The Essential Tools for Your DIY Toolkit

The Essential Tools for Your DIY Toolkit

The following contribution is from another author.

If you are a committed DIYer that takes on projects every year, then access to the right tools is essential. This doesn’t necessarily mean an expensive industry standard set that needs to be stored in its own special room. But it does mean investing in a few essential tools that will make a real difference. Once you’ve gotten these, then the majority of projects will be made much easier – and you can supplement with more niche tools once you have an idea of your particular needs.

Portable Drill

Every home needs a portable drill. With the right drill you’ll be able to attach items to walls, thread cables through furniture and carry out aesthetic modifications that wouldn’t otherwise be possible.

Oscillating Multi-tool

The oscillating multi-tool is a device that has made a whole range of tasks effortless. With their adjustable blades, they can reach every corner, making awkward angles easily cut through. Their low torque means that they are safe to use, even with bare hands – and the interchangeable blades mean that they’re adaptable enough to do sanding as well as cutting. There are dozens of DIY uses for an oscillating tool, so the chances are overwhelming that you’ll be able to put yours to good use.

Adjustable Wrench

Rather than buying a set of spanners, why not have just the one? The adjustable sort will tackle nuts and bolts of every size and shape, without taking up excessive room in your toolbag. Of course, there are limits to adjustability; so it might be worth keeping an extra-large or extra-small wrench available for those trickier nuts and bolts.

Tape Measure

A tape measure is inexpensive, and nigh-on indispensable. Fail to measure properly and you’re setting yourself up for an embarrassing (and doubtless expensive) failure. Having access to the tape measure constantly will spare your blushes. You don’t have to keep it clipped to your belt, but there’s a reason that most tape measures allow you to do so.

Spirit Level

Similarly, you’ll need to ensure that everything you put together is perfectly level. Do this using a spirit level. It’s a piece of equipment that just about every project calls for – from installing new curtains to hanging a radiator. Make sure that your spirit level is compact enough to go into your tool bag, and yet generous enough to stretch from one side of your project to the other. Get one with a ruler built in, too – they make life much more convenient.

Personal Protective Equipment

Every time you carry out a DIY project, you should wear protective equipment. This will ensure that a stray piece of sawdust, or a spark, doesn’t inflict a nasty injury. Protective goggles and gloves should be considered mandatory, much like facemasks if you’re producing a lot of dust. If you’re welding, then a visor or auto darkening welding lens should be considered essential for protection.

Keep several pairs of disposable nitrile gloves in your toolkit for certain tasks. Your regular construction work gloves will do for most do-it-yourself work, but there will be certain times when you need to use disposable gloves instead. When you’re mixing paint, perhaps with an electric mixer like the one you can see it here, or dealing with harsh chemicals, it’s best to use disposable gloves to avoid ruining your regular pair and provide better protection to your hands. Plus, it’s cheaper to replace the former than the latter.

Aside from goggles, gloves, and masks, you should also have coveralls to wear for full-body protection. This way, you won’t have to keep ruining your perfectly nice clothes every time you work on a DIY project.

Author

Eric is the creator of At Home in the Future and has been a passionate fan of the future since he was seven. He's a web developer by trade, and serves as the Director of Communication and Technology for a large church in Nashville, TN (where he and his family are building a high tech home in the woods).

1 comment

  • Thanks for listing some of the best and necessary tools required for any home project. But I think you should add screwdriver in the list as well..Other than that the article looks pretty nice

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