1.Wrenches: are essential tools for any self-respecting engineer. They are vital for turning nuts and bolts, and are incredibly useful for any task that needs you to 'get a grip' on something.
Wrenches come in a few 'flavors,' with each type being more specialized than others; some are for specific tasks. They include the following but in reality, you'll want to have a collection of each (or get a decent set).
- Box end wrenches are perfectly designed for offering a nice firm grip on a nut or bolt. These types offer excellent leverage for the task at hand.
- Open end wrenches are the simplest of all and their flat jaws make gripping things in tight spaces a breeze. They tend to have two open ends which are usually of different sizes.
- Combination wrenches are, the name suggests, a combination of an open-end jaw wrench and box-end wrench. The open and box end tend to be the same size.
- Adjustable wrenches tend to be low-cost, and are the ones most widely used. They include the venerable monkey wrench and tend to work with both standard and metric fasteners. Most importantly the lower can is adjustable to fit many sizes of bolts and nuts.
- Ratchet wrenches include a ratchet action on one end that moves freely in one direction to engage the fastener in the other direction. Some have pivoting ratchet ends for working in tight spaces.
- Allen wrenches tend to be steel bars bent into an L-shape and are specially designed for hex-head screws and bolts. You'll often get these 'for free' with self-assembly furniture.
2. Jacks: Depending on your needs a good jack will go a long way. They are great for anyone who likes to tinker with their car but has many other applications.
They come in a variety of forms.
*Hydraulic floor jacks tend to be in the form of small trolleys with one long lever arm. The take advantage of hydraulics to lift some serious weight.
*Scissor jacks are some of the most common and typically come included with your car.
*Bottle or piston jacks are also hydraulically operated and differ from floor jacks by being cylindrical in form. Their advantage over others is their small footprint.
3. Toolbox: With all these awesome tools in your disposal, you are going to need something to carry them all in. Just make sure it's nice a rugged to take all the punishment it's bound to receive throughout its lifetime.Whether it's a bag or box is a completely personal choice and will depend on the number of tools you intend to carry around.
4.Saw: A good saw is essential whether you need to cut wood, stone, or anything else. They come in a variety of forms but generally fall into either the toothed blade or disk types.
Saws tend to come in specific sizes and shapes and can either be hand powered or motorized for maximum cutting power.
The good old fashioned hand saws are the most common and the simplest/most satisfying to use in our humble opinion. These are ideal for small tasks and wood cutting and, of course, living out your dream of being a 'proper' lumberjack.
Circular saws are power tools which come in cordless or corded varieties. These tend to be used for more hardcore cutting like masonry and metal cutting.
There are also band saws that are powered by a single motor and use a continuous band to cut through anything (within reason). These tend to be used for cutting meat, metal, and wood.
5.Flashlight:When you need to throw some light on a situation a good torch is invaluable. They come in many shapes, sizes and power but a good hardwearing metal cased one is always a good investment.
There are some good guides out there to help you narrow down your choice.
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