The Top Roofing Tools and their Uses
In addition to the professional workmanship of roofers, the choice of the right tool is crucial for how quickly and adequately corresponding orders can be completed. Furthermore, every craftsman appreciates high-quality tools and will be able to confirm the universally valid saying “buy cheap, buy twice”.
The following explanations will tell you everything about the most important tools that a roofer absolutely needs for his work and for which tasks they are used.
Roofer’s Hammer
The most important tool of the roofer is the roofer’s hammer, also called a lath hammer or carpenter’s hammer.
Since not many tools can be carried for work on the roof, ideally including none that are very large or heavy, the roofer’s hammer must fulfill many requirements.
The tool is easy for the roofer to carry and is very versatile in its use. Besides the typical work of driving in and pulling out nails, the roofer’s hammer is also suitable for working on roof tiles.
Haubrücke
The slate bridge is a special tool used in the roofing trade for working with slate tiles.
In combination with a slate hammer, the roofer can work on slate or fiber cement tiles on site, using the slate bridge as a base to obtain precise edge contours or nail holes as well as curves.
The T-shaped hood bridges allow for the processing of materials up to a thickness of approximately 7 millimeters.
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Roof tile cutter
In many areas of the roof, the required shapes of the roof tiles only become apparent on site, so that all corners and edges of a roof can be covered exactly.
The roof tile cutter is indispensable for the precise processing and fitting of the tiles and serves as an optimal tool directly at the place of use.
There are several different types of roof tile cutters, which can be operated, for example, as heavy electrically powered stationary devices on the construction site or as mechanical devices for immediate use on the roof.
Hefthammer
The lever hammer differs significantly at first glance from its namesake tools.
However, the staple hammer is also designed for fastening certain materials to the roof. The tool is filled with staples and is ideal for quickly fastening relatively thin materials such as foils or cardboard.
In the work process on the roof, certain materials only need to be fixed temporarily, so screwing or nailing would be too labor-intensive and time-consuming.
The stapler helps to save time and ensure smooth processes.
Folding pliers
With the folding pliers, the roofer is able to fold thin rolled metals, i.e., noticeably the edges of sheet metal, so that they can be joined quickly and easily and adapted to the shape of the roof.
This process, when carried out correctly, creates clean edges that form optimal connections. In practice, folding is a very good alternative to significantly more complex screwing, welding, or soldering methods.
Tools for specific fields of activity
For the work of a roofer, additional tools must be used for specific purposes in certain areas of work.
For sealing work, foil scissors and a utility knife are helpful for cutting foils and cardboard. For roof battening, tools used are primarily those also employed by carpenters.
A batten lifter easily removes old roof battens, although in many cases a nail puller or pry bar is an alternative. A claw hammer makes it particularly easy to remove old nails from the wood, and a folding ruler or batten gauge are valuable measuring tools for the proper installation of battens.
Chalk line and spirit level are also common additional tools for aligning battens.
For roofing work, roofers also use pointed hammers, which can be used to create precisely fitting holes in the slate tiles during the process. Tin snips are used to cut sheets of varying thicknesses into the appropriate shape, and a plasterer’s axe is suitable for precisely shaping roof tiles.
In addition to the usual tools used in a roofer’s work, special attention should also be paid to functional work clothing, non-slip footwear and equipment aspects in terms of occupational safety.
