Tool Box Inventory

[TeeDee]

I have a younger friend whom has been saving and working for some years to buy his first house.

Which he has now done and I'm ( patronising ) very proud of him and happy for him.

Its a bit of a dooer-uppah which doesn't phase him.

He has no hand tools to speak of and power tools are currently a thing of dreams.

To help him out I'm going to furnish him with a Toolbox of handtools.




So the question is , what hand tools should I include, the common and not so common , the obvious and the little things we my over look. It all needs to fit in the Toolbox.

So tool box inventory for the newbie DIYer with a house and small garden in need of TLC

Suggestions?

 

[Mesquite]

Here's a few for the list

An adjustable square.
A Yankee screwdriver with hex bit adaptor and various bits
Retractable blade stanley knife and pack of blades
Junior Hacksaw
Adjustable spanners
Electrical tape.
Box of plasters

 

[Robbi]

Hammer
Box of assorted screws and rawl plugs
Tape measure
Set of standard screwdrivers
Pencil
Spirit level
Pliers
Wire cutters
Electricians tape
Tie wrapps
Torch
Small Jimmy / crow bar
WD40
Mole grips

Everything is available in the middle aisles

 

[Wildgoose]

I’m pretty sure I have a surplus B&D drill driver in the shed. He’s welcome to it.

I can post it to you TeeDee?

 

[Stew]

An insulated 4mm flat head screwdriver
A pair of water pump pliers.

These cover a lot of my work needs.

 

[Jared]

Crowbar
Or maybe a demolition wrench (adjustable wrench, hammer and crowbar) in one.

 

[Stew]

As it’s an old place I bet there’s some dodgy electrics. Get a tester pen for when they come across that random wire.

LAP AC Non-Contact Voltage Detector Pen 1000V AC - Screwfix

Order online at Screwfix.com. Offers high quality performance for the non-contact detection of AC voltage. FREE next day delivery available, free collection in 1 minute.

www.screwfix.com

 

[ESpy]

Catspaw crowbar, the sort with a wide blade (mine doesn't have a notch in the blade which I prefer).
Paint tin opener (keep the catspaw free of paint...).

 

[Tengu]

A huge jar of random fastenings.

 

[Stew]

A huge jar of random fastenings.

You can’t buy someone that - you have to build your own over time.

 

[TeeDee]

You can’t buy someone that - you have to build your own over time.

Or inherit - Wood Shed probate.

Filled Jam Jars with the lids screwed to the underside of dusty shelves...

 

[Broch]

My daughter says she's going to burn my workshop down; my son says 'over his dead body'

 

[TeeDee]

My daughter says she's going to burn my workshop down; my son says 'over his dead body'

I bet you keep little 2 -3 foot ( I can't say it in metric.. ) lengths of wood planks , and offcuts all stored in the rafters with a ' that could be handy at some point ' mentality.

 

[bobnewboy]

I bet you keep little 2 -3 foot ( I can't say it in metric.. ) lengths of wood planks , and offcuts all stored in the rafters with a ' that could be handy at some point ' mentality.

What’s wrong with that? I have two different workshop storage areas - one for hardwood offcuts, and another for everything else. Very useful and often raided, as wood etc becomes ever more expensive.

My suggestion for the list would be : trays of stainless bolts, washers and nuts (including nyloc) in various metric sizes. I’ve found those invaluable in fixing various vehicles, garden power tools, washing machines etc etc. You can buy tubs like this in various weights, so start small, but fixings like that are much cheaper to buy in bulk.

As an aside, buying other household fixings like screws, nails, hooks and the like can (or could) be done fairly cheaply at Wilko stores, where you could/can buy a bag by weight, and make your own mix. Not always top quality, but certainly good enough for those get-you-out-of-trouble moments.

 

[Broch]

I bet you keep little 2 -3 foot ( I can't say it in metric.. ) lengths of wood planks , and offcuts all stored in the rafters with a ' that could be handy at some point ' mentality.

Of course!

 

[Tengu]

A cheap sketchbook to draw out plans/write useful stuff down in.
(or a ring binder full of scrap paper)
Lots of newspaper
dust sheets
metal ruler
carpenters pencil/chinagraph pencil
a square
paintbrushes

If he is doing soft furnishings a selection of assorted needles and threads

The garden is a whole nother thing.

(Has he a book on basic DIY?)

 

[punkrockcaveman]

Brushes
Paint tray
Claw hammer
Rough cut panel saw
Brown wall plugs
Silicone gun
Stanley knife AND spare blades
Sand paper
Posi screw driver of a decent size
Flat head screwdriver
Dust sheets
Pencils
Tape measure x 2
Spirit level - big and small
Screws
Nails
Cable ties
Plumbers putty
Ptfe tape
Adjustable spanners of varying sizes
Mole grips
Gloves
Masks
Goggles
Pliers (long nose and cutters, good ones for cutters)
Stubby screwdrivers
Mitre glue
Allen keys
Wall paper scraper
Wood scraper possibly depending on I he's saving any wood work
Mitre block
Plastic wedges

There's probably loads I've missed there.

 

[EdS]

Mug and tea bags.... Sit down with a brew before starting any job.

Clear other thoughts out and start fresh

 

[Paul_B]

My daughter says she's going to burn my workshop down; my son says 'over his dead body'

Did your daughter reply "that's a deal!" If I'd have said that growing up my sister would have thought that a win-win! Same vice versa!

Seriously my first house tool kit list was donated stuff so I couldn't be fussy.

Junior hacksaw with blunt blade,
Larger, adjustable length hacksaw that takes a few blade lengths, also blunt.
Philips and flat screwdrivers of various sizes
Wood saw
Stanley knife
Tape measure - my dad's old, metal stanley branded one that's older than me but still had metric,
A corded B&D drill
Assorted screws and rawl plugs
A climbers gear removable tool, don't ask.
Cheap spirit level

 

[Laurentius]

Mole grips and a hefty adjustable spanner are essential for emergency plumbing jobs. The older the tool the longer it will last, avoid anything from poundland, or from the likes of B&M or Wilko for sure. Some of the tools I moved into my first flat with were from my grandfather and my great grandfather.