Tool Box Inventory

[Laurentius]

Damn, where went my last post, I will start again. When I moved into my first flat my tools included some inherited from my grandfather and great grandfather. Avoid anything poundland or Wilko and go for vintage wherever possible.

Ball pein hammer, pin hammer.
Plane
Chisels
Try Square
Tenon saw, hack saw and hand saw.
Hand drill and bit and brace.
Files and rasps.
Crowbar (or whatever you young uns call it these days)
Hefty adjustable spanner (for plumbing emergencies)
Pliers
Yankee screwdriver with hex attachments (as mentioned elsewhere)
Bits for the above (reliable ones, not Chinese plastic metal)
Tape measure, and ruler
Torch, (with a magnet is very handy)
Plunger for clearing blockages
Multimeter for testing electrics
Probably missing a lot out there but it depends how big your toolbox is.

 

[Machiavelli]

I’m sure someone will have already mentioned, but a rubber mallet is always helpful. A basic drill guide is also good for inexperienced DIYers.

 

[British Red]

Claw hammer.
Flat, pozi & phillips screwdriver
Pliers & Wire cutters
Stanley knife & blades
Hacksaw & blades
Small spirit level
5m retractable tape
Circuit tester
Allan keys
Cats paw
Filler knife
Scraper
Insulation tape
Masking tape
Spare fuses
Carpenter's pencil

 

[Seagull]

In addition to Red's list;
2 rolls Duct tape.
1 x 5ltr tin of swarfega.
box of industrial hand wipes
regards all
Ceeg

 

[British Red]

In addition to Red's list;
2 rolls Duct tape.
1 x 5ltr tin of swarfega.
box of industrial hand wipes
regards all
Ceeg

If room permits a small set of metric ring / crescent spanners would be good - failing that a small & large adjustable spanner.

 

[Stew]

If room permits a small set of metric ring / crescent spanners would be good - failing that a small & large adjustable spanner.

But make it a decent adjustable like a bahco with minimal slop. Hate a sloppy adjustable!

 

[British Red]

But make it a decent adjustable like a bahco with minimal slop. Hate a sloppy adjustable!

Absolutely - and instructions on which way round to use it!

 

[pieinthesky]

Car boot sale is good for tools.

 

[Great egret]

the most common things came along but i don't know if these have been mentioned already:
soap
gloves
wire stripper
safety stuff, shoes, glasses, ear protection
first aid kit

 

[Ystranc]

Question; Does he know how to use or maintain any of these hand tools that you’re thinking of giving him. If he’s completely lacking in experience then a little bit of mentoring and a less comprehensive set of tools might be more useful…he’ll almost certainly be upgrading and buying power tools once the work starts anyway.
When I’ve been doing refurbishments the most useful tools tended to be power tools rather than hand tools. A mitred joint takes seconds with a decent compound mitre saw but a hell of a lot of practice (and wasted material) to get perfectly right by hand with a mitre block. No one drills holes by hand anymore unless they’re some kind of masochist or so far off grid that they don’t have anywhere to re charge.

 

[Laurentius]

Question; Does he know how to use or maintain any of these hand tools that you’re thinking of giving him. If he’s completely lacking in experience then a little bit of mentoring and a less comprehensive set of tools might be more useful…he’ll almost certainly be upgrading and buying power tools once the work starts anyway.
When I’ve been doing refurbishments the most useful tools tended to be power tools rather than hand tools. A mitred joint takes seconds with a decent compound mitre saw but a hell of a lot of practice (and wasted material) to get perfectly right by hand with a mitre block. No one drills holes by hand anymore unless they’re some kind of masochist or so far off grid that they don’t have anywhere to re charge.

I thought part of the ethos of Bushcraft was learning to do things the old way before we had modern conveniences. I still use a bit and brace for certain jobs, you are actually saving money on recharging the cordless tools, not a lot but it all adds up. There is a certain pleasure to be had by doing things by hand and personally I dislike power tools as they can be more dangerous and tricky beasts than the hand equivalent, I have never drilled right through a thumb using a hand drill.

