Pencil pull. It's a retractable lanyard for your pencil, so you don't have to put it away. I wear it on my collar.
Spring tools nail set. This is getting more common rapidly, but it's basically two metal rods, with pointed tips, connected by a spring. you put one of the tips against the nail (or door hinge pin), then you pull the other end away and release. Works fast, and works in highly enclosed spaces, unlike a regular punch. It's about the length of a punch and not much wider.
Magnetic tape measure holder. I use the magneto brand, but basically, it's a way to store your tape so it will not fall out if you bend over. you screw a metal plate to your tape in place of your belt clip, then you wear a receiving magnet, and that lets you pull the tape on and off the belt.
Lee valley lefty righty procarpenter tape. these are cheap and a bit fragile (I do not recommend the autolock variant, but they make a regular locking version), but they are also cheap (16.50 canadian), and they have the sixteenths written out in red, and the 8ths in black, so it's VERY easy to read in low light.
Piece of pex pipe and a small metal rod, that I use to close up my festool dust extractor bag, that I have cut one end off. Way faster to dump. Similarly, pex pieces that I use as drill depth guides. Just have one that's close, and pull your bit in and out of the chuck until the amount protruding is about right.
I recently decided to put belt hooks on all my hand tools. I had to do some making of slots to recieve them, because some tools don't come with belt hook holding hardware, but it's super nice when packing up just to throw all my loose tools on my toolbelt and then walk back to my toolboxes.
and a whole bunch of rare earth magnets I glued to the inside of my toolboxes, so that I can jam spare blades, bits, and fasteners on them so they don't rattle around, cut stuff, get dull, or prevent me from fitting everything nicely into my boxes. Would strongly recommend. took basically no time, effort, or money, works great.
What brand pencil pull are you using? I had a 6 pack of them when they were new, were super useful and I used them just enough to have it be 2nd nature to grab one from my collar, but I burned up all 6 inside of 2 months because the string frayed or the rubber boot cracked. Too spendy - I'd give it another go if they're making a better and more durable kind now.
I was using name brand, but I broke my last one and couldn't get the same brand on amazon canada, so I just went with some jobber version, specifically, [this one.](https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B09Y849GRN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1).
to be clear, they don't last forever. I think I get a 2-3 months out of them, before I lose or break them. but at 4 dollars each, I am willing to pay that.
I've heard of the magneto holder but it costs £60 with shipping to get it to the UK so not really on my radar ATM but the rare earth magnets in the toolbox is brilliant, I constantly have stuff kicking around in the bottom of my toolbox that is a pain to try and find
honestly, it would not be hard to make one.
The basic idea is that magnets are very good against perpendicular forces pulling something off them, but vulnerable to sliding.
So basically,you have a block of wood or plastic. you have a shallow hole slightly larger than the steel plate on your tape measure. You have a magnet in the bottom of that hole.
So when you try and slide the steel plate across the magnet, the shoulders of the hole retain the plate. When you try to pull the plate OFF the magnet, that's what magnets are good at.
Really, it's very much something you could build your own of, that would probably be a fair bit smaller if you needed it to.
I had bought one that was just a circular plate but didn't lock into place like the official one and my tape was constantly sliding off. Maybe I'll get a metal plate and some plastic and try to make one out of it
I watched a This Old House where I think Norm used lipstick to transfer the doors strike center to the jamb. Anyway shits fool proof and I’ll always carry some in case I’m doing door hardware. I think I used it like 5 times this year. Def recommend if you can stand being made fun of for being the on-site big big brain who doesn’t care about gender stereotypes or what people write on the shitter walls.
For finish work. I love my little painters scraper. The kind that has a flat front. One side is pointy. Other side is like 1/2” square. And a long inside curve section. [This exact one](https://metrosealant.com/product/6-in-1-tool-pipeknife/?gclid=CjwKCAiAkrWdBhBkEiwAZ9cdcLbpfhGd2Nwz1FDbGYgMOxvycBFHtLlRcJoVD1WIuEVg-1CaQcr2oxoCDfcQAvD_BwE).
So take the painter scraper- and I sharpen the everloving fuck out of it at all those angles. All edges are sharpened. I use it for so freaking much. Such a fine edge can used as temporary shim to pry something up. Slide behind the tightest spots. Or A quick slicing of of some excess drywall before setting door. Ya know- all diff types of stuff like that
*cool thread topic btw
I'd never even considered using one of these at work, I am sure I have one lying around the shed somewhere, I'll have to dig it out
I was working the other day and a guy showed me his corner chisel for after door keeps and hinges. I just thought there must be so many little tools I'd never even considered and had to ask here
https://amzn.eu/d/gDYspoq
Better known as the 5-in-1. Definitely a must carry. I really like my HYDE its thicker than most so i dont worry abiut the blade bending. Husky has a folding version that is my new go to. On top of the typical blade it also has a knife, jab saw, phillips, flathead, and bottle opener. All tools lock solidly in place and the grip is very comfortable.
