The Best Place For Your Tools

A tool box that has all the right tools, and that you can get out and use easily, will make your life as a homeowner (or even a renter) infinitely easier. Gather all of the common tools you need for just about every job, invest in a sturdy tool box, and keep it in an easy to reach place, and each time you have a small problem like a picture falling down, you will not be tempted to put it off since everything will be ready for you.

After a while, you may feel you need extra features and space, and a real toolbox will give those to you.

If you are just starting out in acquiring your tools, a small tackle box may serve the purpose of a tool box, as long as it is sturdy and big enough to hold the basic tools. There are even tools boxes that have molded spaces to fit the various tools perfectly.

So what tools do you want in your toolbox? Here is what you should have, at a minimum.

- A home repair manual. This is not a tool, but you will use it often when you come across problems, so keep it right in your tool box for reference.

- A hammer. No one can do without a hammer for the most basic repairs such as if piece of trim is loose. A claw hammer has a claw that can remove nails. There are a lot of other kinds of hammers, such as framing hammer, balpeen hammer, a mallet or a sledge hammer. You will learn from experience if you need any of these.

- Screwdriver. You tighten or loosen screws with a screwdriver. It is a simple enough tool with a handle, shaft and head. The two basic kinds you should have are a slotted and a Phillips. A few of these in different sizes should handle most jobs. Again, as you learn more, you may want to have a crosspoint or a hex screwdriver as well.

- Pliers. Pliers enable you to grab things firmly. But there are also pliers that do more than grip, such as cutting pliers or crimping pliers for electrical work. But even gripping pliers come in different types such as flat nose, round nose and needle nose.

- Tape measure. You don't even want to start a job if you can't measure it. You can get a tape measure that is metallic ribbon in a retracting case, but even if you just start out with a cloth tap measure that you roll up, you will need at least 25 foot length in your toolbox.

- A saw. There are different types of saws depending on the material to be cut. A saw is simply a serrated blade with a handle and you can have a hand saw, which may be enough for a basic tool set, or a powered saw. A frame saw may be needed for larger jobs.

- Putty knife. This is used for scraping and applying putty, but it has other uses as well. The flexible blade can be squeezed under many surfaces to help in removal.

- Wrench. You will add leverage when you are turning nuts and bolts if you use a wrench. The open end wrench is the basic kind that you can lock to a certain size to grasp the nut or bolt. Other types are box end, crescent, socket and allen wrench.

- Awl. Primarily used in woodworking, it starts a hole before you start drilling, or you can draw a line with an awl to use as a guide for your saw.