Inventory & Parts: Tools - FreeMaint Docs

Tools are the durable, returnable equipment you maintain WITH — a welding machine, a torque wrench, a drill — as opposed to consumable parts (screws, welding wire) which you track under Inventory > Parts. Each tool gets its own reference (TOOL-1, etc.).

Tool vs part

Register an item as a Tool when it is reused rather than consumed: it does not have a stock quantity and is not deducted when used on a job. Register screws, lubricants and other consumables as Parts instead.

Tool fields

Name

e.g. Welding machine, torque wrench

Photo

A photo of the tool — see its condition and what it actually looks like (plus extra photos for detail)

Status

Available, In use, In repair, Retired

Location & assignee

Where the tool is and who holds it

Linking tools to a work order

Open a work order, go to the Parts tab, and use the "Tools used" section to attach the tools applied on the job. This records which tools were used without affecting any stock.

Optional calibration

For measuring instruments (torque wrench, micrometer, multimeter), enable "Requires calibration" on the tool and set an interval. FreeMaint then tracks the next due date and reminds the assignee before it expires. Leave it off for tools that do not need calibration — nothing changes for them.

Availability

Viewing tools is available on every plan. Creating and editing tools (and logging calibration) requires the Business plan.

Tools