Tools

Fish Tape

Tim Thiele

A fish tape is used to pull stranded or solid wire through metal or PVC conduit. Cable lube is available to assist you in pulling the wires through the pipe.

Tim Thiele

A tape measure is use to measure heights for switches and outlets. You will also need it to center lighting fixture boxes.

 

Pliers of all different shapes and sizes are some of the most often

used hand tools in electrical applications. Needle-nose pliers are especially important for manipulation and handling of small electrical devices.

Insulated Tools

• A number of common hand tools (hammers, pliers, wrenches and screwdrivers) are required for electrical maintenance and repair. Due to the nature of electrical work, however, these tools must be insulated. Insulation covers the gripping areas of the hand tools, protecting against electric shock.

Strippers/Cutters/Crimpers

• Strippers, cutters and crimpers are all essential hand tools for the electrician. Some tools come with a combination of two or all three of these functions. Strippers are used to strip the sheath (insulated covering) from wires and cables in preset lengths. Cutters are used to cut wire and cable; they should not be used to cut wire or cable for which they are not rated. Crimpers, or crimper pliers, are used to create a crimp and join two lengths of wire or a length of wire to a crimp pin.

Electrical Testers

• There are a few different types of electrical testers, one of the most common being the multimeter. Some testers have a plug used to simply test the current or voltage of an outlet. Strict voltage testers sometimes come in wireless versions to avoid shock when testing circuits or outlets with unknown activity. Multimeters combine the functions of most other electrical testers, allowing you to measure AC and DC voltage, current and resistance.

Chip Extractors

• Chip extractors usually look like high-tech tweezers. They are used for safely extracting circuit chips from circuit boards. These are an important tool for anyone working on computers.

Pick-up Tools

• Pick-up hand tools are a must-have for anybody working with electrics or electronics. They are used for picking up small objects--like wire pieces, screws and circuit chip--from hard-to-reach places. There are many electrical situations in which pick-up tools are a necessity for accessing and retrieving things on a micro scale. They primarily use either vacuum suction or magnetism to pick up objects. Many models have small built-in flashlights to help illuminate the working space, as these hand tools are often used in dark nooks and crannie.