Preparing on a Shoestring Part 6: Tools

Tools are a force multiplier. They allow more work to be done with fewer people at a faster pace. In many cases, they are what allow work to be done at all. Tools are our friends in times of trouble. A few good, well selected tools can make all the difference in your ability to survive, cope, and even prosper when bad turns to worse.

As with everything else discussed in these articles, tools cost money. Also like everything else, my best advice is to start small. A handful of well made, well chosen tools will do a lot, and I do mean a LOT, of work. Once you have your basic toolbox, you can add to it as you need or are able.

Now let’s get down to some suggestions for what makes for a good, basic toolkit. Bear in mind that this tool list won’t satisfy anybody (including me) for a complete set of tools. It isn’t meant to. It is a list of tools that are commonly needed by everyday do-it-yourselfers for repairs as well as most all the building trades. It will only satisfy the most novice of do-it-yourselfers and then not for long. It is a starting point for a larger collection.

The most basic core tools are a hammer, set of straight and Phillips screwdrivers in various sizes, a couple pairs of slip jaw pliers (channellocks), a hacksaw, a carpenter’s saw (wood saw), and a small shovel or entrenching tool. A toolbox or tool bag to hold your tools is a good idea too but a drawer will work fine. I almost forgot to mention that a pair of safety glasses or goggles are a must. This is a safety item but it belongs with your tools. Use them! If they get broken in a work incident, so what! That is what they are there for. Replace them immediately and go on. You can buy more safety glasses; you only have 2 eyes and replacements are hard to come by

You get what you pay for and I recommend you buy professional grade tools if you can. The pro grade tools are designed to take the abuse that professional trades people put them through in making their living on a daily basis. That translates to a longer service life between buying replacements. That said, the cheap, off brands will do a fair job of satisfying your needs for a while or longer with care. You can always upgrade when you get the chance and relegate the cheap tools to backup status in case you do break something.

After the basic set is in place, I would suggest adding a good axe, hatchet, pickaxe or mattock, full sized shovels in both flat and bull nose varieties, post hole diggers, tanker bar (long pry bar to help excavate rocks and hard soil) bow saw, sledge hammer (8 pounders take more swings but are easier on the body), 2 splitting wedges or a splitting maul, and a set of flat and round files.

At this point, you have a good, basic, all around tool set. To be sure, there are dozens of tools that you still lack and will probably find useful, but you have the basics to tackle an impressive array of expedient projects.

Now I know that there are quite a few tools listed above. I know they all cost money and a fair bit of it all together. This is why I am constantly saying start small. If you need a tool, buy only that tool. Every chance your prep budget allows it, buy one more. Try to add one tool a month. If one or more of the tools will cost more than you can allocate in a month, save up for it. You don’t have it anyway so saving up for it won’t put you any worse off than you are and will eventually put you in a position to buy the tool.

In this way, you make progress and become a little better prepared as you go along. Over the course of months or a year, you will be a lot better prepared. What’s more, as you acquire the tools, you will inevitably learn how to use them to best effect. As you take on projects yourself and hone your do-it-yourself skills, you will be saving yourself money by not paying someone else to do it for you. You will also gain confidence and develop skills that will help you feel and be better prepared. You may even find yourself a pleasant hobby. It may even turn into a profitable hobby or full-fledged business.

No matter if you use them only for your own needs or for hobby or business, the skills you learn will stay with you for the rest of your life. What you learn cannot be taken away from you. You will be better for it and so will your preps.

Good luck and happy tinkering!