Tools and equipment

This list varies with building size, site, and crew. It is a recommendation, not a limitation. Safety equipment must meet regulatory requirements.

• Electric screw guns with magnetic heads — 2000 RPM with a depth-sensing nosepiece or adjustable clutch.
• Electric sheet-metal nibbler and shears. Spare cutting bits.
• Portable arc welder with extra leads.
• Bolt-tension calibrator (Skidmore-Wilhelm or equal).
• At least two extension ladders long enough for the eave.
• One set of torches with gauges and hoses. Spare tips.
• Steel tapes: 100′, 50′, and several 12′. Stretch tape for short work.
• At least one 4′ level. Transit and level rod. Framing square and tri-squares.
• Sheet-metal cutters — straight, left, and right.
• Enough cable for temporary bracing.
• Power impact wrench with sockets — for bolts, not for self-drilling screws.
• Chokers and rope ready before the crane arrives.
• Heavy-duty ratchet set, extensions, attachments.
• Plenty of extension cords for every tool that will run at once.
• Shop hammers, sledgehammers, spud wrenches, wrecking bars, heavy-duty drift pins.
• Circular saw with metal-cutting and carbide-tip blades. Hacksaws.
• Vise-grips, crescent wrenches, box and open-end wrenches.
• Razor knives, straight-line string, chalk boxes.
• Caulking guns for sausage pack and cartridge.
• Pop-rivet tools, manual and electric. Staple pliers and staples for insulation.
• ⅜″ and ½″ electric drills and twist drills.
• Acetone, rags, brooms. Approved safety devices.