what would you put in my MIL’s toolbox?
I am one of those very rare folks who ended up with very cool inlaws, infact they are so cool, that I look fowards to seeing them! Sadly we lost my father in law to lymphoma this summer, and my mother in law is probably going to want to move, and to consolidate tools to a much smaller kit.
She tends to complain that she does not know how to do things as she does them, and is way more capable than she thinks!
So, what I need to do is come up with an assortment of tools from my father in laws large collection to set her up!
What tools do you think all homeowners should have? (it does not have to fit into just one box, but compactness is key!)
(other than a cabinet saw, panel sander….)
I was going to include
10″ Visegrips
18 oz rip hammer
needle nose pliers
side cutting wire cutters
folding rule
Set of screwdrivers (philips 1,2, and straight blades)
wonderbar (my FIL loved it)
10 inch crescent wrench (adjustable)
Jeff
Edited 9/6/2004 11:30 pm ET by jrobbins
Replies
1/2" chisel
allen wrench set
2" putty knife
4 or 6' type II AL step ladder (maybe a 2 step stool if she doesn't need to go very high)
2 prong electrical test light
I would substitute a 16' tape for the folding rule
Jon Blakemore
Duct tape and electricians tape.
Stud finder.Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
When Pop died in Jan, we set Mom up with what she wanted - a single kitchen 4" deep drawer for tools. Tape vs folding rule is one change I strongly agree with, also good selection of other tapes, in addition to other items already on the list - plus selection of small nails, screws , etc.
Nephews and neices have all the power tools* which Mom would never use, *excepting a PC 12V dril.
The indespensible items she already had - brother's, sister's, and my phone numbers <G>
Did leave sledge, one set of plumbing tools, a few bigger hammers, electrical tools and supplies, hand cart, axes, etc. etc. in garage ( DIY 'in the blood' , when I get called it's a 2000 mi trip, but right now, Seattle to ORD airfare is less than calling a pro and supplemental visit then 'free' - going back in Sept to install HP at next door 'storage' house that has not been heated for 20 years). Did hire her house painted, brother didn't have time, and Mom's dad died falling off a ladder while painting houses (as a pro) decades ago so mom abhors seeing us on ladders.
PS: JD, nevermind is right, I had to reread the title 5 times before I wondered what set you off <G?>
Edited 9/7/2004 12:13 am ET by JUNKHOUND
PS: JD, nevermind is right, I had to reread the title 5 times before I wondered what set you off <G?>
Just be happy that yours was the only thread I responded to in kind. I read some of these titles around here and give myself a chuckle contemplating a response to the title alone....most times I realize I`m the only one who`s gonna find it funny and move along. Sorry to interupt your thread.J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
"DO IT RIGHT, DO IT ONCE"
Mr. Hound has hit on something very important here.
A collection of odds & ends ( Screws, nails, anchors, nuts & bolts Etc. ) will allow MIL or a visitor to fix alot of small stuff.
My fastener box collection has been evolving for many years & is now a carefully organized double sided partitioned case that I don't go anywhere without.
On a hill by the harbour
My In laws did a ton of power boating, and there are 4-5 identical small kits lurking about in the garage, and then, there are full 3/8, 1/2, and 3/4 socket sets, and all sorts of other tools.
there are jars of odds and ends, and they are all stainless! I am going to sort most of them down into a couple of those spify locking stanley trays from blowes (they just stack so well...)
I would like to try to avoid getting a rolling cabinet, because the stated goal (from my mother in law) was to put together a small tool kit, and I am only about 45 minutes to 8 hours away depending on traffic. (I live in New Jersey and she is on Long Island)
I also found a spair seawater impeller for a Detriot Diesel. (I dont think we are going to hang on to it!)
Look you sick SOB, I`m not even going to take the time to read the filth in your post!!
The cutsie little innuendo in the threads title is enough to make me puke....so I won`t bother giving the message the attention you so dearly desire.
This crap may fly on other message boards.....but not here pal!!
Peddle your trash elsewhere!!!