The Hyde is the best I've found - wouldn't be caught without it. Tried the Purdy folder - garbage. I watch a bodywork sub on YT (VEHCOR), and he uses a Hyde 5-1 to separate body panels after drilling out the spotwelds.
Check out the Husky folder at homedepot. Ive had mine for over a year and it has never given me reason to complain. One of those tools ill always feel confident recommending
vicking arm. game charger of a tool. makes some jobs easy instead of slow and fiddly. i use mine for holding plasterslabs against a ceiling , holding a door open while i drill the locks out, kitchen units leveling etc. loads of uses .
Viking arm is amazing and I love mine. But god damn I resent those guys for charging $200 each. It’s an incredible tool but it’s not fairly priced at all when compared to anything else in the tool market
i agree. they are expensive for what they are. i look at it as saved labour on jobs so it paid for its self on the first job
i dont see any other tool on the market that does what it does
Spring punch. Self centering bits. Sliding T bevel. Block plane. Glazing bar (those red flat bars). Air bags, great for leveling cabinets on legs, re-hanging heavy door slabs.
I should work with you, I've got like 4 or 5 different sizes of clamps at all times, super useful. I like the reversible ones that can be used as spreaders as well.
Not sure if you are DIY or actual carpenter. But use a "miter angle finder" about 20 bucks, sterrit makes a nice big one around 80 bucks. And write down your angle with your measurements. Using a t bevel will take ages to trim multiple houses.
Air shim. Lift something slowly and precisely, then shim to that height. Hot glue gun. Stick flat shims onto jambs or walls (prepping for paneling), tack jigs together, stick mdf miters together. Hyde makes a folding 5 in 1 that’s super handy. Nail plates are handy for sticking to a jamb so your magnetic laser base can stick somewhere. Crain makes a hinge pin tool that works very well. A chamfering plane will save a trip to route endgrain in some details. A flooring jack is really helpful for fitting the last couple pieces of any tongue and groove product. Many other uses as well.
Ratchet strap. Good for pulling gables straight when sheathing. And all sorts of temp shit. I always have a skilsaw rip fence. It's often way quicker than getting out the table saw for a few rips (within reason).
If you glue a string to it you can kind of sweep the wall with it and it finds it faster. You can tie a nut or really anything to the other end and use it as a plumb bob for middle(ish) of stud if you need to cut out a section, or put it on your first screw for a guide for installing screws.
I see the honest carpenter on YouTube swear by this. I always wonder what if the screw is not centered or barely hit the stud or if they totally missed it?
How is this better than an actual stud finder?
Only things I can think of is obviously cost, and waay more convenient to carry.
I’m not a carpenter so I don’t have to carry stuff to a worksite, but my stud finder works great. It’s the wide variety that has a bunch of lights to indicate a stud.
I hate the The yellow ones that beep and you have to find the two edges and make a center mark.
This finds the SCREWS. This is not relevant for a lot of applications, but if you intend to remove drywall, by far the easiest way to do it assuming it's not glued, is just to take the screws out and take the sheet off. Less mess, less hassle, and you probably wanted the screws gone anyways eventually.
Also, the good stud finders (the franklin sensors ones) are quite bulky and expensive, meaning you can't really easily carry one in a tool belt, and the cheap ones require you to calibrate every time you lift them off the wall. This is FAST.
Beyond this, this is a non marking method for renovation work. You can just leave the magnet permanently on the wall, and see your studs without having to mess up some homeowner's paint. While you can FIND a stud with a stud finder, you then usually have to draw on the wall, or I guess, you could get stickers or something.
I am not saying it's a complete replacement for all applications, but I think it has utility for sure.
The cordless rear handle circular saw and cordless leaf blower were game changers for sheeting roofs. No cords all over to trip on and after every cut, I take 2 seconds and blow all the dust off my piece and the roof so I don't slip and fall packing the sheet. It's gotta be over twice as fast as using an air hose and blow gun, by the time you disconnect the nail gun, blow the dust off, hook the gun back up and then wait for the compressor to catch back up before you start nailing.
An oil cup. It's a peanut butter jar filled with old engine oil. You take the lid off and put it under a string line you want to transfer down from. The oil self-level's so the reflection of the line in the oil and the line itself are plumb so you can eye a pencil mark off from the line by looking down on the oil cup from above and lining up the reflection with the line. It takes about five seconds at most to do. It beat the hell out of leveling down from the line. I usually see one or two guys with two levels trying to level down from a string line and they take nearly a minute per mark.
