Before you start
- Your download is a zip with two files. Double-click it to open it. Start with the one marked with examples to see how everything works, then use the blank one for your business.
- Open the file in Microsoft Excel. Using Google Sheets? Upload it to Google Drive, then open it with Google Sheets.
- Start on the Start Here tab. It has the same steps, right inside the file.
- The sample data is there so you can see how everything works. Type over it with your own when you're ready.
Here's how to list your tools once, then let the Dashboard tell you what's due.
1List your tools (one time, about 10 minutes)
- Open Equipment. Add each tool with purchase date, price, expected life and resale value.
- Set the service interval and pick the unit: days, weeks, months, hours, uses or miles.
2Log service, blades and ladder checks
- Maintenance Log: every service with cost and meter reading.
- Blades and Bits: hours on each blade against its typical life.
- Ladder Checks: each check with pass or fail.
3Check the Dashboard weekly
- The Dashboard shows overdue and due-soon service, ladders not cleared, blades to replace and your monthly equipment cost.
What the messages mean
The tool watches your numbers and tells you in plain words when something needs a look. Here's every message you might see.
What to do: Repair or retire it before the next job.
What to do: Swap in a new one.
What to do: Pick it from the list.
What to do: Check the number.
Using Google Sheets or your phone
- To use Google Sheets, upload the file to Google Drive, then right-click it and choose Open with, then Google Sheets.
- Dropdowns, colors, and every calculation work the same in Google Sheets.
- On a phone, the Google Sheets and Excel apps work for quick changes. For setup and printing, a computer is easier.
- Want to start fresh? Type over the yellow example cells. Don't delete rows, since other tabs may be reading them.
Ready when you are
Everything above comes with our tool and ladder log for $9, updates included. Or get it as part of the full handyman toolkit.
Common questions
Is this a safety inspection?
No. It keeps your own checks on schedule. Follow the maker's instructions and safety rules.
Quick reference from the Start Here tab
Welcome
A dull blade, a dead battery or a ladder with a worn foot costs you time, money and safety on the job. This log keeps all your tools in one place: what you own, what it costs you each month, what needs service, which blades and bits are worn, which ladders passed their safety check and what you'll need to replace soon.
Where To Start
Open 'Settings' and check the warning windows (they're fine as they are for most handymen).
Open 'Equipment'. Add each tool with what you paid, when, how long it should last and roughly what you could sell it for.
Set how often each item needs service: days, weeks or months for most things, hours for saws and the compressor, uses for battery charge cycles, miles for the van.
For hour, use and mile schedules, update 'Meter now' each week from the hour meter, your charge count or the odometer.
Every time you change a blade, replace a battery, change oil or fix something, add a row on 'Maintenance Log'. Add the meter reading too.
Log blades and bits on 'Blades and Bits' and ladder checks on 'Ladder Checks'.
Check the 'Dashboard' once a week.
Which Cells To Edit
Yellow cells with blue text are yours to fill in. Italic yellow cells marked (optional) can stay empty. Gray cells calculate on their own and are locked.
Need to change a formula? In Excel go to Review, then Unprotect Sheet. In Google Sheets use Data, then Protect sheets and ranges. No password needed.
What The Results Mean
Service status: OK, Due soon (within your warning window), or Overdue. Red means act now, amber means plan for it.
Yearly cost: what you paid minus resale value, spread over the expected life.
Monthly equipment cost: yearly cost of all items ÷ 12, plus your average monthly maintenance over the last 12 months. It's an Estimated number for pricing jobs.
Blades and bits: Replace soon at your warning share of typical life (80% to start), Replace now at 100%.
Safety status: Passed, Check due soon, Check overdue, Needs a check, or Do not use (any Fail on the latest check).
Replacement status: Past life, Replace this year, Plan ahead (within your Settings years) or OK.
How To Clear The Examples And Reuse It
Easiest: open the Blank file. Or select the yellow example cells on each working tab and press Delete. Formulas stay in place.
To retire an item, delete its yellow cells or type over them with the new item. There are 150 equipment rows, 1,000 log rows, 300 ladder check rows and 200 blade rows.
Sorting and filtering work on every tab. Sort the whole table, not one column.
Good To Know
Meter now vs meter at last service: the log remembers the meter reading from your last service. Service is due when meter now reaches that reading plus your interval.
Expected life vs typical blade life: expected life is in years for the whole tool. Typical blade life is in hours of cutting. It varies a lot with the material, so adjust it once you see how your blades wear.
Yearly cost vs maintenance: yearly cost is wear (what the tool loses in value). Maintenance is what you spend keeping it running. Monthly equipment cost adds both.
Type each item name exactly once on the Equipment tab. The other tabs pick names from that list.
Always follow the maker's instructions. Unplug the tool or remove the battery before changing a blade or bit.
Share box: the "Share with other EasyWorkTools tools" box on the Dashboard lists the numbers this file gives to or gets from the other Handyman tools. Copy them by hand. The labels match exactly, so it's clear where each one goes.
Getting Updates
Every update is free. When a new version is ready we email you, and you can download it any time.
Moving to a new version: copy the yellow cells from each sheet into the same sheets of the new file.
Using Google Sheets? Upload this file to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets (or File, then Import, then Upload). The math works the same.
Your License
This file is licensed to one business, including everyone who works there. Please don't share, resell or post it online.
© 2026 EasyWorkTools. All rights reserved. easyworktools.com
Every tab
This file has 8 tabs, in this order:
- Start Here
- Dashboard
- Equipment
- Maintenance Log
- Blades and Bits
- Ladder Checks
- Lists
- Settings