Most Used Power Tools

RON HAZELTON:
Well, I love being on the road but it's always good to get back to the shop. You may have noticed that power tools play a big part in many of my projects. The fact is, modern power tools save you time, actually make some jobs easier to do and give you more professional results.

Let me show you what I mean. Now if I wanted to hammer a nail in with a regular hammer —let's just say an eight-penny finish nail. I'd start it and take, I don't know, maybe six blows, something like that, which isn't too bad.

But compare that to the amount of time it takes using the pneumatic nailgun to do the same thing. Nothing, right? Now this is an especially great tool if you're going to be working on an older house putting up something like moldings because imagine, which is easier on your walls, this — or this? [LOUD BANGING] Get my point?

Now when it comes to sawing, a handsaw like this would be fine if you were going to cut a couple of 2 x 4s. But if you had to cut a large panel of plywood like this, well, it would be pretty slow going. [SAWING SOUNDS] So for this job, a circular saw would be a much better choice.

I like to use it in combination with a clamp-on straight edge like this. It couldn't be easier. [SAWING SOUNDS] And about a hundred times faster than that handsaw. Now when it comes to cutting curves in wood, well, this is the hand tool you'd be using, the coping saw.

I'll tell you, talk about slow going, probably take us a half-an-hour to get through this cut. So this is where the power jigsaw comes in. Makes a big difference, lots of control and, of course, lots of speed. [JIGSAW SOUNDS] Now that's cutting a curve the fast way.

Now for making those angled or mitered cuts, the hand miter box is the tool that you need. Here's something that will do it a lot faster and with a lot less effort — the power miter box. All you do is rotate the blade to whatever angle you want, for most cuts, that's going to be 45 degrees, make your cut [JIGSAW]. And there you go. What could be easier?

Well, when it comes to boring holes, there's nothing like the cordless drill. As a matter of fact, I can't remember the last time I used one with a cord. But you know what, you'll use this tool more as a screwdriver than a drill. All you have to do is fit it with a magnetic bit holder, the bit just pops right in like this, and for a lot of screws like these drywall screws, you don't even have to drill a pilot hole.

Now while all cordless drills may look similar, they're not created equal. Some are more powerful than others. You can tell by the voltage. This is a 9.6-volt, a 12-volt and an 18-volt. This guy right here, fitted with a socket end, is strong enough to drive in even a lag screw.

Wow, how about that. Now power tools can be rented allowing you to try before you buy. And if you do decide to buy, well, get the very best quality you can afford. Good quality power tools not only last longer, but they perform better from the very beginning.

If you'd like more information on power tools or on today's HouseCalls, be sure to check our website, ronhazelton.com. And join us next time for more great projects, and of course, more HouseCalls. We'll see you.