What tools have you bought lately?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I’m a fairly new homeowner, so every project that comes along usually encompasses multiple trips to the Home Depot to: 1) get what I originally think the project will require, 2) get what the project actually requires, including that special tool that no one has unless they’ve done the exact project I’m working on at the time, and 3) get the parts necessary to replace whatever it is I’ve broken while doing the project.

This weekend, Mrs. nrd and I replaced our evil enamel kitchen sink with a solid surface model that looks wonderful so far. In doing so, I was able to greatly increase my tool collection, delving into genres I never knew existed. Now, I always felt that I have the basics covered, but in doing this project, I got to add:

  1. a basin wrench - purchase and use this to tighten the supply lines to the faucet after you get the sink in and realize you didn’t tighten 'em enough in the first place.

  2. a widget wrench (not real name - it’s the special wrench used to take off the 4" diameter collar that holds the drain to the sink). Purchase this after realizing that no amount of pounding w/ hammer will loosen collar from existing sink.

  3. tile scorer and nipper - purchase these after realizing that at one point around its circumference, the existing sink hole is a half an inch too small to fit the new sink. Nip tile back to allow new sink to drop in.

  4. Jig saw - purchase this after realizing that new sink (two basins) has different drain arrangement than old sink. Use to “reconfigure” waste pipes to match up with new drain arrangement. Necessary because hack saw just isn’t “cutting” (:D) it at this point. (I’ll admit that I should have had this one - just never came up before.)

  5. Jagged rock - use to smash neck off of beer bottle allowing for quicker access to contents. Necessary after realizing that new sink has leak somewhere in waste piping - and that the leak is probably originating from the PVC elbow you cracked by tightening the compression fitting too tight.

Anyway, despite all that - I LOVE MY HOUSE!!! That’s not sarcastic - it really is great. Plus, now I’m prepared to replace a kitchen sink the next time it comes up - 10 years from now.

2

I did the same thing 2 years ago when I put a new floor down in my condo. I have more saws and flooring stuff than I’ll ever need again. To actually answer you, I haven’t had to buy any tools lately, except for a crappy $7 socket set I needed while on away from home. It was easier just to buy it than go get mine.

3

You do, of course, realize how lucky you are that the existing hole wasn’t an inch or so too BIG, right?

Mr. Legend and I have had this house for so long that we have all those tools and more. The only problem is that by the time we need them again (it’s been 20 years), we can’t remember where we put them.

If you need any extra tools, you’re welcome to come on by and dig through the shed. They’re all in there…somewhere.

4

It’s always good to have plumbing tools lying around. I did some plumbing in a former life, and it’s handy to have the tools you describe around. I used to do plumbing for my dad’s business (lawn sprinklers) and it usually involved doing things like water taps and installing backflow preventers on copper pipe. When word got out that I knew how to do this, all of a sudden all of my friends call me whenever they have plumbing problems. I’m no good at sinks and bathtubs, and they require completely different tools than the ones I used to use. Still, I get by when someone asks a “favor.”

The most useful tools I’ve bought recently? I love my Dremel. It’s really useful for woodworking, sanding tiny things or things that are in tough-to-reach places, cutting, drilling and about 20 million other things. If you don’t have a rotary tool, I’d recommend snagging one at your earliest opportunity. Once you do, you start remembering “projects” that you couldn’t complete because you didn’t have one and you start all over again.

Also, if you play guitar, there’s this really useful tool that I bought that is kind of a strange mix between a string winder, clippers and an allen wrench set. Finally, a tool that will let me change the strings on my electric guitars with locking tremolos without having to grab a pair of wire cutters…

I also recently got a pair of those weird crimping tools that let you make your own telephone and Ethernet cables. Very cool. I now have extension phone jacks in every room of my apartment, as well as new wall plates for Ethernet connections. Man, when I stop renting this place, the next tenant is either going to be extremely grateful (if he/she is a computer geek) or really weirded out (did this guy really need a computer network in his apartment?).

5

:slight_smile: I hear ya. Turns out that that collar has nubs on it for a reason. Instead of hitting it directly with a hammer, or using the widget wrench, you only need to place a large flat tip screwdriver against a nub, and hit that with the hammer. Loosens it every time.
Since you’re a homeowner now, here’s a tip from a guy that’s been a homeowner for 5 years now. For your birthday and Christmas, when people ask what you want? Do what I do and tell them to get you gift cards for your local home improvement place (Home Depot or Lowes, for me). Believe me, they won’t go to waste.

As for my last tool, it was a B&D FireStorm 14.4V drill. I love that thing. I finally have a drill that I don’t need to plug in! If you don’t have a cordless drill yet, go get one. And get a 14V. 9V drills are useless.

6

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Dire Wolf *
**

I can second that, I got one of the 12v dual source drills. you can plug it into the wall after you forget to charge it, or you run the bat. down.

7

oh, and the last thing I bought was a mortising attachment for my drill press. never know when you might need to drill a square hole.

8

I’ll second that. This Christmas, my kids gave me $100 worth of gift cards to Home Depot. While deciding my daughter says to my son, “How much should I get? Can Dad use $100 worth?” My son’s reply “Anyone can use $100 worth of gift cards to Home Depot.”

My latest tool, a “Roto Zip”. It’s basically an oversized Dremel tool that uses bits that the shank has sharp edges, so that you use it as a saw. It’s great for working on drywall.

Jim

9

Well, a belt sander thing by Makita that you can hold in your hand to move around the work (instead of moving the work around the sander). But mostly clamps. More clamps. Two real big ones, a cabinetmakers set of four, and some small cute ones.

