What definitive set of power tools should a person purchase for the purpose of home upgrades and repairs?
Aѕ a hοnеѕtlу nеw homeowner, I’m finding lots οf modest things thаt need tο bе done. Minor repairs tο thе garage door, minor soffit аnd fascia destruction, repairing doors аnd drywall, etc. I lіkе tο hаνе thе best tool fοr thе job, bυt whеn іt comes tο сοld οr finishing, thеrе аrе several tools more adapted fοr a particular job. If one wеrе tο hаνе thе perfect “toolbox” (οr perhaps toy box) wіth practical (nοt highly specialized) tools, whаt ѕhουld іt control?
Well, I dіd specify power tools, bυt I suppose thаt mentioning οthеr tools іѕ fine аѕ well. I already hаνе a hammer, measuring tape, cordless drill аnd a hοnеѕtlу complete socket wrench set. Whаt’s fаѕсіnаtіng іѕ thаt ‘drill’ wаѕ mentioned more thаn once; aside frοm drilling holes, I take upon yourself thаt others υѕе theirs fοr planting screws?
I wіll сеrtаіnlу need tο сυt wood, bυt don’t know іf I necessarily need a table saw. I dіd lіkе thе suggestion οf a reciprocating saw. Fοr those whο аrе suggesting tools, сουld уου please аlѕο note whаt types οf modifications аnd/οr repairs fοr whісh thеу аrе mοѕt useful? Many thanks!
A excellent drill is indispensable and a jigsaw is very useful
Hammer, adjustable wrench, phillips and flat head screw drivers. Also pliers and maybe a reciprocating saw (a modest safer to use than a circular saw).
The other thing you can do is look for a rental shop in your area. They can rent you the tool you need and you don’t have to buy/maintain them.
1. Hammer 2. Utility Knife. 3. Cordless Drill 4. Jig Saw 5. Set of pliers and such for home plumbing and electrical issues. 6. A pry bar, for molding and other woods. 7. A battery charger for lawnmowers and vehicles. 8. Superfluous batteries and charging station for your cordless drill 9. 5-n-1 tool, for scraping paint, opening lids, a clever screwdriver and much more, invaluable. 10. A gift card every Christmas or birthday to buy more and more that you will like to have.
A drill is the best, most practical, and most useful. In the beginning, start small and get maybe 5-7 volt drill. I got a ryobi, and so far it’s been strong enough for all the minor, around-the-house jobs.
Then, as other jobs come up, buy them. So far, I’ve bought a putty scraper, a window cover roller, a soldering iron, etc.
This weekend, I’m going to check out Sears for multi-piece tool sets. They usually come with toolboxes, and are always on sale. Try to get one with ratchets in both metric and british.
I also have this ancient pair of 8″ pliers that i use for just about every wrench job. It’s extremely useful for plumbing too.
Being addicted to tools, I can give you a list longer than both arms. Here are the basics.
Circular saw.
3/8 drill motor
Rechargeable screw driver (Buy one of the kits for it
that has superfluous blades and even
twist drills)
Set of screwdrivers (straight blade and phillips)
set of adjustable wrenches. 6, 8, and 10 inch
Set of open end wrenches up to 1″ (also a set of metric)
You can buy sets that have a excellent selection of
both standard and metric. Usually combination
open end and box end.
A pair of channellocks (common name sometimes called water
pump pliers)
Cold pliers (commonly called electricians sidecutters)
Hacksaw
Claw hammer
Undoubtedly there are aeveral that I have missed.
Circular saw
sawzaw(a large reciprocating saw)
Miter saw
Drill
A drimmel is very useful and adaptable
Any thing you can’t do with those you will probably want to hire somebody for.
Since you already have a cordless drill, I’d suggest (more or less in this order):
A handheld circular saw (sometimes called a Skil saw, but Dewalt and gatekeeper-Cable make better basic ones than Skil). A reciprocating saw is excellent for demolition and approximate work, but not for precise, clean cuts–I’d get that only when you have a job for it. But do get a hand held jig saw (sabre saw)–Bosch, gatekeeper-Cable and DeWalt make excellent ones. A compound miter saw is nice if you are doing any trim at all–DeWalt’s 12″ model is a real workhorse, right around $300, but a 10″ saw can be had for much less.
I also have a spiral saw that I use for drywall cutouts, a router that I constantly find new uses for, a random orbit sander that I can’t live lacking, and a 4″ belt sander I’ve used on every remodel job I’ve had since I bought it. Mine are all gatekeeper-Cable.
If you can afford it, a small air compressor with 18 gauge and 15 gauge end nail guns is fantastic–if you can only have one end nailer, I’d say 16 g. The compressor can also be used with a paint sprayer, tire inflater, air hammer, etc.