About This Quiz
In the world of DIY, having the right tool for the job is essential. You can't hammer in some nails using the back end of your drill. And you would be surprised as to how many people actually try silly things like that. But seasoned professionals know that when it comes to any job where tools are required, having the correct ones makes your life so much easier.
Whether there is a nail to hit or a screw to sink, something to secure, or wood to shape, there is some kind of tool that will help you achieve your ambition.
And it's not just the world of DIY where tools are important. Think of carpenters and their special wood tools, or electricians armed with tools to cut wires or read voltage. What about auto mechanics? Their toolbox is filled with specialty tools as well.
So in this quiz, it's all about testing your tool knowledge to see if you know your orbital sanders from your rasps or your Allen keys fastener from your Robertson screws.
Do you think you will be able to drill it? Well, put your money where your mouth is! There is no time for screwin' around!
A utility knife is very sharp. Pretty much like a scalpel, in fact. This knife can cut through vinyl, thick rubber, balsa wood and many other materials. It is a favorite with hobbyists.
Does exactly what it says on the box, strips wires as needed. All electrical wires have a plastic coating on the outside. This tool easily removes this. When will you use it? Well, whenever you change a plug for example. It's a useful tool to have in your toolbox.
Allen keys come in an array of sizes and are made to fit a hexagonal shaped head. Allen keys are sometimes called hex keys. They have become a popular fastener used throughout the world.
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No self-respecting workshop is going to attempt any work without owning a number of wrenches. Available in different sizes, these are the easiest way to tighten or loosen nuts.
A multi-purpose screwdriver has a selection of detachable heads with different tips, for example, a flathead or a Phillips. These are useful to have in a toolbox for light work but if you want to unfasten a stubborn screw or make sure a screw is fastened really tight, use a normal screwdriver instead as you can get more leverage.
A multi-tool can come in very useful in many situations. Because it has a variety of tools on it and it fits in your pocket, it is often the first gadget you turn to for easy jobs like tightening a screw or perhaps gripping something with the pliers. Of course, for heavy duty jobs, it just won't cut it.
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A pair of pliers is another one of those tools that are a toolbox essential. They are useful in a range of tasks including for gripping something, bending and even cutting. Pliers are truly a tool with multiple uses.
A flashlight is crucial while working on the innards of a car for example. And to keep your hands free, use a flashlight that straps to your head. Or employ an apprentice to hold a regular one!
Sure you could get a regular drill that plugs into a wall socket, but a cordless drill is so convenient. You can take it just about anywhere you need to work. Bear in mind, however, that it is NOT cut out for heavy-duty drilling jobs.
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A caulking gun is a useful tool to have at your disposal. It holds a cartridge sometimes filled with silicone which can then be used to seal up areas in your bathroom, around the bath for example. Other cartridges can be used to cracks or other gaps found throughout the house.
A socket set serves much the same purpose as a wrench, but here, you place the socket over the nut and use a socket wrench to tighten or loosen. The advantage is that it can be used to work on hard to reach nuts thanks to extender bars. A must for any workshop.
A toolbox without a tape measure certainly isn't complete. It is perfect for any measuring job, from smaller measurements to measuring up a room to determining how much wallpaper you would need. And it can clip onto your belt ready for use!
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A well-equipped toolbox should always have a pair of heavy duty scissors. These can be used to cut sandpaper into pieces, snip PVC piping or for any other cutting jobs that are within its capabilities.
Also called a bubble level, this nifty tool makes sure that shelving, for example, is straight when you hang it. You achieve this by ensuring the bubble in the level is in the exact position when lining up your holes for your screws that you will drill in later.
This saw has a unique C-shaped frame and is used for cutting metals. The blade itself has fine teeth that grip into the metal easier. For metalworkers, a hacksaw is a crucial tool.
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A wood file is used to shape wood. It is a metal blade that has teeth all over its surface. It can be flat or round in shape. They come in various types, some for heavier work than others. For example, a rasp will remove a lot of wood at the same time.