Sorry I didn't explain myself very well, did I? If your eye, the line and the reflection are all in-line then you can just use a pencil to mark another point in the same line on the slab or whatever you are transferring to.
I read this a few times and I can't quite picture what you mean.
My mind keeps going to batter boards for footings or something. But are you talking about a vertical string line like a plumb bob?
Suppose you have a horizontal line, suspended. Like say, you are transferring lines to your foundation for your exterior walls. But your foundation steps down (it's got a walk out basement, for example) so now the line is 4 feet in the air. How do you transfer that line 4 feet down?
You have a liquid reflective surface, down on the foundation. You stand directly above the string line, and stare down, PAST the string line, at the liquid reflective surface. When the two line up, that means that one is directly above the other (because gravity is leveling the liquid).
Now, you can mark that line on the foundation, and you know that your exterior wall is going to be perfectly straight, even with a wonky foundation that stepped down because your house is being built into a hill.
Stuff like that. modern lasers come with plumb dots that let you do this, and also self level, but they are probably not as fast as this, even though I don't personally carry an oil cup.
I suppose it would depend on your level of precision and how low your oil cup was.
The value of sighting past the string line would be that then you would know that YOU were directly above the oil cup. When you lose that, the reflection of the line should be directly below the actual line, but your head could be off to the side, much like if you say, looked through only the front or back sight of a rifle, but not both at the same time. The rifle sights would be accurate, but you would not be.
In practice, it would probably be fine, I suspect. though I don't use an oil cup personally.
I can't see how a laser would be faster than an oil cup but please do enlighten me? Also, I live near the sea. If I do not cover anything bare metal in oil it rusts immediately so I have more than one use for an oil cup on site.
You just turn it on and literally have plumb points instantly displayed. There is no possible way to speed up the process. It can be done in seconds. If you’re trolling me then I tip my hat to you sir. How do you even make your mark? Your oil cup is sitting where you’d want to make a pencil mark
Brick line and pin (the key being the pin)
Thumb turn euro cylinder - to test ironmongery on commercial doors when the actual cylinder locks aren’t available
Cats claw bar
Clamps that double as spreaders
110v battery charger (so I could charge near where I worked on big sites, although in the end I made sure I carried lots of batteries).
Thin Scribing blades for the jigsaw - because fuck coping out scribes when you’ve got literally 1000’s of meters of skirting to get done
A recking chisel
Recking blades for the circular saw
Was just going back over this, and I've just ordered a wrecking chisel. Lent the other apprentice my 1" Marples chisel, he had chipped the fuck out of it on some screws
Self-retracting chalk-line. Yes theyre crazy handy for retracting when you're done snapping, but also if you're working alone, because the line is always taut you don't have to guide the string or hold onto it or keep it from sagging or falling in water while you're pulling it out to snap.
Oversized kids eraser. They can take chalk lines off of interior surfaces without too much fuss.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Jumbo-Eraser-For-Really-Big-Mistakes/149461615?
(Obviously not RED chalk.)
Votive candle for getting some lubrication on long screws.
Those small high powered inflators are so freaking useful. The ones marketed towards inflating blow-up stuff not high psi stuff.
Great for cleaning off a chop saw, cleaning yourself off at the end of the day, getting concrete dust out of holes, and pretty much any time you need to dust anything off.
colllins miter clamps. great for small mouldings and returns on skirting boards etc. very handy
clamp clamps or knock off versions. they are brilliant for miters on architraves. i dont know why thye are not used here. improves your work a huge amount. not cheap but well worth it.
Magnetic tape, I use it to shim hinges on doors. It’s about 1/8” thick and you can break off pieces by bending it. It’s really easy for rolling hinges too.
Epoxy putty, I use Brofix, but there are all kinds out there. JB Weld is pretty common in the big box stores and work great. I usually use it for anchor holes the have spalled out in concrete or worm out in wood and need to use the same hole.
I got a couple of [these](https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/garden/garden-care/saws/101460-silky-gomboy-folding-saws?item=60T6034&utm_source=free_google_shopping&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=shopping_feed&gclid=Cj0KCQiAtbqdBhDvARIsAGYnXBMQbgwsr2N-LEQ4SKttiq73lbTxsqQ_tV92LfTVWbeE406ohy0Bo78aApF-EALw_wcB) (fine and coarse tooth) . They can cut off a 2x4 in a couple of strokes and have just been an all around good saw for many areas that a skillsaw can't get in or isn't deep enough. Great for finishing off stair tread cuts, birdmouths, or weird rafter angles.
The first time I saw a guy on site with a blower I gave him so much shit about his gay little blower. I have a couple now and pretty much use them every day, home and work.
