You Only NEED 2 POWER TOOLS!! (Here's What They Are...2 MOST IMPORTANT Power Tools)

so people are always writing in to ask me which power tools I think they should own I use a huge number of power tools on this show and inevitably I'll get the question is that tool you used in the last episode truly indispensable should I run out and buy it right now I can always sense the frustration behind these questions and I totally get where they're coming from Dion wires are overwhelmed with choices there are a crazy number of power tools on the market these days in many of them I would qualify as being indispensable for professional carpenters over the years I bought dozens if not hundreds of power tools become sort of an addiction when you do paid work and it's not a very good addiction because sixty percent of them sit in storage collecting dust when I wind up finally needing that one tool I often don't have it nearby so I just don't even use it but on the other hand I did develop over time a really hardcore collection of tools that I took with me to every single job site until recently I had an even 150 van that was basically rigged out to be a carpentry woodworking shop on wheels I can do everything from rough framing to find her trim work with just what I had in the van at all times and this included everything from routers and jig saws to nail guns electric planners and also the larger tools like table saws miter saws compressors that's a complex setup but I did feel that it was totally essential to my work as a carpenter but what I want to tell you right now is that it's not essential for di wires to have all those tools in fact for a long time I had almost none of it rewind about 12 years of my mid 20s I was just getting back into construction after a long way off since my teens and I was sort of a makeshift carpenter for an independent chain of bookstores plus I was starting to take on contract work on the side I didn't have budget for a lot of tools and I was having to make the most out of what I had and in that time period I came to truly believe that with some creativity and flexibility a devoted DI wire could get away with owning just two power tools a lot of what you see here is extraneous for carpentry newcomers and I would insist that you get any of these things unless you really wanted one but there are two tools that I think every single DIY should absolutely own so what are they and why do I think you should have them that's what we're talking about next on the honest carpenter show when it comes down to it carpentry is only about two things cutting and fastening every single function that a carpenter carries out falls broadly into one of those two categories think about it we get large stocks of lumber or other building materials we don't have to break those down into the sizes that we want very specifically then we either have to fasten those pieces together or fasten them to something else that's all we do over and over again in endless varieties so following that logic you'll need at least one tool for each of those functions and obviously if you can only just have one for each you want it to be the best so where do you turn to get the most bang for your buck as I see it two tools stand head and shoulders above the rest the circular saw and the 18 volt half-inch cordless drill you can build a staggering array of things with just these two tools they're the only two tools that I think every DIY are simply can't do without if you don't have one or the other you won't be able to carry out your two basic functions and so you'll constantly be running into setbacks and problems so let's talk about why they're the best we'll start with the circular saw I Rick it's so high because it's the only solid that can act as a stand-in for both the miter saw in the table saw like the miter saw it handles cross cuts beautifully especially if you use a guide and like the table saw it rips lumber quickly and accurately something that every other saw struggles with but in a lot of ways it's even more efficient than these big tools miter saws and table saws need some kind of bench or ground support but this one travels in your hand it's like the size of a large toaster and unlike a miter saw it's not limited in the length of a crosscut it can make it will cut as far as you can push it that's why it's preferred by jobsite carpenters plus it packs a crazy amount of punch for something so small many circular saws have 15 amp motors on a seven and a quarter inch blade that's as much power as many 12-inch miter saws but with more rpms so they have strength to cut through everything from pine to walnut and with blade changes they can even cut Harney board and other cement based products and people always want to ask can I just get away with jigsaw instead but that's really comparing apples and oranges jigsaws have half the power the cut depth is way more limited and they're not good at cutting long straight lines which is something you need to do often in carpentry plus circular saws have swiveling Sol plates so you can set them up to cut bevels chamfers miters if you watch Mike Ross lap joint video you'll see how they even replace routers and certain dado and groove cutting applications I've had a Makita circular saw attached to my hand for years now and if I had to make a choice I would immediately abandon all these other saws and just take this one to the jobsite and I'll say now I do think Makita is the standard for circular saws I've been using them since I was a kid on job sites in the 90s I think they're $100 corded model is the only circular saw a DI lyre and even many pros would ever need so I'll link that below but I'll link some what other makes and models too because I think