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Tool SetsBy Jim Sulski Summary: A good tool set is crucial to a successful do-it-yourself project. Here are the basics everyone needs in their toolbox and how to care for them. Murphy's Law says that the tool that you need most during a home improvement project is the one you will not have in your collection.
Just about everyone has some sort of assortment of tools lying around a basement workbench on mixed into a kitchen drawer. But what makes up a practical but adequate tool set? Especially since there are different levels of home improvement. The components of a start set, for example, would include: •A small hooked clawed hammer, starting at about 10 ounces. Hammers are not only good for driving nails into the wall but taking them out. •A 6-inch pair of pliers. •A pair of needle-nosed pliers is also a good investment especially if a do-it-yourselfer plans on doing a bit of electrical repair work in their apartment or condominium. •A set of at least four screwdrivers: A No. 1 and 2 Phillips and 1/4-inch and 5/16-inch straight blade screwdrivers. A screwdriver with interchangeable blades is also a good bet. The uses of screwdrivers around a house Is unlimited - from tightening loose doorknobs to fixing toys. •A pair of channel locks, which will do a lot more than conventional pliers. •A set of vice grips, which work really well for fixing a loose handle on a faucet. •An adjustable crescent wrench. This would be in lieu of a more expensive socket wrench kit. •A small torpedo level and a tape measure. These are essential for hanging pictures and shelves. •A retractable utility knife for cutting everything from cardboard boxes to floor tile. •Also a necessity is a one-inch and four-inch putty knife. These are great for patching holes in the wall or opening stuck windows. •A small set of allen wrenches. Many items - from bed frames to toys - have allen heads now. •A hacksaw and a small hand saw. The hacksaw can be used to cut so many things, such as piping while the handsaw would be handy for cutting wood. •Finally, the one electrical tool in a basic set should be a 3/8-inch variable speed drill. A variety of drill bits and screwdriver tips should also be purchased. What is also a good investment is a toolbox to keep everything contained. One of the worst time waster is rifling through a junk drawer to find a screwdriver and a pair of pliers. The above scenario should cost a do-it-yourselfer about $40 on the low end for the basic hand tools, and as much as $200 for the entire set. But it is a good investment even for an apartment dweller as you can easily rack up that much in repair bills if you don't have the tools. A way to protect that investment is with a bit of maintenance. For example, standard head screwdrivers that have become dull and rounded can be sharpened with a grinding wheel or by hand with a metal file. When filing by hand, lock the screwdriver blade-up in a vice first and file the blade at a 90 degree angle. Putty knifes and scrapers can also be kept sharp the same way. Sand paper can also help keep screwdrivers and other blade tools acute. Keep a piece of sandpaper on hand when working constantly with a scraper knife or scraper to keep them sharp. If you don't have a grinding wheel, many neighborhood hardware stores will do the sharpening for you for a couple of dollars or so. Another way to prolong the life of a tool is to invest in a good tool belt. The belts prevent the tools from being damaged in a fall, especially when a do-it-yourselfer is doing work on ladders or roofs. And the chances are that when you drop a tool, you're going to wind up buying a new one. Finally, use a tool only for the job it was designed for. In other words, don't use a putty knife as a screwdriver or a screwdriver as a scraper. That misuse winds up dulling, bending and weakening the tool. Also, avoid using a tool beyond its capacity. For example, some of the smaller, cordless drills are not meant for extensive jobs or drilling through hard woods and metals. Doing so will only damage the workings of the tool or an accessory. © by Jim Sulski. All rights reserved. May 31, 2005. NOTE: This column is distributed by Real Estate Matters Syndicate, PO Box 366, Glencoe, Illinois, 60022. This column may not be resold, reprinted, resyndicated or redistributed without written permission from the publisher. © 2005 by Ilyce R. Glink. Distributed by Real Estate Matters Syndicate. |
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