Tools I Use

Chip Hailstone said “If you don’t have tools, you’re just a monkey.” I may sometimes seem to be from the suborder Haplorhini, but not for the reason that I don’t have tools. One of my hobbies is woodworking. In my shop, I have found a tool belt indispensable. Many people may think of tool belts as being for jobs in the yard or jobs even more remote from the house. Even though my woodworking shop is small, having a set of basic tools an arm’s length away is a big time-saver. It is about a 35’ walk diagonally across the shop. Without the tool belt, and now being from the absent-minded generation, I’d spend much time walking and searching for tools. “Why did I just walk over here?” "Where did I put the screwdriver?" 

So I thought I’d share my tool belt and the go-to tools that I consider important enough to always have in it, regardless of the task.

If this ratty old tool belt could talk, it could tell of many an hour spent building stuff. I don’t remember when I bought it, but it is the only tool belt I’ve ever owned. My guess is mid-70s. It has seen the replacement of the original leather belt strap with a nylon webbing one. We only discard things around here if they have no possibility of value anytime in the next century, so my tool belt and I are both showing our ages.

The belt has just four pockets. The small one on the front, and the easiest to reach, contains marking and measuring tools. They are a mechanical pencil, an old-fashioned yellow wooden pencil, a draftsman’s eraser, an Ultrafine Sharpie, and a six-inch stainless steel rule graduated in 32ths of an inch. The mechanical pencil is a 0.5 mm that I keep loaded with HB lead and is mostly used for precisely marking cut lines with a consistent width line. The wooden pencil is for marking rough cuts that require less accuracy. The Sharpie is used to mark surfaces that don’t take pencil marks well, like metal, plastic or even masking tape. The ruler is used for measurements, but much more than that. Its edge is used to check flatness, its sharp end to release tape from objects, and it is rarely called into duty as a small wood filler spreader.

Attached to the outside of the marking tools pocket are a couple of screwdriver loops. One contains a #2 flat-blade screwdriver and the other a #2 Phillips screwdriver. I’m trying to retire the flat-bladed one because after Phillips, messing with slotted screws is just a big pain. Nevertheless, there are times when slotted fastener heads still appear on legacy equipment.

In the very outside pocket is a hand-picked, 1” x 25’ Stanley PowerLock tape measure graduated in sixteenths of an inch on both edges. I have been converting to the metric system kicking and screaming. All my design and construction is still done in the king’s Imperial System of Measurement. Sure, there are significant advantages to a decimal system, but as the saying goes it’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks. The tape measure was handpicked because tape measures are notoriously inaccurate.

When I buy a new tape measure, I take a quality, rigid measuring tool off the rack and use it to compare to the tape measures. I check both the inside and outside measurements which the little sliding end hooks provide, and only buy a tape that is very accurate in both modes. Don’t even think of using one of the free Harbor Freight tapes for precision projects.

On the very rear of the belt are a couple of pencil pockets which contain red and black Fine Sharpies. These are useful for labeling parts as they are cut. One of the biggest mistakes one can make, and I have, is to pick up a piece of wood that was previously cut to exact size and accidentally “repurpose” it. A strip of masking tape provides a temporary writing surface on the wood.

Finally, the main, central pocket, and the largest, contains just three permanent tools: a marking knife, a Harbor Freight 9-LED flashlight and a Calculated Industries Project Calc Plus fractional project calculator. The latter two are to accommodate personal infirmities. The flashlight is to compensate for my dimming eye sight and the fractional calculator for my stubborn refusal to adopt the metric system. The marking knife is used for marking cuts that require more precision than a 0.5 mm pencil mark affords. It is also useful for trimming the occasional edge splinter. This tool looks very new because it is. It was a Christmas gift from our eldest daughter and her family two years ago.

The remainder of the space in this largest pocket is reserved for project-specific tools that vary from project to project. Items that sometimes occupy the main pocket include tools like a nut-driver handle, a ratcheting, reversible screwdriver handle, a Veritas Sliding Square, electrician’s tools for the infrequent electrical jobs, masking tape, etc.

Over the years, I’ve found the need to keep more tools handy than what the main pocket unit will hold. To accommodate these, I’ve added more pockets around the belt.

First on the right side is a pocket for a box cutter knife. This little invention is used every day for cutting all sorts of things. Also hanging from this pocket are a couple of remote controls. One operates a central dust collection system and the other a shop vacuum. These dust collectors are turned on and off constantly, so remotes are essential. The remote for the central dust collector is especially essential, as the machine is in an adjoining room. Since they are always in the same location, I can reach and operate them by feel without ever taking my eyes off the work.

Next on the belt is a pocket for holding an electric drill motor. Depending on what I’m doing at the time, it either contains a small impact driver or a drill. Both are cordless.

Next to the drill pocket is a hammer loop. There are hammer loops on the main pocket unit but they hang the hammer too low. This one hangs it at waist height.

Next is a small pocket designed to hold a pair of needle-nose pliers. A pair of red-handled ones is always there.

Finally, this is a heavy-duty hook on which to hang a pneumatic nailer. It is used so infrequently, I leave it off the belt until it is needed. It has a belt clip on the back, so it is easy to remove or reinstall. This hook was essential when I installed crown molding in our master bath in 2010. Without the hook, I would have needed another person to help with the installation.

My tool belt has served me well. It is only through many years of experience that I’ve arrived at the “perfect” set of tools. I’d say that this set of hand tools covers the vast majority of jobs that require hand tools. It is the first thing I put on when entering the shop to do almost any project. If you are a hobbyist or woodworker or auto restorer or other craftsman, you likely have your favorite set of frequently-used tools. I’d like to hear about yours in the comments section.