Carrickfergus Advertiser - Features - Making DIY Easier By Expanding Your Range Of Power Tools At Home

Features

Making DIY Easier By Expanding Your Range Of Power Tools At Home

Thursday, 6 October 2011

One of the most draining aspects of DIY for a beginner has to be the painstaking, tiring work that is done by hand. Whether it is filing a piece of metal down, sawing a plank of wood in half, sanding a painted or varnished door or trying to drill a hole into wood, without power tools to hand these jobs can turn from being quick two-minute jobs into time consuming, laborious tasks.

Thankfully, there now exists a wide variety of power tools to assist the amateur DIY enthusiast in any project around the home, and with the season of goodwill beginning to loom on the horizon, now may be the best time to consider treating yourself, or your partner, to some new kit. With some outstanding bargains to be found, there's no better time to consider a purchase. Get your tools and materials sorted now and you'll be able to redecorate just in time for the festive season, when you can showcase your new home to all the relatives.

Listed below are just some outstanding power tools well worthy of consideration for the avid DIY fan.

Cordless drills:

Depending on the complexity of DIY you are expecting to undertake, there is a wide range of cordless drills available to suit all price ranges and all project work in the home. Before selecting a drill you will need to determine the amount and type of drilling you are likely to be doing. If you are only going to be a relatively light user of the drill then a 12V cordless combi drill, such as the DeWalt DC745KA is the perfect choice.

If you are looking for a drill that boasts a bit more power but is still light enough to use overhead, then a drill in the 14.4V range is ideal, and few drills offer better power to price ratio than the Bosch GSB 14.4. It comes in a sleek and elegant design with a great price tag, meaning this quality drill is now more affordable than ever.

Finally, if you are a heavy duty user and drill into concrete, brickwork and steel on a regular basis then you should consider the 18V and 24V series of drills. The Makita BHP453RFX is a superb 18V option at an outstanding price, while if you want power on a budget then the Direct Power BP11240 24V combi drill is a great alternative.

Orbit and belt sanders:

If you are looking for powerful, quick sanding of wooden items, then orbit and belt sanders are the obvious choice. The Erbauer ERB108SDR 230V orbit sander is a perfect entry-level machine, while the accompanying belt sander, the Erbauer ERB1095SDR, affords you an additional useful tool for your growing toolbox.

Router:

If you are installing a kitchen and have work surfaces to install, for example, then a router is by far the best tool for cutting the holes for the sink and hob. Power is everything with this machine and as such the Direct Power PR1020E 1020W Plunge Router is the best tool for the job, although it is worth buying some spare cutters if you are going to be using the tool extensively.

These three tools should be used as a starting point for any DIY enthusiast looking to increase the speed and professionalism of the many DIY tasks they undertake in and around their home.

It is a good idea to add into this collection a selection of saws, such as circular saws, jigsaws and mitre saws. As well as power tools, it is also useful to expand your hand tool kit with the inclusion of specialist items like a torque wrench, planes and chisels, hammers and axes and you can be sure that any DIY project will be considerably easier and quicker to complete in the rush before Christmas.