Hand Tools

Knives commonly used in construction are multi-purpose utility knives. These knives will include a Razor Blade, Construction Utility Knife, Pen Knife, Precision Knife, Construction Pocket Knife, and a Box Cutter. If you don’t need all of these options you can opt for a stanley knife, also known as a retractable safety knife, or a folding knife which is great for small tool boxes as they fold into a compact handle.

Cutters are a very sturdy tool with razor sharp edges, specifically designed to cut through reinforced steel and cables. They will allow builders to make steel beams to the exact length required. Cutters are available in both electric and manual for all types of work, including variations of small hand held devices and large disc-cutters.

Snips make the process of cutting through aluminium or vinyl an easy task. The sturdy blades are long lasting and designed to cut through difficult materials. Although not recommended, Snips can occasionally be used to cut stainless steel, but this will deteriorate the blades faster. Snips are best used on softer materials such as sheet metal and plastic.

A Caulking Gun is a device used to apply caulk to a range of materials from wood to metal, glass or ceramic. A Caulking Gun is needed to push silicone or latex out of the tube and will not leave any waste behind. Each Gun has a barrel, a plunger rod and a trigger that will allow you to release the tube after it has been used. Other applicators are also available at Direct Trades Supply, talk to our experts about the products you are using and we can advise on the correct applicator.

Files and Rasps are hand tools with a coarse plate which can be used to shape various materials. Files are mostly made for use on metals and rasps are designed to be used on wood. The different designs in the coarse plates are made to be suitable for the intended material.

A Planer Tool reduces the thickness of wood and other materials by slowly sanding away the extra unwanted material. Planers can also be used to smooth or flatten materials depending on the desired outcome.

Hand Scrapers are used to remove unwanted substances from a material. Scraping can also be done when a material needs to retain a chemical such as oil by allowing the oil to seep into the small crevasses created by the scraper. In some cases Scrapers are also used to create a decorative finish on some metals.