Recommended "starter" kit for DIY toolbox

dellboy102

Hi All

I've got a new place and have found besides a hammer and nails I've got no tools for the odd jobs that have been cropping up, from your experience whats the most useful things to have in the house, I'm starting from scratch so want to do it right.

So far i'm thinking:
- JigSaw
- Drill
(open to recommendations for brands, as its used so infrequently i'll go with wired to prevent battery degradation, I'm thinking Bosch)
- Screws and wall plug set (if one exists)

Any other ideas? just want to prevent scrambling around for the common jobs and have a few basics in the house.

Thanks

samogotchi

We were in same position a while ago - what I would recommend:
1) A combi drill with screw driver and hammer setting: does most of the DIY jobs you'll need - we went cordless, but no need to (it was Bosch and was about £60, works well and we use it alot). Don't forget you'll need drill bits
2) A spirit level
3) A hammer
4) A set of screw drivers
5) A tape measure
6) Pliers.
7) A spanner set.

Brown rawl plugs are the type I use most commonly. You can buy them with screws already in, but the plugs do break occasionally so it's better off to just to buy a whole heap of screws.

A jigsaw is useful - we were donated one, and have used it - but tbh a good panel saw is just as useful and we use ours just as much.
Look on gumtree for cheap used options (e.g. corded drills). Don't skimp on quality but don't go nuts if you don't use it often (as nice as Festool tools are, there is no reason to buy one at beginning).
If you're not going to so lots of complex DIY then that will be a good enough set. If you're hanging doors etc you'll start to need chisels.

bertiewhite

How about getting a basic Household tool set? You can get them cheap and will have most tools that you'll need. In addition to those already mentioned, how about

Allen keys
Chisels
Adjustable spanner
Pipe wrench
Stanley knife
Filler knife

d0nkeyk0ng

We moved into our first home two years ago. I had zero tools and had to build up as I went along. I didn't like any of the basic sets so just made my own.

Things that'll make life easier:

- combi drill (I went for a cordless Makita)
- drill bits for wood, for masonary (bosch multiconstruction)
- screwdriver bits for screws
- multipack of woodscrews (lots of different sizes in one carry case) from screwfix
- rawl plugs - I quite like plasplugs which comes with screws and tells you in mm which drill bit to use
- hammer - erstwing claw hammer
- spirit level - a large one eg 1m and a small one eg 30cm are useful
- tape measure - I found the narrow blade ones quite flimsy and wish I'd bought one that was extra wide
- masking tape
- electrical tape (B&Q did a multipack of five colours for something like £2)
- pencils and eraser
- stanley knife for marking and cutting
- set of decent pliers and snips for wires. I have wire strippers but found a stanley knife was faster.
- spanner set and pipe wrench eg for taps. I have an adjustable spanner (stanley fatmax) and find it rubbish. A proper set of spanners was more useful.
- a decent bag/tote to put it all in
- decent handsaw (for wood) and hacksaw (for metal)
- selection of standard sized screwdrivers and miniscrewdrivers (for fiddly screws eg spectacles)
- some sort of sawhorses
- chisels - I bought a single stanley fatmax one for a single job. There are ones for fine woodworking that would be OTT for DIY use.



I have a few other tools eg socket set, allen key set, multimeter, cordless jigsaw, sander etc but I've bought out of necessity or to make jobs easier

Maybe make a list of what jobs you want to do first and go from there?

Wookey

Hacksaw, junior is usually sufficient for the home.

Flat wood bit set, no need for expensive augers or holesaws unless you will be drilling a lot of wood.

Vice grips, useful if you need a 3rd hand for something.

I would get a screwdriver set that has a set of small sockets with it 5-10mm, useful for those fiddly small jobs where you can't quite get your hand in.

getmore4less

Portable workbench can be very handy with clamping capabilities.

Loads of different sorts around.

