What would I find in your jobsite tool box/bag?

[Phil Thien]

I find myself helping family/friends w/ basic carpentry tasks. Like today it was replacing a rotten windowsill. I had already planed and ripped the stock, I just had to cut it to length at the site, and then profile the ends to fit around the stops, which is quite easy with a coping saw.

But I didn't have a coping saw with me. Home wasn't too far away, so I just went and got one.

But I've been trying to identify the tools that would be the most helpful to have on a jobsite, and just keep them in a dedicated tool bag. And the more flexible a tool, the better. One tool that can replace two is a real plus when you're carting stuff around.

This is really a hand-tools only question, hence the Neanderthal forum. I know when I'm going to need a drill/driver or circular saw.

So do you keep a set of jobsite-only tools, and what is in it?

[steven c newman]

Besides the usual hammer, nail sets, tape measure, utility knife, speed square, small level, cat's paw, two pair of Visegrip Finger clamps, diagonal cutter pliers/nippers, and a bunch of nails/screws and other fasteners?

Worked as a Concrete form Carpenter. yes, we did a lot of other carpenter work, too. The above was the nail bag "rig" i carried every day. Included was a form wire twister for bag ties to tie rebar with. Dig have a coping saw, and a "toolbox" saw in a tool bucket. Small crow bar was handy, as well. Note: speed square was carried in the tool belt, but a good combo square was in the tool bucket, along with the framing square.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

For A 4-way rasp.....

[Mel Fulks]

I think all tool boxes should have one of those adaptors that allow you to use 3 prong elec cords in old 2 prong receptacles .Seen a number of cords vandalized with pliers for lack of one.

[Winton Applegate]

Well as I always say . . . when you get good enough all you need is a hammer.
I am working on using only this one smooth, naturally formed rock.

http://i801.photobucket.com/albums/yy298/noydb1/IMG_0331_zps599bc024.jpg (http://s801.photobucket.com/user/noydb1/media/IMG_0331_zps599bc024.jpg.html)

I find, often, that I have to fall back on my matched set of sharpened rocks.
http://i801.photobucket.com/albums/yy298/noydb1/Fallen-Arch-3_zps74a794bf.jpg (http://s801.photobucket.com/user/noydb1/media/Fallen-Arch-3_zps74a794bf.jpg.html)

Oh . . . and an espresso maker. I never go to any job site without it. To do so would be folly sure.

http://i801.photobucket.com/albums/yy298/noydb1/IMG_2522_zpse946f8b3.jpg (http://s801.photobucket.com/user/noydb1/media/IMG_2522_zpse946f8b3.jpg.html)

[bridger berdel]

small pry bar. tape measure. awl/gimlet/scriber ( sharp pokey thing ). some chisels.

[Graham Haydon]

Phil, I will endevor to take a picture of my site box for you. It's rare I find myself without what I need.

[Tony Zaffuto]

Push drill, sharpening stone (medium india), Stanley 60-1/2 block plane, scribes (cheap General type - bend the point out slightly), 3 in 1 oil can, small ratchet set, 4 in 1 screwdriver, spare reading glasses, couple of pieces of folded up sandpaper, spare pencils, utility knife, adjustable wrench, water pump style slip joint pliers, nail set, try-square, tape measure, marking gage, file.

[Judson Green]

Block plane.

I usually adjusted what I carried to the task. Could be a pipe wrench or painting gear.

Maybe lunch :cool:

[Paul Incognito]

In no particular order:

In the nail bag: hammer, tape measure, razor knife, beater chisel, small pry bar, speed square, side cutters, scriber/compas, small pair of vise grips, roll of electrical tape, small screw driver, chalk line, pencils, nail set, flashlight.

In the tool box: Good chisels, 4 way screw driver, block plane, bull nose rabet plane, snips, putty knife, square drive screw driver, pry bars, cats paw, coping saw, combo square, construction calculator, cold chisel, awl, needle nose pliers, channel lock pliers, keyhole saw, blade wrench for skil saw, extra nail sets, extra scriber/compas, stick rule, rasps, sliding bevel, torpedo level, adjustable wrench, flashlight, extra razor knife with a hook blade.

