| Chisels, Utility Knives, Planers, Putty Knives and | | | | blade. Spare blades are kept in the handle too. Use the |
| Scrapers | | | | knife for any use you need, the blade is tough and |
| The home repair tool kit is a lot different from what it | | | | versatile. Cut vinyl, linoleum, plastic, almost anything. |
| used to be. When I was younger, there were no | | | | Pro Tip: NEVER just toss the knife into your bag. Put it |
| power tools in my father's vast array of tools. The | | | | in and make certain that the blade has been retracted. |
| brace-and-bit and folding wooden rule have gone. Now, | | | | Millions of professionals have cut their hands on open |
| everything needs to be plugged in or recharged. Not a | | | | blades while rummaging in their toolbags. |
| bad thing at all, but not being a carpenter, like my father | | | | Planes: the plane is used for planning wood. It is for fine |
| and his father before him, I wonder how mobile power | | | | work and the blade has to be sharpened regularly. |
| tools make the professional carpenter. | | | | There is also a power planer, which makes short work |
| However, the jobs to be done remain the same and | | | | of stripping thin layers of wood off, say, a slightly |
| the rule for buying tools remains the same, buy the | | | | over-size door. |
| best you can afford. So, let's take a look at a few | | | | Putty Knives: a putty knife is a tool with a very flexible |
| modern tools that would make up a very | | | | blunt blade for spreading putty on widows or adhesive |
| well-equipped set of tools. | | | | on walls. These latter knives are often 12" wide, |
| Chisels: generally speaking, you will need a basic set of | | | | window putty knives are 1" wide. Make sure you clean |
| four chisels: quarter, half, three-quarters and one full | | | | them thoroughly after use. |
| inch in width. The are used for fine work or places | | | | Pro Tip: if you forget to clean the knife after use, rub it |
| where a saw can't get. If you need to cut across the | | | | clean on coarse sandpaper. |
| wood's grain make a shallow cut at either end of work | | | | Scrapers: scrapers are made for removing old paint |
| area, otherwise the chisel will rip the wood too far. The | | | | from timber, but they are versatile. A blunt scraper is |
| cuts act as barriers - cut off points. Tap the chisel with | | | | virtually useless, so keep it sharp with some sandpaper |
| a wooden or plastic mallet to preserve your chisels (or | | | | or wet-and-dry. Most decorators find the 1.5" scraper |
| the side of a hammer, if you must). Chisels are sold | | | | the most useful although non-decorators usually buy |
| sharp, but sharpen them up again. | | | | the 3" scraper. If you keep it sharp, you have to be |
| Pro Tip: buy or make a cloth wallet to keep them in to | | | | careful of two things: leaving it in your bag when not in |
| protect the sharp edge. Beware of buried nails! | | | | use, as for utility knives above and, when in use, that |
| Utility Knives: or, in the UK, Stanley knives are razor | | | | you don't drive the scraper into the wood you are |
| sharp. Most are retractable now for safety reasons. | | | | scraping, especially if it's an old, slightly rotten window |
| The blades come with two sharp edges, so when it | | | | frame. |
| becomes blunt, unscrew the handle and reverse the | | | | |