I’m not handy. I wish I were, sometimes – I’d love to craft a bookcase, patio bench, or computer hutch with my hands, or even fix a busted electrical outlet. But I can’t – somewhere along the line I missed out on developing that talent, and at this point in my life learning to be more handy is simply too far down on my list of priorities to be very likely.
Still, work must get done. It’s neither practical nor even possible to call in a specialist every time I need something done – not to mention the cost! Most of the time, I can figure things out given enough time and the room to make a few mistakes – whether it’s a toilet that runs all the time or a set of shelves that need mounting on the wall.
Having a broad set of tools helps. If you’re not particularly handy and rely more on trial-and-error than on know-how to get things done, having a bunch of different tools can be helpful simply in suggesting things that might work. And of course, that one tool that you might never guess you’d need might well save the day!
Below are some of the tools I have in my tool chest. They’re the “extra” tools – that is, not the basics that everyone should have. If you don’t have any tools, you’re going to want a decent hammer, at least two screwdrivers (one each, Phillips head and flat head), an adjustable crescent wrench, a handsaw, and a couple pairs of pliers (needle-nose and adjustable). Once you have those, look into adding these to your collection. They’re listed roughly in order of usefulness – but of course, that’s subjective.
1. Power drill
Mine’s a Black and Decker 18-Volt rechargeable drill, and it rocks. It’s easily the most useful and more often used tool I own. It cost less than $50 and runs for quite a while on a single charge. It came with a handful of accessories – a few bits and some screwdriver heads – but I also picked up a huge set of accessories for around $20: a range of drill bits but also concrete bits, torx and hex screwdriver heads, socket wrenches, and so on. I’ve used it to install shelves, build a work surface into a walk-in closet, hang curtains, and replace a smashed rear view mirror, among other tasks. Once you have a power drill, you’ll start looking for tasks to do with it – there’s nothing more satisfying!
2. Laser level
Another tool I use all the time – far more often than I would have expected, is my laser level. Mine’s the Black and Decker pictured here – it’s actually a combination laser level and stud finder, but I rarely use the stud finder. The laser level is awesome, though – it comes with a pair of pins you push through the center hole to hand the unit on the wall, allowing gravity to pull the lasers level; twin lasers come out of either side and trace a line along the wall (and around corners for a short distance). Then you just hammer your nail, drive your screw, or measure out your mark along the laser lines. It’s so fun, it almost feels like a toy!
3. Dremel rotary tool
A Dremel is a rotary tool that relies on speed to cut, grind, drill, and polish (unlike a standard drill, which relies on power to do it’s thing). I’m not proud of how I decided to get one – I saw one of those late-night infomercials singing its praises and went to a Wal-Mart the next weekend and bought one. But I’m glad I did – I’ve used it to trim closet rods, cut too-long nails or screws down to size, de-rust tools, sand the inside edge of holes, and cut drywall. One quirk I’ve found is that, because the head is spinning so fast, it’s almost impossible to cut in a straight line; my cuts always veer in the direction of the spin. But for tight jobs and a whole range of sanding and polishing jobs, it’s really the best. Some people even use them to cut their dogs’ nails! This is another one that once you own it, you’ll find yourself seeking ways to use it.
4. J-B Weld
Dangerous. Powerful. Toxic. Messy. What could be better than J-B Weld? J-B Weld is an epoxy adhesive that comes in two tubes – you have to mix it together to activate it, and then it dries as solid as steel. It’s awesome – it bonds to just about everything and hardens water- gas-, and oil-proof.
5. Socket wrench set
A good solid socket wrench set will save your life. That’s in the Bible!* You can likely share all the wrench and screwdriver heads with your drill, but a socket wrench fits places that are totally impractical for a power drill, like tight corners of your car’s engine compartment. Very useful to get leverage on a stubborn bolt that’s too stuck for your power drill’s motor, too.
* Not actually in the Bible.
6. Leatherman Multitool
Although a Swiss Army Knife takes pride of place in my pocket, I have three or four Leatherman Multitools – one in the kitchen drawer, one in my tool chest, one in my car’s glove compartment, and one in my desk drawer. Two are knock-offs, and one is one of the baby ones, but the concept is the same – sturdy, solid tools folded into a portable form. This way I have some basic tools handy when I’m feeling too lazy to take down my big tool box and dig around for something.
7. Tape
Duct tape, of course, but also electrical tape (for quick and dirty wire splices), plumbing tape (which isn’t really tape, but a kind of plastic gauze that goes around a pipe fitting’s threads to create a leak-free barrier), painting tape (for masking off areas you don’t want to get oil or WD-40 or anything else on), and whatever other kind of tape you see around. Tape is cheap, and you’ll almost always find at least one job that you can take care of with whatever kind of tape you’ve wisely stocked up.