My husband says the difference between novice & experienced woodworkers is their stance on clamps:

Not a Woodworker, viewing my husband’s wall of clamps: “Jeez, what’s with all the clamps?!?! What in god’s name do you do with all those?!?”

Novice Woodworker, viewing same wall: “Well, at least you have enough clamps, looks like.”

Serious Woodworker, viewing same wall: “You, sir, need more clamps.”

I wish I had a link I could post to a photo of those things. When I say a wall of them, I mean it.

10

Did some one mention tools? Cool…a thread I knw something about.

Since buying our “fixer”, and I use the word kindly, almost 3 years ago, we have bought:

propane torches, a sewing machine, an air compressor, trowels, mallets, hammers, tape measures, a reciprocating saw, pipe wrenches (total 4) tile cutter, tile nipper, belt sander, pipe cutter, air drill, air ratchet, air powered power washer, clamps clamps and more clamps (and we need more) assorted drill bits, including but not limited to masonry, butterfly and boring, enough sand paper to denude a beach, destruction tools including crowbars, sledgehammers and pick axes, jitterbug sander, floaters, punches, chisels and levels (3).

The sad thing is, I twist wrenches on motorcycles a lot, so that doesn’t include the tools that I had for working on engines. And my wife builds and restores furniture for fun, so that doesn’t include her existing power tools. Those are just the house related ones. Oh, and that includes only the ones that stand out in my mind.

I now also have opinions on the quality of various types of mortar, Home Depots bricks, where to get the best lumber in town, the quality of various manufactures of tools. In short, I have become my father.

But the place is starting to look good.

11

I hear y’all on the need for the Dremmel (or Dremmel-like tool). I’ve got one but I loaned it out to a buddy who was refinishing an armoire (or, as I would have said prior to getting married, a “wardrobe” - thank you C.S. Lewis).

Home Depot/Lowes gift cards rock! I’ve come to the belief that it is impossible to leave a Home Depot w/out spending at least $100. The only exception to that rule is if you need one specific fastener and are able to get out for something like 8 cents.

Another thing I learned is that for the exact same amount of money, $4.26, you can purchase either: 1) an Egg McMuffin; Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuit; and a medium Sprite, or 2) a flexible kitchen sink waste pipe. I think that is fodder for a great Price is Right game.

12

A hammer drill, baby.

Oh, yeah! Nothing gets the testosterone pumpin’ like a hammer drill. I’ve got a basement project to start, and I can’t wait to start boring holes in my concrete floor.

13

MORE POWER!!!

Hey Bottle of Smoke, how about that tool that uses (I think) .22 cal blanks to drive nails into concrete? That tool is pretty cool, although I’ve got to admit that a hammer drill is pretty spectacular itself.

14

Oh yeah rpinrd! A powder-actuated nailer – now you’re talkin’! I actually throught about renting one of these babies to drive the nails that will hold the sole plate of my framing in place. But I figure I can always use a hammer drill for other jobs, so I went that direction. Plus, testosterone pumpin’ is a good thing but those nailers make me uneasy. I don’t think I would be comfortable using one with my kids anywhere near the house.

But on the other hand:

Nailer make big noise. Big noise good. Bottle like big noise and explosion. Make remodeling seem more like hunting.

15

Those power actuated nailers are a real time saver on my job. But i have to warn you, using one for 8 hrs a day and your gonna be sore the next day.Being a carpenter i’m always in Menards and Home Depot picking stuff up.Menards is my favorite though.I just picked up a little screwdriver handle with 6 long bits in the handle that you dial the opening to what one you need and it slides out and seats into a magnetic holder.It comes in handy and saves space in my tool belt.

16

Well, the wifey bought me a big, two tier tool cabinet to replace my smallish rolling tool cabinet which was quite nice of her. I think I have 20 dwrawers now and 2 big “cupboards”.

I bought a 14.4V cordless drill just before christmas for myself.

I now need to buy the rest of the items so I can finish my basement. I see several hundred dollars of mine going by-by soon.

17

My wife hooked me up at Christmas with a B&D Firestorm 12 volt drill/jigsaw/sander combo. We just bought our first house four months ago and there’s been plenty to do. That set-up is the cat’s ass.

Speaking of which (WARNING: POTENTIAL HIJACK), is there a good website out there that will walk me through installing a toilet? I think I know what I’m doin but I’d like to doublecheck somewhere.

18

Oh man, I love neighborhood tool wars! You watch the guy next door rotate his tires using the cheap jack and unusable lug wrench that came with his car. You wait till he is finished and then invite him over for a brew. You wheel out your ten ton floor jack, air compressor and impact wrench. You have your tires rotated in less than five minutes, no sweat, no skinned knuckles, no cheap jack tipping over. You then casually show him the remaing pneumatic tools and accessories. You kind of throw in that the pneumatic tools duplicate the electric tools you already have but, what the hey, there is no such thing as too many tools. You ask him if he likes that ergonomic snow shovel he bought, he thinks he has one on you. You then show him the 15 horsepower, self-propelled, track drive, climate controlled operator enclosure snow blower you just happen to have.

Damn, the neighbor just pulled into his driveway and is unloading a new 25 horsepower lawn and garden tractor with ergonomic seat and backrest, an am/fm stereo with tape deck and 3 CD changer, a built in cooler for beer and a nice sun shade. Now, I have to go down to the hardware store again.

19

Hey Survey here’s a site for you.
http://www.hammerzone.com/archives/bath/projects/remod_w1/toilet/new_1/install.htm

But i’d say before you put the bowl in place put a roll of plumbers putty around the base. It helps .

20

I should have said instead of the red rubber pieces they put there.