“I gave him so much shit about his gay little blower.” It’s not funny it’s just old and tells everybody that you’re probably hiding something. Just be you, nobody cares if you like dudes.
That’s a lot of assumptions there dude. People have different sayings all over the world. Cunt means person here. Gay means, small or not manly in this context. Plus I mentioned that I’ve got two of them meaning I’m double gay. I have a gay brother and he uses the same language. I guess summing up, things that are offensive to you are often only offensive to you.
Awl. You can make one by taking a small screwdriver, sharpen the end to a point with an angle grinder.
It's a permanent scribe, fixing marker and stud finder all in one
Hinge pin tool. Made by Crain, a flooring company I think.
https://www.amazon.com/Crain-362-Door-Pin-Tool/dp/B00D4WM17G/ref=asc_df_B00D4WM17G/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309735728871&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10442865061484780727&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1026339&hvtargid=pla-568252690214&psc=1
I'm not sure what kind of carpentry you do, but I love these style of nail pullers
https://www.google.com/search?q=nail+pullers&client=ms-android-samsung-ss&prmd=sivn&sxsrf=ALiCzsa9R4CVE8sG_liQYZtbFiHBhSegJA:1672368635826&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiZ6uLTqqD8AhWEElkFHfbNCoMQ_AUoAnoECAcQAg&biw=360&bih=667&dpr=3#imgrc=DLYsZt3IopxehM
Recently I replaced over 4,000 sq/ft of acoustical ceiling tile, from the cheap stuff to the vinyl wrapped tiles that are made like Sheetrock. And on a bunch I had to cut off 1-2” rips. After wearing down my finger tips I got a sheet metal bending tool. They look like pliers with a wide mouth. Made the job less painful and now they have a special place in my tool box.
Dust off chalk with a fine string. The lavender color has a permanency rating of zero. Your line literally wipes off of most surfaces when you are done. Disposable .5 mm pencils are nice in that you aren’t sharpening them all the time and when they are empty just toss them. I use my old sash bar constantly, though I’m intrigued with other’s comments about using a painter’s tool and probably have to try one out now.
Stanley STHT55135 large, flat pry bar. Needs a sharpening at end of season buy gets versatile usage.
Small Japanese pullsaw.
Wanting: Hinge spring-tool & a screw plier
Considering: Small protractor and marking/panel gauge
Pallet knives, for when a spackle knife is too big.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01G176P6I?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
Great for filling nail holes.
I use mine now any time I'm measuring to an inside corner where I would have to bend my tape measure, it's just a cheaper bosch laser, but it's been dead on every time and actually more accurate than a tape in that situation.
Pencil pull. It's a retractable lanyard for your pencil, so you don't have to put it away. I wear it on my collar. Spring tools nail set. This is getting more common rapidly, but it's basically two metal rods, with pointed tips, connected by a spring. you put one of the tips against the nail (or door hinge pin), then you pull the other end away and release. Works fast, and works in highly enclosed spaces, unlike a regular punch. It's about the length of a punch and not much wider. Magnetic tape measure holder. I use the magneto brand, but basically, it's a way to store your tape so it will not fall out if you bend over. you screw a metal plate to your tape in place of your belt clip, then you wear a receiving magnet, and that lets you pull the tape on and off the belt. Lee valley lefty righty procarpenter tape. these are cheap and a bit fragile (I do not recommend the autolock variant, but they make a regular locking version), but they are also cheap (16.50 canadian), and they have the sixteenths written out in red, and the 8ths in black, so it's VERY easy to read in low light. Piece of pex pipe and a small metal rod, that I use to close up my festool dust extractor bag, that I have cut one end off. Way faster to dump. Similarly, pex pieces that I use as drill depth guides. Just have one that's close, and pull your bit in and out of the chuck until the amount protruding is about right. I recently decided to put belt hooks on all my hand tools. I had to do some making of slots to recieve them, because some tools don't come with belt hook holding hardware, but it's super nice when packing up just to throw all my loose tools on my toolbelt and then walk back to my toolboxes. and a whole bunch of rare earth magnets I glued to the inside of my toolboxes, so that I can jam spare blades, bits, and fasteners on them so they don't rattle around, cut stuff, get dull, or prevent me from fitting everything nicely into my boxes. Would strongly recommend. took basically no time, effort, or money, works great.
>Spring tools nail set. Came here to extol the virtues of this little guy.
After looking into this, this is exactly what I need.
Yeah I first saw painters using them to set the odd nail that got left proud when spackling. Saves them having to carry a hammer.
What brand pencil pull are you using? I had a 6 pack of them when they were new, were super useful and I used them just enough to have it be 2nd nature to grab one from my collar, but I burned up all 6 inside of 2 months because the string frayed or the rubber boot cracked. Too spendy - I'd give it another go if they're making a better and more durable kind now.
