What's in your wallet, er... tool kit?

[byhammerandhand]

Some of you know I do repairs and not "in shop upholstery."   And I do all sorts of repairs from upholstery to frame repairs, electric and mechanical recliner mechs, and casegoods (beds, dressers, chairs, tables, doors, drawers, and finish repairs.   I'm visiting a daughter this weekend and installing some linen cabinets I made for her and brought along my traveling tool kit.   I wonder how it compares with what you guys have/carry.  Yes, it all fits in one Husky tote and though most things weigh only a couple of ounces, the tote goes about 40 lbs.


* Staple puller(s), I normally use Osborne 121 as I need to reattach fabric most often, not replace
* Spring puller (for R&R recliner mech springs)
* Awl
* Heavy duty scissors
* Fabric scissors
* Small pliers
* Multi-tip screwdriver (Pic-Quik)
* 35 pc GearWrench Micro driver set - complete set of metric & SAE socket wrenches, all types of driver bits -straight, slotted, Phillips, hex drive (SAE, metric added later), #2 Posi-driv (added), Torx. (fits any 1/4" drive bit from other sources)
- Utility knife
- Set of misc. shims, few toothpicks for loose screws
- 10" Vise Grip pliers, curved jaws
- Straight and curved hemostat grippers
- Needle nose pliers
- Pencil
- 4-in-hand rasp/file
- Set of 4 wood chisels 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 1"
- 10 oz claw hammer
- 20 oz dead-blow hammer
- magnetic mechanic's dish
- Sets of SAE and Metric ratcheting box / open end wrenches
- 8" adjustable (crescent) wrench
- two 4" F-clamps
- Painter's pry bar
- Nail pulling bar/pry bar
- 10 water pump pliers (e.g., Channellock)
- "Extractor" nail/staple puller
- Set of nail sets, center punch
- Hearing protectors
- Mechanic's gloves
- Small waist apron for holding tools/parts
- Flashlight
- Circuit tester (yes, I have found recliners that didn't work because the wall outlet was dead)
- Mirrored inspection tool
- 12' tape measure
- 6" calipers
- Magnetic pick up tool
- Grabber pick up tool
- Extra long slotted screwdriver
- Folding square that goes 135, 90 & 45 degrees
- 4" combo square
- Japanese pull saw (Shark saw carpenter's)
- Small can 3-in-1 oil
- Small bottle of wood glue
- Screw lube
- Bar of paraffin wax
- 12" cable ties
- Mechanic's hand cleaner

Often use auxiliary "drill box" containing
- 12v. cordless drill with extra battery
- set of twist drill bits
- Kreg jig K3 and mini
- countersink bits for #10 and #8 screws
- self centering hinge bit (vix-bit)
- variety of driver bits, mostly #2 phillips and square drive of different lengths
- 90 degree driver attachment
- Selection of 1.25" and 1.5" pocket screw screws
- Vice grip pad clamps for holding pocket hole jig & joints
- Stripped screw extractor set


How does yours compare?

[SteveA]

Wow - you got Studley beat !   I have two smaller tool boxes to lighten the load.  The first basic  hand tools - the drill + bits, -
The second box has spray can finishes, pigments, padding lacquer, rags, sandpaper, compound, steel wool, shellac, thinners, artist brushes, wax sticks, and invoices.  If a job needs more that what I can bring to site I'll just arrange to take it into the shop -
SA

[byhammerandhand]

I have two touch up boxes that I've made.  Usually I need both, but sometimes just one.

Box 1:
- abrasives (sandpapers, scotch-brite pads, 0000 steel wool), cork sanding pad
- water ring remover cloths
- chisel, screwdriver
- fine card scraper
- razor blades
- color sample board
- burn in knife and lube
- rags, dust cloth, polish cloth
- extension cord
- hair dryer
- bottles of  naphtha, goo-gone, furniture polish, and denatured alcohol
- variety of aerosol sheens - simulated oil, dead flat, flat, satin, semi-gloss, blush eliminator
- variety of aerosol toners, most used -- med walnut, light-, med-, dark-cherry, espresso

Box 2:
- assortment of hard burn-in sticks
- assortment of soft burn-in sticks, plastic levelers
- assortment of wax filler sticks
- assortment of pigment sticks
- glass palette
- assortment of graining pencils and brushes
- assortment of pigment powders in plastic box
- assortment of touch up markers





