Must Have DIY Tools

1 Shares

I am an amateur woodworker and DIY everything kind of girl. My tool collection has been building over the last 5 years since we bought our house. Some of these tools have been gifted by relatives which has helped!

A few things to note: The first tool we bought here was our drill & driver set and is part of the Porter Cable tool suite which all run off the same battery. Because of that, my late father-in-law helped us grow that brand specific tool set and I have zero complaints! They are amongst the more affordable brands.

Other similar, affordable & reliable brands are Ryobi, Milwaukee, & Dewalt (which might be my favorite, FYI)

Also, pawn shops are awesome places to find great tools! The more expensive brands will live for a long time with some maintenance and blade replacements.

This post contains affiliate links so I may get a small commission at no cost to you if you click on a product link. You can read the full disclosure for more details.

The 5-in-1 tool

This is an incredible gift and one tool that I use almost every day. It’s been left outside a few times and gets rusty but luckily they’re cheap & easy to replace because I can’t imagine life without this tool. DeWalt even sells a 9-in-1 and I think I’m getting that one next time.

Household Hand tool set

Literally essential. I use my hand tools multiple times a week.

Drill & Driver or combo

The hand tools are great and all, but you can’t quite screw into stuff like wood or walls without a little power. Since I built my deck without a saw, this was the only power tool it took. Un-flippin’-believable right?

Drill & Driver Set

Drill/Driver Combo

” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener nofollow”>This game changing tape measure

The leverlock tape measure is everything I never knew I needed in a tool that was already so simple. It’s brilliant.

Various levels

The largest I have is 48″ which is about as big as I need most of the time, but too big for a ton of indoor projects. So I have a magnetic level that lives on the side of my fridge as well, and I’m in the market for a laser level for other projects!

Cordless Brad Nailer

I love this thing for replacing baseboards, any trim really, and plenty of other projects. Once you have it, you’ll find stuff to nail!

Miter Saw

My first saw <3 I was given a hand-me-down 10″ Rigid Miter saw, comparable to this compound Ryobi one. It’s still working and can do virtually anything, but I have been in the market for a new one and it will be the dual bevel 12″ sliding saw from DeWalt. I’ve been drooling over it since I started identifying as a woodworker lol.

Jigsaw

I have this corded jigsaw, although there are plenty of cordless ones. It’s awesome and I never need to use it for more than a couple quick cuts and dang is it handy.