I was using name brand, but I broke my last one and couldn't get the same brand on amazon canada, so I just went with some jobber version, specifically, [this one.](https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B09Y849GRN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1). to be clear, they don't last forever. I think I get a 2-3 months out of them, before I lose or break them. but at 4 dollars each, I am willing to pay that.
Lmao at the last product image
I've heard of the magneto holder but it costs £60 with shipping to get it to the UK so not really on my radar ATM but the rare earth magnets in the toolbox is brilliant, I constantly have stuff kicking around in the bottom of my toolbox that is a pain to try and find
honestly, it would not be hard to make one. The basic idea is that magnets are very good against perpendicular forces pulling something off them, but vulnerable to sliding. So basically,you have a block of wood or plastic. you have a shallow hole slightly larger than the steel plate on your tape measure. You have a magnet in the bottom of that hole. So when you try and slide the steel plate across the magnet, the shoulders of the hole retain the plate. When you try to pull the plate OFF the magnet, that's what magnets are good at. Really, it's very much something you could build your own of, that would probably be a fair bit smaller if you needed it to.
I had bought one that was just a circular plate but didn't lock into place like the official one and my tape was constantly sliding off. Maybe I'll get a metal plate and some plastic and try to make one out of it
>Spring tools nail set. second this. big time saver
I watched a This Old House where I think Norm used lipstick to transfer the doors strike center to the jamb. Anyway shits fool proof and I’ll always carry some in case I’m doing door hardware. I think I used it like 5 times this year. Def recommend if you can stand being made fun of for being the on-site big big brain who doesn’t care about gender stereotypes or what people write on the shitter walls.
What's your favorite shade to use, girlfriend?!?
Personally, I like the cheap whore colors your mother uses, but to each they own… girlfriend.
Sounds like they were just having a little fun. You didn’t have to savagely murder them like that.
lipstick works great!
For finish work. I love my little painters scraper. The kind that has a flat front. One side is pointy. Other side is like 1/2” square. And a long inside curve section. [This exact one](https://metrosealant.com/product/6-in-1-tool-pipeknife/?gclid=CjwKCAiAkrWdBhBkEiwAZ9cdcLbpfhGd2Nwz1FDbGYgMOxvycBFHtLlRcJoVD1WIuEVg-1CaQcr2oxoCDfcQAvD_BwE). So take the painter scraper- and I sharpen the everloving fuck out of it at all those angles. All edges are sharpened. I use it for so freaking much. Such a fine edge can used as temporary shim to pry something up. Slide behind the tightest spots. Or A quick slicing of of some excess drywall before setting door. Ya know- all diff types of stuff like that *cool thread topic btw
I'd never even considered using one of these at work, I am sure I have one lying around the shed somewhere, I'll have to dig it out I was working the other day and a guy showed me his corner chisel for after door keeps and hinges. I just thought there must be so many little tools I'd never even considered and had to ask here https://amzn.eu/d/gDYspoq
Mine has a bottle opener which also is very handy Friday 5pm
Friday at 2.
Yall go back to work after Friday lunch beers?
Once you’ve had the Magic three you ain’t going back.
Better known as the 5-in-1. Definitely a must carry. I really like my HYDE its thicker than most so i dont worry abiut the blade bending. Husky has a folding version that is my new go to. On top of the typical blade it also has a knife, jab saw, phillips, flathead, and bottle opener. All tools lock solidly in place and the grip is very comfortable.
The Hyde is the best I've found - wouldn't be caught without it. Tried the Purdy folder - garbage. I watch a bodywork sub on YT (VEHCOR), and he uses a Hyde 5-1 to separate body panels after drilling out the spotwelds.
>Tried the Purdy folder - garbage I just bought one of those this week goddamnit
Check out the Husky folder at homedepot. Ive had mine for over a year and it has never given me reason to complain. One of those tools ill always feel confident recommending
We call these five in ones where I’m from. The curved part can be used to push a lot of paint off the roller and back into your tray.
vicking arm. game charger of a tool. makes some jobs easy instead of slow and fiddly. i use mine for holding plasterslabs against a ceiling , holding a door open while i drill the locks out, kitchen units leveling etc. loads of uses .
Viking arm is amazing and I love mine. But god damn I resent those guys for charging $200 each. It’s an incredible tool but it’s not fairly priced at all when compared to anything else in the tool market
i agree. they are expensive for what they are. i look at it as saved labour on jobs so it paid for its self on the first job i dont see any other tool on the market that does what it does
Spring punch. Self centering bits. Sliding T bevel. Block plane. Glazing bar (those red flat bars). Air bags, great for leveling cabinets on legs, re-hanging heavy door slabs.