I actually had to go out to the truck and get my tool box so I could see what's in it. Pretty much that's what lives in it. Other tools are added as needed, but I try to put them back whwre they belong when I'm done with them or the box gets too heavy.

I have other tool boxes that have the less used tools, mechanic's tools, bulky tools, etc. I get these as needed. The list above is what I use on a daily basis.

Hope this helps,
Paul

[Tom M King]

My toolbag is a 28', 8-1/2' wide enclosed trailer with all tools organized in individually accessible (in cubbies) waterproof toolboxes, except of course for the big stuff. It used to be a stepvan, but I outgrew it.

[John Vernier]

I used to keep an old stanley #40 scrub plane handy for scribing work and for backing out baseboard and suchlike. It's a fast solution for lots of small problems. I also carried a #10 1/2 bench rabbet plane as it could serve as a smoother or a rabbet plane as needed - saved my butt a couple of times doing restoration work, refitting paneling and box beams. A #79 side rabbet plane and a small shoulder plane (like the small Lie-Nielsen shoulder) are good for working in tight spaces, overhead on a ladder, and they fit in your tool belt when you need them handy. All of this may be overkill for lots of kinds of work, but I've never regretted buying these tools, or giving them the very small amount of space they take up.

[Jim Koepke]

If only life was so easy.

Most of the time my tool box(es) have to be emptied before they can be loaded up for the task at hand.

jtk

[Bill Rhodus]

Phil, I have had to deal with this also. My traveling kit consists of 2 carpenter's trays with the following; coarse rip saw, fine rip, 14 t hybrid tenon, coping saw, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, and 1 Stanley 60 chisels, 2 ea Yankee screwdrivers straight and Phillips, bastard file, rasp, brace and bits, MF eggbeater and bits, LA block plane, wooden smooth, jack, and jointer plane, nail sets, framing and finish hammer, and a variety of squares, angle finders, chalk boxes, etc. I make an effort to pare down to the essentials an utilize items that are light, such as wooden planes rather than iron ones. Still is more weight than I would like.

[Winton Applegate]

Well being a mechanic in real life and having posted many of my “favorite” tools here I will add two or three that I am obsessed with at the moment :


The ever present “tack puller (http://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-27031-4-Inch-Tack-Puller/dp/B000NPPCCS/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1401075297&sr=1-1&keywords=tack+puller)” is about the handiest tool on the planet for prying open, moving into position . . . I can’t list all the uses

This universal joint (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0014ZXU0W/ref=oh_details_o08_s01_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) . I bought about eight of them for a set of nut drivers. I use that set every single day all day long. It is superior BECAUSE it has a spring in the joint and so stays on an angle even when turned around and up. it is also very narrow and compact compared to it’s competition (http://www.amazon.com/Sunex-2300-2-Inch-Universal-Impact/dp/B000LQEV9Y/ref=pd_sim_hi_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=162SETDHQ19MGN42F0BB).
The old third style The drive shaft like universal (http://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-1735-Drive-Universal-Joint/dp/B000NPT5J4/ref=sr_1_11?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1401076960&sr=1-11&keywords=universal+joint) just flops down and is hard to aim one handed into a tight spot.

This knife (http://www.toolking.com/coast-coa-c7000tcp-stainless-steel-lockback-knife/) for when I know what I am going to do with it is going to dull the edge and I don’t want to use one of my better knives. Pretty much like this one but a less pointy end. I think I found it some where and would miss it if I lost it.

This (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007UMHITW/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i05?ie=UTF8&psc=1) is a blindingly good deal and a very handy tool that I use HAND HELD. I chuck various things into it from unibits to drill bits to fairly large taps to clean out threads of paint and damaged threads. (can not use it to cut new threads unless fairly small but still super handy. Can use it to grip things you know will get hot quick while holding to a power grinder that will slip out of the jaws of a pair of pliers.

IF NOTHING ELSE LOOK AT THIS (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00327HT5W/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
a great addition to the everyday tool bag.
Another blindingly good deal that has dropped two dollars since I bought it and I was embarrassed to pay so little (in view of the five star ratings) is this tool. I must agree it is a seriously good tool and not a cheap piece of junk that the price leads one to think. Very good round rubber grip over a large steel tubular body and heavy well made ratchet and hinged joint. I was going to make one of these from a breaker bar but finally, finally found just what I was looking for. Even the storage bag it comes in is quite nice. The bag is compact, two vertical compartments loading from the top like a normal tool belt pouch with a flap and goes on your belt for crysake. I mean these guys are trying hard here.

