Pliers are good for hands-on holding. Clamps hold things for you and leave your hands free. It's a good idea to stock a supply of spring clamps and C-clamps (named for their shape) to hold items together while you're working on them or to hold a freshly glued joint together while the adhesive dries. Slip-joint pliers, pliers with serrated teeth on the forward parts of the jaws and corrugated teeth farther back on the jaws, are also good to have around. You can easily shift the jaws to hold objects of varying sizes, using the set of teeth that fits best. Also, get a pair of needle-nose pliers for grasping small items or reaching into narrow spaces. If you do your own electrical work, invest in a multipurpose tool, electrician's pliers that measure, strip, clamp wire, and crimp wire connectors.
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Pliers and clamps are multi-purpose tools that no toolkit should be without.