I refuse to trim without a sliding t bevel. And a sliding bar clamp has a million uses yet no one seems to have them
I should work with you, I've got like 4 or 5 different sizes of clamps at all times, super useful. I like the reversible ones that can be used as spreaders as well.
Come up to Wisconsin then. We are only short like 6000 carpenters
Not sure if you are DIY or actual carpenter. But use a "miter angle finder" about 20 bucks, sterrit makes a nice big one around 80 bucks. And write down your angle with your measurements. Using a t bevel will take ages to trim multiple houses.
I'm commercial and I find it very quick and easy to use my t-bevel for most applications
I carry an ice pick that I use as a scratch awl… useful for a million things.
Ayo don’t piss this guy off ayyyyy! Fughetaboutit badabing badaboom.
Same. It pokes it prods and most importantly it makes setting window screws while on a ladder slightly easier.
Hmm, I carry an awl in my tool bag, I suppose an ice pick is more durable than a regular awl?
Old sharpened screwdriver is even more durable.
Air shim. Lift something slowly and precisely, then shim to that height. Hot glue gun. Stick flat shims onto jambs or walls (prepping for paneling), tack jigs together, stick mdf miters together. Hyde makes a folding 5 in 1 that’s super handy. Nail plates are handy for sticking to a jamb so your magnetic laser base can stick somewhere. Crain makes a hinge pin tool that works very well. A chamfering plane will save a trip to route endgrain in some details. A flooring jack is really helpful for fitting the last couple pieces of any tongue and groove product. Many other uses as well.
Ratchet strap. Good for pulling gables straight when sheathing. And all sorts of temp shit. I always have a skilsaw rip fence. It's often way quicker than getting out the table saw for a few rips (within reason).
A small 1” square magnet. Best way to find studs! Just drag it along the wall until you find a drywall screw. Super simple but makes my life easier
If you glue a string to it you can kind of sweep the wall with it and it finds it faster. You can tie a nut or really anything to the other end and use it as a plumb bob for middle(ish) of stud if you need to cut out a section, or put it on your first screw for a guide for installing screws.
i use a mag switch magnet for this. you can turn it off and on so stuff doesnt stick to it on the bench or tool bag.
I see the honest carpenter on YouTube swear by this. I always wonder what if the screw is not centered or barely hit the stud or if they totally missed it? How is this better than an actual stud finder? Only things I can think of is obviously cost, and waay more convenient to carry. I’m not a carpenter so I don’t have to carry stuff to a worksite, but my stud finder works great. It’s the wide variety that has a bunch of lights to indicate a stud. I hate the The yellow ones that beep and you have to find the two edges and make a center mark.
This finds the SCREWS. This is not relevant for a lot of applications, but if you intend to remove drywall, by far the easiest way to do it assuming it's not glued, is just to take the screws out and take the sheet off. Less mess, less hassle, and you probably wanted the screws gone anyways eventually. Also, the good stud finders (the franklin sensors ones) are quite bulky and expensive, meaning you can't really easily carry one in a tool belt, and the cheap ones require you to calibrate every time you lift them off the wall. This is FAST. Beyond this, this is a non marking method for renovation work. You can just leave the magnet permanently on the wall, and see your studs without having to mess up some homeowner's paint. While you can FIND a stud with a stud finder, you then usually have to draw on the wall, or I guess, you could get stickers or something. I am not saying it's a complete replacement for all applications, but I think it has utility for sure.
Thanks for the explanation. Yes, mine is a Franklin sensor. I think it was $50 so very quite steep. Appreciate the response.
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The cordless rear handle circular saw and cordless leaf blower were game changers for sheeting roofs. No cords all over to trip on and after every cut, I take 2 seconds and blow all the dust off my piece and the roof so I don't slip and fall packing the sheet. It's gotta be over twice as fast as using an air hose and blow gun, by the time you disconnect the nail gun, blow the dust off, hook the gun back up and then wait for the compressor to catch back up before you start nailing.
An oil cup. It's a peanut butter jar filled with old engine oil. You take the lid off and put it under a string line you want to transfer down from. The oil self-level's so the reflection of the line in the oil and the line itself are plumb so you can eye a pencil mark off from the line by looking down on the oil cup from above and lining up the reflection with the line. It takes about five seconds at most to do. It beat the hell out of leveling down from the line. I usually see one or two guys with two levels trying to level down from a string line and they take nearly a minute per mark.
Got picture of this set up? Sounds awesome
https://preview.redd.it/cvek1l92sd9a1.png?width=800&format=png&auto=webp&s=77a61917e0d88640929e6c60f8e9cd0b6540f0fd
Sorry I didn't explain myself very well, did I? If your eye, the line and the reflection are all in-line then you can just use a pencil to mark another point in the same line on the slab or whatever you are transferring to.