Chisels can be used to shape wood or even stone. They have beveled edges and can be used for very fine work as well as taking off larger pieces of whatever you are chiseling. This is usually achieved by striking the rear of the handle with a hammer or mallet.
Every good workshop needs a vise. You never know when you need to grip something tightly to be able to work on it without worrying that it might come loose and fall to the ground.
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Having a range of drill bits means never getting frustrated when holes are needed. Remember, you need to have the correct bit for what you intend drilling into. Wood would require a wood bit while drilling into a wall would need a masonry bit.
Sometimes power outlets are not easily to come when working outside your workshop. That's where an extension lead comes in handy. Obviously, the longer the better as well.
This tool is used to measure the distance between two opposing sides of a particular object. They have any number of uses in any working environment, especially where exact measurements are needed.
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Side calipers are used to measure the inside measurements of an object. For example, you could measure the exact distance of the two sides of a piston casing. This probably not a tool that you will find in a part-time handyman's toolbox.
Feeler gauges are to measure gap widths, most notably in spark plugs. For example, too large a gap width means the spark plug will not fire properly. These are an important tool in the toolbox of a mechanic.
These special tools are necessary if you would like to create screw threads. They come in useful when a mechanic is overhauling an engine, but others might find one of these sets to be of use at some point.
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A hand saw is found in most workshops but especially in a carpentry workshop. In fact, there might be a few different sizes. A hand saw is a perfect way to cut wood. It has large teeth which easily cut through soft wood. They are sometimes called panel saws.
Zip ties are a great way to keep pipes, wires and leads together. For example in your car, keep the high tension leads between the spark plugs and distributor cap neat and tidy by using zip ties to bind them together. They really have 101 uses.
Side snips can be used to cut PVC piping, wires and thin pieces of metal. They may not be a toolbox staple but can be useful if you have space. For certain professions, such as electricians, they are an important piece.
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A good screwdriver set is never out of place in a workshop and can be used almost daily. Make sure you have a range of different kinds from flathead to Philips to name just a few.
If you want to hang something in a hurry, it's not too heavy, and the surface you hang it on is not too hard, then go the staple gun root. Staple guns are also a great way to secure carpets when installing them.
Also known as a detail sander, this is used for fine sanding working. It has a pointed tip which allows you to get into hard to reach places as well sand curved wood.
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A putty knife is used to spread putty around the edges of the glass when replacing windows. They can have stiff or flexible blades and have a number of different edges to ensure the putty is pushed into every corner.
A mallet has many uses. It can be used to hit in tent pegs when you go camping but also is a workshop staple. The fact that it has a rubberized head means it can hit things without damaging them.
A nut splitter is a great way to loosen nuts, screws or bolts that have become tricky to turn or loosen. It the nut still won't loosen, the splitter can be tightened until the nut breaks in half. Then you simply need to replace it.
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A glue gun is an toolbox essential. It is great to securing wires in place, running them along walls where they are not seen easily. Glue them in place and they will never move. It has many other applications, however.
A top of the range multimeter can test a/c and d/c voltage, amps, temperature, and microfarads. It is not a necessity for every toolbox but for electricians or in the HVAC industry, it can come in very useful.
Used by carpenters, a wood plane or hand plane is used to shape wood. It does this through a cutting blade which is pushed forward over the wood by the person using the plane. The amount of wood to be taken off can be adjusted.
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Similar to a regular wrench except in the fact that it applies a precise torque to the fastener or bolt you are tightening. This prevents over tightening. The torque wrench was invented in 1918 by Conrad Bahr.
Sometimes studs can be damaged making it impossible to remove the bolt off the thread or perhaps the bolt has broken off, and the stud needs to be removed to insert a new one. Luckily, in times like this, a stud removal tool is just what you need to get the job done.
Probably the easiest to recognize tool of them all, hammers are used in so many different situations, you would be lost without one. The most obvious is for hammering in nails, but stubborn nuts can be loosened with a few taps of a hammer as well.
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A pneumatic nail gun is a perfect replacement for a hammer, especially if you need to drive plenty of nails into wood. It usually fires through the use of a compressed air canister, but other setups are available. These are often seen in the construction trade.