Now that you’ve diligently studied the preceding onslaught of microshelters in every size, shape, and form, perhaps you’re beginning to develop a growing case of cabin envy, or at least you’ve found some sources of inspiration. If so, then it’s time to grab your rusty, dusty old tool box and hop to it!
You won’t find an extensive primer on tools here, or the exciting history of pliers, or any lengthy segments on how not to hold a punch awl (the point faces down, for the record). After all, there is already a forest-devastating amount of tool and technique introduction books out there — and most of them are about as exciting as watching mold race. That said, I do want to recommend a few relatively uncommon tools that I have found particularly valuable, reliable, and affordable. All of these are hand tools, which offer two notable advantages: peace and quiet.
Most of the work I do tends to be outdoors, frequently in off-grid locales. I could lug in a generator, but that would mean storing and maintaining an expensive, backbreaking-to-haul “beast box.” Plus, a generator guzzles gas, which I’d also have to pay for and carry into the woods. I, for one, love to hear a stream gurgle, a cricket chirp, or a porcupine pass wind while I’m working out in the woods. Fire up a generator, though, and it’s Goodbye, Nature! (Remember the scene in Bambi where all the animals are fleeing the wildfire? Well, you’ve pretty much created a sonic version of that.) I’m not anti-generator or against power tools by any means, but I like to at least have the option of using something like a brace and bit where appropriate. Besides, you just might find a new favorite tool for your toolbox!
The brace and bit’s an oldie and goodie but unfortunately is not widely sold anymore. Ask most young hardware store employees on what aisle a brace and bit might be found and you’re bound to get a “this guy looks like he’s lost his mind and indulges in rubber cement sculpting” look. (Believe me, I’ve gotten that look — but, to be fair, I also enjoy a good glue-sculpting session.)
You might remember your grandfather owning one of these, or you may have come across them in shop class back in your middle school days. I’m particularly fond of this tool. For one thing, I find them so cheaply online and at thrift shops that I can rarely pass them up. I own seven or eight. I’m a brace-and-bit hoarder, I suppose. On eBay, I bought a set of two, with an assortment of bits, for only eight bucks, including shipping.
The brace and bit uses a combination of simple physical pressure and a corkscrew motion to drill holes. It’s also one heck of a heavy-duty and sturdy implement. To demonstrate this at workshops or speaking engagements, I’ve taken one of these beauties and thrown it against a concrete wall. Try that with a modern plastic- housed power tool and you’ll soon be asking the janitorial staff for a dustpan, but with the brace and bit, the only damage you’re bound to inflict is to the wall. (Be mindful, I might add, not to throw it against drywall — the results, while fun to watch, could be costly and, again, require that dustpan.)
We want to create a sense of openness in small-space designs, yet we recognize that divisions add function, privacy, and a sense of structure. If interior walls are not load-bearing, as is the case with most small cabins and tiny homes on trailers, you have some flexibility. You can minimize wall thickness and frame skinny walls with 2x3 or 2x2 support lumber and still have a strong enough wall to hold your final surface. In some cases you can use just the 3⁄4-inch plywood itself and save even more interior room.
— Pepper Clark, owner of the design/blog/build company Bungalow to Go
Another nifty hand tool is the block plane. I’ll admit I don’t use this as much as some other tools, but they’re easy to come by cheap (used), and it can’t hurt to keep one in your arsenal. BPs, as they’re known in the hip-hop community (not true at all), are hand-driven, inclined “shavers” in the simplest sense. You want a door trimmed just a hair so that it doesn’t stick in the summer? Well, just bust out the old block plane. In many cases you won’t have to remove the door to get the job done, and it’s not nearly as messy, noisy, or lung-irritating as using a power sander. It’s also more gradual and precise than buzzing through the door’s edge with a circular saw (another tool you do want to have, by the way). There are many sizes and varieties of block planes, each particularly tuned for different material-removal work, and there are bench planes for end grain work too, so don’t neglect to ask a few questions or do a little research before grabbing one for whatever job might be at hand.
These little guys, some not so little, are also great for shaving down the edges of woodworking projects or cutting down the edges of melamine edge tape (fake laminate end-grain strips) on plywood builds. A block plane also makes for a rather handsome-looking paperweight, should you ever have to retire one. But the beauty here is that these tools, aside from the blade that will need sharpening from time to time, are nearly indestructible. (Note: I wouldn’t throw these against a wall, though, as they’re instruments of precision.)
I recommend pulleys. They aren’t just for fish docks and overpriced Brooklyn lofts! How cool would it be, while lying in bed, to reach over to the wall next to you, untie a string, and have your “nightstand” hammock slide down from the ceiling? There are even entire beds that can be raised up to the ceiling with pulley systems when not in use.
— Andrew Odom, tiny-house dweller, podcast host, and blogger at TinyRevolution.us
Mount a magnetic knife hanger to a wall. These not only hold knives and other cooking implements while keeping them within reach, but can store any number of other items, from small pots to containers and even jewelry.
