For many people, having a tool shed or workshop with a plethora of tools is ideal. Although having many tools is great for some, there are five essential tools you need to have before you even think about getting any others.

Saw Or A Hatchet

Every once in a while you’re going to need to cut a tree limb or a piece of lumber, and a serrated steak knife from your kitchen isn’t going to suffice. At the minimum, you’ll need to invest in a hand saw or a hatchet for those days when you’ll be doing some trimming or chopping. You may think that you would never use either one of these tools, but the necessity for them comes up more often than not, especially when doing landscaping projects.

Screwdriver

There are essentially two types of screwdrivers: the Phillip’s head and the flat-head. If for some reason you can’t have one of each, go for the flat-head screwdriver. A flat head screwdriver can double as a Phillip’s head if need be, and they’re great for prying open paint cans and other stubborn items. Screwdrivers tend to be an item that are easy to collect and hard to organize. Check out the YouTube video below on how to organize your screwdriver collection if you’re having trouble.

Rip Hammer

If your using nails, it only makes sense to use a hammer with a claw to remove broken or bent nails. Using other hammers will get the job done, but you’ll need additional tools for digging out nuisance nails. Rip hammers are also great for hammering in shims, posts, and other things that would be impossible to drive with your bare hands. If you have any doubts about how useful a rip hammer can be, check out this article about 101 different uses for a rip hammer.

Shovel

The chances are that you probably already have a shovel laying around your home somewhere. They’re handy for digging obviously, but they’re also great for prying up large or awkward objects that are too large for you to pry up with a rip hammer. Unless you’re a landscaper or are involved with irrigation of some sort, a shovel with a spaded nose should suffice for most if not all of your needs around your house.

Wrench Or Pliers

Until you have a leaking pipe or broken faucet, you’ll have no idea how important a wrench or a pair of pliers are in your tool shed or workshop. As you may already know, nuts, bolts, and other things become loose over time, and tightening these things properly can only be done with either one of these tools. To get the best of both worlds, you can always buy a set of locking pliers for added versatility. For more information about how great locking pliers can be, check out this article.

There are of course other items that many would deem to be “essential” tools, but you’ll always have a use for the above tools, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better collection of tools for all of your household or work projects.