House Tools Everyone Needs.

[Worth1]

Folks here is a list of tools and their many uses that I feel woman or man should have around the house and garden.
Feel free to add anything that I have missed.
You will see I am bouncing back and forth from types of stuff as I think of them.

A good tape measure, and if you can afford it get three.
A small 12 foot tape a wide 16 foot tape and a wide 30 foot tape.
Even a 100 foot reel tape is good to have.
Choose good ones and take care of them.
I have one I still use from over 30 years ago.

A combination square.
This little jewel was invented by L.S Starrett back in 1878.
Today L.S Starrett Co is the go to company for fine measuring tools.
You can use the thing for all sorts of stuff from finding the center of the end of a board to checking the height of something.
It isn't just a square
Look it up and see what you can do.
Hammers
I have a ton of them from small tack hammers to sledge hammers.
Even welding chipping hammers.
A good claw hammer needs to be around all of the time and you dont have to spend a fortune on one.
All of mine are wooden handled.

A good hand saw.
I have so many hand saws for different uses I dont know what to do.
I will often use them so I dont have to drag out the cards to cut a little thing or two around the house.
When I was a little kid I was the go to kid for cutting and hammering by the other kids.
My mother bought me a little carpenter set when I was a wee little thing and I used the saw to cut my way out of the crib.
The darn toys actually worked back in the 50's and 60's

A screw driver set.
I dont use them at work but those combo screw drivers are great to have around the house for odd jobs.

Pencils.
Remember them.
You cant have enough pencils and a little sharpener.
A good pocket knife and learn how to keep it sharp with a wet stone.

Scissors for inside and out.
Bypass sheers for trimming plants

Shovels.

Channel locks
Three sises of channel locks.
I keep the wee ones in the kitchen drawer.
Get the blue channel lock brand I have used all of the other types and these are the best.
A wrench and socket set for around the house.
And dont forget a few sizes of the adjustable crescent wrenches.

A good battery operated drill that will hold a 1/2 inch bit.
I drill bit set.
Get a screwdriver bit set and extension to drill screws in.
Be forwarned the batteries for these things cast as much as the set so get a good one to start with.
I bought the Ridgid one and it is a great drill.
Problem with it was the batteries that came with it were smaller and didn't last a year.
The say lifetime but it is only for the one time exchange.
I called Ridgid and got the run around
I went to Home depot and complained and they exchanged both for free with the bigger better batteries.
I lucked out.

Ryobi makes a nice little screw driver bit and counter sink holder I have used for a long time I keep in the drill.
A good razor knife not one of those stupid safety knives.(what a piece of junk)

An assortment of cutting type pliers like end nippers and diagonal cutters for cutting wire and nails.
Needle nose pliers.
Just get the assortment pack.
Pry bars.
You cant have too many.

String and rope for odd jobs.
Some sort of saw horses to work off of.
I made my own.

C clamps to hold things, as many as you can get your hands on of many sizes.
A vise to hold things.
Bar clamps.
You just cant have too many clamps.

Step ladders.

Level you need levels and a coupled of string levels too.
The string level and tape measure will tell you the grade of your property and so many other things.

A plumb bob.
Dead on accuracy for many projects.
A friend and myself used several of them handing from the ceiling to straighten up a motorcycle frame.

Straight edges and long rulers many of them short and long.
Digging bars to bust up soil and rocks while digging in hard ground.

A wood chisel set.
So many good uses for these.
Center punch.

Stuff that is nice but dont really have to have

A good skill saw again mine is as old as the hills and still works great.
Saber saw.
A hole saw set.

Drill press small or large but get one you will find so many uses for it.
The bigger the better.
And get some center drill bits to go along with it.
Table saw of some sort but make it a good one also.

Reciprocating saw, some people call them a saws all.

It is indispensable for things you want to destroy and get out of the way fast like a wall.
A small bench grinder.

Add more as we go.

Worth

[pondgardener]

Vise-Grips...regular and extended

[AlittleSalt]

If I wrote all the tools I use around here I would get writers cramp

A good wheelbarrow
T Post Driver
T Post Puller
Every kind of fastener you can imagine (Nails, wood screws, metal screws/washers/nuts, staples, etc.)
A come-along or 2
A mile of nylon string 100# test or better (White and Odd neon colors are easier to see.)

"Most importantly, have some tools that you have no idea what it is or what it's for - you'll need it one day."

[Stvrob]

Coping saw, planes, rasps, and files.

Also, infrared thermometer, a halfway decent multimeter. A heatgun. A combination pH, conductivity meter.

[kayrobbins]

I think the reciprocating saw is one of the most useful tools ever invented. Once I found out you could buy pruning blades it became a tool I use often. It is perfect for those branches that are too thick for pruners but not big enough to drag out the chain saw.

Another thing that I find so handy is a 100 ft extension cord on a wind up reel. I was never that good at doing it by hand and extension cords usually ended up in a knotted heap.

[AlittleSalt]

I had forgotten one of our must-haves. An old reversible drill with an extension tightened or torqued down with a chuck. Toss the chuck key in a drawer because you'll never use it again. Then insert a high quality Phillips head bit into the extension. Use this drill only for putting in and taking out screws.

The reason for using an older drill that takes a chuck is so that everyone "borrowing it" can't find the chuck to take the extension out - that way, you always have it ready

[FarmerShawn]

Framing square, speed square, and two levels, two foot and four foot.
In my garden shed are a surprising number of kitchen tools, like spatulas, spoons, strainers, knives, measuring cups and spoons, etc.
Caulking gun.
Of course, I wouldn't be without my tractor, now that I have one!

