Tools can be overwhelming. What, when, and where should you buy them? Then, how do you store them if you’re like us and a) don’t have a garage or b) have two kids with lots of junk *ahem* excuse me, treasures.
When Karly and I moved in together 8 years ago, I think I had a screwdriver and a pair of plyers. Yikes. Since we were just renting, there wasn’t a ton we could do around the house, so we started small. With every project we worked on, I would get a new tool. This worked great at the beginning, as I was able to accumulate the basics: cordless drill, circular saw, chisel set, power sander, and some clamps.
I try only to buy tools with a project in mind. I recently switched up the base on our coffee table, adding metal legs. Since I rarely work with metal, I didn’t have an angle grinder. I’d been wanting one for a while so this was a great opportunity to finally buy one. I typically get most of my tools from Lowe’s or Home Depot, but Facebook marketplace has great deals on used tools. Amazon is also a great place for a lot of corded tools, like a sander, and some hand tools. I got my angle grinder, random orbit sander, planes, and chisel set on Amazon.
Let's break down the pic! Everyone will need different tools, but here is what we have and what has been working for us:
1. Oscillating multi tool. This has two different head attachments and works great for making plunge cuts into trim or molding.
2. Circular Saw. Way more versatile than I originally thought! Not only can you rip or cut boards, but with some adjusting you can cut dado, rabbet, or lap joints
3. 18 Gauge Brad Nail Gun. I went a long time without one of these but was so thankful when I finally got one. You can assemble many projects simply with glue and brad nails. And, with an automatic nail gun, your pieces won’t slip.
4. Jig Saw. Great for cutting curves or straight corners.
5. Reciprocating Saw. I honestly don’t use this that often. It came in a tool bundle, but I’ve used it a few times for tree pruning and demo.
6. Angle Grinder. Super versatile tool. You can buy lots of different attachment heads for different jobs.
7. Bench Plane. Even if you’re not into woodworking, a plane is perfect for shaving off small amounts of wood. We live in the Southeast where it is very humid which causes wood to swell, so shaving off a few millimetres to ensure a perfect fit is a cinch!
8. Battery Flashlight. This one has a rotating head which I’ve used a lot when working in the attic. It takes the same batteries as my other tools, which is very useful.
9. Combination Square. I use this on almost every project. Not only can you use it for checking square, but it’s adjustable so you can lock in measurements for easy repetition.
10. Putty Knives. I have a bunch and they’re perfect for patching drywall or filling brad nail holes.
11. Hand Saws. I keep a hack saw for metal, traditional hand saw for smaller projects (or when the kids are outside with me and I don’t want to hurt their little ears with a power saw), and a Japanese-style pull saw for flush cutting and more precise work.
12. Tool Bag. I keep some fasteners and smaller hand held tools that I use less often in here. Hanging my hammers off the end makes for easy access too.
13. Cordless Drill and Impact Driver. Power drills are great for drilling holes and driving screws. Impact drivers are powerful for driving screws and bolts. I like to use both during projects to save time: keeping the drill for boring holes and the impact for driving screws. Drills are great, too, because they have an adjustable clutch to you can back off on the power if needed, too.
14. Tool Bin 1. I like to keep semi-frequently used tools here like sanding blocks, a chisel, wire cutters, and a voltage tester.
15. Drill Bits. This combo kit has drill bits in one and driver bits in another. This set works for 98% of your project’s needs.
16. Speed Square AKA rafter square. This is perfect for drawing square lines, approximate angles, and even as a straight edge to ride your circular saw against for cutting dimensional lumber. I use mine all the time and they are crazy versatile, a lot of them even come with a little book explaining all their uses when you buy one.
17. Tool Bin 2. For easy access, this lower bin has things I use almost every day: tape measure, screwdrivers, plyers.
18. Miscellaneous. I like to hang smaller tools that get used somewhat frequently: staple gun, zip ties, box cutter, torpedo level.
19. Clamps. The saying goes, “you can never have too many clamps.” I keep a few quick grip clamps and longer F-style clamps here because they get used pretty often when I need an extra pair of hands to hold something down or together.
20. Shop Vac. I use this a lot when I do work inside the house. I try to run it when drilling into walls to catch dust away from the kids. Since we do the majority of our projects on the back deck, I don’t use it too regularly.
**Tools Not pictured (I keep them in the shed, because I only use them on bigger projects)**
Miter Saw. I went a long time without one of these and you can do a lot of projects without one. BUT now that I have one, they’re great for cutting perfectly square boards and if you set up a stop-block you can get easy repeatable cuts (like we needed on our Board and Batten accent wall). Most miter saws can cut angles and bevels which you can do with a circular saw, but here they are so much cleaner and safer.
Random Orbit Sander. This touches pretty much every project we do. Ours is 5” and variable speed with hook and loop attachments for easy swapping between grits. We typically keep 80, 120, and 220 grit on hand.
Router. Probably the most versatile tool out there besides the table saw (which we don’t have, but is definitely on the list when we have the space). You can buy many different bits that can accomplish many different things. Some of the things I’ve used mine for include: giving pieces an edge profile, cutting joinery, flattening wide boards, and cutting perfect circles with jig.
So when you don’t have a lot of space or are just starting out, think small. You don’t need a lot of tools or space to build the things you want. Get familiar with what you have and your confidence with simple tools will grow. Pick projects that you can accomplish with the tools you have, plus one new tool. You’ll eventually grow your collection and your skill set.
If you build it, they will come.
What are your favorite, every day tools? Let me know! 👇 -J