Toolbox Makes Owner a Mobile Repair Unit
If you are like most homeowners, you probably have some sort of workbench in the garage or basement. And you probably store all or most of your tools on a wall near that bench. That’s a good idea for the kinds of tools you’ll be using for bench-top work.
But most electrical and plumbing repairs don’t take place at the bench. For that kind of work, you have to take your tools to the job.
That’s why I like to keep my plumbing and electrical tools in a convenient carrying box. When a job comes up, I can grab the box, take it to the trouble spot and chances are I’ll have everything I need. No running back and forth to get tools I forgot on the first or second trip.
If your tool selection is fairly limited, you can easily fit both your plumbing and electrical tools in one box. If you have a large assortment of tools, plus a lot of supplies such as cable, electrical boxes, valves and other fittings, you might make two boxes, one for each “trade.” That’s what I’ve done, and I store them together on a shelf in my shop.
Building the boxes is pretty straightforward. You can use plywood or solid pine, whatever you have cluttering up the shop. For the carrying handle you can use a one-inch dowel. I had some aluminum tubing rolling around on my shop floor, so I used that instead.
The dimensions shown work fine for me, but you can scale them up or down to suit your needs. Just cut out the parts and put them together with glue and screws.
What do you put in the box? A rudimentary plumbing kit includes a plunger or “plumber’s friend” and a drain auger or “snake” to clear out clogged drains and toilets. You’ll also need a pair of ordinary slip-joint pliers, plus a pair of big Channel-Lock pliers for gripping large sink nuts and the like. Throw in a pair of screwdrivers--a Phillips and a conventional straight-blade.
The remaining choices depend largely on your plumbing system. If you have copper pipes you’ll probably need a tubing cutter, a propane torch, some of the new lead-free solder made especially for plumbing, plus a few of the most common fittings such as elbows, Tees, couplings and some short lengths of pipe for repairs.
If your plumbing is plastic (chlorinated polyvinyl chloride) you can cut it with an ordinary saw, but you’ll need a can of solvent cement and an assortment of CPVC fittings and pipe.
If you have an old-fashioned iron plumbing system, you’ll need a pipe wrench (use it in tandem with your Channel-Locks), but I wouldn’t spend much money on iron pipe or fittings. Whenever you have problems with an iron system, try to make repairs with CPVC parts. Eventually you’ll be rid of the old iron system entirely.
An electrical kit should include the screwdrivers and pliers mentioned above. You’ll also need a wirecutter/stripper tool, plus long-nose pliers for bending connecting loops in the ends of wires.
I like to keep a few switches and receptacles on hand, plus some electrical tape, medium and large wire nuts, some lamp cord, replacement plugs, a three-prong grounding adapter and a coil of 12-gauge Romex cable (with two conductors plus ground).
Those are the basics. If you do much work, the assortment will no doubt grow over the years to include such things as ground and continuity testers, circuit breakers and the like. But buy these things only as you need them and as you learn to anticipate the needs and whims of your own home.
