Great DIY Hand Tool Gift Ideas:
A Christmas Present Guide for DIY Stocking Stuffing - choose the best Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers for the home improvement person in your life
© 2008 by Kelly Smith all rights reserved
At a loss for Christmas hand tool presents? How about a digital multimeter, stud finder, woodworking
clamps, or a Leatherman multi-purpose tool?
Well, Thanksgiving and Halloween are just memories now. The next holiday in the pipeline is Christmas
and it’ll be here in a flash. The other DIY Christmas tool gift guide discusses DIY
Christmas gift power tool ideas.
This article covers hand tools (not the absolute basics). Just can’t have too many!
The Digital Multimeter (DMM)
The digital multimeter
is an essential tool for any DIY projects involving electricity. Changing or
installing a ceiling fan? Replacing a light switch? Installing LED or low voltage lighting fixtures?
Got to have one.
The multi in multimeter means three tools in one: ammeter, ohmmeter, and voltmeter. It’s great for
testing continuity in electrical circuits when troubleshooting. DMMs are fairly inexpensive nowadays. The
top brand is Fluke, and Radio Shack also carries their brand for a good price.
The Handy Stud Finder
No, this isn’t a dating service; the handy stud finder is the Do It Yourselfer’s best friend when
it comes to hanging pictures, installing wall shelves, or hanging a mirror. Forget the old methods of
wearing the hide off knuckles by tapping the wall or making holes by searching with “trial and
error” finish nails.
The stud finder is affordable enough to be a stocking stuffer. The cheaper ones work their magic by
using a magnet to pick up nail or screw heads. Beware; they can also alert on pipes and conduit, neither
of which is recommended to nail into. Spend a bit more for a model that senses the density of the wall.
It will alert where the stud begins and again where it ends, so the center can be located. The best
ones are made by Zircon and Strait Line.
Woodworking Clamps for Strength
Any woodworker will confirm it — having too many woodworking clamps hanging on the shop wall is
impossible. Period. In almost all wood joinery DIY projects, the pieces are dry fitted, then glued up
and clamped overnight (excluding much traditional Japanese wood joinery).
For example, building drawers with
dovetail joints or box joints, or when assembling picture frames,
90 degree clamps ensure that perfect 90 degree angle. For mortise and tenon joints, bar clamps are the
ticket in most cases. New style clamps seem to appear on the market all the time.
Jorgensen woodworking clamps have a rich history of quality; they are usually passed on to the next
generation of craftsman rather than wearing out. Quick-Grip clamps have been around for a while now and
allow the convenience of one-handed operation.
For precision woodworking tools like this. I always recommend shopping at
Rockler Woodworking and Hardware.
Leatherman Multi-Purpose Tools
There have been many imitations over the past decade but no manufacturer comes close to an authenic
Leatherman multi-purpose tool. Mr. Leatherman was an engineer before he invented the tool so it goes
without saying that he obsessed over quality.
There is a whole array of Leatherman tools; one for every purpose and budget. The tool's greatest
feature is portability; it folds up and rides in a belt pouch. Sometimes it’s just inconvenient or
impractical to carry around a toolbox when all that’s needed is several different screwdrivers and a
pair of needlenose pliers.
The one I carry on a daily basis is the Wave model. Being completely stainless steel, it’s
also a constant companion when I go kayak fishing out in the Gulf of Mexico.
Hopefully the hand tools covered in this article point in a direction that will help to delight
the DIY gift recipient on Christmas morning!
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