The D.I.Y. Tools Everyone Should Own (and Why They’re So Small)

“It’s been a year since we introduced the D.I.Y. column, and we’ve covered a fair bit of ground, from patching plaster to restoring furniture to silencing squeaky floors. But it occurred to me recently that I’ve never talked about most of the tools I use — a handful of hardware all-stars that I reach for over and over, whether I’m doing repairs, renovations or construction.

 

So for our first column of 2026, let’s talk about a handful of essential tools that everyone should have in their home, whether they’re for simple fixes or bigger projects.

 

The first thing you may notice about these tools is that they’re small. Doing home renovations has convinced me that, given a choice, the smaller version of a tool is the better one. Bigness is a virtue when a job requires brute force. The rest of the time — which for D.I.Y. projects is nearly all of the time — it’s a hindrance.

 

Small tools excel in tight quarters. They’re lighter and nimbler in your hand and less bulky in the toolbox. When it comes to secondhand tools, they’ve usually been treated better than their larger counterparts. (People seem to baby their small tools, afraid they’re delicate. They’re not.)

 

Most of the small tools I use are variants of common and familiar tools, but that doesn’t mean they’re redundant. If anything, it’s the opposite: Their additional, sometimes unique abilities can make their larger siblings feel outmoded. Let’s meet these talented misfits.

 

Stubby Screwdrivers

 

I buy stubby screwdrivers whenever I find them in good used condition. The short handles and shafts are a godsend in cramped spaces, like the insides of sink cabinets. And because your hand is closer to the work surface, they feel more stable when you need to apply a lot of torque. I keep a Phillips-head and a flat-head in my pocket when I’m doing yard work, in case I need to adjust a larger tool on the fly.

 

Then there are cabinet screwdrivers. While standard flat-head screwdrivers have a flared tip, cabinet screwdrivers, which are functionally identical, have tips that are the same diameter as the shaft. That’s because furniture screws often sit in narrow holes called counterbores. Cabinet screwdrivers are designed to access them without gouging the surrounding wood the way a flared tip would. But they’re just as capable as standard screwdrivers, so I use them for everyday jobs, too. (You won’t find stubby cabinet screwdrivers — they always have long shafts to maximize their reach.)

 

The Right Wrench

 

I bought my first Channellock 6SWCB wrench eight years ago based on glowing reviews from tradespeople.

 

I liked it so much that I bought myself a spare — and gave a third as a gift.

 

Essentially, they’re full-size adjustable wrenches in a pint-size package. The jaws are half the thickness you’ll find on a standard wrench, so they can slip into narrow gaps and around low-profile nuts. The six-inch handle swings in a tight arc, so you can apply torque even when you don’t have a lot of turning room. The jaws open to just over 1.5 inches, same as the eight-inch and 12-inch standard Channellocks, so they can handle large machine nuts and pipe fittings. Even the markings, in inch and metric, are helpful: They’re accurate enough to use as calipers for on-the-fly measurements.

 

Measuring Tools

 

For longer (and more precise) measurements, an eight-foot or 12-foot measuring tape is usually all you need for home projects. I found one of these little Stanleys at a flea market, and now I have five or six of them scattered around. (One lives in the car. I brake for curb furniture, so being able to measure it is helpful.) Look for one with a roughly half-inch-wide blade, which lets the tape measure remain compact and pocketable. If you’re doing any sort of construction, you’ll need a longer tape measure with a wider blade that can hold itself upright when extended, but otherwise the extra bulk is a burden.

 

A small machinist’s scale — known as a ruler to the rest of us — with inch and metric markings is invaluable for measuring small objects and gaps. They come in flexible and rigid varieties; rigid ones are more durable and can moonlight as precision glue and paint scrapers.

 

Cutting Wood, Metal and Wire

 

A 10-inch Japanese saw is my go-to for carpentry, rough woodworking and cutting drywall. Japanese saw blades bite into the material as you pull them toward your body — the opposite of traditional, push-cutting Western saws. This draws the blade taut, helping you make neat, straight cuts. The hardened blades are extremely durable, and replaceable when they finally wear out.

 

Instead of a hacksaw, I often use a coping saw with a metal-cutting blade. (Woodcutting blades are also available.) Like Japanese saws, coping saws cut on the pull. The blades can be as narrow as a string, allowing intricate curved cuts, or relatively wide like the one here, which is meant for straight cuts. The coping saw’s small size is an advantage when cutting light materials, as is its ability to cut vertically, horizontally or at an angle by adjusting the blade orientation.

 

These wire cutters belonged to my grandfather, who was an electrician. They have thinner jaws than the heavier-duty cutters I own and navigate the confines of electrical boxes more easily. I also like that the handles are spring-loaded. They pop open when you relax your grip, which is handy when you’re working overhead or doing multiple cuts in a row.

 

Work Holding

 

For simple work-holding jobs, it’s hard to beat the versatility of spring clamps. One-inch versions — referring to how wide the jaws open — aren’t much bigger than a clothespin, but far stronger. They’re great at clamping small parts for gluing or painting, hanging tarps and drop cloths, and mounting work lights. Larger two-inch and three-inch versions work like a third hand when positioning boards and other construction materials. I store all my clamps under a workbench, where they hang from a rail like a family of bats.

 

C-clamps can turn a sturdy table or countertop into a sawhorse. Look for them in the four-inch size. Secondhand clamps clean up easily even if they’re rusty.

 

Rubber bands are great for holding curved objects together during repairs. I’ve used them when regluing chair seats that have split, for example. Get size #105 or #107 in plain natural rubber, not colored — the dye can leach and stain your work.

 

Some jobs do call for heavy artillery, of course. I can’t remember when or why I bought the tiny 10-inch pipe wrench above, but I’ve never used it. Gas and water pipes are joined with tapered threads, which wedge themselves together with extraordinary force. You need a big wrench to get them apart. So when I had to remove a disused fuel-oil pipe in my basement, I was glad to find the 24-inch pipe wrench on local Craigslist. It cost $5, got the job done and will last forever. In the meantime, it’ll make for striking wall art.” [1]

 

1. The D.I.Y. Tools Everyone Should Own (and Why They’re So Small): D.I.Y. Heffernan, Tim; Hodgin, Clark.  New York Times (Online) New York Times Company. Jan 23, 2026.