 

[Ystranc]

I thought part of the ethos of Bushcraft was learning to do things the old way before we had modern conveniences. I still use a bit and brace for certain jobs, you are actually saving money on recharging the cordless tools, not a lot but it all adds up. There is a certain pleasure to be had by doing things by hand and personally I dislike power tools as they can be more dangerous and tricky beasts than the hand equivalent, I have never drilled right through a thumb using a hand drill.

If you are doing an entire house the satisfaction of doing each task by hand soon wears thin, that is something that I can personally attest to.…Been there and done that and worn the silly hard hat.
While I will quite cheerfully sit and make cordage out of willow bark or light a fire using flint and steel for my own amusement I feel that using power tools for a DIY home improvement is more expedient and practical…should you wish to whittle your own skirting boards please feel free.
Sure there are jobs better suited to hand tools but to claim that they’re safer is stretching things a little, mis-use any tool and it will turn on you and bite you.

 

[pieinthesky]

Millenial Tool Kit

Credit card
Mobile phone
Mental Health advice manual


Edit - forget the manual - no way they would try and fix it themselves when they have a phone to call someone else to do it for them.

 

[The Frightful]

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

Girls don't get it, like we don't get, keeping a wedding dresses.
Most men are tool whores in my experience, i use them constantly because of my job and my son in law has POA over them..........or she'd skip the lot !

 

[Tengu]

If you want to drill a few holes, its probably easier to get out the hand drill.

 

[Broch]

If you want to drill a few holes, its probably easier to get out the hand drill.

Nah, not these days with battery drills and keyless chucks - it takes no time at all to drill a few holes

 

[Ystranc]

I really can’t see any philosophical or moral virtue in using a hand tool that makes the job far harder and take longer but that is mainly because I have a huge amount to do and only so much time to achieve it.
There has also been a claim that “girls don’t get it”…that is patently BS as my other half uses tools all the time, just different tools to do a range of jobs that are very different to the type of jobs that I do. She is capable of a huge range of crafts and has an astonishing number of hand tools to facilitate them.

 

[Broch]

I really can’t see any philosophical or moral virtue in using a hand tool that makes the job far harder and take longer but that is mainly because I have a huge amount to do and only so much time to achieve it.
There has also been a claim that “girls don’t get it”…that is patently BS as my other half uses tools all the time, just different tools to do a range of jobs that are very different to the type of jobs that I do. She is capable of a huge range of crafts and has an astonishing number of hand tools to facilitate them.

I think it was said 'tongue in cheek'; I know my comment about my daughter vs my son was. My daughter did clarify, she would take the Westfield and the Bonny out before she lit the match

 

[Ystranc]

I think it was said 'tongue in cheek'; I know my comment about my daughter vs my son was. My daughter did clarify, she would take the Westfield and the Bonny out before she lit the match

Fair enough, BS was probably far to stronger term but that is how I saw it when I read it..it really doesn’t pay to underestimate the ladies though, I have the greatest respect for MOH and her multitude of talents.

 

[British Red]

Tools and tool users are interesting. I remember meeting a former professional race mechanic who pulled into our place in a rebuilt Landrover 110 wearing a polo shirt for the group that conserves steam engines.

She is still a friend - amazing lady.

I do love tools and I confess to keeping some and even buying some for their own sake because I find them beautiful. This is especially true of old hand tools. I adore old planes for example

Here's a silly example. Fiona's Mum has a lovely original Stanley No. 3 plane with proper Rosewood handles. As a lady in her 70s she still planes doors. This is her plane

Tired Stanley No 3 by British Red, on Flickr


One day I "borrowed" it from her and cleaned, trued and sharpened it

Sharpening Bevel by British Red, on Flickr

Here it is when I reset the plane iron.

Refinished Stanley No.3 by British Red, on Flickr

I then gave it back. I did it because it's a beautiful tool and working on it and with it pleased me immensely. A member here - looking at you Steve - gave me a no.8 once - a very generous gift that I treasure. Old tools have a soul and still work beautifully - I also own a lot of DeWalt XR cordless tools. There's a place for both