Workshop Tools

Right, a 12-volt jump starter is a portable battery pack that gives a flat car battery a quick kick to turn the engine over. You keep it in the van and keep it charged, then connect the red lead to the positive terminal and the black to a good earth (or the negative terminal) and try to start the engine. If it starts, remove the leads and let the alternator top the battery back up. Many units also double as USB chargers or 12V power packs and have an LED light for working on site. Handy when you don’t want to rely on another vehicle.

A 12-volt battery charger is a mains-powered device that pushes a controlled charge into a 12‑V battery—think car, motorbike, van or caravan batteries—so you can bring a flat one back to full or keep it topped up when the vehicle isn’t being used. Modern chargers are smart enough to sense the battery type and adjust the charging rate or switch to a trickle mode when it’s full, helping to prolong the battery’s life. Just make sure you use the right charger for the battery chemistry (lead‑acid/AGM/Gel or Li‑ion), connect the clamps the right way round, and don’t leave it on a damaged battery or in a wet area.

A cordless orbital sander is a handy, battery-powered tool I use for smoothing wooden surfaces and getting them ready for paint or varnish. The sanding pad moves in small circular orbits, which helps hide scratches and leave a smooth finish on doors, window frames, furniture, shelves and the like. You start with a coarser grit to flatten rough patches or strip old finishes, then swap to finer grits to finish. Being cordless, it’s great on sites without easy mains access; most models have a dust bag or a port to hook up a vacuum, so you can keep the mess down. It’s really for light material removal and finishing work; for heavy removal you’d use something bigger.

On site, a cordless circular saw is my go-to for quick, straight cuts in timber and sheet material. It’s a portable, battery-powered version of a standard circular saw, so you’re not tied to a mains socket. I use it for ripping timber to length, cross-cutting sheets of plywood or MDF, trimming floorboards, and making bevel cuts in framing. With a sharp blade and the guard set, you get clean, accurate cuts while you’re moving around the job. Just set the depth, clamp your work, and keep your hands well clear.

Put simply, a cordless mitre saw is a battery‑powered saw with a circular blade on a swinging arm. You lower the blade to cut clean cross‑cuts and angled joints, using the mitre (side‑to‑side) and bevel (tilt) settings to hit exact angles. It’s ideal for trimming tasks like skirting boards, architraves, doorway linings and picture frames, or any job that needs precise mitre joints on cabinetry. Being cordless lets you work away from a mains lead, which is handy on site, as long as you clamp the work and wear eye and ear protection.

A metal chop saw is a sturdy cut-off saw with a circular metal‑cutting blade. We use it to cut metal stock to length—things like steel bars, tubes, angle iron, channels and flat bar—giving quick, straight cross‑cuts with square ends for welding or bolting. It’s handy on site or in the workshop when you need repeatable lengths fast and clean edges. You’ll generally clamp the work and wear eye and ear protection, since the blade spins fast and sparks can fly.

A cordless SDS drill is a battery‑powered hammer drill built for masonry. It uses an SDS chuck that locks the bit in securely so you can switch quickly between drilling and chiselling. You’d use it to bore holes in concrete, brick or stone for anchors and fixings, or to chase out mortar and channels for cables and pipes. The hammer action helps the bit grind through hard material, making holes faster and cleaner than with a regular cordless drill, and being cordless means you can work away from a power socket on site.

A cordless hammer drill is a portable drill with a built‑in hammering action. I reach for it when I need to bore holes in masonry—brick or concrete—for wall plugs and fixings. With the right bits you can also drill wood or metal, but the hammering helps the bit bite into hard materials much faster. Being battery powered, you don’t need a socket on site, which is handy. They usually have adjustable speed and torque, a clutch to stop the bit if it jams, a side handle for control and often a bright LED light.

A cordless impact wrench is a battery-powered tool used for loosening and tightening large fasteners. It takes a socket on the anvil and delivers short, powerful bursts of torque, which helps crack stubborn wheel nuts and rusty bolts on cars, vans, trailers, and heavy machinery without needing a compressor or air hoses. You’ll use forward to undo and reverse to tighten, and many models let you dial in a bit of torque or speed. The cordless bit makes it portable and handy when you’re working away from the workshop. Always use the correct socket, check the torque specs, and wear eye protection while you’re at it.

A half‑inch digital torque wrench is a hand tool used to tighten nuts and bolts to a precise torque value, using a 1/2" square drive for sockets. You set the required torque in Newton metres (or sometimes ft‑lb on older meters), fit the right socket, and tighten until the display shows the target—the tool will usually beep or show a pass when you reach it. This helps prevent under‑ or over‑tightening, protecting threads, gaskets, and components. It’s common in car work, on motorcycles, and in workshops for things like wheel nuts, engine bolts, and other fasteners where accuracy matters. Always follow the correct tightening sequence and use the torque setting specified by the manufacturer.