Five Essential DIY Tools

If you want to build a tool collection that will help you accomplish good things around your house, these five will serve you well:

• circular saw
• cordless drill
• 5-inch random orbit sander
• oscillating multi-tool
• portable generator

Circular Saw

This is one of the most useful power tools to have at home. Always keep in mind that most types of DIY projects that you do around the house will require cutting through wood or other material, at least once in a while.

You can make DIY jobs far easier and faster by using a circular saw for cutting wood and rigid plastic. Indeed, circular saws are some of the most popular tools of all. Typically, there are two types:

Cordless circular saws used to be unsuitable for heavy-duty cutting, but that’s not true any more. Any job you can do with a corded saw you can also do with a cordless model.

When it comes to corded circular saws, they can be broken into two other types: worm-drive and sidewinder style. Framers and carpenters on the west coast of North America tend to prefer worm-drive saws. East coast builders like sidewinders more often. Sidewinder saws are lighter and smaller, so these are the best for most DIYers.

Cordless Drill

Another class of an essential power tool to have in your home is the cordless drill. Yes, this one is most suited for your everyday DIY projects. This tool will make your work at home much easier. A cordless drill will help you accomplish any hole-drilling project. At the same time, a cordless drill is useful for driving screws into place up to about 3 1/2” long.

When they first came into use, cordless drills typically came with 7.2 volt batteries. As the years progressed, the voltages increased up to 36 volts in some cases. These days the most common cordless drill voltage is 18. This is ideal for general DIY use around the house.

5-Inch Random Orbit Sander

Never under-estimate the usefulness of a sander as one of the essential tools to take care of your crucial DIY projects. Actually, you will find this power tool to be quite useful in a variety of situations at home.

Random orbit sanders come in 5-inch and 6-inch sizes. This number refers to the diameter of the abrasive disk.  In most cases, this is all the sander that a DIY person needs to get going with household jobs. Moreover, since this size of sander is neither too heavy nor bulky, this tool is most comfortable.

When it comes to sanders, there are three other types in addition to the random orbit designs:

• belts sanders
• 1/4-sheet finishing sanders
• 1/2-sheet sanders

If you want to sand large and rough surfaces, go for a belt sander. These will help you accomplish the task quickly and easily. On their part, 1/4-sheet finishing sanders can help you achieve some remarkably smooth surfaces. One of the best approaches uses a belt sander first, followed by a 1/2-sheet finishing sander, then a 1/4-sheet finishing sander as a final step.

Oscillating Multi-Tool

The oscillating multi-tool is essentially a saw that works in close quarters, with the additional capability of being able to sand, too. The machine’s blades are capable of vibrating back and forth at high speeds.  You can use tools like this with several types of attachments. This is how multi-tools are used for scraping, grinding, and detail sanding jobs. It is a highly versatile tool that is also useful for most DIY projects that require cutting. Not all models of multi-tools accept all types of blades. Some brands require you use only their own blades, while others can use a range of different blades.

Portable Generators & Final Thoughts

It’s obvious that if you have plenty of tools around the home, you’ll eventually want to use them beyond the reach of an electric outlet. This goes for both corded tools or to recharge the batteries of cordless ones. Indeed, in this situation, you can use a portable generator to make your work easier, enjoyable, and faster. Check out the review of generators at the link above.