A lot of the folks that Ron visits are a bit intimidated by power tools. Ron offers a basic primer on how simple, safe and effective many of the basic timesaving tools are to use. Ron demonstrates how to work with a variety of cordless drills, a pneumatic nail gun, a circular saw, a power miter box and a jigsaw.
Power tools play an important part in many if not most of Ron's projects. The fact is, modern power tools save time, make many jobs much easier to do, and often provide more professional results.
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Nailing
- If you wanted to hammer a nail in with a regular hammer, such as an 8 penny finish nail, it would probably take about six blows to get it all the way in.
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- Ron compared that to the amount of time it took to do the same thing with a pneumatic nail gun.
A pneumatic nail gun is an especially great tool to use when working on an older house, putting up something like moldings. It is easy to imagine which tool is easier on your walls.
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Sawing
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- But if you need to cut a large panel of plywood, it would be pretty slow going.
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- For this type of job, a circular saw is a much better choice. Ron likes to use his circular saw in combination with a clamp-on straight edge. Making straight cuts this way couldn't be easier, and it's about a hundred times faster than toiling with the hand saw.
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- When it comes to cutting curves in wood, the coping saw is the hand tool you would need to be use.
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- With a hand coping saw, it would probably take about a half an hour to get through this cut. This is where the power jigsaw comes to the rescue. The jig saw makes a big difference, providing greatly improved control and speed.
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- For making angled or mitered cuts, the hand miter box is the tool that you'd need.
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- The power miter box will do the same job a lot faster and with a lot less effort. All you do is rotate the blade to whatever angle you want and make your cut. For most cuts the saw will be at 45 degrees.
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- When it comes to boring holes, there's nothing like the cordless drill. In fact, Ron couldn't remember the last time he used one with a cord. Most people use this tool more as a screwdriver than a drill.
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- All you have to do is fit it with a magnetic bit holder. The bit simply pops into place. For many screws, such as drywall screws, you don't even have to drill a pilot hole.
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- While all cordless drills may look similar, they are not created equal. Some are more powerful than others. Ron shows a 9.6-volt, a 12-volt, and an 18-volt drill. The higher the voltage, the more power.
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- The powerful 18-volt drill can fit a socket and is strong enough to use even to drive in a lag screw.
- Power tools can be rented, which allows you try before you buy. If you do decide to buy, Ron recommends that you get the very best quality you can afford. Good quality power tools not only last longer, but they perform better from the very beginning.
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