Carpenter vs Electrician Tools

First off, it is important to know what the two do. A framer is a carpenter who is responsible for nailing and setting up the structure of a house or building; they build the bones that hold a house strong but are not seen behind the walls.

An electrician, as their name implies does lots of work relating to electricity. They handle wiring of circuits, handle power outages, and set up new electrical systems like lighting, fans, and much more

Now that you know what they do, let’s discuss the different tools they use. Please know that this list includes many, but not all, and if you use other tools feel free to let us know.

Carpenter Tools

These are people on the go and require a heavy-duty tool belt often with suspenders to take the weight off of them. They carry lots of tools and it is not uncommon for them to have 5 pounds of fasteners on them so the tool belt must be able to comfortably and effectively hold them

As I alluded to before, carpenters carry lots of fasteners with the two most common 16 penny and 8 penny nails and also sleeves to go into a nail gun.

The next thing they carry is something to put in the nails – a hammer. Many carpenters have preferences for steel vs wood or even titanium, but it is up to you to decide what you want.

Aside from a hammer, it is a good thing to have a catspaw to remove the even harder to get nails.

From there it is important to be able to properly measure and make cuts so it is no surprise that they need a large tape measure, and a carpenter’s pencil to make marks.

Also, although not a necessity, you will have a hard time not finding a carpenter who does not carry and utilize a speed square to quickly draw lines for good cuts.

A utility knife is another tool that is used to sharpen the pencil, open boxes of nails, cut open bundles of wood, and a variety of other tasks that make it essential.

Also, a chalk line is a quick and easy way to make very accurate long and straight lines for framing the base of a building. 

Electrician Tools

Electricians have more small tools compared to carpenters, so they need a tool belt that has more pockets and pouches. They require a large array of pliers and different screwdrivers like Philips and flatheads. 

Electricians do lots of work on wires, and it is important to be able to cut them. So this makes wire cutters and strippers essential.

Also, regular pliers are something most will carry to help with nuts and bolts and to get a better grip on what they are working on.

Needle nose pliers are another tool most electricians carry as it is able to grab wires and bend them to the right angle needed to fit in a tight space.

Although electricians work on a smaller scale than framers, they still need to be accurate, so a tape measure and pencil are essential.

Electricians often need to get behind walls so a power drill with many drill bits is a must-have. This is a huge timesaver and will be used nearly daily to drill holes for wires. 

These are the main differences between electricians and carpenters, and I hope you found these tips useful for considering what you may need for your next job.