Suggested power tools to buy for beginner

Posted by JimmyD on October 20, 2006, 11:50 am

Hello,
I'm new to home improvement and am looking to buy several power
tools to assist me. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on
what a good "base" set of tools would be. I have about $500 to spend. I
already have a good collection of screwdrivers, hammers, levels, etc. I
was thinking about the following items:

Hammer Drill with decent power (19 amps)
Compound miter saw (10 in)
Circular saw (7 3/4)
Air Nailers and compressor

Any subtractions or additions suggested would be appreciated. I was
thinking a jig saw might be better than the circular saw.

Home Depot currently has 3 air nailers and a 6 gallon compressor/tank
for $300. The nailers are finishing, brad, and crown. Would those
nailers be ok for light work, like building a dog house or
sheetrocking, or would I need a framing nailer for that? Also, would
the 6 gallon tank be enough to power the framing nailer?

Thanks alot for your time.
Jim

Posted by The Reverend Natural Light on October 20, 2006, 1:04 pm

> After the last one had me going, I can't wait to see how this one
> transpires..
> Searcher

The last one In retrospect dumping the salt OUT OF the bags into wheel
barrow ( clean) spreading around the pool with shovel might of been a better
idea, to bad I didn't think of that.

Posted by JoeSpareBedroom on October 20, 2006, 1:08 pm

> Hello,
> I'm new to home improvement and am looking to buy several power
> tools to assist me. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on
> what a good "base" set of tools would be. I have about $500 to spend. I
> already have a good collection of screwdrivers, hammers, levels, etc. I
> was thinking about the following items:
> Hammer Drill with decent power (19 amps)
> Compound miter saw (10 in)
> Circular saw (7 3/4)
> Air Nailers and compressor
> Any subtractions or additions suggested would be appreciated. I was
> thinking a jig saw might be better than the circular saw.
> Home Depot currently has 3 air nailers and a 6 gallon compressor/tank
> for $300. The nailers are finishing, brad, and crown. Would those
> nailers be ok for light work, like building a dog house or
> sheetrocking, or would I need a framing nailer for that? Also, would
> the 6 gallon tank be enough to power the framing nailer?
> Thanks alot for your time.
> Jim

Hammer drill? They're mostly used for drilling masonry. Unless you have a
specific project in mind which requires that tool, it'll collect dust. You
should have a normal drill, either corded or cordless. I rarely have a need
for a cordless, so I bought a reasonably powerful corded model from Sears,
which has been trouble free for about 7 years now.

Nailers? I wouldn't spend that money just to have it around for a dog house.
And, for sheetrock, you use screws, which brings you back to the drill,
above, although cordless will be handier for this kind of work.

Circular saw: Useful sometimes, although lately, I've been having big sheets
of plywood cut to size at the store.

Miter saw: Those are fun.

Posted by dpb on October 20, 2006, 1:31 pm

JimmyD wrote:

...

For those kinds of project, you don't need a nailer at all--sheetrock
_should_ be hung w/ sheetrock screws for which you need a decent
cordless drill/driver. Even w/ nailing it you don't use a pneumatic
nailer. This is one of the most useful homeowner tools, but I wouldn't
make it _too_ big/heavy/cumbersome. Hammer drill option ok, but really
is a special-purpose option for things like masonry-drilling so unless
you foresee that in the near future, is probably a waste of initial
investment. I'm partial to the Milwaukee 19.2V jobbie I have, but for
some purposes it's pretty awkward. Would certainly not recommend
anything heavier as an initial purchase for general use.

Circular saw is good, jigsaw is less so in general, but if need inside
cuts or curved cuts is invaluable. Personally wouldn't take the jigsaw
first over the circular saw, though, they're two different purpose
tools and, at least for me, the circular saw gets at least 10x the
work.

Miter saw is also a nicety for initial purchase unless intend to do
something like interior trim or similar that has a real need for
it--for small framing jobs it's mostly way overkill.

I'd rather recommend starting w/ the circular saw and cordless drill
and then going from there as you find a real need/purpose/use. You'll
know it when you get there... :)

BTW, if you're thinking of the jigsaw as somehow related to cutting
sheetrock, you don't saw sheetrock at all, you score a face and then
break it...

Posted by Mike Dobony on October 20, 2006, 9:30 pm

> After the last one had me going, I can't wait to see how this one
> transpires..
> Searcher

The last one In retrospect dumping the salt OUT OF the bags into wheel
barrow ( clean) spreading around the pool with shovel might of been a better
idea, to bad I didn't think of that.

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