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22 Years of Carpentry — The Tools I Still Use Every Day
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items After 22 years on the tools across London — fitting kitchens, building wardrobes, and crafting decking — these are the tools I keep coming back to. Not the trendiest, not the cheapest, but the ones that actually earn their keep on a working site. Hon...
Sections
4
Power Tools
Hand Tools
Measuring and Marking
Workshop & Jigs ⭐️
Power Tools
The cordless and corded kit that earns its place in my van. Brands and models I've stood by across thousands of London jobs.
Right, this one's my daily driver. Had mine for years and it still earns its keep on every job — breaking down sheets, scribing kitchen worktops, you name it. The dust extraction is unreal, clients actually thank me for how clean I leave their place....
Festool Cordless Plunge-Cut Track Saw TSC 55 18V 5.0Ah KEBI-F-Plus
Combi drill and impact driver in one box, brushless, 5Ah batteries — the kit I reach for first thing every morning. Had mine for years and still going strong. Best bit? You can grab spare batteries and bits from any Screwfix in London, so you're neve...
DEWALT DCK266P2T-GB XR Drill & Impact Kit
Honestly, this little router has saved me so much hassle. Door locks, hinge mortices, cabinet door handles, scribing grooves into worktops — it does the lot. Cordless and lightweight enough to use one-handed when you're hanging a door, but powerful e...
Makita RT001GZ20 40V Max Li-ion XGT Trimmer
Honestly, the multi-tool I use the most. Cutting back skirting to slide a kitchen unit in without ripping the whole thing off the wall? Done. Trimming plasterboard around a socket box that the electrician left a bit too tight? Sorted. Notching archit...
Dewalt DCS355N-XJ, 300 W, 18 V
Like this. The vac. Not a vac — the vac. 22 years of carpentry and I've finally accepted my lungs are not, in fact, replaceable. Auto-starts when you plug a tool in (still feels like magic). HEPA filter means the kids stop asking why daddy smells lik...
Festool Cleantec CT 26 E HEPA Dust Extractor
Like this. 22 years on the tools, I've owned three table saws — kept this one the longest. Forget the YouTube reviews. What matters on site: fence stays square, handles a full sheet, folds down small enough to live in the van. Three yesses. The cabin...
DeWalt 10" Portable Jobsite Table Saw
12" dual bevel, cordless on the same 20V battery as everything else in my van — same logic I keep banging on about: pick a platform, stick with it, stop carrying chargers. Cuts skirting, architrave, decking, big stock for kitchens.
DeWalt 20V XR 12" Dual Bevel Sliding Miter Saw
Hand Tools
The classic carpenter's kit — chisels, hammers, saws. The tools you reach for when power isn't the answer.
Look, you can spend more on a hammer but you really don't need to. This one's perfect — heavy enough to drive nails properly, balanced so it doesn't kill your elbow after a long day. I'm on my third one in 22 years (left the last one on a roof in Cam...
Stanley FMHT1-51275 0.99lbs Curved Claw Hammer
Honestly, these are the chisels I keep going back to. Sharpen them up properly on a diamond plate and they'll out-cut sets three times the price — promise. The bevel edges get right into tight inside corners on face frames, perfect for hinge mortices...
IRWIN Marples M373 Bevel Edge Chisels 6-Pc
The hand saw that just lives in my van. Tenner, lasts forever, cuts cleanly through wood, MDF and laminate without splintering. When the cordless is on charge or you can't be bothered dragging it up 5 flights of stairs — this is your friend. Made in ...
BAHCO 300-14-F15/16 15in Prizecut Handsaw
Measuring and Marking
If these are wrong, the job is wrong. Tape measures, levels, and laser tools that actually stay accurate after years on site.
The tape that lives on my belt every working day. 5m is the sweet spot for kitchens and wardrobes — long enough for any cabinet run, short enough to retract one-handed when you're holding stuff up with the other. The blade stand-out is amazing for so...
STANLEY FATMAX 5m Tape Measure, Magnetic Hook
Right, this one's a proper game changer. Stabila digital level with a sound signal — yes, it actually beeps when you're dead level. Sounds gimmicky until you're under a kitchen wall unit, holding it up with one hand, screwdriver in the other, and you...
STABILA TECH 196M DL Digital Spirit Level,60 CM
Always perfect distance. Honestly, once you've used a laser measurer you can't go back to a tape for big rooms. Measuring up for a kitchen install? Done in 30 seconds — floor to ceiling, wall to wall, every corner logged. The green laser is the big u...
Bosch GLM 50-23 G Laser Measure, 50m, IP65
Workshop & Jigs ⭐️
Tool bags, knee pads, boots — the gear that keeps you organised and protected when you're on the tools every day.
Honestly, this little jig changed how I build face frames. Pocket holes mean you can join cabinet frames, repair furniture, or build a bookshelf without faffing about with biscuits, dowels, or wood glue clamping for hours. I've had mine since 2022 an...
Kreg R3 Jr. Portable Pocket-Hole Jig System
Right, this one's a proper game changer for fitting concealed hinges. If you're building wardrobes, kitchen units, or any cabinet doors that need standard 35mm cup hinges, this jig saves you so much time it's unreal. Set the depth, drill the hole, hi...
Kreg Concealed Hinge Jig 35mm Cup Drill