I don’t have to tell you that I have a lot of tools. 13-plus years of running my own landscape construction business will do that. Over the years I’ve accumulated quite the collection.
Some tools are used on a near-daily basis; others sit idly like the 25th man on the bench waiting for his all-important pinch hit appearance.
But regardless of how much the tools get used, there is always a certain job that requires just the right tool for just the right job. That one shining moment, at least as far as the tool is concerned.
A few months back, a stoneworking colleague of mine (Hi Matt!) wrote on his blog about the various types of trowels he uses on a regular basis, and how they are used. I commented that if he were stranded on a dessert island and could only have one tool, what would it be? (You’ll have to check his blog for the answer) Which got me to thinking, what are my go-to tools?
In otherwords, if the tool police came and confiscated all my tools but a few, what would I really need?
To simplify the list, I’ll break it into a two-part series. This week I’ll focus on basic handtools, next week we’ll look at my power tools …
Some tools are used on a near-daily basis; others sit idly like the 25th man on the bench waiting for his all-important pinch hit appearance.
But regardless of how much the tools get used, there is always a certain job that requires just the right tool for just the right job. That one shining moment, at least as far as the tool is concerned.
A few months back, a stoneworking colleague of mine (Hi Matt!) wrote on his blog about the various types of trowels he uses on a regular basis, and how they are used. I commented that if he were stranded on a dessert island and could only have one tool, what would it be? (You’ll have to check his blog for the answer) Which got me to thinking, what are my go-to tools?
In otherwords, if the tool police came and confiscated all my tools but a few, what would I really need?
To simplify the list, I’ll break it into a two-part series. This week I’ll focus on basic handtools, next week we’ll look at my power tools …
Shovels. How could I not start the list with THE basic staple of the landscaping
business. On any given job, no matter what we’re doing, we’ll have at least one round and one flat shovel on site per worker. The round shovels are better for actual digging, the flat shovels better for scooping gravel or loose soil. These things get used daily. And the average lifespan in our industry is about two years. When picking your shovels, I like the old school wood handles. Spend the extra few bucks for the higher quality. It’s worth it.
business. On any given job, no matter what we’re doing, we’ll have at least one round and one flat shovel on site per worker. The round shovels are better for actual digging, the flat shovels better for scooping gravel or loose soil. These things get used daily. And the average lifespan in our industry is about two years. When picking your shovels, I like the old school wood handles. Spend the extra few bucks for the higher quality. It’s worth it.
Margin trowel. This was my answer for my deserted island trowel. This handy little 5” x 2” trowel is quite versatile, and works great for nearly any phase of mortar work. And it fits quite nicely into my side pocket, which makes it all the more handier. Another one of those tools where we pretty much have one for every worker.
Chisel hammer. If you’re doing stonework, you need one of these. Period. This is your basic regular-sized hammer, but instead of the crowbar claws on the back side of the hammer, there’s a 1” stone chisel. Great for roughing up a freshly cut piece of stone, or splitting a piece of flagstone that’s been scored. Save your carpentry hammers for what they’re intended for – carpentry. If you’re doing masonry, this is your tool.
My 15-yr-old workhorse of a wheelbarrow Wheelbarrow. If you’re moving large quantities of, well, anything pretty much, you need one of these. Or a few of these. With a few caveats. Like the shovels, buy the higher end ones. The cheap-o’s will fall apart the first time you load them with stone or anything heavy. I used to be able to get really nice solid metal-framed wheelbarrows when we lived in CA. That was 10+ years ago, and I still have one of my originals that is a key part of my fleet. A few years ago I bought another one online that I thought was the same as my originals. The design was the same, but the quality was greatly diminished. It lasted maybe a year. Maybe.
Most of the ones I see available today, even the so-called “heavy-duty” ones are wood framed. Not bad for moving soil around, but if you plan on moving stone, mixing your mortar and/or concrete in the wheelbarrows, or using them to schlep loads of concrete during a pour, you can’t just keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best. You need to know they’ll hold up. Get the strongest ones you can find. And don’t rely on the inflatable tires that come with most wheelbarrows. Pay the extra $30 for a “flat-free” solid rubber tire. Even then, the bearings may eventually go, but you can’t be worried about flat tires when you're mid-concrete pour.
Most of the ones I see available today, even the so-called “heavy-duty” ones are wood framed. Not bad for moving soil around, but if you plan on moving stone, mixing your mortar and/or concrete in the wheelbarrows, or using them to schlep loads of concrete during a pour, you can’t just keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best. You need to know they’ll hold up. Get the strongest ones you can find. And don’t rely on the inflatable tires that come with most wheelbarrows. Pay the extra $30 for a “flat-free” solid rubber tire. Even then, the bearings may eventually go, but you can’t be worried about flat tires when you're mid-concrete pour.
Digging bar. Another really versatile tool that gets used almost daily. Whether it’s prying up stone or chunks of concrete, loosening up compacted soil when digging a post hole, or chopping roots well below the surface, these solid steel bars are about 6’ long, and come with a point on one end and a chisel on the other. Beefy tools, no doubt, and not for lightweights. But effective all the way.
So there’s my Big Five for handtools. I know some of you may have some feedback to my omissions, or comment on my inclusions. And to be fair, there’s a whole bunch more that I use regularly that didn’t make the list. But I’m limited to just five, thanks to those pesky tool police, so something was bound to be left off the list.
What are your Big 5 for handtools?
So there’s my Big Five for handtools. I know some of you may have some feedback to my omissions, or comment on my inclusions. And to be fair, there’s a whole bunch more that I use regularly that didn’t make the list. But I’m limited to just five, thanks to those pesky tool police, so something was bound to be left off the list.
What are your Big 5 for handtools?
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