What tools do you actually need in a home shed or workshop

January 22, 2025

People ask me fairly often what they should have in the shed, and the honest answer is that it depends on what you are building, but there is a core group of tools that earns its place no matter what you are doing. So rather than give you a list of 40 things, here is what I would actually start with, roughly in the order I would buy it.

The everyday ones

These are not exciting and they are the tools you will reach for more than anything else you own.

Claw hammer. Hanging picture frames at one end of the job and pulling out stubborn nails at the other.
Multi bit screwdriver. One handle and a set of bits saves you a drawer full of screwdrivers and the ten minutes of hunting that goes with them.
Tape measure. Get one with metric and imperial on it, because plenty of older timber and older houses around here are still in feet and inches.
Utility knife. Opening boxes, scoring plasterboard, trimming underlay. Keep spare blades, because a blunt blade is how people cut themselves.
Pliers. Combination pliers for general work and long nose for the fiddly bits that will not cooperate with fingers.

The power tools, in the order I would buy them

You do not need all of these on day one, and if you buy them one at a time you can stay on a single battery platform, which is worth more than it sounds because the batteries cost as much as the tools do.

Drill and driver. The one that does the most work. Pilot holes, screws, mixing paint, stirring render.
Circular saw. For straight cuts in timber and sheet material. If you only need a handful of cuts, bring the timber in and we will run it through the saw bench for you instead.
Orbital sander. Sanding by hand works and this turns an afternoon into 20 minutes, which matters most when you are prepping for paint.
Angle grinder. Cutting steel, grinding welds, cutting pavers and masonry with the right disc.

The safety gear, which is not optional

I am not going to lecture anybody about this, but I will say that everybody who has had something come back at them out of a grinder buys the glasses afterwards, and the glasses cost a fraction of what the afternoon in the clinic costs.

Safety glasses. Scratch resistant, and a pair that you will actually wear rather than the pair that lives in a drawer.
Work gloves. Splinters, sharp edges, blisters off a long day on a shovel.
Mask or respirator. Cutting, sanding and spraying all put something in the air you would rather not breathe.
Earmuffs or plugs. Hearing does not grow back, and a grinder in a tin shed is louder than most people think.

Somewhere to put it all

There is not much point owning good tools if you cannot lay a hand on them, and a tidy shed is the difference between starting a job on Saturday morning and spending Saturday morning looking for the drill bits.

A wall rack or board for the tools you use constantly, so they live at eye height rather than at the bottom of a tub
A toolbox or caddy for carrying what you need to the other end of the house or out to the paddock
Drawer dividers for screws and nails, which otherwise migrate into one big tin and stay there

The small stuff that punches above its weight

Spirit level. A 1200mm box level will keep a shelf, a gate and a fence rail honest.
Stud finder. For anything heavy going on a wall, so you are fixing into the stud rather than into plaster and hope.
Clamps. A spare set of hands that holds steady while you cut or glue. Spring clamps are cheap and you will end up wanting more of them.
Duct tape. Not a repair so much as a way of getting through until you can do the repair properly.

The part you cannot buy

A tool is only as good as knowing which one the job actually needs, and that is the bit that takes the longest to pick up. I learned most of what I know by having a go, getting it wrong and asking Elroy, our shop manager, who I call Guru for good reason. So if you are standing in front of a wall of drills and you are not sure which one suits what you are doing, come in and ask us. We would rather talk you through it than sell you the wrong thing and have you back in a fortnight.

Shop related products

Katana 18V Cordless Rotary Hammer Drill, bare tool. Drills timber, steel and masonry, so it covers most of what a shed needs.
Katana 18V Cordless Impact Driver, bare tool. For driving long screws without chewing the head out.
Katana 18V Cordless 125mm Angle Grinder, bare tool. Cutting and grinding steel, and masonry with the right disc.
Supercraft Hi-Vis Tape Measure, 8m. Bright enough that you find it again in the grass.
Supercraft Anodised Box Level, 1200mm. The length that suits shelves, gates and fence rails.

Did you know we also stock a lot of the hand tools in store that are not listed on the website, including the Kincrome range, combination and long nose pliers, utility knives and spare blades, spring clamps from 100mm to 220mm, class 5 earmuffs and a rack of safety glasses. Give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check what is on the shelf.

What is online sits in hand tools and power tools.

The things we do that are not on a shelf

Timber cut to length on the saw bench, key cutting and the tool sharpening depot all live under essential services, and a blunt chisel sharpened properly will change your mind about the chisel.