Spencer_J Posted February 25, 2013 Report Share Posted February 25, 2013 January was our busiest month ever. I have realized how much work it takes to load up the truck, have enough tools to be prepared to install the project, and then put everything back into the shop in order to get back to work. I have a few helpers that meet me on site, nyc is tight so i find myself bringing multiples of tools so no one waits for a driver bit or allen key etc. Any one have a set of tools that are just for installs? I've got the veto pro pac xxlf and keter cantilever stacking screw bins which allow me to have a "install only" set of fasteners. A trick i learned recenty was to pack up the smaller products in contractor garbage bags, then once theyre installed, i dont have to curse myself about forgetting garbage bags! I always try to keep the waste down but leaving the site clean is key. I havent taken the festool plunge yet, but recognize their portability genuis... What do you guys do to cut down the time to get back to work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted February 25, 2013 Report Share Posted February 25, 2013 We have a screw kit like the Keter one you mentioned. We keep it stocked with bumpers, wire nuts, dominos,shelf pins,fender washers, angle brackets and laminate chips (we use them to shim things) in addition to a wide range of screws. I carry a tube of 1/2" magnet spheres to find studs. You can work your way down a finish painted wall and mark all the stud locations without scuffing the paint. A 3/4" magnet will find steel studs even between the screws. Be careful with the bigger rare earth magnets in your pocket they can stick to your tablesaw or truck unexpectedly. We always carry several little 12 volt LiIon drills and drivers, same brand so batteries can swap, and only one charger just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcustoms Posted February 25, 2013 Report Share Posted February 25, 2013 I do the same thing. I have a Tool bag with most everything I would need on site, a drill bag with 2 drills and extra batteries and several driver kits. I also have a hardware box that is similar it cantilevers, I keep install screws hardware parts bumpers, shelf pins etc. I also have a similar box that is slightly larger that holds all my nailers in the bottom and then the nails in the top. With those few things i can get through most installs. Different things work for different people though... Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wjffineww Posted February 25, 2013 Report Share Posted February 25, 2013 It sounds like you may need to start investing in a second set of tools dedicated to the install vehicle. Whether that be through upgrading shop tools, and moving the old ones into vehicle or vice versa. I realize it's not practical to duplicate everything, but it helps to have some multiples. I also try to employ tool boxes, totes, buckets, whatever it takes to make less trips carrying stuff and being organized. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted February 25, 2013 Report Share Posted February 25, 2013 We have a canvas tool organizer that fits a 5 gallon bucket. It has 2 wheels and a collapsible hand truck type handle. Must be 80 pockets around the inside and outside of the bucket. It think they make them to fit those plastic milk crates as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dlhunter Posted February 26, 2013 Report Share Posted February 26, 2013 I'm pretty much in line with the rest of these guys. I have a organizer that holds all my install fasteners and such that only gets used on site and stocked after every job or so. As far as nail guns and drills, I don't have dedicated shop and install ones. I just am not there financially yet. One thing I did do is get a duffle bag style of carrying bag as opposed to the plastic boxes most drills and nail guns come in. I have a 15ga, 16ga, 18ga, and 23ga all in one bag and 2 drills, an impact, charger and random drivers/bits in another. One of the best things I ever did as far as mobilizing tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBaker Posted February 26, 2013 Report Share Posted February 26, 2013 I'm just a one man shop, so I only have to worry about providing tools for one guy. That simplifies things a bit. Any items that are usually only install related go in my truck and stay there (like a sawzall, wrecking bar, etc.) I also have certain stuff that is compartmentalized for specific tasks, like a hardware bench used just for installing door hardware, and it contains all the standard tools and bits I would need to install door locks, dead-bolts, flush bolts, etc.) That bench is made to sit on so you are just the right height to work on the hardware and not killing your knees or back. I stage my fasteners out of my truck and keep it stocked. If I'm in my shop, my truck is right outside the door. I can grab a couple racks of nails or a hand-full of screws and use them in the shop, but if I'm on the job and my fasteners are at the shop, I'm out of luck. The rest, I tote back and forth in a canvas lined bucket, like Steve was talking about and boxes. If I ever get bigger, and add people, I'll buy and