Cordless Drills and must have tools for Newbees

[jussi]

I've found for the workshop the 12v models are great and more than enough power. Plus it's much lighter than the 18V models.

I have a few of the 12volt drills (bosch, milwaukee, dewalt, festool). My favorite is the festool. It's just so well balanced, lots of power, great battery life, good accessories. That said it's by far the most expensive especially when you add the accessories. For a newb I would highly recommend the dewalt. Lots power and battery time. I've driven 3 inch screws with no problem.

I've had ok luck with other cordless tool like circ saw, recip saw, etc. But like the previous poster, I prefer corded versions.

[greenacres2]

I'm still new to woodworking, though i've had homeowner and DIY tools for a long time.

I'd class homeowner tools as:
Basic hand tools (screwdrivers, basic wrenches, sockets, pliers, etc)
Circular saw
Drill (my preference is corded, batteries die at the wrong time)
Level
Assorted wire to hold things together

Do It Yourself Tools add:
Table saw and/or miter saw
Second drill (so you can drill and drive in rapid order)
Plumbing tools
More/different pliers/screwdrivers
One router, 8 bit kit (of which you use one twice)
ROS sander
Duct tape to hold things together

Any of the above could be justified by any homeowner regardless of hobbies and desire. You gotta have them.

Now we're at woodworking tools. I had plenty of the above, and added a lot of good deals in the past year. Those that get the most use:

1 Dust Collector--so i can do this longer.

2 Radial arm saw for crosscuts--took time to find a good one at the right price ($50) but used on everything i've done since i got it.

3 Digital caliper--at the suggestion of LChein on this site, this one:
http://www.harborfreight.com/6-digit...ngs-68304.html
Easy to use, and i wish i'd had one years sooner. Measuring in general is very important, and while i develop my "eye", the caliper gets a heckuva workout.

4 Planer/jointer--longbed Grizzly from an estate...helps make the project of one who is learning look like it came from someone who has learned a little!!

Last but not at all least...TiteBond and/or Gorilla Glue--to hold everything together.

As someone mentioned earlier--let your projects choose your tools. But, if you are a patient and a wise shopper, your tools don't have to be expensive. One of the nice things about woodworking instead of home repair is that if i "need" a tool for a project, i can take a breath and wait for the right moment. Repairs don't have that luxury.


Earl

[sailor55330]

Since you have the table saw, which many shops center around, I'd think about the following:

ROS (random orbit sander). Useful on almost every project and doesn't have a steep learning curve.

Hand Held Jig Saw---will give you the ability to make rounded cuts.

Router--I'd say very useful, but until you migrate into better woods--ie, no plywood, mdf, etc, not essential

Drill option---corded or cordless depending on your anticipated usage-definitely useful

Good clamps, various sizes, as many as you can afford, because you're first project will tell you what size you didn't think you'd need.

Circular saw--get one that is comfortable in your hand. Performance wise, there is some difference, but I wouldn't say night and day difference.

I'd also recommend that you adjust spending on each tool by the amount of use it will see. For example, I needed a 1/2" hammer drill for one use. I could have bought an expensive one for about $200. Instead, I got one from Harbor Freight for $30 and it won't die. I've found a few things like that from there, but as a rule, if there's a high speed blade involved, I'd stick with a well known brand if you can.

Just some thoughts.

[durango dude]

Dewalt 12 volt corldless set is on my wish list.

Right now, I have a corded Makita drill (fantastic), and a cheap-o B&D cordless that I use as a screw driver (not much, though ---- I prefer joinery to screws).

I enjoy my Craftsman 11 Amp router, and find plenty of uses for it.

I think a self-centering dowel jig (Rockler) is mighty useful (use it with my drill).

The tool that gets the most use in my shop is my Ridgid 5" Random Orbit Sander.
The Ridgid is miles beyond my B&D sander.

[LCHIEN]

Baxi, glad you posted here. i'D much rather answer questions on the open forum where everybody can benefit.

First tool after a table saw, a drill press, I assume that;s what you mean when you say a bench drill. Read this thread: http://www.bt3central.com/showthread...ht=drill+press

Next tool I recommend, a 6" disk, 4" belt sander combo. There's a lot you can do with this and it will make your projects look better.

I like a miter saw next, it complements a table saw a lot although you can also do similar cuts with the table saw. For breaking down long pieces of lumber, the miter saw is better than a table saw.

somewhere down the line a good router and then a router table is a must have.

As for a cordless drill, they're handy. Good for driving screws as well as the mobile hole requirements around the house. If you have a pocket hole jig you will need a hand drill. Actually a lot of uses require two drills to drill the hole and then drive the screw, or keep having to change bits back and forth. If you can find one, get a combo kit with a drill driver and a impact driver. The impact driver will drive long screws and lag screws much better than a drill driver. Often they are sold as a pair with a couple of batteries and a single charger... Li-Ion is the best battery, Nicads are heartbreakers. As for the rest of the tools you can get cordless, unless you do a lot of outdoor work away from a shop and you need just a few cuts, don't get battery tools like miter saw, router, jigsaw, sabre saw, etc. its a waste of time and money. At least it doesn't fit my style of working. they don't have the longevity of enough battery power and they are frequently underpowered.

There's a lot of discussions of these tools on this forum - use the search function and find some relevant old posts with interesting titles and read them. A lot of wisdom. Hint, the search tool finds posts containing all words in the search term, not phrases.

[JimD]

There are now other good brands but Bosch makes a great jig saw. They are powerful enough to do things normally reserved for hand held circular saws and will also take the place of a band saw in many circumstances. This is one of many tools where there is a huge difference between an inexpensive jig saw and a professional model. I've found homeowner drills to be useful but I prefer professional models but for jig saws, I think homeowner quality is just nearly unusable.

I also use a lot of the Ryobi 18V cordless tools. The Ni Cd batteries are not enough for the circular saw to be useful. The drills and impact drivers are very useful. The jig saw is not bad and the reciprocating saw is also useful.

I agree with the comment about letting your projects justify your tool purchases, I have often done that. A tool I would just "get" is a HF vibrating saw/multi tool, however. They're only about $20 on sale and you will find uses for it. You can get by without it but why?

Jim

[NewDIYer]

Thanks thus far..

Thanks Loring for the information. I have read most of the FAQ that you have sent me. I have a chance to buy a used Craftsman 2 HP single speed 1/2 inch collet router (model 315.275000) with the table top table and 24 bit set (lightly used). Asking $125. Will this fit the BT3K?

I did research a driver (vs drill). The drill I got from my friend is table top with bench drill. I have an older jig saw (single speed) and am not sure if I can cut other than a straight line. Will look to invest in a circular saw as needed.

Thanks.

[pelligrini]

If you haven't already, one of the first things you should build for your saw is a decent sized outfeed table. I had been using some rigid flip-tops (which are still pretty nice and handy), but once I finally made a big, stable, outfeed table I was kicking myself and saying "why in the world did you wait so long!".