An across-the-pond peek inside a carpenter's tool belt
Video transcript:
Scott Brown here. I, uh... I fractured my ankle. I tripped at a silent disco.
Alright, today's video is about this tool belt. We'll talk more about my foot later, if you're interested, but today is about the Occidental Leather tool belt and shoulder straps.
The Occidental Leather Tool Belt
So this is the Occidental Leather tool belt. It's the framing one—the seven-bag framer. I get a lot of questions about the shoulder straps, so I'll start with that.
These shoulder straps, I bought at the same time as the tool belt. They're leather-reinforced with nylon and pads. They clip at the back and at the front, and the strap sort of crosses over at the back here. What the shoulder strap does is basically distribute the weight, so all the weight isn't sitting on your hips like it would without the shoulder strap. It makes it so you're bearing some of it on your shoulders, and it also doubles as a pen holder.
Tool Setup and Preferences
I usually carry a pencil like this—just your standard carpenter's pencil, rectangular—but I also sometimes carry mechanical pencils. This is a Pica Dry. I tend to prefer these because you can cut them in whatever way you want, and they're flat when you put them on the ground. I'm just used to it.
This bag has two large pockets and one small pocket. I'm pretty sure this top pocket is for a chalk line, but I use it for my tape measure. This is a Milwaukee 8-meter tape measure, metric (we use metric here in New Zealand). It has a magnetic tip on the end, which is handy when you're measuring up to something metal—it'll grab onto it, and then you don't have to hold it. It's a little bit heavy, but it's quite compact, and it seems pretty durable as well. I've dropped this off a few ladders, and, uh... still going strong.
Speed Square and Nail Punches
One great thing about the Occidental tool pouch is it has this little slot for your speed square. I keep the Milwaukee speed square here. I've had this for a couple of months now, and it's been good. I don’t really use speed squares for much other than quickly cutting framing. If I'm using a circular saw and just want a square mark, I'll pop this out.
This one is a bit wider at the base than most. The one I was using before was the Lufkin one. I mean, I guess it's better, right? I don’t know why it’s wider—I don’t know the main purpose—but I’ve been enjoying the square.
All that's left is the nail punches. This one here is for finishing nails—it’s got a smaller end to it—and this one's for slightly larger nails. I often keep drill bits in here that I’m not using. This particular Phillips bit is quite good for jib screws; it’s a Milwaukee one. So yeah, if you're looking for something for plasterboard screws, that's an ideal option.
Left Side of the Tool Belt
In the larger pocket, I use it mainly for nails and screws. I'm right-handed, so having a large left-hand pouch that's quite open is really handy. I reach in here with my left hand, grab nails or screws, and then have the drill or the hammer in my right hand.
Before we move to the other side, I've attached these shoulder straps to the tool belt with actual bolts—specifically Chicago screws. I bought them because the loops that hold the shoulder straps to the tool belt weren’t moving too much. Chicago screws are just internally threaded bolts with flat flanges on either side—it’s a nice way of holding leather together.
Right Side: Knives, Pencils, and Tools
Now, moving to the other side, we have a lot more going on. We have two smaller pouches in place of the big pouch, and there's what I think is meant to be a tape holder. I don’t really use it as one. Then we have a lot more loops here for different tools.
First up, we have the craft knife. This is a Tajima craft knife, and I really like these ones. This is a 25-millimeter blade, but more recently, I’ve started carrying this around—this is a Gyokucho knife. The great thing about it is it’s a saw blade. I’ve talked about this in previous videos. This is great when you just need to finish a little cut, maybe cut a pencil in half for some reason—it’s great.
Right next to the two knives, I have my Pica pens. We have the Pica mechanical pencil that I referred to earlier, and this is one of my favorite things to have in a tool belt: the Ty-lock marker. I just call it the skinny Pica bolt pen. If you have a bolt hole and need to mark it out on some timber, this will go through that hole and let you mark it out. It’s also good for marking on things where the pencil won’t—like a greasy surface—you’ll probably get it with this.
Handy Tools: The Bar and the Chisel
Another tool that I’ve been using a lot more often lately is the Hultafors small bar. That part there is quite narrow, so it’s very good for removing staples and pulling out tiny little finishing nails. It’s just a handy little thing to have. I also use it to separate decking boards when I’m screwing them off because it’s quite thin.
Next to that is a Hultafors chisel. This is just my whacking chisel, my breaking chisel, and my prying-apart chisel. I’m not very precious about this one, but there you go.
In the large pocket, I keep the folding ruler and the Knipex nips. The nips are something I’ve kept in my tool belt since I was an apprentice. They’re for tying steel if you’re doing reinforcing steel, but they’re also great for pulling out nails that your hammer or bar won’t pull out. You can grab them and yank them out yourself.
Final Touches: The Folding Ruler and Miscellaneous Items
My folding ruler goes up to two meters. The tape measure is for most measurements, but if I’m marking a surface—like cutting a sheet of plywood and need the measurement to be exact—I like to lay this out and use it like a meter ruler. You can lay it flat, and you know it’s going to be exact.
The small pouches hold odds and ends. Recently, I was doing decking, and you should always rub out your pencil marks. Here’s an eraser, sandpaper, and different screws and bolts in there.
On the side of this pouch, there’s a loop that’s good for hanging drills and nail guns off of. And of course, on the back, we have the hammer holster hanging in the middle there. I just go like that—it’s second nature now.
My Hammer and the Wrap-Up
This is a 16-ounce titanium head, timber handle hammer—the Vaughan Deluge. I’ve put this rubber sleeve on the handle to improve grip, and it’s been a great addition. This is still the original handle from when I first got this hammer three years ago. I highly recommend this hammer—it’s been a great all-rounder.
For demolition, I’ll pull out the M1 Martinez hammer. It’s got a much heavier head, almost like a sledgehammer, and the hook on it works better for yanking out nails. But day-to-day, I’m far more comfortable with the Vaughan Deluge.
And that’s my tool belt setup! This is my daily toolbox setup. Sometimes I’ll mix and match—maybe throw in chalk lines, change the hammer, or not have as many rulers—but that’s my daily.