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by kayrobbins

I think the reciprocating saw is one of the most useful tools ever invented. Once I found out you could buy pruning blades it became a tool I use often. It is perfect for those branches that are too thick for pruners but not big enough to drag out the chain saw.

Another thing that I find so handy is a 100 ft extension cord on a wind up reel. I was never that good at doing it by hand and extension cords usually ended up in a knotted heap.

I used mine to cut the big tree roots when I put my irrigation system in.
What a life saver.

One more thing.

An air compressor even a small one.

Worth

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

I had forgotten one of our must-haves. An old reversible drill with an extension tightened or torqued down with a chuck. Toss the chuck key in a drawer because you'll never use it again. Then insert a high quality Phillips head bit into the extension. Use this drill only for putting in and taking out screws.

The reason for using an older drill that takes a chuck is so that everyone "borrowing it" can't find the chuck to take the extension out - that way, you always have it ready

Salt I had a neighbor once that came over and wanted to borrow my skill saw.
I always ask why and he said he needed to cut some sheet rock.
Are you #$%&^# kidding me I said, here use this and handed him a utility knife.
How am I supposed to use that he said.
Never mind just let me do it for you.
A skill saw on sheet rock, what the heck.

The poor kid had spent most of his life in prison and didn't know how to do anything.

Worth

[Cole_Robbie]

I just bought a job site air compressor from a storage facility; they sell the stuff people leave behind. Menard's had a 3-pack of Nail Guns for $60 on clearance. I love the trim nailer and the crown stapler. It also came with a micro-pinner that I have not found a use for yet. I guess I don't do enough detail work.

Here is a web site with some great cheap tools: http://www.dpciwholesale.com/

They are wholesalers, so there is a $100 minimum order, but their prices are about a third to half of retail. Some of the stuff ends up being junk, but so far I have only had that happen with items that only cost a dollar or two. I bought both sets of deep-well impact sockets they sell, and they were very high quality.

They also sell knives and a lot of other stuff. I buy my Christmas presents from them.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

I just bought a job site air compressor from a storage facility; they sell the stuff people leave behind. Menard's had a 3-pack of Nail Guns for $60 on clearance. I love the trim nailer and the crown stapler. It also came with a micro-pinner that I have not found a use for yet. I guess I don't do enough detail work.

Here is a web site with some great cheap tools: http://www.dpciwholesale.com/

They are wholesalers, so there is a $100 minimum order, but their prices are about a third to half of retail. Some of the stuff ends up being junk, but so far I have only had that happen with items that only cost a dollar or two. I bought both sets of deep-well impact sockets they sell, and they were very high quality.

They also sell knives and a lot of other stuff. I buy my Christmas presents from them.

If you have an air compressor a brad nailer is about the best all around nail gun you can have.
It isn't a do all nail gun but works pretty good on a lot of stuff.

Worth

[AlittleSalt]

We have two air compressors...well, one good one that everyone else uses.

I have an old air compressor that takes at least a minute to air up a low wheelbarrow tire. It's like the "I think I can" engine. It always works though - it's just slow like me

Using a skill saw on sheetrock! You would need a serious breathing mask. I'm laughing because I can imagine someone doing it

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

We have two air compressors...well, one good one that everyone else uses.

I have an old air compressor that takes at least a minute to air up a low wheelbarrow tire. It's like the "I think I can" engine. It always works though - it's just slow like me

Using a skill saw on sheetrock! You would need a serious breathing mask. I'm laughing because I can imagine someone doing it

Then there was the young lady I had as a foreman who asked me about masonry.
She had a stone planter project she wanted to do over the weekend.

I told her how ever tempted you may be ((DO NOT)) handle the mortar with your hands.
Learn how to use the trowel.
It will eat your skin off.
Well Monday she came to work with cracked ate up hands.
Boy you weren't kidding about that stuff were you.
Nope it sucked every bit of the fat out of your skin just like I said it would.

So a masonry trowel could go on the list for small repairs and projects along with an assortment of putty knives and such.


Worth

[kayrobbins]

Farmer Shawn, your comment about having kitchen items reminded of something that has provided me with endless smiles. My parents were extremely frugal having grown up in the depression era. My mother's one indulgence was buying a very expensive Pfaff sewing machine back in the 50's. That was her pride and joy and she was so upset when she could not locate the little brass oiler embossed with the Pfaff name that came with it.

Fast forward decades later, when my father died I insisted on getting his tools. He had been a mechanic his whole life and had wonderful tools. I had been into restoring cars for years but had ventured out into doing a restomod on a 49 Chervrolet pickup that was kicking my butt. I needed my dad's tools and karma. What I found in his tool box was my mother's long lost Pfaff oiler. I can see why he wanted it but at some point he should have confessed. It is still there and every time I open that drawer I smile.

[bower]

My buddy used the brad nailer to do the mouldings when we were working on renos this winter - it's like a magic wand that takes away the need for skill with a hammer. .. but also, less chance of splitting the wood, so I guess it's worth it for the trim.

You forgot fencing pliers. My dad gave me one of these, it's the most amazing tool ever..

http://www.groz-tools.com/index.cfm?...&ProductID=478

Metal shears is another tool I wouldn't be without, not just for metal but sundry things that are hard to cut otherwise - hoses, tough linoleum, etc....