8. Putty Knife
Intended, as the name suggests, to spread putty (for example, while sealing a bathtub), putty knives come in various shapes and sizes. I like to keep one or two handy for things as random as spreading spackling over a screw hole in the drywall to scraping stickers off of glass. They’re cheap, so grab a couple.
9. Precision screwdriver set
A set of tiny screwdrivers (like this one) is a must-have accessory for geeks, who often must remove dozens of itsy-bitsy screws while changing a hard drive, opening a PDA, or swapping RAM into a laptop. They’re also super-useful for tightening screws on glasses!
10. Silver marker
And finally, folks, the silver marker. Not just for teachers, teenage girls, and scrapbookers! In fact, the silver marker is perhaps the single most important piece of equipment available to today’s Homo technologicus for one simple yet vital reason: AC adapters are almost always black. And they’re almost never marked in any useful way to show you which one goes with what gadget! Silver marker shows up on black, and is permanent, which means you can mark each and every wall wart, power convertor, and adapter with the name of the gadget it goes to. I also mark the top side of black USB cables so I can tell which side goes “up” when I plug something in. I’m sure there are dozens of other uses for silver markers – throw a pair in your toolbox and just see how many uses you come up with!
So those are the 10 tools that round out my tool box. What tools do you rely on?
I’d add a Hammer, probably in place of the Dremel if we have to stay at 10 tools.
Also, a tape measure. Preferably a Big Max 25′ one.
Gorilla glue !.. glues wood together fast and strong. the TRICK IS WATER yup add just a little water to one side then the glue VERY LITTLE adhere the 2 parts , now watch it cause if you put to much you have a white foam come out but wipe it and your set. I have fixed a table leg and new wooden bath brush that broke.
I agree with the drill, but a corded hammer drill is very useful too. It never runs out of power at a bad time, and the hammer action is great for getting into brickwork. Don’t for get the RCD circuit breaker if you use one though. And goggles, gloves and other appropriate safety gear.
This is a cool list and it’s hard to limit it to just ten. I’d want to add a screw drivers, Swiss army knife (technically not a tradesman’s tool), torch hammer and tape measure.
Congrat dude. What a useful tips.
A tape measure instead of the dremel.
Tool 11. A small LED head torch. Very useful for fixing stuff in the back of the cupboard, behind the computer etc.
Personally I use a labeller instead of the silver pen.
Congrat dude. What a useful tips
now watch it cause if you put to much you have a white foam come out but wipe it and your set. I have fixed a table leg and new wooden bath brush that broke.
This is a great list, but I agree with a previous commenter that a tape measure would be a good addition to the list.
My boyfriend loves J-B weld. He uses to to fix all kinds of things. One time, I snapped my bank card in half, but the magnetic strip was still fine, so he spackled it back together with J-B weld and then covered that with electrical tape. It worked pretty well until I was able to get to the bank to get as new card. It’s pretty useful stuff.
Hey Dustin, I don’t know about the “talent” part. My dad grew up in the depression and HAD to learn to fix everything himself; cars, plumbing, home wiring, TVs, radios, electronics, carpentry, you name it! If you grew up in the mid-west, you were pretty much EXPECTED to know how to do a little bit of everything.
I grew up around that attitude, and although as a musician, I still hate to mess with cars (always seem to wind up getting my hands banged up), I do mess with just about everything else, from building speaker cabinets when I was a kid, to loft beds later in my Manhattan apartment, to renovating a three family house in Brooklyn, to building the workstation, shelving and racks in my studio (would have bought ready-made, but couldn’t find the sizes I needed to optimize my small space).
Trial and error IS the name of the game. But another important lesson from my dad (and from his dad before that) was that for just about ANYTHING you want to do, SOMEBODY has written a book about it, and you can probably find it in the library. Or better still, now you can usually find it on the Internet!
Having the right tools does help (I’ve aquired a whole garage full of stuff since buying my house in ’93).
BTW: JB Weld is great stuff!!! I used it to fix my car’s leaking radiator this summer. Again, it took some trial and error. For the first patch I reinforced it with a piece of plastic (figured it would behave similar to the plastic radiator) but it kept opening up as the system heated up and cooled down. But then I decided to try some fiberglass mesh (the kind you use for taping and patching drywall). Worked like a charm. No more leak (and saved about $400).
For those afraid to fix their own stuff, I say; Just dive in! You’ve got nothing to lose and a lot to gain.
to decrease the risk of having your precious tools
stolen by men, spray paint them all pink.
..and a workbench, it makes all you tools twice as useful.
[...] 10 Tools for the Non-Handy Person’s Toolbox [...]
I never would have thought of a silver marker! Awesome idea.