I got a pair of

Stanley work bench tool store saw horse with built in plastic vice clamps

For the basic tools a set(cheap mid range) can be an option, as you use stuff you upgrade the ones you use/need to be better quality.

If you find yourself doing a lot of drill driving a second power tool will be useful to avoid changing bits all the time, start with a multi purpose cordless.

brightontraveller

Most important items
"“Dust Masks, Safety Glasses and Work Gloves “"

Allen key set,
Bolster (Chisel) with Guard,
Bucket,
Hammer, Claw,
Hand Saws,
Types vary Tenon, Crosscut etc,
Personally never found spending more on a saw makes it cut any straighter ?

Awl/ Bradawl,
But nail etc will suffice,

Filler Knife,
Filler/Caulking Gun,
Hacksaw,
Paint Brush,
Pencils/ Marker,
Pliers Locking, adjustable,
Sand Paper (fine to coarse grade ),
Steel Ruler,
Stanley Knife,
Spirit level,
Screwdrivers,
Sets of over 5,6 your paying for things you’ll never use, cheap sets just fing up the screw heads good expect to pay £20 - 30 for a set (£5-£6 each CK, Bacho, Dewalt etc ) Tyes Slotted (flat blade) Philips, Pozidriv.

Wrench Adjustable,
WD-40,
White Spirit ,
Wire cutters,
Torch,
Tape Measure,

Hardware
Screws Various, raw plugs red, brown, yellow

Power tools are great but they work better when you know how to use there hand equivalents being able to f the heads up quicker on screws or not cutting a straight line quickly isn’t really a bonus?

At a push get a SDS hammer drill with stop (chisel' mode).

Drill Bits various wood, metal etc
Gauge Metric SDS Drill size
Yellow 3/4 3.0mm 5mm
Red 6 3.5mm 6mm
Brown 8 4.0mm 7mm

dellboy102

Thank you all, some really useful ideas that i've added to my shopping list

Ebe_Scrooge

Some very good advice posted above. I'd just like to put forward an alternative approach for consideration.


There are some very basic tools that you're going to need, and which will get used a lot if you're anticipating doing a fair amount of DIY over the coming years. A drill ( corded or cordless, both have their merits ). A tape measure. A hammer. A flat-head and a cross-head screwdriver. A Stanley knife. You get the idea.


Now, other than that, what you can do is buy a tool to do a particular job. "Oh, I want to change the bath taps. What do I need ? A tap wrench. A smaller screwdriver for undoing the grub screw. Such-and-such spanner sizes". Etc.


The same goes for drill bits. You can buy a bargain bucket of 100 bits for a tenner - but they'll not last long, and you'll end up with some you never use. Instead, buy single bits, or small selections, of what you actually need. If you need a 6mm masonry bit, or a 4mm HSS bit, or a 10mm wood bit, buy them to suit your actual needs. A case in point - many years ago I found I was using my 6mm masonry bit a lot, and several bargain bucket bits fell by the wayside. I bit the bullet and shelled out about £3.00 on a single bit. Expensive in comparison to a bucket-full for a tenner, but it's still going strong many years later.


Go and buy the tools you need, and buy reasonable quality. No need to spend a fortune on professional Snap-on ones, but avoid the very cheap and nasty budget ones. A reasonable quality tool should last a lifetime ( many of mine were inherited from my Grandad when he died, some of them are well over 50 years old and still going strong ).


Anyhow, the point being, over the course of a few years you'll build up a comprehensive toolkit of stuff that you actually need and will use, which will last you for ever, and you won't have to shell out a whole heap of cash in one fell swoop.


As I say, just something to consider.

ic

A set like this will get you going. http://www.screwfix.com/p/forge-steel-hand-tool-kit-55-piece-set/7045g#product_additional_details_container Add to that a good cordless hammer drill - 18V l-ion. Offers crop up on here from time to time.

Otherwise buy workbenches, bolster chisels, etc, as you need them.

trailingspouse

Step ladder, dust sheets, masking tape.