I prefer Harris tolls for punchdown, but it's not a religious issue, find something that'll get the job done. Ask the counter person at your local electronics store (NOT RAT SHACK). They should be able to set you up with cable, outlets, tools, panels, wall-mount panel racks...the works. Some place, if they're not too busy, will even show you how to use the punch (if you don't know already).
When you buy the outlets & panel, get "110 IDC" type connections (and a "110 Punch Tool"😉. Make sure all the components are the same pair-order specification (i.e., 568a or 568b...if you get 568b outlets, get a 568b panel) if you mix 'em, then the green and orange pair will be reversed. Colored jacks make it easy to describe later ("Plug it into the Orange jack"😉...a convienience not a necessity.
You almost certainly DO NOT need plenum-rated cable. That's stuff for putting cable in a ceiling that's also the air-return system for HVAC (like some drop ceilings in businesses). It's much more expensive, and a pain to pull & terminate.
Use the "LOW" setting on the punch, or you may cripple the insulation displacement connector. One side of the punch is labeled "Cut," that's the side with the cutting edge on the blade (the blade is keyed, so it'll only lock in one way). Make sure the "CUT" side is on the side of the wire you want to trim off. It sounds dumb, but for as long as I've been doing this stuff, I still get in a hurry & cut the wrong side of the wire occasionally.
Leave nice, long tails on all of the cables when you pull 'em. Leave enough of a tail that you can route the bundle without any sharp bends, kinks, etc., and leave enough extra cable at the jack that you can pull the plate/outlet away from the wall to work on it.
When you're ready to punch, strip (get a stripper tool) about 3 inches of jacket, center the cable on the connector, back-rwist the pair until an opening is created (still twisted ahead and behind) and push the newly-created opening over the post, white/color wire to the left, then punch it. Doing it this way give you the best chance of maintaining the twist all the way to the terminal. There should be no more than 1/2 inch of wire beyond where the jacketing stops.
There's lots "rules" regarding cable installation to ensure you maintain spec for the entire (plate-to-panel-to-plate) cable plant. If the store has a book on structured cabling, get it and read it, it could save you a lot of grief later.
I'd also recommend pulling a couple runs of RG/6 and maybe speaker wire while you're at it, the extra cable won't necessarily make it any hard to pull, adds value to the house later if/when you sell it, and after you're done pulling whatever ou're pulling, you're gonna say "I'm happy I don't EVER have to do THAT again !".
Most shops will have "combination" or hybrid cables. In one jacket, there's two (or four) catx UTP, one or two RG/6, and sometimes speaker cables, sometimes four strands of fiber...it depends on the manufacturer. Ask around, it might be an easier pull if it's all in one jacket.
As a minimum tool set, you should have a punch tool, diagonal cutters, cable knife, fish-tape (spring steel or fiberglass "pusher & puller"😉, at least 100' of sturdy string (1 Oz fishing sinker), screwdrivers, drywall saw, some "Low Voltage Mounting Brackets" to put in the drywall holes to mount the info outlet plates, cable labels (label them wires!!!! ALL of 'em!!!), and a coat hanger or two (and don't forget the duct tape). If you can get your hands on a UTP continuity tester, that'll make life much easier if something doesn't work (a weak punch might jump out of the IDC connector).
Wear safety glasses, and when you cut drywall, wear a mask (and safety glasses). If there's any chance there's a power cable behind where you're cutting, kill the power to that room.
Since you're pulling multiple cables, buy a spool of different color for each run (if you can), it simplifies things later when you realize you forgot to label.....
Most cable can be bought on a spool, or a box. I prefer to pull from a box. If you pull from a spool, put it on a horizontal spindle to keep the cable from getting twisted (like if you put the spool end-up on the floor & pull, the cable comes off the spool with a twist...bad juju, major headache, poor technique. Pulling from a box mostly eliminates the problem.
It's a good thing to pull a string with every cable group, in case you want pull another cable later. If you use the string to pull another cable later, pull another string in with it for the next time.
That's it for me.....Good Luck!
FWIW
Scott