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
"DO IT RIGHT, DO IT ONCE"
Jaybird: when I read the title & the first line, all I could think of was a large, hungry, mean Timber Rattler! Then I realized the meaning he was using for "Cool." Sounds like My MiL. One neat old bat! Heck, she was so old, she used to tell our kids what it was like to ambush wooley mammoths w/ stone tipped spears! She trapsed all over the country from Miami, Fla to Richland, WA to help with the first baby. Came to Las Cruces, NM for second. When she asked what time we had to leave for the 70 mile drive to El Paso AP for an 1100 plane home, I thought for a minute & told her "7:00 AM." She asked why so early. Told her that I didn't want to ruin a tire driving on the rim if we had a flat along the way. She's sitting on a cloud somewhere, still LHAO! One Christmas, I gave her a golf ball w/ a smile in it; screwed a 2" wood screw into the smile. She asked what it was for - told her she inspired it - it was a "Screwball." One really neat lady. After the third grandchild, she figured out I couldn't be all bad - she hadn't gotten her daughter back. Really miss her. Born into a house w/ a dirt floor in Nawth Jawja; but had more class than a roomfull of Ketchup heiresses! She inherited her fortune from her father during the Great Depression - the ability to work hard and manage well what little she had. Then she passed it on to her kids.
DonThe GlassMasterworks - If it scratches, I etch it!
LOL!! Were you channeling my MIL there Jaybird?
God rest her soul... She left me a fantastic daughter, a few decent tools and I still miss her - but not those rants. <G>Kevin Halliburton
"The Greek comic poets, also, divided their plays into parts by introducing a choral song, ... they relived the actor's speeches by such intermissions." Vitruvious, (Book V)
Um......nevermind.
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
"DO IT RIGHT, DO IT ONCE"
IMHO, dump the rip hammer and go for a 16oz claw hammer. She'll need a saw sooner or later (back saw ?) and everyone needs a pair of linesman (aka: fencing) pliers. Remember, while she may never use the tools herself, she needs to have some on-hand for good sumaritans to use.
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
Nearly forgot, water-pump (aka: channel-lock) pliers, at least 16", remarkably handy for all sorts of home plumbing work.
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
My mother (late 80's) lives by herself in a retirement community. The best tool is when each year everybody in the family shows up for a couple days (mother's day) and do as she bids. All other people up and down the street see what is going on and are very jealous. Understand. The place has its own maint. people, grass cutters, etc. We will paint around a window, build a trelis, organize stuff she has in the attic. Oil the glider on the patio, maybe cut and haul away stuff from her massive garden, etc. etc. It's the labor that counts the most but we try to keep some of Dad's tool around to make it handier. I just don't think most women will actually use some slipjoint pliers to clean out the trap under the kitchen sink. I've seen paint jobs on trim that slop over onto the window glass, etc. You have it covered for what she will really use. Tyr
I have a little saw that has interchangeable blades--for wood or metal, about six inches long. Comes in handy. Flashlight.
Good suggestions so far, except a lighter hammer, 14 or 16 oz. I have made up kits for my wife and daughters. Each has a Stanley Yankee pushdrill that gets used quite often. Alas, Stanley has discontinued the item but they are still on shelves.
Also, a pair of slip-joint gas pliers.
A coffee can full of miscellaneous nails, brads, screws, etc...
Good luck.
a magnetic pick up retrieval tool
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
A pair of Channel Lock pliers and small plain pliers.
A painter 5in1, 7in1, 9in1 (953in1?).
Caulk gun.
I have not had much luck with the MIL thing. With either of them. So, as I see no one else brought it up, how about a pipe bomb? DanT
Ya know, I used to turn my nose up at these, but the four or six way screwdrivers are pretty handy to keep in a kitchen or desk drawer. Even got some with flowers on the handle for 2 daughters last Christmas. Don't imagine any of the boyfriends du jour will be pilfering those :-)
WD-40 (to remove duct tape as needed).
Electrical "bug" (much safer than fingers or good screwdrivers into that "oh, sure, it's off" box.
Go spring for the Klein screwdrivers, they don't have to be full speed--the ones at the big box will do. They are comfortable, ans will last, even better they have a "-" and a "+" on the end to help you grab the right one.
And I'd get the whole set of crescent wrenches--like a craftsman set, because sometimes you need two, and an itty bitty one comes in handy.
