Tools, measurement and records

Care and correct use of hand tools, power tools and instruments, and the equipment records that make every other procedure faster.

Scope

Correct use, care and storage of hand tools, power tools and measuring instruments, and the equipment records — model, serial and date — that make every other procedure in this repository faster.

Common failure modes

• A measuring instrument stored under load and now out of calibration
• A tool put away wet and corroded
• The wrong driver size used, which damages the fastener
• A battery pack stored fully discharged
• No record of model or serial numbers when a part is needed

Sections

• Hand tools, drivers and fasteners

  Hand tools and the fasteners they turn: selection, cleaning and storage, and identifying a bolt or a screw by size, thread pitch and grade marking before it is replaced.

  5 published

• Power tools, guards and battery packs

  Power tools and their battery packs: guards, vents, matching an accessory to the tool, hearing protection, and the storage that decides how long a lithium-ion pack lasts.

  7 published

• Measuring instruments

  Multimeters, torque wrenches, gauges and thermometers: correct use, the settings that destroy an instrument, and the storage that keeps it reading true.

  10 published

• Model numbers, data plates and date codes

  Finding out exactly what a machine is: model and serial plates and where manufacturers hide them, date codes, and the household record that turns a parts search or a recall check from an afternoon into a minute.

  10 published

All procedures in this category

• How do I know if my meat thermometer or fridge thermometer is accurate, and how do I calibrate it?A food thermometer or a fridge or freezer thermometer is only useful if the number it shows is close to the truth. The m
• How to check if something you own has been recalledEvery product recall in the United States is public, and every recall database is free to search — the hard part is know
• How do I set a click type torque wrench and what setting do I leave it on when I put it awayA click-type torque wrench is a spring in a tube. That single fact explains almost everything about how it is used and s
• How do I check if my infrared thermometer is accurate, what is emissivity, and how do I calibrate itAn infrared thermometer is a non-contact tool that reads the heat a surface radiates. Two specifications decide whether
• How do I test a fuse or check if a wire is broken with a multimeterContinuity is the one multimeter test almost every household job needs, because it answers a single question: does elect
• What dust mask or N95 should I use for power tool dust, and how do I know it is not fake?A disposable dust mask, often sold as an N95, is the everyday answer to sanding, sawing, cutting and grinding dust from
• What drill bit and what speed should I use for wood, metal, plastic or concrete?Most people pick a drill bit by looking at the hole they want and pick a speed by squeezing the trigger until it sounds
• How do I know which wall plug or drywall anchor will actually hold what I want to hang?Every wall anchor on the shelf has a number on the package, and that number is almost never the answer to the question y
• What NRR do I need for ear protection with power tools and a lawn mower?Hearing loss from tools is not dramatic and that is the whole problem with it. There is no pain, no bruise, and no momen
• How to clean and store hand tools so they don't go rustyRust on a hand tool is almost never a failure of the tool. It is water, left on bare steel, in a space that spends half
• How do I crimp a wire connector so it does not come loose, and how do I test a crimpA crimped terminal is the standard way to attach a ring, spade or butt connector to a 12 V wire, for a car audio install
• How to find your car's VIN number and check if it has an open recallThe VIN — vehicle identification number — is a 17-character code that encodes information about your vehicle's manufactu
• How do I decode the date code on my appliance and find out how old it isA dead appliance, a warranty claim, a recall check or a home inspection all come back to the same question: how old is t
• Find the exploded parts diagram for a machine you own, and read a part number off itEvery part on a washing machine, a lawn mower engine, or a pressure washer pump has its own diagram and its own number,
• Find the safety data sheet for a chemical product you already own, and read the parts that matterA Safety Data Sheet (SDS) is a standardized document that manufacturers provide for chemical products. It tells you abou
• Identify a battery from the code printed on it, and find the right replacementA dead remote, a dead smoke alarm, or a dead flashlight usually comes with one clue: the tiny code printed on the old ce
• How do I work out what size bolt this is, and what do the lines on the head mean?Four things have to match before a replacement bolt is the right bolt: diameter, thread pitch, length, and grade. The fi
• What size filter do I need, and is a generic or cross-reference filter really the same as the OEM part?Two things identify a filter: the part number printed on its own frame or housing, and its own physical dimensions. Betw
• Identify a lost power adapter from the equipment's own marking, and match a replacementYour equipment carries a label with its power requirement. The label lists four things: the output voltage, the current
• How do I check if a grinding wheel or cutting disc is safe to use on my angle grinder or bench grinder?A grinding wheel or a cutting disc — the flat, round abrasive stone that fits on an angle grinder or a bench grinder — c
• What size blade fits my circular saw, and does the RPM rating on the blade matter?Most people buy a circular saw blade on two numbers: the diameter and the size of the hole in the middle. Those two get
• How to measure a pipe or a hose so the fitting you buy actually fitsA pipe or a hose is sold and labeled by a nominal size, and a nominal size is a name for a product family, not a measure
• Measure the moisture content of firewood with a pin moisture meterA pin moisture meter measures the water content inside firewood by detecting electrical resistance. Wood that has been p
• Measure how hard your water is, and know what the number meansA water hardness test strip gives you a fast, rough number for how much dissolved calcium and magnesium is in your tap w
• Read a tape measure, and understand why its hook is meant to be looseA tape measure looks simple, but two things trip up almost everyone: the small marks between the inch numbers, and the m
• How to read the label on a power tool and understand what the numbers meanEvery power tool carries a rating plate, and most owners never read past the model number. The same plate lists the elec
• Read the yellow EnergyGuide label, and know what its number does not includeMost major appliances sold in the United States carry a yellow-and-black EnergyGuide label: refrigerators, dishwashers,
• How to find and record the model and serial number of every appliance in the houseAlmost every useful thing you can do with an appliance starts with its model number. Checking whether it has been recall
• How do I replace the fuse in my multimeter, and how do I know my test leads are still safe to useA multimeter that still reads voltage and resistance correctly but goes dead only on a current range usually has a blown
• How should I store my cordless mower and trimmer batteries over the winter?A cordless mower battery left in an unheated shed all winter is a battery you buy again in spring. That is the ordinary,
• Tell a metric hex key or socket from an imperial one before it rounds the fastenerA hex key or hex socket is sized by the flat-to-flat width of its tip, and that width comes from two unrelated systems:
• Use a feeler gauge to measure a clearance, and find the figure it should beA feeler gauge is a set of thin metal leaves that measure gaps and clearances between engine parts, bearing surfaces, an