Finally I just recently ran across these (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003UWHRSS/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1). I know what you are thinking; that is just a nut driver. Yah but it is a 3/8 drive nut driver ! ! ! MUCH larger handle, a two fister, and handy for larger sockets without using an adapter. You can stick a stout philips screw driver or punch etc., cross wise through the handle to get a T-bar effect to horse a fastener loose or tighter.

They call it a “Spinner Handle” rather than a nut or socket driver so I never came across one before.

So . . . that is what you will find in my apron, or hip pouch.

[Derek Cohen]

Well as I always say . . . when you get good enough all you need is a hammer.
I am working on using only this one smooth, naturally formed rock.

http://i801.photobucket.com/albums/yy298/noydb1/IMG_0331_zps599bc024.jpg (http://s801.photobucket.com/user/noydb1/media/IMG_0331_zps599bc024.jpg.html)



There you go again, Winton, showing off your fancy shmancy expensive custom-built high angle infill rocks! :p



So do you keep a set of jobsite-only tools, and what is in it?

For the past month I have been working weekends fixing up an old house we purchased as a rental. The previous owners did not look after it, and repairs included modifying an internal door to fit a door jamb (which I also needed to complete), rebuilding wooden window frames, stripping and re-installing kitchen drawers, among other fun activities.

While it does not fit in a tool bag, a folding Workmate bench was enormous help. I took along a Japanese ryoba, as this requires that the workpiece needs less clamping than a Western saw. There was also a folding Nobex 8" square, 3 ft spirit level, 3 Stanley yellow handle chisels (1/4, 1/2 and 1") good for mortices and paring, 20 oz steel claw hammer, set of blade and philips screwdrives in a case, 25 ft tape measure, pry bar (which I have ground to a finer "pry" blade), awl and Stanley knife, pliers, 4 clamps, Union (110) blockplane and Stanley #5 1/2. And a Panasonic 12v drill/driver with an assortment of bits and screws. OK, this needed two bags, not one.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Bill Houghton]

As always, the two-part trick is figuring out what works for YOU and keeping the weight down.

I don't have to go far, generally - from the shop to the house - as my sons do their own work, by and large. But if I were assembling a traveling kit, in addition to the good suggestions you've received so far, I'd include a push drill (Yankee is most common), for when you need a hole for a screw. Compact, fast, bulletproof.

[Daniel Rode]

I don't recall the last time I left the house to do work without knowing in advance what I'd be doing. In fact, I make it a point to find out in as much detail as I can. Like my grandmother used to say, "What the mind doesn't do, the feet have to."

I don't have any standard set of job site tools. I choose the tools I need to take on a case by case basis. I might help a friend with plumbing, electrical, setting tile, framing, finishing, etc. This weekend was replacing part of a driveway and later on a fire pit build. A coping saw and a sharp set of chisels wouldn't have been much help :)

Even when I did remodeling for a living, I did a variety of job types. Some tools stayed on the vans all the time, others swapped in and out depending on the type of job. I spent a fair bit of time making sure everyone had the right tools and materials going to the job site. A trip back to the shop or to the store is expensive, especially when you're paying someone to drive around instead of work.

[Tony Zaffuto]

For me, anything outside of the shop, is leaving the shop! That means if I have a project on the second or third floor of our home, I cart my tool bag/box/tote for the items I usually don't think I need, but end up needing!

[bridger berdel]

here are the contents of my "grab and go" box

290298

290299

it is rarely the only toolbox I bring, but it is very rare that I DON'T bring it.

[Brian Ashton]

I find myself helping family/friends w/ basic carpentry tasks. Like today it was replacing a rotten windowsill. I had already planed and ripped the stock, I just had to cut it to length at the site, and then profile the ends to fit around the stops, which is quite easy with a coping saw.

But I didn't have a coping saw with me. Home wasn't too far away, so I just went and got one.

But I've been trying to identify the tools that would be the most helpful to have on a jobsite, and just keep them in a dedicated tool bag. And the more flexible a tool, the better. One tool that can replace two is a real plus when you're carting stuff around.

