J and J Small Engine Blog

Everyone has a hammer and a screw driver, but think of what you can do with power tools. Put a new tool in the hands of some people and they become giddy at the prospect of all the jobs they can now do. Power tools may be more expensive than a hammer, but when you own them, there is one less excuse to blow off a project. And, power tools they pay for themselves.

The very basic set of tools is perfect for installing shelves or a shower heads. But are there other tools, power tools, that would inspire someone to take on the bigger home projects.

Bob Villa says that what you need is a set of aspirational tools. These tools lean heavily on the power tools category.

Nevertheless,when you own the right power tools, you can take on projects that, had you paid a carpenter, would have cost much more than buying all of those power tools.

The first item on my list of new tools was an 18-volt cordless drill.  It is advisable to get one with a spare battery, so you don’t have to worry about losing power midway through a project.

A battery-powered circular saw is another good thing to have, “especially if you’re outside working on a fence or up on a roof, where you don’t want to drag a cord.”

A reciprocating saw, or Sawzall, is good for demolition and for cutting through walls. It’s the greatest tool in America, and, keep in mind, second only to chainsaws as the most dangerous.

The top tool recommendation is a multipiece drilling-and-driving set, which expands the utility of a cordless drill. For any job, no matter what you need to do, this tool has it.

A 80-piece drill-and-drive set includes nut-setters, roughly 20 drill bits and more than 50 screw-driving tips. For those with more specialized woodworking needs, Ryobi sells a 90-piece drill-and-drive set that includes tools for boring and circular cuts.

When you embark on home projects, you make a mess and need a way to clean up. The recommendation: a wet-dry vacuum or Shop-Vac. They suck up stuff that would destroy a typical vacuum and you don’t think of it as a tool but you get addicted to it.

Another tool that Mr. Vila suggests is an auger for unclogging toilets or drains. Plumbers charge such enormous amounts that when you buy a three-foot Ridgid toilet auger it pays for itself in the time it would take a plumber to walk from his truck to your front door.
 
Are you in the market to add some power tools to your workspace? Contact J&J Small Engine Clinic.

Original article - NYTimes

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