Tim Paul

Tool guides

• Garden tools

  Every garden tool worth owning, with a picture of each one and what it does. Grouped by the job, from digging and planting through pruning, lawns, watering and tidying up.

• Workshop tools

  Every workshop tool worth having, with a picture of each one and what it does. Grouped by job, from the bench and holding through cutting, drilling, fixing and finishing.

• Metalworking tools

  Every metalworking tool, with a picture of each one and what it does. Grouped by job, from measuring and marking out through cutting, drilling, turning, milling and finishing.

• Sewing tools

  Every sewing tool worth owning, with a picture of each one and what it does. Grouped by the stage of the job, from measuring and cutting through machine work, pressing and finishing.

• Construction tools

  The tools that build a building, from setting out and mixing concrete to access, lifting and demolition. A picture of each one, its name and the job it does on site.

• Welding tools

  Every welding tool and piece of equipment, with a picture of each one and what it does. Grouped by job, from the machine and its safety kit through preparation, clamping and finishing.

• Baking tools

  Every baking tool worth having, with a picture of each one and what it actually does. Grouped by the stage of the bake, from weighing through mixing, shaping, tins and decorating.

• Laboratory tools

  Every laboratory tool and piece of apparatus, with a picture of each one and what it is used for. Grouped by job, from measuring and heating through holding, separating and observing.

• Blacksmithing tools

  Every blacksmithing tool, with a picture of each one and what it does. Grouped by job, from the forge and anvil through hammers, tongs, swages and heat treatment.

• Kitchen tools

  Every kitchen tool and piece of equipment, with names, pictures and what each one is used for. Grouped by job, with the essentials marked so you can see the short list first.

• Safety tools

  Every piece of safety equipment, with a picture of each one and what it protects against. Grouped by the hazard, from eyes and lungs through hearing, hands, falls and fire.

• Landscaping tools

  Every landscaping tool, with a picture of each one and what it does. Grouped by job, from groundwork and paving through walls, decking, turf and drainage.

• Jewellery tools

  Every jewellery making tool, with a picture of each one and what it does. Grouped by job, from sawing and filing through soldering, stone setting, polishing and measuring.

• Locksmithing tools

  Every locksmith tool, with a picture of each one and what it does. Grouped by job, from fitting and repairing locks through key cutting, door hardware and access control.

• Woodworking tools

  The workshop side of working wood: planes, chisels, saws, joinery machines and the clamps that hold it all while glue sets. Grouped by what the tool does to the timber.

• Tool Storage tools

  Every kind of tool storage, with a picture of each one and what it is for. Grouped by job, from boxes and bags through chests, wall systems, parts organisers and van racking.

• Pottery tools

  Every pottery tool, with a picture of each one and what it does. Grouped by job, from wedging and throwing through trimming, hand building, glazing and firing.

• Leatherwork tools

  Every leatherworking tool, with a picture of each one and what it does. Grouped by job, from cutting and skiving through stitching, edge finishing, dyeing and hardware.

• Masonry tools

  Every masonry and bricklaying tool, with a picture of each one and what it does. Grouped by job, from mixing and laying through jointing, cutting stone and rendering.

• Roofing tools

  Every roofing tool, with a picture of each one and what it does. Grouped by job, from access and stripping through tiling, slating, flat roofs, flashing and gutters.

• Flooring tools

  Every flooring tool, with a picture of each one and what it does. Grouped by job, from lifting the old floor through levelling, laying laminate, wood, vinyl and carpet.

• Auto Body tools

  Every auto body tool, with a picture of each one and what it does. Grouped by job, from dent removal and panel beating through filling, sanding, masking and spraying.

• Glasswork tools

  Every glassworking tool, with a picture of each one and what it does. Grouped by job, from cutting and grinding through stained glass leading, soldering, fusing and safety.

• HVAC tools

  Every HVAC tool, with a picture of each one and what it does. Grouped by job, from refrigerant work and brazing through ductwork, electrical testing and airflow measurement.

• Upholstery tools

  Every upholstery tool, with a picture of each one and what it does. Grouped by job, from stripping a frame through webbing, springs, stuffing, covering and finishing.

• Concrete tools

  Every concrete tool, with a picture of each one and what it does. Grouped by job, from formwork and mixing through placing, compacting, finishing, cutting and curing.

• Mechanic tools

  Every mechanic tool worth owning, with a picture of each one, what it does and where it saves a garage bill. Grouped by the job, from turning fasteners to diagnosing faults.

• Carpentry tools

  The site side of working wood: framing, fixing, levelling and fitting out. Grouped by the stage of the job, with the kit that lives in a van marked.

• Farming tools

  Every farm tool worth knowing, with a picture of each one, what it does and where it still beats a machine. Grouped by job, with the core kit marked.

