subject: TOOLS YOU NEED TO BUILD A WOODEN GARDEN SHED [print this page] Many homeowners feel like they cannot build their own wooden garden sheds because they do not have the tools necessary to construct the shed. This should not be a determining factor because it does not take that many tools to build your wooden garden shed. If you want to built it quicker and with less effort there are some tools that would help out but they are not a requirement. Lets take a quick look at what we will need to build a great wooden garden shed. TAPE MEASURE A standard 20 tape measure will fulfill all the measuring tools you will need to build wooden garden sheds. The garden shed will most likely be 8 x 10 or 10 x 12 so a 20 foot tape measure will be good enough. Even for the roof rafters the 20 tape will work because no rafter will be longer than 20. HAMMERS A simple hammer will work just fine. You can nail the siding, the flooring, the roof decking, trim and shingles on with a simple hammer. It is advantageous to have a shingle hammer for the installation of asphalt shingles but you can get the job done with a regular hammer. If you are using timbers for the supports of the wooden garden shed a larger mini sledge type hammer is very handy and makes driving spikes into the timbers easier. However, if you are using connector type plates with nail holes for fasteners then a regular hammer is just fine. SAWS A simple hand saw will work for everything you need to cut. Because you will need to cut 4 sheets of plywood for the flooring, roof decking material, and possibly the siding an electric skill saw is very handy. You can cut a 4 wide sheet of plywood with a handsaw but it is a chore. If you have an electric skill saw you will want a regular blade and a plywood blade to make the job go smoother. DRILLS An electric drill is going to be necessary. Yes, you could use a screwdriver but I dont think your wrist will take the wear and tear while you get the job done. I once had a friend that did serious damage to the ligaments and muscles in his arm when he installed a set of cabinets with a hand screwdriver. Do yourself a favor and get an electric drill which will hold a screwdriver bit. LEVELS A level is a must. You must make sure your floor is level before you start building the wooden garden shed and you must make sure that the walls and door and window openings are plumb. Also as you install the doors and windows you will need to make sure they are plumb. I do recommend that you buy a 4 level to make your checks more accurate. Yes , you can use a smaller level but you will not be near as accurate as when you use a 4 level to get the job done. If you dont have a level long enough to check for plumb you can use a plumb bob. STRING LINE AND CHALK LINE A 100 string line is very handy as it can be used for checking several lines at once. Simply tie the line off on a nail, reel out a little more string and set up another line with the balance on the roll. These are inexpensive so get one and use it. Also get a chalk box and chalk. Snapping a line you need to cut is very handy and a more accurate way to make a cut especially if it is an angle. You can also snap a line on the floor so you know where to nail or screw the flooring material into the floor joists. This is also true for keeping a straight line for the roof decking and the shingles. RAKES AND SHOVELS - If you are using a gravel base or just sitting timbers on the ground then you will need a rake and shovel in order to be able to get the support timbers level. If you are putting support posts into the ground then a post hole digger can be helpful. A razor knife will be handy to cut shingles, a chalking gun will be handy to install glue and chalk, and prybar/nail puller can also be very useful. If you dont have the above listed tools you can most likely borrow the ones you dont have from a friend, neighbor, or family member. The costs of the foregoing tools should not be a major cost as you probably already have most of them in your garage.
