Your Basic Tool Kit

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A good basic tool kit should include a framing hammer, Philips and flat head screwdrivers, and a sturdy bag to carry them.
A good basic tool kit should include a framing hammer, Philips and flat head screwdrivers, and a sturdy bag to carry them.
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Alternatively, you could substitute a spiral ratchet with interchangeable bits for your screwdrivers.
Alternatively, you could substitute a spiral ratchet with interchangeable bits for your screwdrivers.
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Chisels of assorted size are good to have on hand as well.
Chisels of assorted size are good to have on hand as well.
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Vise grips are good all-purpose holders.
Vise grips are good all-purpose holders.
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A utility knife with a fixed or retractable blade should be in you kit.
A utility knife with a fixed or retractable blade should be in you kit.
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A metal, spring-loaded tape measure.
A metal, spring-loaded tape measure.
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A combination square helps you draw straight lines and create precise corners.
A combination square helps you draw straight lines and create precise corners.
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Need nose pliers.
Need nose pliers.
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From left to right, a ship scraper, a four-in-one hand file, and a cold chisel.
From left to right, a ship scraper, a four-in-one hand file, and a cold chisel.

When, as a first-time home owner, I had to borrow things to get the simplest household jobs done, it wasn’t long before I assembled a half-dozen or so hand tools that would take care of just about anything that cropped up. Now that I’ve put together a moderately impressive workshop, I still look to that old reliable basic tool kit for quick fixes in and around the house.

There’s something to be said for the luxury of being able to carry most of what you need in a small kit bag. For one thing, a fabric gripsack is compact and inexpensive and can be left packed so you’re never in doubt as to what’s inside. Moreover, a bag is considerably more supple than a toolbox and has no sharp comers to suffer or lids that refuse to close. Finally, because there’s only a handful of items in it, there’s little worry that things will get buried at the bottom.

Linemen often use a leather carryall that’s just about perfect for this purpose; more realistically, local and mail-order surplus retailers usually have military engineers’ bags or tool grips available in canvas for less than $10. I use an oil-stained nylon athletic bag my wife discarded last year. At any rate, it’s apparent that there’s no need to get fancy. The bag should be at least as long as your largest tool, needn’t be wider than 8″ or so and no more than that in height. Try to choose a design that has top handles, a closable opening and a stiff bottom with metal feet.

Power tools have their own carrying cases or at least can be carried separately. And though their convenience can’t be argued (unless you happen to be somewhere without power), it’s sometimes easier, often necessary, and almost always more satisfying to simply do the job by hand.

Setting Out to Buy

  • Published on Aug 1, 1991
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