I read this a few times and I can't quite picture what you mean. My mind keeps going to batter boards for footings or something. But are you talking about a vertical string line like a plumb bob?
Suppose you have a horizontal line, suspended. Like say, you are transferring lines to your foundation for your exterior walls. But your foundation steps down (it's got a walk out basement, for example) so now the line is 4 feet in the air. How do you transfer that line 4 feet down? You have a liquid reflective surface, down on the foundation. You stand directly above the string line, and stare down, PAST the string line, at the liquid reflective surface. When the two line up, that means that one is directly above the other (because gravity is leveling the liquid). Now, you can mark that line on the foundation, and you know that your exterior wall is going to be perfectly straight, even with a wonky foundation that stepped down because your house is being built into a hill. Stuff like that. modern lasers come with plumb dots that let you do this, and also self level, but they are probably not as fast as this, even though I don't personally carry an oil cup.
Would you have to stand above the line to match it up ? Or could you just get close to the oil and see the reflection from above?
I suppose it would depend on your level of precision and how low your oil cup was. The value of sighting past the string line would be that then you would know that YOU were directly above the oil cup. When you lose that, the reflection of the line should be directly below the actual line, but your head could be off to the side, much like if you say, looked through only the front or back sight of a rifle, but not both at the same time. The rifle sights would be accurate, but you would not be. In practice, it would probably be fine, I suspect. though I don't use an oil cup personally.
Damn dude just grab a laser🤣 carrying around a literal jar of oil to mark plumb points 🤣🤣
I can't see how a laser would be faster than an oil cup but please do enlighten me? Also, I live near the sea. If I do not cover anything bare metal in oil it rusts immediately so I have more than one use for an oil cup on site.
You just turn it on and literally have plumb points instantly displayed. There is no possible way to speed up the process. It can be done in seconds. If you’re trolling me then I tip my hat to you sir. How do you even make your mark? Your oil cup is sitting where you’d want to make a pencil mark
Brick line and pin (the key being the pin) Thumb turn euro cylinder - to test ironmongery on commercial doors when the actual cylinder locks aren’t available Cats claw bar Clamps that double as spreaders 110v battery charger (so I could charge near where I worked on big sites, although in the end I made sure I carried lots of batteries). Thin Scribing blades for the jigsaw - because fuck coping out scribes when you’ve got literally 1000’s of meters of skirting to get done A recking chisel Recking blades for the circular saw
Was just going back over this, and I've just ordered a wrecking chisel. Lent the other apprentice my 1" Marples chisel, he had chipped the fuck out of it on some screws
Glad I could be of help 👍
Self-retracting chalk-line. Yes theyre crazy handy for retracting when you're done snapping, but also if you're working alone, because the line is always taut you don't have to guide the string or hold onto it or keep it from sagging or falling in water while you're pulling it out to snap.
Oversized kids eraser. They can take chalk lines off of interior surfaces without too much fuss. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Jumbo-Eraser-For-Really-Big-Mistakes/149461615? (Obviously not RED chalk.) Votive candle for getting some lubrication on long screws.
Those small high powered inflators are so freaking useful. The ones marketed towards inflating blow-up stuff not high psi stuff. Great for cleaning off a chop saw, cleaning yourself off at the end of the day, getting concrete dust out of holes, and pretty much any time you need to dust anything off.
colllins miter clamps. great for small mouldings and returns on skirting boards etc. very handy clamp clamps or knock off versions. they are brilliant for miters on architraves. i dont know why thye are not used here. improves your work a huge amount. not cheap but well worth it.
Clam clamps for casing as well
Magnetic tape, I use it to shim hinges on doors. It’s about 1/8” thick and you can break off pieces by bending it. It’s really easy for rolling hinges too. Epoxy putty, I use Brofix, but there are all kinds out there. JB Weld is pretty common in the big box stores and work great. I usually use it for anchor holes the have spalled out in concrete or worm out in wood and need to use the same hole.
Folding 3-4-5 square.
I got a couple of [these](https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/garden/garden-care/saws/101460-silky-gomboy-folding-saws?item=60T6034&utm_source=free_google_shopping&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=shopping_feed&gclid=Cj0KCQiAtbqdBhDvARIsAGYnXBMQbgwsr2N-LEQ4SKttiq73lbTxsqQ_tV92LfTVWbeE406ohy0Bo78aApF-EALw_wcB) (fine and coarse tooth) . They can cut off a 2x4 in a couple of strokes and have just been an all around good saw for many areas that a skillsaw can't get in or isn't deep enough. Great for finishing off stair tread cuts, birdmouths, or weird rafter angles.
