A trip down the tool aisles of a hardware or home improvement store can be overwhelming if you don't know what all the tools are or how they are used. Though a carpenter can fill the back of a large truck with specialty tools for his job, there are some basic hand tools that must be in any carpenter's toolbox.

Tool Belt

A multi-pouch tool belt with a variety of pouch sizes and tool loops allows a carpenter to keep often-used hand tools close by.

Hammer

A claw or framing hammer is used to drive nails into wood, and the claw end is used to pull nails out if necessary. Be sure to use the right size and weight of hammer for the job you are doing.

Squares

A rafter square, such as the Speed Square manufactured by Swanson Tool Co., allows a carpenter to measure the angle for cuts on a piece of lumber and mark the angles using a carpenter's pencil. A framing square, an L-shaped tool with measurement marks on the edges, allows for similar measurements on larger pieces of wood.

Tape Measure

A hand-held, retractable steel-blade tape measure can be quickly extended and retracted for fast, accurate measurements while doing a carpentry project.

Level

Using a level, a straight-edged tool housing small liquid-filled tubes with an air bubble suspended in each tube, a carpenter can determine if a horizontal surface is parallel to the ground or if a vertical service is "plumb," or at a 90-degree angle to a level horizontal surface.

Chalk Line

The chalk line is a long string coiled around a wheel in an enclosed housing. The string is saturated with colored chalk, usually red or blue, and is pulled out to mark a straight line between two points on a large surface. The carpenter uses a handle on the housing to reel the line back in after marking the line.

Source:

Carpentry Pro-Framer: Basic Carpentry Tools

Carpentry Guide: Basic Carpentry Tools

Chest of Books: The Carpentry Tools You Need