DIY Essential Tools - Learning About Your Trusted DIY Helpers

Here is the DIY-Planet's first short guide. In this post we will learn about proper tools to own, hiring professional equipment and power tools.

Introduction

Good tools mean efficiency. Proper ones will leave the rest of the worries on your agility and skills. The good expert knows how important a single centimetre can be. Compromising quality for price might often lead to failed projects. It can be argued that DIY is done for saving money, which logically means expensive tools are not on the radar. However, for example, if you are assembling expensive furniture yourself, cheap tools are not a pretty sensible decision. The thing with the good tools is they will serve you better for longer.

Tool Requirements

The essentials kit can be assembled for approximately 100 pounds. Here is a short list with the main things in every DIY toolkit:

• measure tape at least 5 metres
• claw hammer
• retractable Stanley knife
• spirit level
• adjustable spanner and/ or a spanner set
• a hacksaw
• a set of screwdrivers
• insulated pliers and electrical testing screwdrivers
• proper power electric drill
• two sets of drill bits – for harder and softer materials
• woodworking tools (if needed), such as chisels

To conclude, by no means this list intends to persuade you to purchase the whole set of tools. These are essentials that can be gradually collected.

When it comes to hiring larger tools, matters become a bit more complicated. I do not recommend doing so, if you are not convinced in your DIY skills. In the worst case, the money saved from hiring equipment and doing the fix on your own, might not be enough for actually solving the issues created due to misuse of the hired tools.

Tool-hire is available in some big retail stores, and there are even some specialised ones. I strongly recommend, if you want to drill a hole in the wall for example, to hire a professional.

Power Tools

Lets take an in-detailed look at some of the most popular power tools amongst DIY enthusiasts. These are the aforementioned electric drill, the jig saw, the power sender and drill driver.

Jig Saw

Starting with the basics, the more watts a jig saw is, the faster it will cut. The average recommended for enthusiasts is 600 watts. The main thing here is have a well-selected range of blades. If you want to make better, smoother cuts – go for blades that have a greater number of teeth per inch (TPI).

Power Sanders

200 watts is often enough. Depending on the smoothness you are looking for, you should choose the grade of the sandpaper – softer for lighter finish, harder for a more fine one.

Tip from the editor: “Keep a vacuum cleaner running in the room after sanding. It will collect the invisible remains in the air.”

Drill Driver

Having a cordless batter drill driver is absolutely a must. Here you measure the power depending on how many volts the battery is. Even if more expensive, a drill driver with two batteries is a huge let-off. It will allow the device to last longer and won't leave you half-way through the process.