• Drywall tools

  Every drywall and plasterboard tool, with a picture of each one and what it does. Grouped by job, from framing and hanging boards through taping, jointing and sanding.

• Hand tools

  Every hand tool worth owning, with a picture of each one, what it does and when it is the right choice. Grouped by job, with the core set marked.

• Outdoor tools

  Every outdoor tool worth owning, with a picture of each one and what it does. Grouped by job, from clearing and cutting through fencing, snow, water and camp work.

• Tiling tools

  Every tiling tool, with a picture of each one and what it does. Grouped by job, from preparing the surface through cutting, fixing, grouting and sealing.

• Electrical tools

  Every electrical tool, with a picture of each one, what it does and where it keeps you safe. Grouped by job, from testing and isolation through to termination.

• Finishing tools

  Every finishing tool, with a picture of each one and what it does. Grouped by job, from filling and sanding through staining, brushing, spraying and polishing.

• Power tools

  Every type of power tool, with a picture of each one, what it does and when it beats the alternative. Grouped by job, with the ones worth owning first marked.

• Painting tools

  Every painting and decorating tool, with a picture of each one, what it does and where it saves you a coat. Grouped by the stage of the job.

• Plumbing tools

  Every plumbing tool, with a picture of each one, what it does and where it stops a small leak becoming a ceiling. Grouped by the job, from cutting pipe to clearing drains.

• Measuring tools

  Every measuring tool worth owning, with a picture of each one, what it measures and how accurate it actually is. Grouped by what you are trying to find out.

• Workshop tools

  The hand tools a workshop is built around: vices, clamps, hammers, files, saws, marking gear and the sharpening kit that keeps the rest working.

• Paving tools

  Tools for laying slabs, block paving and patios, plus the sub base, falls and jointing that decide whether it stays flat.

• Apprentices tools

  A first plumbing kit in buying order: what to turn up with on day one, what to add in the first year, and what the employer supplies.

• Demolition tools

  Breakers, bars and saws for taking things apart, plus the surveys and checks that have to happen before any of it starts.

• Excavation tools

  Digging tools, service locators and trench supports, plus why an unsupported trench is the hazard people consistently underestimate.

• Fencing tools

  Post hole tools, levels and fixings for putting up a fence, plus post spacing, depth and why the boundary matters before any of it.

• Metal work tools

  The unpowered metalworking bench set: files, hacksaws, cold chisels, taps, scribers, punches and the hammers and stakes that shape sheet.

• Pipe fitting tools

  The pipe fitter's kit: cutters, threaders, benders, reamers, wrenches and the alignment tools that make a run come out where it should.

• Quilting tools

  Rotary cutters, rulers and mats for accurate patchwork, plus the walking feet, wadding and basting kit that hold three layers together.

• Tailoring tools

  Shears, pressing gear and marking tools for garment work, plus the hams and clappers that shape cloth rather than just flatten it.

• Angle grinder work tools

  Angle grinders and the discs that fit them, plus kickback, disc ratings and why this is the tool that hurts people most.

• Hammering tools

  Claw hammers, mallets, sledges and specialist hammers, plus the punches, pullers and nail guns that go with them.

• Mechanics tools

  The hand tools a mechanic actually reaches for, from ratchets and combination spanners to torque wrenches, pullers and feeler gauges.

• Wrenching tools

  Spanners, sockets and wrenches, plus the extensions, breaker bars and penetrating oil that get a seized fastener moving without rounding it.

• Multi tools tools

  Oscillating multi tools, pocket multi tools and rotary tools, plus the blades and bits that decide what each can actually do.

• Router work tools

  Routers, cutters and the jigs that guide them, plus what each profile is actually for and why feed direction decides the finish.

• Safety equipment tools

  PPE for construction work, from helmets and boots to respirators and fall arrest, and what each one is actually rated to stop.

• Scaffolding tools

  Scaffold spanners, levels and fittings, plus what the law actually requires before anyone stands on a platform.

• Wood turning tools

  Lathe tools, chucks and sharpening kit for spindle and bowl turning, plus why a scraper and a gouge cut in completely different ways.

• Chiselling tools

  Wood, masonry and metal chisels, plus the mallets, sharpening stones and guides that make a chisel cut where you meant it to.

• Drilling tools

  Drills, bits and accessories for wood, metal and masonry, plus speed, pressure and why the wrong bit reads as a weak drill.

• Fascia and soffit tools

  Tools for replacing fascia, soffit and bargeboards, plus why the ventilation and the felt edge matter more than the plastic.

• HVAC tools

  The hand tools an HVAC engineer carries: tube cutters, flaring blocks, swaging punches, fin combs, duct snips and the gauges that read a system.

• Knitting tools

  Knitting needles, circulars and DPNs, plus the markers, cable needles and blocking kit that decide how a finished piece sits.

