Hand Tools & Building Trades

Getting Ready to Work

Help kids keep their workspace and classroom clean and organized. Woodworking tool cabinets are a highly-customizable way to store tools and accessories when not in use. Fill a new cabinet with a specified tool set for each of the CTE skills that are taught in your school. Provide students with a tool belt or work apron, as appropriate, so they have all the tools and supplies they need to complete a project within easy reach.

Measure Up

From analog tools like rulers and levels, to newer digital ones like laser measures and stud finders, there’s a measuring tool for every project. For construction and landscaping, we also offer a variety of rotary laser kits, tripods, and line levels.

Must-Have Tools

Every CTE classroom needs a few basic tools in the cabinet. Hammers, screwdrivers, wrenches, and pliers are a daily need. You’ll also find that hand saws, hex and torx keys, sockets, pry bars, and staplers are frequently used items. If you’ll have utility or box knives around, be sure to have plenty of replacement blades on hand, too.

Bring It All Together

No two projects are built the same, so you’ll need to have a wide variety of clamps available to suit each student’s needs. Handheld spring clamps, bar clamps, C-clamps, pipe clamps, and headscrew clamps all serve a different purpose. No matter what your students are working on, Midwest Technology has a clamp for that.

Nearly every project will require a third hand, but one isn’t always available in a busy classroom. Vises come in a lot of varieties for different projects. We offer swivel vises, utility bench vises, light-duty bench vises, quick release wood vises, round channel vises, mechanic’s vises, woodcraft vises and more.

The Finishing Touches

Before a project can be considered complete, it will need some fine tuning. This is when small precision tools are ideal. Carving tools, chisels, punches, planes, files, and tweezers all help get the details just right. Students can take the ideas in their heads and create a beautiful representation in the real world that expresses their unique vision.

Tools for Specialized CTE Programs

As CTE programs in high schools become more common, the variety of educational supplies needed also expands. Programs focused on construction and building trades will need cement, bricklaying, and drywall tools. These classrooms will also need a steady supply of scrapers and putty knives for each student. Aspiring plumbing technicians will need to know how to use oilers and cutting oil, pipe and tubing cutters, ratchets, swaging tools, pipe vises, and much more. The knowledge gained in these CTE classes will give students a step up into the workforce after they graduate, as well as making them self-sufficient homeowners.