— Austin Hay, tiny-house owner/builder
What better way to ensure that grizzly bears, zombies, and door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesmen are kept at bay than to have a box cutter on hand at all times? Kidding! These are handy as heck, though, and they take up almost no space. They’re also very, very sharp — so be careful, and do not leave them lying unattended within the grasp of children. Always be sure to retract the blade when not in use.
Basically, any time you need to give some wood a quick shave, unbind plastic-strapped lumber, cut or trim thin wood or asphalt shingles, slice the tip off a tube of caulk, score Plexiglas for a break, or even crudely chisel out a recess for a door’s lock set, this tool’s going to pay for itself a hundred times over. And what’s a utility knife cost, five dollars? Six, I hear, if you get the one that’s bedazzled with faux rhinestones.
What person who plans on building anything isn’t going to have a hammer? It would be like going to the beach without a swimsuit, or baking a cake without an oven. I know it seems ridiculous to even bother to include such a rudimentary tool here, but I’ve chosen to do so because of what I dub, in speaking appearances, the Deek vs. Dustin Debate.
Dustin, my brother, is from the school that says you need to have the best state-of-the-art hammer that’s offered. Not only can it drive a nail, it also has a built-in cell phone, a pinwheel, a barometer, a bicycle pump, and it’s hollow and insulated to hold your favorite post-job beverage — that is, when it’s not being used as a makeshift saxophone. Dustin is very good at what he does in carpentry, and I can’t argue that going all-out with a top-notch hammer, or any tool, is going to hurt your chances of a job well done, but I’m from a rather different plane of thought. The hammers I own are, by comparison, junk. Since I organize and host many workshops, I can’t justify spending a ton of money on hammers that might go missing or be abused (not that you can hurt a hammer so easily). I own, easily, a dozen or so hammers, and a good majority were yanked from yard sales. An old, slightly rusty hammer will perform just as well as a shiny new one and should last quite a long time. So why spend on a hammer that is fancier than your needs?
The one word of caution I’ll offer is against wooden-handled hammers. You’ll find these in all the hardware stores and will be tempted by their low price, but while they do a good job of absorbing the shock of each blow, over time the handles tend to get loosened from the head, and this can be dangerous. Someday that hammer head will fly off, and I really wouldn’t want to be in its path. So, if given the choice, I’d pick a metal-rubberized or fiberglass-handled model. To each his own, though. Wooden handles can be tightened and affixed to their heads again, but most people neglect to do so, or do it improperly. There are also many types of hammers —waffle-headed ones, ball-peen hammers, tack hammers, M. C. Hammers, and the list goes on and on — but for starters, a simple claw hammer will do.
I might add that Dustin, sick of my old beaten and ugly tools, eventually gifted me a really nice, magnetic-headed framing hammer, one so large that it could stop a bull elephant dead in its tracks with a single swing. I do love the thing, and refer to it as the “Hammer of Thor,” but for the most part it’s just too big and long for repeat use and good control. Honestly, I mainly use it for demolition. So therein lies another tip: Don’t get overly macho and buy the biggest, heaviest hammer you can get your mitts on — you might be swinging that thing thousands of times in a single day. Unless you are Thor, just take it easy. Pick a hammer that is comfortable for you. I prefer a 16-ounce hammer myself, and nothing more.
There never seems to be enough room in the bathroom, so it’s really important to be as efficient as possible here. For us that means taking advantage of the space above the toilet, and not just by adding shelves. What you really need is a work surface. So in our homes we build a shelving unit that has a door that folds down and stops 90 degrees to the wall. This creates a counter space and reveals shelving as well as a mirror when open (it also hides your mess when closed). It’s the perfect spot to make sure you look your best!
— Dan Louche, tiny-house designer/builder at tinyhomebuilders.com
A bucket is like the neglected distant cousin of the family: you forget to send them the Christmas card, you never know their birthday, and you seldom pay them any attention, but when you do, you realize, “Wow, I’ve taken this really cool, interesting person for granted — I’m such a heel!” The many uses of buckets are often overlooked. I make sure to keep a few on hand for a variety of reasons. In addition to the usual functions of transporting materials and bailing water, here are a few things these suckers can be used for:
And I’m sure there are plenty more uses! You get the idea.
I don’t see push drills available at stores anymore, but I know you can buy them through antique tool dealers online. The two I own are from, you guessed it, a yard sale and a flea market. These small tools are just what the name implies. Think of a screwdriver that can receive not only Phillips or common screwdriver bits but also regular drill bits. Pushing the handle downward turns the head that holds the bit. At the end of the stroke you release the pressure and the handle springs back up, ready for the next push. If a pogo stick and a screwdriver had kids, this would be the result.
The push drill is small and compact, and it has saved my wrists from hand-turn work in a few off-grid locations where my drill batteries ran out and I had no means or time to juice ’em up again. Quiet, small, and light, it’s a good hardware-removal tool to have around if you’re going to be scrounging wood, hardware, and furnishings for your build. Since these drills are designed for small bits and, therefore, smaller work, pairing one of these with a bulkier brace and bit might be a good idea.
