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Tools of the Trade: Hand Tools

When building scenery it is important to select and use the right tool for the right job. Each of the tools have specific strengths, weaknesses, and use cases.

Project Measuring and Marking Tools

These are the tools that you are going to start every project with and likely use often throughout the build.

Pencil

Likely the most important tool at your disposal. Most of the time you are going to use a pencil in combination with other tools to mark where on the wood you need to cut, or to plan out your next steps. Wood pencils tend to be better than mechanical ones due to the thickness of the graphite (lead) - lumber is much tougher to write on than paper.

In fact, there is a specific type of pencil made just for this called (go figure) the carpenter's pencil. Its shape is rectangular and similar to a squished octagon that keeps it from rolling away. And most importantly its graphite is thick and dark, making it very easy to make marks wherever you need.

Tape Measure

Self-retracting, portable, slightly rigid, and can measure decently long lengths all while being able to clip onto a belt or to a tool pouch. This is our main measuring tool. Consists of a metal tab at 0" (inches) called the hook or tang and a thin metal strip marked with inches and feet called the blade. The blade then spools into a plastic or metal housing with a button to lock the blade in an extended position.

How to Read a Standard Tape Measure - The way I learned Links to an external site.How to Read a Standard Tape Measure - The way I learned

Framing Square

Also commonly called a carpenter's square. These look like really big Ls and are made out of lightweight metal. Great for measuring or marking 90-degree angles. We also use them constantly while building right-angle flats and platforms to keep the materials square (meaning at 90-degrees to the adjoining piece) while attaching the different pieces of wood or metal together.

Speed Square

Small to medium sized metal (or plastic) triangle that has a lip on one side and it made up of both 90-degree and 45-degree angles. Also a great tool for quickly marking pieces of raw materials or helping to keep things square during assembly. Not as accurate as the framing square when working on large pieces because of its shorter length, but - like the name implies - it is fast and easy to use.

Level

Officially called a spirit level this is a long, metal tool with a few vials of liquid spaced throughout, each with a single bubble. When the level is placed on a horizontal or vertical surface, the bubble will go between two black dashes on the vial. This is what determines if the object is plumb or level to the ground.

Chalk Line

Piece of string with a hook at the end that is attached to a diamond-ish shaped container with a fishing-type reel. Its primary use is to mark long straight lines. This is done by filling a compartment in the container with chalk dust, which then coats the string in the dust. With another person or two, you stretch the string taut between two points, pull the string up slightly in the middle, and let it go. The string will snap to the surface and leave chalk dust along the line.

Resources Hand Tools

The following are the most common types of hand tools used in theatre construction, but do not represent all of the possible different types or categories.

Hammers

There are a variety and each is useful for specific tasks:

  • Claw Hammer - most common type of hammer. The metal head is great for striking nails and the curved back is great for removing them.
  • Ball Peen Hammer - has very hard hammer head on one side and a ball on the other. Used for shaping, flattening, and bending metal.
  • Mallet - typically has a head that is made out of rubber or hard plastic and it is much larger than a regular hammer. Used when needing to force together or move a finished surface when you want to avoid damaging the surface.

Wrenches

  • Crescent wrench - adjustable wrench where the width of the jaw (part that goes around the bolt head or nut) can be re-sized to fit a variety of sizes.
  • Socket wrench - also called a Rachet, is a handle with a set of replaceable heads that correspond to different bolt and nut sizes. They are unique because you can tighten and loosen things quickly because you do not need to remove or reposition the wrench while working with it.
  • Allen wrench - also called an Allen Key. If you've ever gotten a piece of furniture from Ikea, you have worked with one of these. Small, L-shaped piece of metal with a hexagonal head-shaped head.

Screwdrivers

  • Slotted - or standard, which have a single straight tip
  • Phillips - has an X shaped tip

Pliers

  • Linesman's pliers - all around, common pliers with box like tips. Great for holding, bending, and removing staples.
  • Needle-nose pliers - pliers with narrow, somewhat pointy tips that are great for gripping small things with great precision.
  • Vise grips - adjustable pliers with a locking mechanism that clamp down and hold with a lot of force.