Tools are to a handyman what ingredients are to a chef – essential for creating quality work. And depending on what the job is, you might need a variety of different tools.
If you’re just starting out as a beginner handyman, this is the guide for filling your toolbox, tool belt, or tool rack.
Recommended reading: How to Become a Qualified Tradie
Essential tools for the handyman
1. The hammer
It’s important for a handyman to have a hammer, one of the most used tools in a handyman’s toolbox. Any and every handyman will likely require a quality hammer for jobs involving pulling up nails, building furniture or fixing shelving.
2. A tape measure and level
So much of a handyman’s day will involve measuring items and assessing whether or not they are precisely level. Accuracy matters in a handyman’s line of work, so be sure to invest in a quality, thick tape measure, which will make it easier to get correct measurements.
A good spirit level will also help you to deliver quality work, which will further support your claims of being a professional handyman.
3. Pliers
Pliers are basic handyman tools most commonly used when working with wiring. Most handymen carry two types of pliers – needle nose pliers, as well as an adjustable pair of pliers. Needle nose pliers are the perfect tool for handling cables, while adjustable pliers are great to use for clamping when needed.
4. Chisel
The chisel is a versatile tool that can be used by handymen for a wide range of jobs. With your sturdy chisel in hand, you will be able to carve or trim down pieces of wood, break up chunks of hardened glue or concrete, and shave down rough patches on your jobs.
5. A comprehensive screwdriver set
A handyman’s screwdriver set should contain as many screwdriver attachments as possible. Choose a multi-bit screwdriver set over lugging multiple individual screwdrivers around with you. It’s a wise idea to invest in a magnetic model handyman screwdriver to minimise dropping and losing screws on the job.
6. A knife with replacement blades
A quality knife that you can depend upon should definitely have a home in your handyman toolbox. A well-crafted handyman knife can be used for a variety of tasks like opening boxes and cutting tape. Be sure to carry some extra blades to swap in when your blade starts getting blunt.
Electrical tools
1. A drill
A dependable drill makes handyman jobs much easier due to less elbow grease being required. Handymen can perform a wide range of jobs with a drill – from drilling holes to screwing in bolts to mixing materials such as paint.
2. Electric saws
Both a jigsaw and circular saw will come in handy on a wide range of jobs. The jigsaw makes light work of small or intricate jobs where precision and accuracy are required. Meanwhile, a circular saw will cut through different types of materials, such as tiles and steel. This makes the circular saw a serious timesaver for handymen on jobs.
3. Nail gun
Sure, as a handyman you’ll still be tasked with using a good old-fashioned manual hammer from time to time. But for the sake of efficiency – and to save your own energy – a nail gun is a handyman’s best friend when it comes to nail work.
Miscellaneous items and accessories
As well as tools, there are many important accessories and miscellaneous items required on most handyman jobs like screws, nuts, bolts, washers, and D-rings. They literally help hold everything together. Beyond these, other items to carry with you to every handyman job are:
- a mini-LED headlight or flashlight.
- a stud finder.
- a collection of markers and pencils.
Now that you know what tools a handyman needs, your best friend as you go from handyman job to handyman job is a well organised and adequately sized toolbox.
The most important tool for handymen: business insurance
Handymen, just like other business owners, can benefit from actively reducing the risks to their business. And a great way to do just that is to invest in business insurance*. It may be worth considering handyman insurance to protect your business in case of accidents, unexpected events or negligence so you can keep doing the work you love without interruption. With BizCover, you can get your insurance sorted online in just 10 minutes!
