Your indispensable tools

[pkoslow]

This is another one of my favorites:
http://www.greenlee.com/archive/MA4774.pdf

Customers always love it when they see you matching a level up to everything!

This one from Greenlee is about $35-40, but worth the cost. It has rare earth magnets on one side so it great for sticking to TV mounts so you can check level hands-free while securing them to the wall. The magnets are also strong enough to pick up screws and nails in drywall so it can be used as a low tech stud finder!

 

[CORT]

The self feed bits are the staple of my pre-wire jobs too. A few different extensions added to the short one...

I do want that right angle drill. Beautiful. For now I will "suffer" with my 1/2" Milwauke corded drill. Here's a setup that I recently put together to drill a hole for some ceiling speaker wire. It's a 1" ship's auger bit with extensions. The setup is rigid (so I can steer the bit to the center of the firestop board). A standard sized Sharpie is next to the bit for scale.

"Firestop, smirestop!"

 

[TLCNORM]

I like that Ridgid See snake!

Don't forget about the basics like a sawzall and a flashlight. Its nice to have a short section of fish tape and a multi-tool screwdriver:

If you are working with a partner these come in handy also:

 

[aehusted]

I have a often used a 3"x7" mirror to see what is going on behind the walls. This is especially helpful when you are doing things by yourself.

All questions answered by a flashlight and one of these mirrors:
Where is the damn hole I just drilled from the basement/attic?
What the hell is the snake caught on now?
Did the contractor really shoot a nail directly into my water pipe?

 

[RAM]

A few other things to mention:

• Quality stud finder

Can anyone recommend a stud finder that actually works? I've tried a couple and they couldn't find a stud through clear plastic wrap. :lol:

 

[CORT]

Can anyone recommend a stud finder that actually works? I've tried a couple and they couldn't find a stud through clear plastic wrap. :lol:

I don't think any stud finder is great. They're usually +/- 0.5 in. Are you in an old house with lath and plaster? I've had success with the Zircon stud finders for conventional sheet rock and 2x4 walls. Here's what I use:

 

[TonyNo]

In case it's not common knowledge, I like using a ball-chain (yes, the metal kind for turning lights on and off) and a magnet probe for fishing wire down from above. Cut your hole in the drywall, drill a hole in top frame, attach wire to ball-chain, drop ball-chain down hole, insert magnet probe through drywall hole, poke around a bit to grab chain, and pull it all down/through!

 

[tmbrown97]

I've yet to find a perfect stud finder, but after getting annoyed with my last few, I special ordered this one:
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00949067000P

It's a Zircon with Craftsman's name on it - and when I was looking around, the Zircon-branded one was $10-$20 more.

I like the auto on-off (press it on a wall and it turns on - let go and it turns off), it has the wall marker, AC warning and tracer, etc. It can't do the depth it's rated for (I have 2 walls in the master with double 5/8ths sheetrock) and it can't find a stud through that 1.25" even though it claims 1.5" - but for all the other work I've done, it's been the best I've used yet.

Other essentials:
Good crimpers (RJ11, RJ45),
Coax compression tool,
dedicated wire strippers for coax and Cat5,
lineman's scissors,
fish rods,
Fluke CableIQ (tests speakers, coax, cat5 with 7 remote ends),
Little Giant ladder for any stair or other weird place;
a good solid Butt set - I carry this one: http://www.specialized.net/ecommerce/shop/...-Cord-25501-009
- It has been handy a couple times when working on DSL lines without realizing it - just press a button and it turns on the built-in filter and gives you a working line. Not as rugged as others, but does a lot more.

I think those are the basics... and I have a basic toolbox full of cat5 connectors, wallplates, punchdown blocks, etc - for when I have no idea what I'm getting into.

 

[123]

... Here's a setup that I recently put together to drill a hole for some ceiling speaker wire. It's a 1" ship's auger bit with extensions. The setup is rigid (so I can steer the bit to the center of the firestop board). ... "Firestop, smirestop!"

Dang! I thought I was the only person on the planet with this silly-looking contraption!

Four feet of extensions plus a spade bit hanging off of a drill is an awkward beast (a swordfish?). But, yeah, it lets you drill up from the basement and through the firebreak of a 1st floor interior wall. I've often wondered if 8' of extensions would let me drill through the wall's top plate!

 

[sic0048]

I have a often used a 3"x7" mirror to see what is going on behind the walls. This is especially helpful when you are doing things by yourself.

All questions answered by a flashlight and one of these mirrors:
Where is the damn hole I just drilled from the basement/attic?
What the hell is the snake caught on now?
Did the contractor really shoot a nail directly into my water pipe?

Isn't the last one kinda obvious?

And so as to not pull the thread off topic....

All really good tools listed so far. I use many of them, so I won't repeat any. But I also love my Rhino 5000 label machine.

 

[DaveW42]

This scaffold has been very helpful so far. Makes it easier to work overhead, and you don't need to move it as frequently as a ladder. It has been very useful for a lot of other projects too (e.g., painting). Make sure you stick with the low voltage stuff when you are using it, though, since it is metal.

Versions of this product that are essentially the same are available under several brand names (e.g., Gorilla, Husky, etc.), depending upon which store you buy it from Home Depot, Menards, etc.

I haven't tried the Ideal wire strippers referenced previously, but I must say that I really like this Gardner-Bender model, which gets 5 stars at Amazon.

Amazingly easy to strip wires (no tugging involved, just put the wire in there, squeeze the handles, and the insulation comes right off)

Thanks for posting this thread, slipnfall. Great idea!

Dave

 

[slipnfall]

Good suggestions!

On the studfinder, I think I have a stanley, but it is sold as other brands as well. It allows you to select the wall thickness (1/2, 3/8", etc), and will differentiate between metal, AC, and studs. You 'calibrate it' by placing it over a known studd-less area, then swipe. I think it cost me maybe $19 with a 'fat max' 25' tape measure included. What can I say, I've never missed a stud with it.

You know, I find those 4/5-in one screwdrivers the *very* first one I grab. They have a good weight to them, and all the bits are there. Actually if you count the two 'nut drivers', it's a 6-in-1. That 1/4" nutdriver comes in handy more often than I can count. My personal favorite is the one made by Husky ('costs like $6 at Lowes/HD, whichever sells that brand), but they're all essentially the same.

I know another installer who uses a little giant - 'used to carry it around in the back of his '92 Accord before he was given a work truck. Anyone else using one?

Jamie

 

[Ranger Digital]

I second the EZ45, they are GREAT! AFter changing to those connectors, i had about one tenth the redo's. Its hard to see if cat5 wires are in order with a normal rj45 but with the EZ all the wires come thru the end of the connector then cut off. THEY BEST investment hands down.

Also, the scaffolding on wheels. about a $100 and worth every penny. Beat moving a 4 ft ladder around. GREAT money spent.

Love my 3m Cartridge Crimping Tool E-9C. Was leary of spending the money but its so easy to use. We use the butt connectors on all our security connections and any other 20-24 guage connections even in the can. Sure makes things look good. Not sure i would have paid $250 for it, but stumbled across a $140 deal with a CASE of connectors. The case cost that much so I bought it (ebay, what a steal this one was).

http://www.twacomm.com/catalog/model_E-9C.htm

 

[intozwave]

Here are a couple of basics in the kit:



GREENLEE 1960 PRO WIRE STRIPPER for NM


6 IN 1 MULTI –TOOL


GT-11 Non-Contact Voltage Detector