Great list, though I think you need to bump the list up to 15 items.
I agree with Kirk, a hammer and tape measure are necessary. Instead of the Leatherman, I’d get a philips and a regular screwdriver, as well as a pair of wire cutters. That’s not to say I wouldn’t use a Leatherman, but it has its limitations. Definitely good for the car and kitchen. I’d also get rid of the Dremel. I have one, but I don’t use it that often.
Include duct tape and paint masking tape with the various collections of tapes.
Two pairs of Vice Grips. Great if you don’t have a strong grip or just trying to get two things to move in opposite directions.
A hack saw – you can cut lots of household things to length – curtain rods, broom sticks, conduit, moulding, etc.
Gwen: I kind of assumed basic tools like hammer, screwdrivers, and pliers. I should have added “tape measure” to the tools I assumed were part of a basic setup. As I say in the intro, these are the “extra” tools that non-handy people might not think to have available.
[...] 10 Tools For The Non-Handy Person’s Toolbox [Stepcase Lifehack] Below are some of the tools I have in my tool chest. They’re the “extra” tools – that is, not the basics that everyone should have. If you don’t have any tools, you’re going to want a decent hammer, at least two screwdrivers (one each, Phillips head and flat head), an adjustable crescent wrench, a handsaw, and a couple pairs of pliers (needle-nose and adjustable). Once you have those, look into adding these to your collection. They’re listed roughly in order of usefulness – but of course, that’s subjective. [...]
Thanks for this list. I just purchased a bunch of little screwdrivers, which are coming in useful for changing batteries around the house. Those are about the only tools that I have – I plan to increase my box of basic tools in the nearish future.
Even though I am still a young man(21 at the time of this writing), my Father has passed on to me the title of family handy man. This is quite the list you have, every short list of tools is often wasted with the basics like hammers and screwdrivers, although there are a few recommendations I feel it necessary to make. As far as the basics: if you only own one hammer, get a steel framing hammer, not a claw, the claw has a large curve whereas a framing hammer is flatter and works great as a prybar if you either don’t have one or have only a small space to work in; regarding screwdrivers, especially screw bits for a drill, make sure you know the difference between posidrive and phillips head, they look similar but this mistake causes most of the head stripping on screws. If the screw has an “X” pattern in between the cross, it’s posidrive. However, if you’re building something and need a big box of screws that will take a lot of torque, you might as well go with a robertson(square) head, they take as much torque as a posidrive, but the stay on the bit without a magnet and can be driven from an angle, as opposed to phillips and posidrive where the drill needs to be straight up.
While on the subject of drills, if you need a lot of torque, cordless or not, I would recommend an electric impact wrench, even instead of a drill. The only caution with those is that you can’t feel how much power is being transferred to the bit, so be aware of how deep you are, it’s easy to over torque and over drill.
The laser level is a nice tool, especially if you need a very long, level line, but I prefer a standard meter long bubble level, as it doubles as a straight edge. I have the same model as you for my stud finder, both get their fair share of use.
Plumbers tape(I assume you mean PTFE or teflon) is great, but if I know the joint is going to fit, I usually use loctite or pipe dope, it forms a fluid tight seal and prevents the joint from working it’s way loose. I also like to have loctite for whenever I have machine screws that will be subject to vibration, such as my car or motorcycle.
As far as additions, necessity is the mother not only of invention, but trips to the hardware store. My toolbox has expanded and multiplied, even taken over a wall in my apartment and my car trunk because I needed those tools. Not everyone needs a pop riveter, but it can be nice to have. Use your judgment on these, if you have no desire or ability to use a certain tool, it’s just going to collect dust. But if you desire to be a handyman, these recommendations should start you out in the right direction:
-Crosscut saw and miterbox, you will use this one a lot more than a rip saw;
-Hacksaw, long cuts in metal just eat up dremel bits
-Drill bit set, always, ALWAYS drill a pilot hole before placing a screw. Holding it with your fingers is going to either crack the wood or scuff and bend the metal. Plus you can end up ramming a running drill into your hand
-Spare screws and nails of various lengths, because that self assembly furniture wobbles if you look at it wrong, 90 degree metal brackets stop that pretty quick
-Wire strippers, beat the hell out of using your teeth
-Telescoping magnet, screws never fall where they are easily reached
-Little Flashlight, preferably small enough to hold with your teeth
But the most important items: Safety glasses, ear plugs, good leather gloves, bandages and some antiseptic lotion.
All in all though, good article. Now I’m off to buy some silver markers and do away with a couple of masking tape labels
awesome!
This is a cool list and it’s hard to limit it to just ten. I just purchased a bunch of little screwdrivers. Nice tips about tools, but if you want to store tools safely and organized you have get toolboxes.