Finish Carpentry Hand Tools For Your Trim Work Projects
Some specific finish carpentry hand tools are needed To get your trim work projects going. I will start with the most basic carpentry hand tools, some of which you probably have stored around the house. First a tool belt would save you a lot time from misplacing these smaller tools while you are working. I definitely recommend one.Next of course is a pencil, not a pen as ink is harder to remove then pencil. A flat carpenter pencil works the best as it is more durable than a regular round pencil.
You will also need a tape measure just be sure it is readable and in fairly good working order. The one I use and prefer is the basic 25' stanley. They are reasonably priced and durable and have served me well. I don't recommend the fat max as they are nice but hard to get in and out of your tool belt. The extra length is nice also for the longer baseboard runs.
Another good basic carpentry tool is what I call a speed square. A speed square is a small triangle shaped square which you can carry in your tool belt. This is a handy tool to have around for other projects as well. As you probably have or will notice some of these finish carpentry tools have a lot of other uses.
More Necessary And Multi Use Hand Tools
Next is a small hammer also to sink the stubborn nail heads, a nail set or punch a sharp utility knife also a small 7" wonder bar or pry bar and a 7" end cutter. I call these my nippers. A stud finder is nice and fairly cheap when compared to saving you time on the job.
A few other items include a smaller sharp wood chisel, nice to have a small set of these, also an 8" torpedo level and an 8 oz bottle of wood glue.
Again all of these tools I wear in my tool belt, a big time saver.
Some other tools and items necessary for your trim work are a good 4'level. I use the wood ones and recommend them. I have seen to many people get into trouble with any other kind. My advice as a trim carpenter is to buy a new wood one and cherish it. In other words take good care of it so you know you can trust it and if you do buy one spend the extra little money to buy a level case. This can be a handy tool in a lot of other projects.
Some Good Advice
Safety is also very important as trim work can be a little dangerous if the tools aren't used properly this brings me to safety glasses. I have grown accustomed to wearing safety glasses while performing certain tasks. I highly recommend them when using the miter saw or when shooting the nail guns. This comes from painful personal experience.Last but not least and not necessarely in the family of carpentry hand tools we come to knee pads. Some good advice to you is to wear them. My knees are shot because I didn't and now I have to wear them all the time because of the pain. I urge you to check out the knee pads, safety glasses and all the other tools here, because if these finish carpentry hand tools here work for me being in business, they will work for you.
For a little more advice on safety click hand tool safety.