• Wallpapering tools

  Pasting, hanging and trimming tools for wallpaper, plus the steamers and scrapers for getting the old paper off first.

• Beginners tools

  The short list of woodworking tools worth buying first, what each one actually does, and the ones that can wait.

• Crochet tools

  Crochet hooks, markers, blocking kit and yarn tools, with what each hook material does to your tension and your hands.

• Embroidery tools

  Embroidery hoops, needles and threads, plus the transfer methods and stabilisers that keep a design where you drew it.

• Pyrography tools

  Wire nib and solid tip burners, plus the tips, wood and extraction gear that decide tone control and how safe the work is.

• Screeding tools

  Screed rails, rules and floats for a flat level floor, plus the datum setting and curing that decide whether it stays flat.

• Spray painting tools

  Airless, HVLP and compressed air sprayers, plus the masking, filtering and respiratory kit that spraying actually requires.

• Toilets tools

  Plungers, augers and cistern tools for unblocking, repairing and replacing a toilet, plus how to diagnose before dismantling.

• Wood carving tools

  Carving gouges, chisels and knives, plus the mallets, sharpening kit and holding gear that make cuts controlled rather than lucky.

• Boilermaking tools

  The boilermaker's hand kit for plate and pressure pipework: layout tools, drift pins, bull pins, spud wrenches, fit up dogs and testing gear.

• Chimney sweeping tools

  Sweeping rods, brushes and power sweeping kit, plus why a sweep certificate and a CO alarm matter more than the brush.

• Edges and cutting in tools

  Brushes, tape, shields and pads for cutting in a clean line at ceilings, skirting, trim and corners.

• By job tools

  Which tools each common plumbing job actually needs, from changing a washer to plumbing in a bathroom, so you buy for the work in front of you.

• Clamping tools

  Clamps and vices for holding work, from F clamps and sash cramps to vacuum and band clamps, plus the pads and cauls that stop them marking.

• Cordless tools tools

  Cordless drills, drivers, saws and grinders, plus what battery platform, voltage and amp hours actually change in use.

• Paint stripping tools

  Heat guns, chemical strippers, scrapers and sanders, plus how to handle pre 1992 paint that may contain lead.

• Rebar tools

  Rebar cutters, benders and tying tools, plus why cover and lap length matter more than the steel itself.

• Safety equipment tools

  Harnesses, anchors, edge protection, crawl boards and access equipment, in the order the regulations expect you to consider them.

• Soldering tools

  Soldering irons, stations and guns, plus the flux, solder, tips and extraction gear that decide whether a joint flows or sits on top.

• Vegetable garden tools

  Beds, sowing, weeding and harvesting kit for a vegetable plot, with the tools that earn their place on a plot you visit twice a week.

• Wood joinery tools

  Marking gauges, dovetail saws, chisels, planes and the jigs that cut a joint tight enough to hold without a fastener.

• Framing tools

  The framing carpenter's kit: framing hammers, speed squares, circular saws, nail guns, string lines and the levels that keep a structure true.

• Framing a wall tools

  The smaller kit for building one stud partition: setting out plates, plumbing studs, fixing to existing walls and getting a door opening right.

• Kids tools

  A real carpentry kit for a child, organised around finishable projects rather than a tool list, with honest notes on what each one needs supervising for.

• Lead flashing tools

  Bossing mallets, dressers, bending sticks, chase cutters and the leadwork tools that shape sheet lead into a watertight detail.

• Mixing concrete tools

  Mixers, gauging tools and barrows for getting concrete and mortar to a consistent mix, plus why water content decides the strength.

• Picture framing tools

  Mitre trimmers, underpinners, mount cutters, points drivers and the framing tools that make a corner close with no gap at all.

• Tape and jointing tools

  Taping knives, jointing trowels, hawks, banjos, sanding gear and the compounds that take a plasterboard joint to a paintable finish.

• Accessible gardening tools

  Long reach, lightweight and ratcheting tools, kneelers, raised beds and one handed kit, for gardening with less strength, less reach or from a seat.

• Cleaning gutters tools

  Scoops, tongs, gutter vacuums, telescopic poles and camera heads, including everything that clears a gutter without leaving the ground.

• Crimping tools

  Crimp tools for electrical terminals, coax and network plugs, plus the strippers, terminals and testers that decide whether the joint holds.

• Kids tools

  Real steel garden tools sized for children, grouped by what a child can actually grow and finish in a season.

• Lawn care tools

  Mowers, scarifiers, aerators, spreaders and rakes, arranged by the lawn care year rather than by tool type.

• Metal framing tools

  Snips, swivel head shears, stud crimpers, screw guns and the tools for building partitions in steel track and stud rather than timber.

• Metal roofing tools

  Hand seamers, folding tools, nibblers, snips and fixing gear for profiled sheet, zinc and standing seam metal roofs.

