If you’re earning your money as a contractor, whatever your niche might be, then there are certain tools you might describe as indispensable. The chances are that you’re going to need to bring all of these to bear at some point in your domestic and professional life. It’s therefore worth checking to see whether you’re adequately supplied, and getting equipped before the need arises and you’re caught out.
Table of Contents
A toolbox
First, the toolbox itself. It should be rugged, resilient, and it should provide easy access to all of the tools you could want, in an organised fashion. You don’t want to be fumbling blindly through a bag filled with rasps, saw-blades and screwdrivers.
Hammers
Hammers come in a range of shapes and sizes. They’re useful for driving nails, and for removing them, too. If you’re doing destructive work, you might need something big – but just about everyone should have access to a common hammer.
Screwdrivers
Screwdrivers come in a range of configurations and sizes. The cross-head provides more traction than the classic flat one, and star and square heads provide more than that.
Drill Set
Just about every profession that involves building, whether it’s carpentry, electrics, or plumbing, will involve drilling. You should select your drill bits according to the jobs you’ll be doing. What you might use to drill through a solid brick wall is very different to what you might use to go through timber.
PPE
It’s vital that you protect yourself from the work you’re doing. This means wearing appropriate personal protective equipment when you’re on the job. Goggles to protect the eyes, ear-defenders to protect the ears, gloves to protect the hands.
Crimpers
You’d be surprised how often you reach for a set of crimpers – especially if you’re working with wires or network cable. Invest in a set, and you’ll be able to create your own ethernet cables at exactly the length you need.
Pliers
Sometimes, it’s necessary to grab hold of something and move it. Pliers provide you with the required leverage and grip, no matter how small or stubborn the object in question.
Spirit Levels
Spirit levels are an essential means of ensuring that you’ve installed something on the level – whether it’s a radiator, a bookshelf, or a porch. Having access to small and large spirit levels will help you deal with every job.
Spanner
If you’re dealing with nuts and bolts, then you need a spanner. This applies especially if you’re removing radiators and pipes so that you can paint and plaster behind them, and for work on vehicles and machinery, too. You can find adjustable spanners, or you can go for a set of fixed ones of various sizes.
