10 Deck-Building Tools You Didn’t Know You Needed

You can build a deck with a very short list of tools, but if you have extra room in your budget, here are a few more items that will make the job easier.

1. A complete set of sockets comes in handy for attaching hardware and changing blades.

2. Right-angle grinders can be fitted for cutting or grinding and  reach into tight places where other tools won’t.	3. A rigger’s hammer has a hatchet blade instead of a nail-pulling claw (and is the only hammer author Scott Grice will admit to owning).

3. A rigger’s hammer has a hatchet blade instead of a nail-pulling claw (and is the only hammer author Scott Grice will admit to owning).

4. Clamps are thought of as more of a woodworker’s tool, but for those who typically work alone they’re the cheapest extra hands you will find.

5. This big square replaces the need to pull a 3-4-5 triangle to get to square and it folds up neatly for easy storage.

6. Multi-tools have blossomed ever since the patent was released a few years ago; if you don’t have one, go buy one.	7. Rubber bumpers on the ends of a post-hole digger will save your knuckles. This pair has offset handles as well for deeper digging.

8. Quarter-angle drills can fit into places a typical drill can’t reach for both drilling and driving–though cordless drills and impact drivers are getting smaller and more powerful every year.

9. Construction calculators can work in inches and fractions and will calculate things like the area of a circle and the hypotenuse of a triangle, though you might prefer to download a construction app for your smartphone rather than carrying around a separate calculator.

10. A rafter hook, a common accessory, will save your circular saw from being dropped. When not in use it folds out of the way. Some saws even come with these hooks built in.

Fine Homebuilding Recommended Products

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4-Gallon Piston Backpack Sprayer

This sprayer holds a large amount of solution and the backpack design keeps your hands free, making maintaining and cleaning a deck a breeze.

Buy at Amazon

Festool Cordless Track Saw (TSC 55 KeB-F)

The Festool Cordless Track Saw is a powerful, smooth tool with reliable, high-friction strips and a semi-transparent splinter guard.

Buy at Amazon

Lithium-Ion Cordless Palm Nailer

This tool is nice to have for fitting in tight spaces when fastening hardware. While you may not use it often, you'll be glad you have it when you need it.

Buy at Amazon