I want to build out my home tool kit - what are the must haves?
What kind of tools should every homeowner have at their disposal? Do you need saws and rakes and hammers, etc. Outfitting a garage for first time home buyers who own a hammer and a could of screwdrivers.
Answers ( 1 )
This question is like asking: "I want to build out my kitchen utensils and appliances- what should I get?" The answer is: It Depends.
Personally, as the daughter of a Master Carpenter** and wife of a FixIt/MakeIt guy, here's what I think is necessary:
-- Two hammers; one lightweight and small-ish, like a tack hammer. Good for small jobs. Another that is at least 20 ounces- a good, heavy hammer; not only will it make driving nails easier, it can belt recalcitrant fastenings to a better frame of reference and, bonus! Since it should have a claw end, you can use it to remove stubborn old nails and such.
-- Screwdrivers. One each regular and Phillips head: Long handle, heavy duty; short handle, wide head, regular cheapos in a set. Bonus! A butter knife works as a regular screwdriver and a potato peeler tip can do a decent Phillip's head in a pinch. Do not tell men you did this- they find it incorrect to the point of sin.
--Good cordless drill. Spend some money here- good drill, good battery system. Dear Husband would recommend Milwaukee or Bosch, but he's a sucker for a good name brand. Look around for a deal- drill, plus battery & charger, and small set of general bits. A good drill and bits are essential.
--Socket and sets. You need a general set of both US and metric sockets and you might want to get used to this now: You will never have the right sized socket when you really need it. Which is why you need---
--More than a few GOOD wrenches and pliers. Hit garage sales, estate sales and junk stores for these; you will get better quality, quirky selections and far lower prices. Wrenches and pliers (and wire strippers, come to that) are like the Eko pancake turner, or those old, heavy, really good rolling pins: When you are out cruising antique and junk stores and you see one, you buy it.
--Cutting edges. This is going to really depend. Personally, you need a circular saw, and best would be mounted to a table, unless you have a tax return to spend and don't mind dropping a couple hundred on a table saw system. Bang for the buck here- look for Father's Day sales and such and, again, Bosch or Makita- Milwaukee is good, too. But, if you aren't going to be doing a lot of wood-working, you can get by with a SawzAll and a smaller but really good Dremel. You won't do anything fine with these, (well, maybe the Dremel) but they'll be easier than the whole table saw thing.
--If you have the money and inclination, a band saw, drill press and chop saw would be nice, but they are not necessary for the usual home repairs. A heavy-duty cordless electric stapler will come in handy. Oh, and a good ShopVac. You'll end up needing that.
--Likely a good collection of clamps, too- DH has used some weird things for clamps, like bungee cords, but now has a wonderful collection of them thanks, again, to antique stores.
And to show off, this is what DH made for me earlier this year because I am short, and regular counter heights force me to use poor body mechanics, so this rolling work table is Goldilocks: Juuuuuust right.
It is great!
**My father built the desk President Reagan used when he came to the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs to give the Commencement Address in 1984. Dad stole a couple of jellybeans from the bowl they'd placed on the desk before Reagan's arrival, and then he made a tiny little display case for those jellybeans out of- no lie- walnut and glass, and I still have that thing, someplace.