Every self-styled weekend warrior dreams of their next tool purchase - when in reality many expensive tools are really only needed for highly specialised work, or to achieve something faster than hand tools allow. For those just starting to get their tool kit together, before you go and buy a drop saw or belt sander, make sure you have the consumables that will help you get jobs done quickly and professionally without spending every weekend running back and forth to the hardware store. Compared to buying another power tool you will find these items are relatively cheap and useful in a wide variety of situations.
1. An all purpose lubricant, protectant, preserver and squeak stopper. ($5-$15)
Currently I am hooked on a product called Ballistol but there are many similar aerosol products in this category. Endlessly useful, including for applications such as cleaning up sticky, messy and grime covered items (the window washer pump of my 1976 Diesel sedan springs to mind).
2. Some decent hacksaw blades ($5-10)
If I am only doing a little bit of cutting, I don`t really mind whether I am using a cheap basic hacksaw frame or a solidly built professional one. What does drive me crazy is trying to cut with low quality blades which blunt quickly and just as often shatter on difficult cuts. While you can buy junk hacksaw blades at your local discount shop for $2 a dozen, at a hardware store you will probably find $5 will get you a really nice quality, super-flexible high-speed bi-metal blade. Keep a sharp blade and a spare and they`ll be ready when you need it.
3. Graphite ($5-$10)
When you need graphite there is no substitute. Specifically useful for lubricating many types of locks especially when the keyway seems to be jamming up. And for anyone except a professional locksmith, chances are a small puff bottle will last you 20 years.
4. Rags ($0-$10)
If you have any interest in car maintenance or timber finishing, hopefully you have trained your relatives to keep all their old towels and t-shirts for you. You can buy them by the bag as well, if you really must. A good clean rag is essential in countless jobs and you can bin it right away to save trying to wash grease, paint dust etc down the sink.
5. Razor blades ($2-$10)
This includes both box-cutter blades (standard or snap-off) and scraper blades. Cheap and indispensable for a multitude of jobs.
6. Some really good glue ($10-$20)
I can`t even begin to count how many repair jobs I got out of one medium sized bottle of multi-purpose cross-linked PVA glue. Some folks tell me that you should only keep glue like this for a year but personally I`ve broken this rule blatantly and never had a problem. At $10-$20 though if I was making a prized piece of furniture I would opt for a fresh bottle. My preferred brand markets itself as a multi-purpose product for bonding, sealing and hardening - and it seems to stick just about anything. You can even plasticise wood with a solution of it should you wish to do some experimenting. The only glue I ever use in addition to this is the very occasional tube of superglue which you might keep a few spares of in your toolkit. (They go off quickly once opened).
7. Nut Screws Washer and Bolts ($0.10 and upwards)
Possibly some nails as well. These seem to accumulate in VAST quantities in other peoples garages and yet the first thing most people do on the weekend is drive to the hardware store to buy more of them. Often its just a case of getting some sort of system to sort out what you already have and then buy to complement your existing selection. For things like plain old wood screws you are likely to use a lot of, a bulk bag will save you a fortune compared to buying them 10 at a time in blister packs.
8. Gloves, goggles and ear-protection ($10-$200)
Choose your own price-point here, but I would rather work with a $5 pair of gloves, a $2 set of plastic safety glasses and some disposable ear plugs than go unprotected because I can`t find my expensive safety gear. Even little injuries cost time and a trip to hospital will (at the very least) make your weekend a write off.
If you kept to the cheap seats you may just have enough change out of $50 to buy a carpenter`s pencil. You will certainly have added some capacity to your toolkit and be ready to tackle a range of different jobs.
1. An all purpose lubricant, protectant, preserver and squeak stopper. ($5-$15)
Currently I am hooked on a product called Ballistol but there are many similar aerosol products in this category. Endlessly useful, including for applications such as cleaning up sticky, messy and grime covered items (the window washer pump of my 1976 Diesel sedan springs to mind).
2. Some decent hacksaw blades ($5-10)
If I am only doing a little bit of cutting, I don`t really mind whether I am using a cheap basic hacksaw frame or a solidly built professional one. What does drive me crazy is trying to cut with low quality blades which blunt quickly and just as often shatter on difficult cuts. While you can buy junk hacksaw blades at your local discount shop for $2 a dozen, at a hardware store you will probably find $5 will get you a really nice quality, super-flexible high-speed bi-metal blade. Keep a sharp blade and a spare and they`ll be ready when you need it.
3. Graphite ($5-$10)
When you need graphite there is no substitute. Specifically useful for lubricating many types of locks especially when the keyway seems to be jamming up. And for anyone except a professional locksmith, chances are a small puff bottle will last you 20 years.
4. Rags ($0-$10)
If you have any interest in car maintenance or timber finishing, hopefully you have trained your relatives to keep all their old towels and t-shirts for you. You can buy them by the bag as well, if you really must. A good clean rag is essential in countless jobs and you can bin it right away to save trying to wash grease, paint dust etc down the sink.
5. Razor blades ($2-$10)
This includes both box-cutter blades (standard or snap-off) and scraper blades. Cheap and indispensable for a multitude of jobs.
6. Some really good glue ($10-$20)
I can`t even begin to count how many repair jobs I got out of one medium sized bottle of multi-purpose cross-linked PVA glue. Some folks tell me that you should only keep glue like this for a year but personally I`ve broken this rule blatantly and never had a problem. At $10-$20 though if I was making a prized piece of furniture I would opt for a fresh bottle. My preferred brand markets itself as a multi-purpose product for bonding, sealing and hardening - and it seems to stick just about anything. You can even plasticise wood with a solution of it should you wish to do some experimenting. The only glue I ever use in addition to this is the very occasional tube of superglue which you might keep a few spares of in your toolkit. (They go off quickly once opened).
7. Nut Screws Washer and Bolts ($0.10 and upwards)
Possibly some nails as well. These seem to accumulate in VAST quantities in other peoples garages and yet the first thing most people do on the weekend is drive to the hardware store to buy more of them. Often its just a case of getting some sort of system to sort out what you already have and then buy to complement your existing selection. For things like plain old wood screws you are likely to use a lot of, a bulk bag will save you a fortune compared to buying them 10 at a time in blister packs.
8. Gloves, goggles and ear-protection ($10-$200)
Choose your own price-point here, but I would rather work with a $5 pair of gloves, a $2 set of plastic safety glasses and some disposable ear plugs than go unprotected because I can`t find my expensive safety gear. Even little injuries cost time and a trip to hospital will (at the very least) make your weekend a write off.
If you kept to the cheap seats you may just have enough change out of $50 to buy a carpenter`s pencil. You will certainly have added some capacity to your toolkit and be ready to tackle a range of different jobs.
Nails? Forget 'em I reckon! Haven't useed them in a long time. It's all about screws wherever possible - the main advantage being that they can be removed easily!
ReplyDeleteI'd add a tube of all-purpose silicon to this list, but otherwise it's a very good start.