You've Got This: 10 Tools You Need to Get the Job Done
Welcome back for the second installment of our DIY series "You've Got This!" Part One about how to get started with DIY projects can be found here. In this part, we're focusing on the tools you need to get the job done. This can be really overwhelming because it seems like avid DIY-ers have a million tools (they probably do), but they didn't start out like that.
When I was first starting out with projects, I had to come up with a plan for buying tools that didn't kill my budget. The tools alone can be hundreds of dollars. After all, part of the reason you're doing a project yourself is to save money. Here is the very best advice I can give you:
Buy 1 tool for each project and borrow/rent the rest.
If you follow that rule, you'll slowly accumulate all the tools you need for any project without going way over budget on every project. You'd be surprised at how many tools your friends already have that you can just borrow, and lots of hardware stores have rental services.
I have 10 tools to recommend to you. I'm assuming you have very basic tools such as a hammer, level, tape measure, and screwdrivers. If you don't have those, you can't even hang pictures so buy those pronto. I consider the first 5 tools on the list to be crucial and should be the first you buy because you will most likely use these tools on every project you do. The other 5 tools should be saved for when you've progressed and actually need one of them for a project.
You can find direct links to all of these products by clicking the name of the tool on the list or on my FAVORITE PRODUCTS page under DIY or by clicking here.
1. Drill
I honestly don't know how anyone would get by without a cordless drill and a large set of drill bits. I even use mine for assembling furniture so I don't have to kill my hands manually using one of those awful Allen wrenches.
An orbital sander gets you a smooth finish by using a random motion for sanding so it doesn't leave behind any marks on the piece you're sanding. Start with low grits (60 or 80) and work your way up to higher grits (120 and finish with 220) to get the smoothest possible finish.
Because an orbital sander cannot reach into corners and can be hard to control on narrow edges, use a corner sander for all the hard to reach stuff. This type of sander can leave behind marks so try not to use it on the whole piece you're sanding.
4. Miter Saw
In my opinion, a miter saw is the first saw you should own. A true woodworker would probably say it's a table saw, but it is shocking what you can accomplish with just a miter saw, especially a sliding compound miter saw that handle wider pieces of wood. For instance, my 12' farmhouse dining table was made entirely with a miter saw. Plus, this tool isn't too scary so it's perfect for a beginner. You just lay your stock on the saw and pull the blade down. I would highly recommend spending a little more money and getting the sliding compound miter saw because it can handle stock with a width up to 12 inches, whereas a regular miter saw typically can only cut through 6 inches. You can also change the angle of the blade to make angle cuts.
5. Circular Saw
Next up I would recommend a circular saw, which is basically a hand-held miter saw. I fought using this saw for the longest time because I hated that I had to move the saw (I prefer saws where the blade is stationary and I have to move the stock through the blade). Once I finally broke down and used a circular saw, I realized how valuable it was. Be careful of getting cordless on this one because it burns through batteries pretty quickly. It's nearly impossible to cut every board of a table top to the exact same length so I cut my boards a little long, glue the top together, and then clamp a straight piece of wood perpendicular to the top. I can run my circular saw across that guide to create a perfect edge.
6. Kreg Jig
This is a controversial tool, folks. I once heard a woodworker refer to a Kreg jig as "the tool of the devil." A true woodworker would NEVER use pocket holes (that's what you're creating with a Kreg jig) to secure a piece of furniture. I will say that there are lots of other stronger joint options, but this will get the job done just fine for what you need to do until you're ready to try things complicated things like dove joints.
7. Brad Nailer
My dad was very handy when I was growing up, and he didn't have fancy tools like a nailer. I am an eyewitness that he put up our fence on 2 separate occasions without an electric nailer. Y'all! My parents have a very large backyard, and every single picket needed 4 rather larger nails. He actually pre-drilled every single hole and then hammered it in. That must be the seventh circle of hell. I seriously cannot imagine a worse job, but it makes sense where I get my ability to do tedious tasks. Do yourself a favor, and get a nailer. I use mine to attach frames, moulding, and shiplap, for example.
8. Jig Saw
Up to this point, all the saws I've listed can only cut straight lines. If you need to cut curves, especially on large pieces, you'll need a jig saw. I'm not that great on mine (remember I said I'm not crazy about saws I have to move around because I find them hard to control well). For better control, use the slowest speed you can that still cuts easily through the wood. I used my jig saw for cutting the arch on our mantle and for cutting the curves on our shiplap headboard.
9. Router
A router can be used for about a million things, but I primarily use mine for cutting edges, You can change out the bits to attain different looks. I used a roundover bit to round the edges of the planks of our dining table. I use the ogee bit to give my bed trays a "fancy" edge. Routers can also be used to cut grooves, make depressions at the same depth, or cut perfect circles. You can also mount your router in a router table so that the router becomes stationary and you move the stock.
10. Table Saw
For any true woodworker, a table saw is the very first saw in the wood shop, and money should be saved to buy the nicest table saw possible. It's used to rip your stock to the right size (ripping means cutting parallel to the grain of the wood, which you cannot do on a miter saw). It makes cross cuts (cutting perpendicular to the grain of the wood) on stock that is too wide for your miter saw. This is the scariest tool in my shop, and I've had a very close call with a piece of walnut that kicked back into my pelvis. Do NOT use this tool until someone who knows what they're doing has taught you what to do. NEVER stand directly behind the blade, and keep your hand as far away from the blade as you can.
