Tool breakdown🪜
Let’s face it, building with power tools can be scary. You may be thinking, “Are you suggesting I use power tools? Na, I’ll just wait on my husband to use them”. Well, guess what? You CAN do it, don’t be afraid!
We love the special men or significant other in our lives, but It’s extremely rewarding to tackle a project yourself confidence booster.
Does this mean you don’t ever need help? No. However, that does mean you take the initiative to start something new that you want to do!
My hope is to give you the guidance and the confidence to tackle something for yourself. Something you can be proud of, as well as building upon the skills you already have.
This post will go over the tools I use, and which tools you should invest in first.
Don’t worry if you don’t have any power tools, such as a drill or chop saw. I have several projects that don’t require any power tools at all (they are tagged “no tools required”).
For those who want to start building out their tool collection this is a great place to start!
WITHIN THIS BLOG
⬇️ Tool breakdown
⬇️ Filter blogs by categories and tags
⬇️ Links to my tools
Learn to walk before you run.
There are many projects you can do with a few basic tools. I’ll share the tools I’m currently using.
If you’re new to projects, I suggest purchasing used tools from Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. The brand isn’t important (other than a drill, more on that in a minute).
See how you like it before you dive in with a big investment. Several of my tools I’ve inherited from family or friends, or purchased used. I’ve been using them heavily for 5 years.
Now, I’m entering into the world of buying “nicer” brands. I use the dog out of these tools, so now I’m getting to the place where I want to make a bigger investment.
Below are links to the tools I own. I am not endorsed by any of these companies. I just love sharing what I find and making it easier for others to find the same things.
Basic tools
2ft level (make sure to get one with a ruler on it)
Tools that have technology associated with them are a little different, you get what you pay for. You can see with the stud finder, I didn’t go with the cheapest option. For items like this, I suggest reading reviews if you’re buying them new.
The three items I use most are the 2ft foot level, step stool, and purse measuring tape.
Basic power tools
Power drill (Milwaukee is my favorite) and drill bits
Hand sander with 60, 120, and 220 grit sanding paper
These two are a must, I use the heck out of these. If you’ve got the basic tools and these basic power tools—you can knock out most of my projects.
The hand sander is affordable, and it’s worth it. Sanding wood by hand is very time-consuming.
The power drill I purchased last year. I previously had a really old Dewalt drill. I’ve got to say, this Milwaukee drill blows the others out of the water! It was so worth the price tag, and it is my most used tool, hands-down.
Nice-to-have tools
4ft level (magnetized on one side is prefered)
Chop saw (I do not own this one, mine is SUPER old. I want to research more on which one I want to buy in the future)
I use the 4ft level for a lot of projects dealing with marking off walls. It’s so much easier to use when your marking of 8-10 feet over using the 2ft level.
The nail gun is probably the funest tool to use. There’s something so satisfying about using it. I use it a lot for wood projects, such as the wood column and the child bookshelves.
Out of the three saws listed above, if I could only have one, I’d purchase the chop saw. I use it the most. My chop saw is super old. I’m researching now to buy a new one with more functionality. I’d love to be able to cut a 12 inches wide board on it, currently I can only get about 6-8 iches wide.
A skill saw is good for ripping down boards if you don’t have a table saw (called a rip-cut). Ripping means your cutting down the long part of a board with the grain. For example, if you had a board that’s 12 inches wide and 8 feet long, you’d “rip-cut” from 12 inches wide to 6 inches wide.
Whereas, you’d “cross-cut” to cut against the grain. For example, you’d cut the board down from to 8 feet to 4 feet long. Skill saws are more affordable than table saws for ripping boards. Additionally, you can purchase guides to help you cut a straight line.
Tools I want
Table saw
Router table
I haven’t linked the above tools, because I’m still researching the ones I want.
I’ve reached a point where I want to tackle more complex projects, and once I require these tools I’ll be able to create them. The advantage of a table saw is I’d get a perfect rip-cut. The issue though is space. A table saw takes up room and good ones are pricy. I will get one eventually, but until then I’ll continue using my skill saw.
My favorite item
For Valentines day, my husband, Brant, gifted me this custom tool belt from Etsy. Needless to say, I’m in love and I was speechless.
The phrase, “Mamma fic it”, comes from my son, Bowen, who just turned three years old. It’s the cutest thing in the world to see him running up to you in a panic, “Mamma, Mamma, fic it, fic it!” When you do fix whatever toy or cookie that’s been broken, the sign of relief on his face is just precious.
My husband hit it out of the park with this gift. Now I’m ready to build a new project! This belt will make carrying all my tools around so much easier!
Filter blogs by categories and tags
Blog categories at found at the top of each blog. You can click on them to view all the blogs with that associated category. Currently, I have the following categories are available:
DIY
These are how-to blog post where I teach you how to make something.
Room reveals
These blog posts show a room makeover and link out to various other DIY blog posts.
Blog tags are found at the bottom of each blog, you can click on a tag to view all the blogs with that associated tag. Some tags you might find helpful are the difficulty levels (listed below). I’ve described below the levels of difficulty to help you identify which sub-set of blog post will most interest you.
Beginners
The duration of these project are typically 1-2 days, and require basic tools or no tools at all.
Intermediate
The duration of these project are typically 1-2 weeks, and require basic power tools.
Advanced
The duration of these project are typically 2+ weeks, and require “nice-to have” power tools. Typically these projects involve learning ambitious skills.
Thanks for sticking with me!
Hopefully this has been a helpful post to inform you on where to start to grow your tool collection. I’ve got some fun projects heading your way, so get some tools and build them with me! You can sign up here to receive an email when a new blog post is published.
Until next time 👋🏼
Linked items from images
Below are links of the tools I own. I am not endorsed by any of these companies. I just love sharing what I find, and making it easier for others to find the same things.
Basic tools
2ft level (make sure to get one with a ruler on it)
Basic power tools
Power drill (Milwaukee is my favorite) and drill bits
Hand sander with 60, 120, and 220 grit sanding paper
Nice to have tools