fully stock a small install trailer to carry a complete set of tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spencer_J Posted February 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2013 I have a big cantilever box just for TV mount parts. We buy the picture hanger wire style TV mounts in bulk, which are great for any un-level scenario (all NYC APARTMENTS! even the shiny new ones), since everyone has a different TV, i tend to need extra spacers, washers etc. it also holds a large assortment of zip ties and cord stays for media cabinet installs. i love the idea of the cantilever box for the nail guns and nails. one tool i'm really wishing i had a case for was my makita battery circular saw. that thing has saved my butt so many times!!! it doesn't travel well and i've had to hammer the depth adjustment plate back into straight a few times. use a pick up truck for everything and my old boss showed me the leash system of having a carabiner clipped onto a leash in all four corners of the bed. I then take a 3/8" poly rope, starting in one corner, use the rope to hold or clamp the furniture in place crossing over and clipping the rope into the carabiners as i go. you can really cinch stuff down REALLY TIGHT. when one end moves, it pulls on the other corners of the leashes to essentially stay put. here's a picture of a flea market load.... i also find the ratchet straps handy for straight and square objects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted February 26, 2013 Report Share Posted February 26, 2013 I havent done an install for years. Contractors love me. I provide almost everything they need for an install. Granted I do 99% kitchens and baths so its pretty easy. I do everything in the shop. Preassemble the whole set and cut the crown. Build the ladders and pocket hole. Pre drill face frames pretty much everything. I even provide them with custom touchup pens and mounting screws. My favorite install guy uses systainers for everything and has them in a diy rolling cabinet that is fitted to his cabinet lift that acts as a dolly and just wheels everything in and he has it all. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dlhunter Posted February 27, 2013 Report Share Posted February 27, 2013 I havent done an install for years. Contractors love me. I provide almost everything they need for an install. Granted I do 99% kitchens and baths so its pretty easy. I do everything in the shop. Preassemble the whole set and cut the crown. Build the ladders and pocket hole. Pre drill face frames pretty much everything. I even provide them with custom touchup pens and mounting screws. My favorite install guy uses systainers for everything and has them in a diy rolling cabinet that is fitted to his cabinet lift that acts as a dolly and just wheels everything in and he has it all. Don Sounds like I'd love installing your stuff. Most of the kitchens I do I wind up trying to make (3) 1-1/2" fillers and 8' of scribe molding out of the (1) 3"x36" they send out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted February 27, 2013 Report Share Posted February 27, 2013 Sounds like I'd love installing your stuff. Most of the kitchens I do I wind up trying to make (3) 1-1/2" fillers and 8' of scribe molding out of the (1) 3"x36" they send out. Thats a designer issue. The point is the more you get done at the shop the less crap you have to drag around and the less mess you make on site. Making your matching back fillers, doweling your face frames, predrilling all save time on site. So much nicer when you can drop your laser and get to work rather than spending time making spacers and drilling holes. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jHop Posted March 4, 2013 Report Share Posted March 4, 2013 Worked with a guy who did flood restoration once... (long story short, not the world I thought it was). His vans all had an aluminum case that held the same gear between all of them. He stocked each truck with a pair of moisture meters, two sets of spare batteries for them, flashlights (but no batteries for those, go figure) and a cordless drill. Each drill got two batteries, and the charging bases were back at the shop. When they went dead, you just grabbed two more. (None of them were labled, though, so it got easy for someone to grab dead batteries without realizing it.) He had just changed to this system, and was dumping a lot of his "mismatched" gear via classifieds and general sale. He didn't carry much else by way of wood working equipment, but each van was given a standard load of "the basics" that the service his company provided used. It was up to individual driver/operators to add extras, and each person had a different idea of what was appropriate for those extras. Cleaning one van out enough to stock enough blower/driers was sometimes more work than the cleaning! One thing I'd add that his vans did not have would be a pair of brooms. One floor, one basic. And a dust pan. I can't tell you how many times, in just a couple of weeks, I made my own of either from a box corner and paper towels or plastic bags. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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