• Planting trees tools

  Spades, planting bars, tree stakes, ties and guards, plus the watering kit that decides whether a young tree survives its first two summers.

• Standing seam tools

  Seaming tools, folding tongs, clip setters and panel gear for a standing seam roof, where nothing penetrates the surface at all.

• Tight spaces tools

  Stubby, offset, flexible and low clearance tools for pipework behind a bath, under a sink or inside a boxed void.

• Under the sink tools

  Traps, wastes, isolators and the tools for the one cupboard where every plumbing job in a kitchen or bathroom ends up.

• Weeding tools

  Hoes, weed pullers, hori hori knives, patio knives and long handled grubbers, and which one suits a tap root, a runner or a seedling.

• Cutting wood tools

  The unpowered tools that cut wood, from rip and crosscut saws through Japanese pull saws to axes, froes and drawknives.

• Gutter installation tools

  Setting out, cutting and fixing guttering: chalk lines, levels, bracket jigs, mitre tools and the sealants that make a joint last.

• Levelling tools

  Spirit levels, laser levels and water levels, plus what each is accurate over and how to check one before you trust it.

• Metal cutting tools

  Every unpowered way to cut metal: hacksaws, snips, nibblers, bolt croppers, cold chisels, shears, files and thread cutters.

• Radiator repair tools

  Bleed keys, radiator spanners, valve tools, drain kits and the tools for a leaking union, a stuck valve or a cold radiator.

• Bonsai tools

  Concave cutters, bonsai shears, jin pliers, root rakes and wiring tools, with the honest note on which ones a beginner does not need.

• Changing taps tools

  The job rather than the parts: isolating, freeing a seized backnut, getting the old tap out and the new one sealed and tight.

• Conservatory roofs tools

  Telescopic brushes, water fed poles, gutter tools and the cleaning kit for polycarbonate and glass conservatory roofs, all from the ground.

• Copper pipe tools

  Everything for working copper: cutters, benders, cleaning kit, torches, solder and the press and compression tools that avoid a flame.

• Digging tools

  Spades, forks, broadforks and mattocks for garden soil, and the case for digging a great deal less than tradition suggests.

• Digging tools

  Spades, forks, mattocks, grafters and trenching tools, and which one suits clay, stone, roots or a narrow trench.

• Edging lawns tools

  Half moon irons, edging shears, rotary edgers and long handled trimmers, and the difference between cutting a new edge and maintaining one.

• Levelling a lawn tools

  Levelling rakes, lutes, screed boards, topdressing and rollers, and the difference between filling a dip and relaying a lawn.

• Pruning tools

  Secateurs, loppers, hedge shears and snips for shrubs, roses, hedges and climbers, and where to make the cut on each.

• Pruning trees tools

  Pole saws, loppers, pruning saws, chainsaws and the climbing and rigging gear, with the honest line on which tree work to hand over.

• Removing grass tools

  Turf cutters, turfing irons, mattocks and sheet mulching, and which method suits the size of the area and how soon you need it.

• Squares tools

  Try squares, combination squares, speed squares and framing squares, plus how to check one is actually square before you trust it.

• Taps tools

  Tap and basin spanners, seat grinders, gland keys, cartridge pullers and the tools that reach the nuts you cannot see.

• Digging holes tools

  Post hole diggers, earth augers, bulb planters and the bars and scoops that make a deep narrow hole without a machine.

• Japanese tools

  Hori hori knives, kama sickles, nejiri gama, bonsai shears and the Japanese garden tools that do several jobs each.

• Planting tools

  Trowels, dibbers, bulb planters, widgers and transplanting tools, sized for the root ball rather than for the gardener.

• Unblocking drains tools

  Plungers, augers, drain rods, hydro jets and cameras, in the order worth trying them, from a sink trap to a blocked main run.

• Arthritic hands tools

  Tools chosen for weak or painful grip: fat handles, ratchet mechanisms, spring returns and long levers that cut the force your hand has to produce.

• Drilling tools

  Every hand tool that makes a hole without a motor, from bit braces and eggbeater drills to gimlets, awls and hand reamers.

• Kids tools

  Real hand tools scaled down for children, with the ones that are genuinely safer to learn on and the ones that are only smaller.

• Measuring angles tools

  Protractors, sliding bevels and digital angle finders, plus why copying an angle usually beats measuring it.

• Cutting grass tools

  Scythes, sickles, grass shears, edging tools and hand mowers, for the grass a machine cannot reach or should not be used on.

• Cutting metal roofing tools

  Every way to cut a profiled or coated roofing sheet cold, and why an angle grinder ruins the whole panel rather than just the cut.

• Cutting PVC pipe tools

  Ratchet shears, wheel cutters, mitre boxes and saws for cutting PVC, ABS and waste pipe square without cracking it.