Usually in van unless needed:
- portable compressor and several staplers, nailers
- Other totes carry additional toners including blacks and whites, back up for common colors/sheens
- small work bench
- box of clamps
- box of glues
- springs, webbing, felt pads
- box of wood parts, pieces of wood
- rolls of  cambric
- box of recliner mech parts, mostly cable pulls and springs
- box of electric recliner parts to isolate problems - motor, switch, power supply
- box of cleaning supplies
- rags
- boxes of fasteners - nuts, bolts, screws, threaded connectors, t-nuts, hanger bolts, brads, nails
- boxes of parts for doors, drawers, beds, L-brackets, electrical connectors, wires
- full 3/8" socket wrench set
- corded drill
- spade bits  
- sewing box - needles, snag pullers, seam ripper, leather stitcher, spring repair clips, fabric glue, iron-on patches, fiber repair kit, silicone spray
- button needles
- box of wood dowel pins and wood plugs
- threads, including button thread
- sometimes power miter saw
- box of polyester fillers and epoxies
- block plane, router plane (fitting drawer glides)
- fabric cleaning machine (extractor), boxes of cleaning solutions
- spray lubes
- clothes iron
- taps and dies
- masking tape / paper dispenser
- drop cloths
- mover's blankets

[SteveA]

 Polyester fillers ??  although I have used the konig clears and polyester pigments for also tinting epoxy.......  tell me about these fillers or are you talking about bondo ?

There is a lot of crap to drag along when you work on site.  How many times have you only needed a crayon or regulator to fix the complaint ? 

SA

[sofadoc]

I have a small tote with supplies to replace a button or hand-sew a seam. A staple lifter and a hand stapler. A few basic wrenches, cordless bits, and a cordless screwdriver.

I decided a long time ago that if I needed more than that, the piece would have to come in to the shop.

[gene]

Clean underwear, Stevia, cordless drill and bits. Package of wood screws that I forgot where they came fro. Cough drops. Putty knife. Elastic knee bandage. My portfolio of papers. This is what I carry to and from work. I add and take away from this lot if I need to go to a customer's house.

gene

[Rich]

Can I just post a photo of my tools instead of listing them?

Just kidding, but I have a question since you do finish repairs Hammer. I wanted to make a wood panel and stain it to match the cabinet doors in our travel trailer and found that the maple I used did not accept the Minwax oil stain I used as well as I would have wanted. I applied a few coats and it got a little darker, but not as much as I wanted. Is there something else I should have been doing?
Thanks,
Rich

[MinUph]

I have a tote on wheels with the basics for repairs hammer some tacks scissors. What I do use it for is when we install cornices. The are wall anchors, screws of most lengths, tape measure, all this rolls like a suitcase for condo use. Up down elevators etc. Took me quite some time to find the right tote / tool box.
  I use to carry a Craftsman tool box. It was metal and heavy to carry around. But it was there when needed. I like the wheels better.

[byhammerandhand]

I don't use a lot of Minwax any more.  Color matching is a difficult problem that only gets easier with experience, backed up with sample boards and a bit of color theory. (Paraphrasing Jeff Jewitt here).

Maple can be a difficult wood to stain well.   But normally, I say coloring is more like sailing a boat than shooting a rifle.   A lot of small corrections / adjustments along the way.  Toners and glazes help in the process.  Tiny steps and remember it's easy to add dark, but next to impossible to erase it

.

My usual repair lasts less than an hour, so transporting a big piece back and forth to the shop does not make sense for my work.  In addition, the third party payers pay a fixed rate.

Can I just post a photo of my tools instead of listing them?

Just kidding, but I have a question since you do finish repairs Hammer. I wanted to make a wood panel and stain it to match the cabinet doors in our travel trailer and found that the maple I used did not accept the Minwax oil stain I used as well as I would have wanted. I applied a few coats and it got a little darker, but not as much as I wanted. Is there something else I should have been doing?
Thanks,
Rich

[byhammerandhand]

I found some photos of my touch up kit.  I got a box with my original kit, but was never very happy with it.  Then when my supplier re-did their product line and added stuff, I decided to make my own.   Looked all over the place for an off-the-shelf model -- mechanics, old time carpenters, fishing, other vendors, nothing I liked.  So I laid out my kit, measured and counted everything, decided on two vs one box, and started the build.  Took much longer to decide what to do than to just do it.

[Rich]

Nice boxes, nothing like custom made.
Rich