The UDT ain’t nothin’ to mess with! That sounds like something you might see scrawled on a bathroom wall in a dive bar. It’s true, though; this is one tough tool. If you’re taking the salvaging approach when building your dream shack, tree house, or grand bell-’n’-whistle-laden cabin, you just might want to have this tool in your arsenal. Why? Well, aside from having a built-in hammer head, it can pull nails, pry apart boards, and tear down walls and framing with a 2-inch-wide demolition claw. Should you accidentally drop the tool on your foot, you’ll find it’s also efficient at removing toenails . . .
Another commonly overlooked mini tool, the nail set or nail punch (or just plain “setter”) is worth its weight in gold (which isn’t saying much, I suppose, as it’s so tiny). This simple “dollar tool” is used with a hammer to drive nail heads flush with or slightly recessed into wood, after you’ve driven the nails just so far with a hammer alone. This preserves the aesthetics of the project, since trying to overdrive a nail results in striking and denting the wood.
Nail sets come in a few different sizes; ideally, the point of the nail set is just slightly smaller than the head of the nail you’re driving. If the nail set is bigger than the head, it’ll make a bigger hole than the nail, which defeats the whole purpose of masking the nail. Typically, nail sets are used with finish nails, which have small, smooth heads designed for setting, but you can use the tool for other types of nails and other fasteners.
Sure, in some builds you don’t want to hide the honesty of the construction and might choose to leave nail heads exposed — I often do — but if finer trim or cabinetwork is in order, a nail setter’s going to be your friend. In a pinch, these can also be used as a blunt punch awl to make a guide hole for a screw or drill bit, and I’ve even seen people use them as bottle openers (like I said, worth their weight in gold).
If you’re really out of luck, a 16-penny nail can be used as a nail set, but it takes a steadier hand to make it work, and the nail will only last for so long before it begins to bend.
Want a mini kitchen or a fridge to fit in a small space? Cantilever it outside your room and you’ll use no floor space. A bump-out is basically a box with another roof outside your main structure. You may not even need a roof for a small one that is under your eaves. Small bump-outs are easy; bigger ones may require a foundation and some further construction know-how.
— Joseph Ebsworth, tiny-cabin owner/builder, blogger at SolarBurrito.com
If you build enough with the same person or crew, you’re eventually bound to develop your own slang or verbal shorthand. So, just for kicks, here’s a guide to some of the loco lingo that my brother, Dustin, and I toss around on the job site. The two of us have worked together for well over a decade on countless cabins, tree houses, home improvement projects, and beyond, so it’s only natural that we’ve developed our own work-site gibberish over the years.
Basher: An overzealous hammer-wielder who hits and dents the wood more often than the nail head.
Beast Box: A generator (usually a loud one).
Boom Stick: A hammer (usually a large one).
Cloffice: A closet that’s been transformed into a mini home office. Or, just a supertiny closetlike cabin, often in a backyard, that’s being used as an office or small studio.
GTG: Good to go. We’re/it’s done.
Give it the Milo Touch: To come up with a fix or approach that’s more utilitarian than aesthetically pleasing but is clever in its own right. Named in honor of a friend.
Groundbound: Describes a dwelling built on or attached to the ground, as opposed to a tiny house or cabin on wheels, or one on a trailer.
Futz it: Just “cheat it,” or give it a quick fix and get it done (don’t dwell on it too long).
Put Some Lipstick on it: Use a technique or means to make some ugly aspect of a project less unattractive, often in a quick and affordable manner.
Send it Home: Used when you’re holding a board in place and waiting for your helper to fasten it. For example, when I’ve got a piece set and it’s ready to be screwed or nailed, I’d tell my brother to “send it home,” meaning we’re good; drive the nail.
Stick with Bubbles: A level.
Scrapper: A person who cruises the streets on trash day looking for large metal items to sell to a scrap metal recycler. Scrappers often advertise with classified titles like “Will haul away your junk metal for free!” Some of these guys really know what they’re doing and make some good coin on it too.
Seagull: An individual at scrap yards and salvage depots who combs around for little items here and there, often aggravating the yard owner by using up his/her time in exchange for little money made. However, some scrap and recycling yards welcome seagulls with open arms because their purchases can add up over time.
PLB: The quick and affordable decorating approach of using pillows, lanterns, and books. (See Decor on a Dime).
Health: A slang measurement term to convey a length just over a certain distance. The opposite of ill measurements.
Ill: Used in measuring to convey that something is just a hair under a certain length, as in “Dustin, I need a board 38 ill” (just under 38 inches). It’s easier than saying “thirty-seven and fifteen-sixteenths.”
Slop Trim: Quick and cheap trim that looks decent enough but not fancy.
Ship it: Shorthand for “It’s done. Let’s get on to the next thing.”
