HOW TO CREATE A WORKSHOP ON WHEELS TOP LAYER

When you travel to a work site, your car becomes a giant toolbox. And you can bring only the tools that fit.

When I’m running to a volunteer job or helping out a friend, I can’t take everything with me. And since I don’t always know exactly what we’ll be doing, I have to improvise. I need tools that can handle wood, metal and plastic. PVC and sheet metal. I prefer cordless tools, because you never know what the power supply will be, but my heavy-duty tools are corded. After decades of refinement, this is the most versatile group of tools I’ve discovered. The real trick is getting it all to fit in the car.

BOOT EDGES Sawhorses

● No matter the job, you’ll always need to get something off the ground, whether it’s for cutting or painting. Slide them along either side of the boot.

Hand trolley

● For demolition or lugging anything remotely heavy, take a hand trolley. I used one to remove a full-size range from a second-floor apartment. By myself. Folding options are still quite sturdy and easier to fit in the trunk.

Long tools

● These can fit in a channel outside of the sawhorses. I bring a spade, wrecking bar, bow rake, extension pole and a few small pieces of timber, in case we need scrap.

FLOOR AND FIRST LAYER Circular saws

● I pack two circular saws: a sidewinder and a worm drive. One has a plywood blade and the other has a framing blade, so I can cut any variety of construction timber or finish. For safety, these heavy things need to be on the floor in front of the front passenger seat or the rear seats. That way if you take a quick turn, only the light things on top will shift.

Hammer drill

● Handles more than a drill driver, and doesn’t take up any more space. On big jobs, I also take a rotary hammer.

Mitre saw

● Use it with a blade designed for non-ferrous metal. It still makes a nice clean cut on wood, but will also cut through aluminium, copper pipe, PVC; everything except steel. If you have to cut any long items, instead of bringing a work surface for stability, use scrap wood to make a couple of T-blocks.

Reciprocating saw

● Bring as many blades as you have. That includes demolition, metal, wood and carbide-grit that will cut cast iron. You don’t want to run into something you can’t get through.

Toolbox

● Nesting trays allow you to fit more in less space. With these and any other heavy, hard-sided cases, put the long axis in the direction the car moves. If you stop short, the box will slide forward instead of tipping over.