This is really a hand-tools only question, hence the Neanderthal forum. I know when I'm going to need a drill/driver or circular saw.

So do you keep a set of jobsite-only tools, and what is in it?


That's a question along the lines of how long is a piece of string.

I have a number of the old pepsi crates that were made useless when things moved away from glass many years ago so I scored a bunch of them. When I get ready for a job where I need to be moving around a lot I start out with one maybe two crates full of various tools. But invariably the tools needed always grows to the point where I have at least 4 crates full of various tools.

If I were to try and narrow it down to just a small tool bag where I was walking in blind and needed to deal with nearly any situation reasonably well:
Jap saw
coping saw
hacksaw
set of 3 chisels (usually cheap stanley butt chisels in 1/2, 1 and 1 1/2)
full set of electricians screw drivers
volt finger (not sure if you have those in north america, for checking for live wires easily)
bandaids (cloth backed ones that you cut to size)
hammer
couple nail sets
adjustable 6" double square
2 tape measures (one always breaks)
12 inch level
digital protractor
channel lock pliers
insulated linemen pliers (good quality ones)
vise grips
small tin snips
adjustable wrench
lots of pencils
2 adjustable knives (heavy duty ones)
block plane
diamond file (to sharpen the block plane or chisels in a pinch)
small flat bar
and last but not least my tool belt, but by this time it doesn't fit in the bag

Not including a drill set, bits or counter sinks and the likes as you would need a drill to go along with those. But it's highly unlikely you wouldn't include a cordless drill when going to do work of some sort.

[Phil Thien]

here are the contents of my "grab and go" box

290298

290299

it is rarely the only toolbox I bring, but it is very rare that I DON'T bring it.

Wow you and I are nearly spot-on, except I don't have an egg beater (I always have a cordless with me because I need to have one for work anyhow) and I don't have as many squares (basically just use a speed square for everything) or chisels.

Oh and I have fewer files and no plumb bob.

[steven c newman]

For a long time, worked as a concrete form guy. Any form work, from slabs to 10' tall by 12" thick foundation walls. So, here is what went into the nail bags

24oz rip claw framer
25' tape measure, and a 100' one
Speed square
nail set
APEX tips for the drill/driver, both a 5/16 hex, and a phillips
2 large Visegrips Finger clamps
1 Large pair of Visegrips
Diagonal pliers
8" cresent wrench
2 chalk lines, red for grade lines on forms, blue for stuff you needed to be cleaned off afterwards (red stays put)
cat's paw
might have one beater chisel, maybe
one "reel" of mason's twine, or stringline.
pound of grade nails
pound of 7 nails
pound or two of duplex head spikes
pouch pocket full of pins and another full of "dogs'
Bag tie spinner, for tieing rebars

Carried along for the ride..
framing square
48" level, in case
Hilti hammer drill
Dewalt driver/drill for the apex tips
100' of extension cord
Mag trowel, edger trowels
and a large box of phillips screws.

There might have been a cirular saw hauled along too. Always got out a "new" blade for it, as all the dirt and other junk on the boards was a bit hard on them.
If needed, a 4 pound drilling hammer, or "Buster" Buster was a 10 pound (at least) short handled sledge hammer. Nothing, and i mean NOTHING ever talked back to Buster.

Six days a week, year round. Unless it poured down rain, we poured the concrete, built the forms, stripped the forms, and set more forms. Set up a wall pour a day of at least 75 -100' start to pour every day. Footers as well. Had to race behind the track-hoe, laying bar for the footers, with grade stakes. Soon as we could, we'd build the wall forms and set them, pour them, finish them. Some we even stripped the outside form ( the "Show" side) and used rubber trowels to give them a "rubbed out" finish. as long as the "mud" had set up enough, that is...

[bridger berdel]

Wow you and I are nearly spot-on, except I don't have an egg beater (I always have a cordless with me because I need to have one for work anyhow) and I don't have as many squares (basically just use a speed square for everything) or chisels.

Oh and I have fewer files and no plumb bob.



the contents do vary. stuff tends to get added more than removed, so every once in a while I go through and remove duplicate and stray items and return things that have made their way to the bench or whatever