Tools Of The Trade Part I

Electricians have a wide array of different hand tools in their arsenal, from wire cutting pliers, or dykes; to linesman’s pliers, for cutting and twisting electrical conductors together. Stripping pliers, for stripping the individual conductor sheathing, or insulation. Pliers to make a code-required connection with a crimp sleeve, in certain instances, with solid copper circuit conductors. Fuse pliers, for safely pulling out fuses; chain pliers, for chains for light fixture.

The usual suspects in pocket knives, which no electrician should ever be caught without; knives for removing cable sheath from large conductors; knives for cutting wall board; knives to strip small cable assemblies and knives to keep their pencils sharp.

Screwdrivers of every stripe, including straight blade drivers large and small, three or four sizes of phillips head drivers, square drives or torx (star shaped) head. Long blade, stubby blade, with thin and thick round shafts for comfort and ease of use, or, to allow the use of a wrench, a square shaft.

Hammers are very popular items with electricians also, curved-claw carpenter’s hammers, straight-claw electrician’s hammers, large and small sledge hammers, and sometimes wooden or rubber mallets.

Allen wrenches, big and small, T-handle, or ‘L’ shaped, open end, basket and socket wrenches, ratchets, extensions, spin tights (nut drivers). Multi-tap thread tapping tools and small bolt cutters for threading 6/32, 8/32, 10/32, 10/24 and 1/4/20 holes. Pipe threading tripod stand and threading gear for rigid conduit in trade sizes ½" to 2", hand operated.

Hand saws for cutting wood frame members, plywood, hack saws for Rigid Metal Conduit (RMC), Electrical Metallic Tubing (EMT), Polyvinylchloride (PVC) conduit, and flexible conduit, either of steel or PVC.

Hole punches for making trade-size round holes in steel cabinets and electrical enclosures for rigid steel, PVC or EMT conduit. Hand operated punch sets for sizes from ½" to 2". Hand operable conduit (pipe) benders and hickeys, for trade conduit sizes ½" to 2". For both EMT, or RMC.

Extra-sharp chisels for cutting in wood, cold chisels for cutting or loosening rusted steel bolts, cutting metal sheeting, cutting, With Great Difficulty (WGD) poured concrete, concrete block or brick. Star drills for cutting, WGD, varying size holes in concrete and concrete blocks.

Cable shears, cable cutters, or loppers for large cable sizes, hydraulic-assist cutters and strippers for extra large cables and cable assemblies. Sheet-metal shears, to cut straight; to cut curves to the right; to cut curves to the left.

Crow bars for demolition work in wood frame, pry-bars for leverage assistance, flat bars for prying and pulling. Cat’s paws, and other devices to remove nails and other hardware.

Testing equipment for the various situations, for voltage, current flow, and an ohmmeter to test for continuity in circuits. Voltage testers, or wiggins or wiggie for voltage, proximity voltage testers to find circuit problems. Ampmeter, for testing current flow.

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