that once the grippers are covered in sawdust they'll lose their grip. My solution was to do a little maintenance, like you should on all tools. After a couple of uses pull out the shop vac and vacuum the grippers. They'll be clean and look like new. Or, if you prefer a quick and easy method just grab the compressor hose and spray them off with the air nozzle. I do this regularly and I haven't experienced any issues with the cookies no gripping materials. So, treat them like any tool and clean them up, care for them, and store them in a clean place. You'll get much more out of them when you treat them right!
In short, I'd recommend buying a set if you spend any time in the garage. We've used these to build picture frames, pinewood derby cars, shelves, doors, and nail polish holders. They're great when you're working with kids or staining items. I can't recommend them enough!
Some of the reviews have raised concerns that once the grippers are covered in sawdust they'll lose their grip. My solution was to do a little maintenance, like you should on all tools. After a couple of uses pull out the shop vac and vacuum the grippers. They'll be clean and look like new. Or, if you prefer a quick and easy method just grab the compressor hose and spray them off with the air nozzle. I do this regularly and I haven't experienced any issues with the cookies no gripping materials. So, treat them like any tool and clean them up, care for them, and store them in a clean place. You'll get much more out of them when you treat them right!
In short, I'd recommend buying a set if you spend any time in the garage. We've used these to build picture frames, pinewood derby cars, shelves, doors, and nail polish holders. They're great when you're working with kids or staining items. I can't recommend them enough!