that they stand out in their class for pricing and reviews my one knock against circular saws is that they can be dangerous so much power in a freehand tool with so much speed means that you have to be very very careful when using them you have to practice all safety precautions every time you pick one up in the future I'm gonna do one or more videos on this tool because I think it is so indispensable but for now I'll say that if you have one or you think about going out and getting one please take all precautions watch safety videos read the manual if necessary only work or use it for a first time under supervision but as far as this video goes that takes care of our cutting function so let's go onto our other basic function fastening I've got nail guns galore I've got framing nailers brad nailer siding nailers and I use them all but the problem with nail guns is that they really only do one thing well and they generally only shoot one type of nail for all other operations they're either overpowered or underpowered or just ineffective say you need an array of them like a collection but this 18 volt half-inch cordless drill has a million functions and I specifically say the cordless drill for a couple reasons one they're just extremely convenient you don't have to drag a cord around they're very lightweight you can easily tuck one into a tool belt and two more important because they generally always have a clutch on them a lot of corded half-inch drills don't have a clutch don't just spin and spin and spin after they're activated even once you take your finger off the trigger the fact that cordless drills have a clutch gives them way more control it controls the amount of torque and it stops the bit from spinning when you take your finger off the trigger so you don't cam out the top of your screws some of the DI wires are prone to doing pretty often so with this one tool you now get two extremely important functions drilling and drive it in other words with drill bits you can bore out holes then with driving bits you can drive fasteners into those holes I'll admit that in recent years impact drivers have become my go-to tool for driving screws because they're so strong they're basically like small air wrenches without the air but you don't have to have one to drive screws a normal cordless drill can do the job just fine you just have to make sure your pre drilling so you're providing clearance for the screws or fasteners that you're putting into your stock and I do think that an 18 volt or a 20 volt is preferred over any lower voltage because I think it's just enough power to handle all sorts of bits that includes paddle bids or speed board bits and even hole saws 12 volt drills will ball down under those loads but a good 18 bone is effective it's going to perform well under a wider range of conditions so against circular Sol an 18-volt cordless half-inch drill those are the only two of power tools I really think you need in conjunction with some other basic hand tools you can build an unlimited number of things and carry out all types of work you can work on many areas of your house with just these two from siding and trim to all types of deck work and fencing but you can also carry out small woodworking projects when I worked for that chain of independent book stores what they needed was a lot of simple custom shelving I would make very basic bookshelves units that help vinyl records or even larger types of storage and for many of these projects all I had was a circular saw on a drill obviously you'll be slightly limited in how elegant the stuff you can make turns out cuts maybe a little more ragged and fasteners will be lower and harder to hide than Brad nails but remember trend head screws make a great alternative to full head screws they hide more easily they don't call it splitting as much and with wood filler and caulk you can conceal the evidence of how you built your project I use Brad nailers all the time now when I do my fastening but for many years I didn't have one I just use a lot of screws and did a lot of wood filler and sanding everything you've seen in these pictures was built with just a circular saw a drill and some patience that includes cabinet projects woodworking projects and home repair all with just those two tools so that's my take on it if you're just now setting out to start a tool collection tap some projects I wouldn't get any other power tools before you get these - just the tool we're probably good for 70% of the projects you want to tackle but what do you think out there if you know a lot about tools and you have an opinion on it let me hear about it down in the comments what tools would you prioritize over these - you may have a hard time convincing me but I'm always willing to hear other opinions as always thanks for watching I hope this video was helpful - links will be down in the description below if you're looking for them also be sure to subscribe and turn on notifications so you'll know anytime we post new videos I'm Nathan James with the honest carpenter I'll see you next time [Music]

Channel: The Honest Carpenter

Views: 1,047,562

Rating: 4.9121618 out of 5

Keywords: power tools for woodworking, power tools, best power tools for homeowners, best power tools for the money, best power tools brand, which power tools are the best, which brand of power tools is best, who makes which power tools, power tools for beginners, essential tools, circular saw, impact driver, best tools to have, cordless drill, drill vs impact driver, top tools for homeowners, top tools for woodworking shop, the honest carpenter, best tools, best drill

Id: g4qnbxy8Oys

Length: 10min 9sec (609 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 19 2020