I'd also get a tool bag & "electrician's" bucket-style bag rather than a hard toolbox or belt. Taking "all" the tools to the problem saves trips (at either end of the project).
Decent stud finder and a circuit tracer would be on my list, too.
Ooh, yeah, a 1/2" & 3" putty knife, and a good, top-quality utility knife.
might be some duplicates here...
-micro screwdriver (i got one at the orange store that has 6 differt phillips and standard bits), perfect for the tiny screws you may find around the house, eye glasses, etc...
- couple paint brushes
- flashlight, small 2 AA mag lite?
- utility knife
- zip ties (not a tool, but they are handy)
- sand paper (again, not a tool)
- file
- agree with capn mac... go with the bucket boss
- normal pliers
Change the hammer to a 16oz. curved claw
Add duct tape, and som eglues like gorilla glue, yellow carpenters glue, and maybe even liquid nails.
the thing my wife uses or does most with her handy dandy little tool kit is tacks to put up pictures and knick knacks. So she ios well equipt with an assortment of small nails, screws and sheetrock anchors, the latter of which she will never use. - and some wire.
I think back to when I was a kid and we had "The Junk Drawer" which had an assortment of household tools. The ones that got regular use were the needlenosed pliers, the side cutters, and the hammer. Screwdrivers we never touched. We used the hammer to put the screws in. Getting them out again was never a problem. They just fell out all by themselves, LOL
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These are a lot of repeats of previously saids, but these are the things I added to the toolbox for small time maintenance on an as-needed basis after I moved out on my own. This provides for hanging pictures, hanging curtains, fixing a stopped up drain, putting together grandkids' bicycles, etc.
Smooth face claw hammer - 16 oz is pretty heavy for a woman who doesn't swing hammers often. Maybe go lighter, it's not like she's going to be doing any framing, more like hanging pictures. It doesn't take much to get a nail into drywall, and heavier hammers make damaging the wall easier. Remember that she doesn't have your arm strength, so 16oz is harder for her to control. But don't go too light, in case she needs to drive a nail into wood.
Power drill (There will always be some unforeseen need to drill a hole - even if it is to hang the curtain rod in the new place. Plus, you would be amazed at how many 'some assembly required's are screwed together).
Small ratchet set (actually doesn't get that much use in mine, so if you need to dump something, this is it).
Mixed screwdriver set
2 crescent wrenches, one bigger and one smaller.
Allen wrench set (for water faucets)
Channel lock wrench (because plumbing always stops up on holidays and Sundays)
Needle Nose pliers
Utility Knife
25' Tape measure (folding is much to unwieldy and is never long enough - suppose she needs to know how big the room is to see if her carpet will fit in it?)
2 foot level (hanging curtains is serious business)
Super Glue, and an unopened spare for when you can't get that one to flow due to drying.
Flashlight
Mix of various sized nails and screws, just enough for a sandwich bag full. This catches extras that are sent with an item, and it supplies 'em for when the manufacturer shorted you.
This is all she really should need. But if she has room, a plumbing snake is always good to have, and duct tape can come in handy, but I really don't use it that much.
Small hand vac with a long hose. Shes gotta kill her own spiders
I read all the messages and i think they are all great suggestions. I had the chance to do something simialr for a lady from church and I used almost all of the ideas here., One thought about the flat bar or pry bar. Stanley makes a small flat bar , about 6 inches or so . that is so handy it has made it into the top 20 in my bags fulltime. Hey great to hear someone else likes their In-laws and good luck . Last but not least--She will need a new double wide closet to put all those gotta have tools in . LOL mike
Add a small socket set if you are just setting up a toolbox.
FWIW, if FIL had a larger selection of tools... why not get her a rolling cabinet to house and organize them? If she has some good neighbors, she will be getting all kinds of offers of help. Many of those who will offer help aren't always well equipped, yet perfectly capable.
When my FIL passed on this year, I went up and organized MIL's tool cabinet so that I would be able to do work without dragging all of my tools up there. We have enough problems fitting in my wife's 3 suitcases, the dogs' stuff, and my little overnight bag!!
Seriously... it is much easier to help her out when she calls, if you don't have to gather up a tool truck before you go to help. A little organization... great idea... but not sure of the wisdom of limiting the toolbox.... especially when the tools are already there.