Minimum honey do kit?

[Matt Lau]

I just finished helping my parents repair their closet door.

The screws had stripped the MDF door, and were hanging.
My dad had tried filling it in with toothpaste and pasting the screws back in place.
I just drilled oversized holes, cut oak pins to length with a Dozuki, planed an oak dowel to fit, glued it, sawed the excess with a Kataba, trimmed the end flush with a nice chisel, and re-screwed the screws in place.

It felt very good to justify my tools.

Anyways, it got me to thinking that there are only a handful of tools needed to do most repairs around the house.
I really don't need my LV LA jack, or carving knives for most tasks. Alternatively, a cordless drill is indispensable.


Would you guys mind helping me refine my honey-do kit?


Here's my short list:
1. Good crosscut saw. Good flush cut saw.
2. Sharp chisel about 1" to 1/2" (and something to keep it sharp)
3. Cordless drill. Drill bits. Bit driver. Good bits for driving screws. Awl to start the hole
4. Headlight.
5. Good block plane (western or eastern is fine).
6. Tape measure
7. Masking tape
8. Hammer/mallet
9. Screwdrivers
10. Wrench(es) including allen wrench
11. Sharp utility knife
12. small vac for cleanup.

Any others? I'm thinking of making a small bag in my car for repairs...mainly to help parents and friends.
Nothing fancy.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Duct tape. Don't leave home without it.

Small bunch of clean cotton rags.

Small squeeze bottle of glue.

Square of some type/size/$$$. Inexpensive combo w/45* is fine.

[Jamie Buxton]

You're forgetting about plumbing and electrical.

[Matt Lau]

Ah!

Great tips.

My dad has trouble changing a lightbulb, so I've never had much guidance.

[Shawn Pixley]

Level, square, and channellock pliers?

[Warren Wilson]

a small flat prybar of some sort, perhaps a catspaw

Which reminds me of one of my wife's favorite strategies when I have too long neglected a task. "Don't worry about that light switch," she'll say, "I'll get it," walking past me with a 4 lb hammer, a crow bar and a crescent wrench.

[Reinis Kanders]

Shark prybar are nice, they work well for nails, but also have a curved flat end to slip behind moldings or what not.

Scribing compass is handy as well.

[Chris Cohick]

Pliers, needlenose, vice grip, and slipjoint. Hacksaw. Pipe wrench or two. A level. Combination square. Teflon tape.

[Jim Dwight]

If you frequently go to one place, like your parents, I would leave a bag there. I made one up for my daughter when she moved to an apartment and recently put a bag with my step-daughter in the condo we bought for her at school. I just go to Harbor Freight and pick up about the same stuff you list plus a painters all-in-one (works for putty knife and other). I don't have chisels in these bags, however. Cheap ones are a frustration and good ones would get banged up, I'm afraid. I don't put a block plane there either, I would bring it if I thought I needed it. I have a caulk gun at the condo along with some caulk and a few drywall tools.

When I go somewhere local, I start to put tools together a night or two in advance so I can keep visualizing what I will need. I often end up buying stuff rather than coming back home. But I try to minimize it. I can't for the same reason I make multiple trips to the home center doing things on my house.

[Matt Day]

This list is going to be pretty long. I suppose it depends on what is considered "basic" repairs around the house.

[Greg Hines, MD]

I keep a stud finder with level in my bucket, as well as my el-cheapo saw blades, including a backsaw and drywall saw with an interchangeable handle. I also have a box of electrical connectors, a combination flat/round rasp, and two pairs of vise-grips.

Doc

[Victor Robinson]

After consistently forgetting what you need every time, you'll end up having a whole second shop there. DAMHIKT.

[Erik Loza]

Good thread. I keep a pretty standard tool box inside the pantry with most of the hand tools everyone else has listed, as well as some basic plumbing and electrical stuff like teflon tape, wire nuts + stripper/crimper, pipe sealant, etc. Also, my LED headlamp. As a matter of fact, I would say that the LED headlamp is my most valuable tool in the kit. Use that thing all the time. Saves me from having to run out the (detached) garage to get things in many cases.

Erik

[Steve Peterson]

I would add a small collection of screws, nails, and picture hanging hooks.

For a small toolbox, I like a decent quality universal screwdriver. The tips pull out to switch between slotted or Phillips. The entire shaft reverses for small or large tips. One end has a 1/4" hex, the other end is 5/16". My latest is a Milwaukee brand for around $10. Add a long shaft #1 Phillips screwdriver for getting into recessed screw holes of many toys and a #2 Phillips for appliances.

My small electrical kit includes a voltmeter, wire strippers, wire cutters, needle-nose pliers and a few wire nuts. Even a cheap $5 HF voltmeter is surprisingly useful when all you need to do is detect power or continuity.

Steve

[Peter Kelly]

I'd add a mill file, an assortment of sandpaper(s) and a couple 12" clamps.

It's worth checking the closeouts at Harry Epstein if you're putting at tool kit together starting from scratch. Quality of tools there is significantly better than Harbor Fright and it isn't much more expensive.
http://www.harryepstein.com/index.ph...html?limit=all