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.



I find, often, that I have to fall back on my matched set of sharpened rocks.


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

[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

[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” is about the handiest tool on the planet for prying open, moving into position . . . I can’t list all the uses

This universal joint . 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.
The old third style The drive shaft like universal just flops down and is hard to aim one handed into a tight spot.

This 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 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
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. 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.