Silky are incredible. I’ve gone camping and ice fishing with a guy who has one and WHAT HOW so fast? Beautifully made.
The first time I saw a guy on site with a blower I gave him so much shit about his gay little blower. I have a couple now and pretty much use them every day, home and work.
You’re the one! The fucking guy who gives us all a bad rep!! I speak for a lot of people when I say: you’re so goddamed annoying!
Why?
“I gave him so much shit about his gay little blower.” It’s not funny it’s just old and tells everybody that you’re probably hiding something. Just be you, nobody cares if you like dudes.
That’s a lot of assumptions there dude. People have different sayings all over the world. Cunt means person here. Gay means, small or not manly in this context. Plus I mentioned that I’ve got two of them meaning I’m double gay. I have a gay brother and he uses the same language. I guess summing up, things that are offensive to you are often only offensive to you.
Nah. On Reddit - It’s offensive speech.
You bloody Americans are so sensitive these days.
Yep, it's unfortunately becoming extremely important that other people act how we think is proper over here.
I might be quoting Bill Burr here but I think it’s straight white women.
Angle finder.
Awl. You can make one by taking a small screwdriver, sharpen the end to a point with an angle grinder. It's a permanent scribe, fixing marker and stud finder all in one
How is an awl used as a stud finder?
It is when you stick it in the stud and not the plasterboard 🤣
Push it through the drywall until you find a stud lol
Hinge pin tool. Made by Crain, a flooring company I think. https://www.amazon.com/Crain-362-Door-Pin-Tool/dp/B00D4WM17G/ref=asc_df_B00D4WM17G/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309735728871&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10442865061484780727&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1026339&hvtargid=pla-568252690214&psc=1
I'm not sure what kind of carpentry you do, but I love these style of nail pullers https://www.google.com/search?q=nail+pullers&client=ms-android-samsung-ss&prmd=sivn&sxsrf=ALiCzsa9R4CVE8sG_liQYZtbFiHBhSegJA:1672368635826&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiZ6uLTqqD8AhWEElkFHfbNCoMQ_AUoAnoECAcQAg&biw=360&bih=667&dpr=3#imgrc=DLYsZt3IopxehM
Not actually tried one of these. I'll have to pick one up and give it a go, I've been using a nail bar but doing second fix it's a bit hard to use
Good for tying steel or pulling out brads (finishing nails). Still prefer a pinch bar or Sabre saw for pulling and cutting framing nails though.
Measure/level/angle finder app has saved me a trip to the van on many occasions.
I use a 5 in 1 (also known as a painters tool) almost every day
Recently I replaced over 4,000 sq/ft of acoustical ceiling tile, from the cheap stuff to the vinyl wrapped tiles that are made like Sheetrock. And on a bunch I had to cut off 1-2” rips. After wearing down my finger tips I got a sheet metal bending tool. They look like pliers with a wide mouth. Made the job less painful and now they have a special place in my tool box.
That ones called a hand seamer
Yes! Thank you, it was late and I blanked out
[Dry line](https://www.amazon.com/Shinwa-Bobbinoid-Automatic-77446-4960910774469/dp/B00TNWGDFM) for finish work.
Plastic felling wedges
Air shims
A working brain
Dust off chalk with a fine string. The lavender color has a permanency rating of zero. Your line literally wipes off of most surfaces when you are done. Disposable .5 mm pencils are nice in that you aren’t sharpening them all the time and when they are empty just toss them. I use my old sash bar constantly, though I’m intrigued with other’s comments about using a painter’s tool and probably have to try one out now.
>disposable pencil Like mechanical pencils? Can’t you just refill them?
I got a 2.8mm tracer mechanical pencil. You still have to sharpen it but it's way better. Rarely snaps and lead will last about a week and a half
Eh, they’re pretty cheap, like maybe a quarter. I buy them in packs of, I don’t know, 24 or something for, I don’t know, $6 or something.
Stanley STHT55135 large, flat pry bar. Needs a sharpening at end of season buy gets versatile usage. Small Japanese pullsaw. Wanting: Hinge spring-tool & a screw plier Considering: Small protractor and marking/panel gauge
The “spider holster” for my drill. A bunch of coworkers all had me get them one after seeing mine.
Dude, those are sick. I'm picking those up. It's such a pain in the arse trying to hold my saw while climbing scaffold
Pallet knives, for when a spackle knife is too big. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01G176P6I?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title Great for filling nail holes.
Laser tape measure. Comes in real handy for quick estimating & anything over 25-30 feet without pulling out a 100' flimsy tape.
I use mine now any time I'm measuring to an inside corner where I would have to bend my tape measure, it's just a cheaper bosch laser, but it's been dead on every time and actually more accurate than a tape in that situation.