Three out of four ain't bad

A while back, I wrote about my four must-have power tools. Santa Claus must have been reading because he came through on three of the four this year.

OK, so it was actually my parents (my dad) and in-laws who came through. And so what if I specifically asked for a circular saw and a Dremel? The cordless drill was a surprise, though. A pleasant one at that.

My dad must have been psychic when he picked the compact 12-volt Ryobi off the shelf. See, between the time I answered "A Dremel" to my mom's annual what-do-you-want-for-Christmas question, the battery on my 18-volt Craftsman all but went kaput. Lately, I've been able to get about 10 minutes out of it (including non-drilling time) before running out of juice. I've had it for 10-plus years, so I have no complaints. Well, one complaint: the exorbitant cost of a replacement battery. The Ryobi comes with TWO batteries, so I'm hoping to get 20 years out of it. Incidentally, it's the only one of my new "friends" I've had occasion to use - so far.

I can't wait to use the Ryobi circular saw and the Dremel, and I'm very happy to have them in my tool arsenal. To be honest, though, now that I have the Dremel, I'm a little intimidated by it. So many attachments, so many possibilities. I'll have to play around with it on some scrap lumber (of which I have LOADS) a bit before I use it. As for the palm sander (the fourth item on my list), I can easily make due with my Corner Cat for a while longer.

How did Santa do on your wish list?

Taming a wild belt sander (video)

Wow, I've been gone a long time. Now that my professional commitments have settled out, I'm back in full force (at least for now).

For my first post-hiatus post, I thought I'd share with you this video, which came to my inbox yesterday courtesy of the Handyman Club of America. I've just been filing their newsletters (and a lot of other things) for future reference, but when I saw the subject line (Video: If a Keystone Cop Touched a Belt Sander), I couldn't resist.

Sadistically set to the "William Tell Overture," the video carries the disclaimer "Warning: violence! Pain!" for good reason. There's no blood, but a LOT of potential for lasting damage - both to the floor and to the guy using the sander.

After you watch for yourself, you'll see why I don't feel bad for the guy (nor do I feel bad about not feeling bad). He asked for everything he got. Enjoy.

My four must-have power tools

Because the article on essential tools for homeowners lacked any mention of them, I thought I'd come up with my own list of essential power tools. So here they are (in no particular order):

1. Cordless drill. I can't tell you how often I use my Craftsman cordless around my home. I used to have an electric screwdriver, but when the battery went DOA, I just started using my drill. My trusty drill has helped me frame walls, hang drywall, bolt bookshelves to the wall (I do have a climbing toddler, you know) and much, much more.

2. Circular saw. Even though, sadly, this is one power tool I don't have, I often run into situations where I could really use one. In fact, power saws have been a major hole in my tool collection. The only one I had (until last Christmas, when my dad gave me a jigsaw) was the (cheap) chop saw I bought to cut baseboard. When I finally have the time to jump back into home improvement, a circular saw will be joining the family. And based on past experience, it will be cordless because I'd definitely find a way to cut through a cord.

3. Palm sander. My Corner Cat is another of my loyal and reliable friends. If you do any painting or refinishing, this is a great tool to have. Not only that, but if you're no wiz with a power saw, you can use it to sand off those splintered ends that a less-than-perfect cut will leave.

4. Dremel rotary tool. The WD-40 of the power tool world, this tool does it all - and has since 1945. With dozens (if not hundreds) of bits and attachments available, you can use this handy palm-sized wonder for everything - carving, engraving, sanding, cutting, cleaning, polishing and so much more. I'm ashamed to say that this is also conspicuously absent from my arsenal. And I'm not quite sure how I've overlooked it for so many years.

That's my short, very sweet, list. In my experience, with these four power tools, you can fix, build or improve just about anything around the house. Sure, I'm missing two of them, but remember this old parental saying: Do as I say, not as I do.

I'd love to hear what you have to say.

Will work for tools

Like a lot of home improvement newbies, I have gigantic gaps in my tool collection. For example, I own two saws: a chop saw and a jigsaw. The former was, for two years, the only saw I owned, having been bought to cut baseboards in late 2007. The latter was a Christmas gift that I've used once with so-so results.

It seems like every project I tackle requires that I either a) buy a new tool, b) borrow the necessary tool or c) make due with the tools I have. Reminiscent of advice given to students prepping for the SAT, C is more often than not the answer I choose.

So I'm left to wonder: if I can do this well with the bare bones, what could I accomplish with the right tools? And what are the basics I should have in my arsenal?

Of MSN's 15 tools every homeowner should own, I own exactly seven. A more exhaustive list is Popular Mechanics Top 50 Important Tools (With Tips!). After seeing only four familiar faces in the first ten, I gave up counting.

Until I'm independently wealthy, I'll just have to approach my tools like I would any collection: build slowly, keeping the end in sight.

Weekends are too short

Good intentions be damned, there's never enough time to get my projects done. Friday I put the last two windowsills in, and I planned to seal around the edges and fill in the larger gaps on the right and left of those two (I measured twice and cut once, but sometimes there's no accounting for bad math).

However, the weather turned springlike on the coast of Maine this weekend. The three of us (wife, daughter and me) have been sick for a couple weeks, so it was a perfect time to get out and do something. Trouble is, that meant I didn't do anything indoors - including windowsills.

To complicate matters, we live on the second floor and don't have a yard to speak of. All my power tools, lumber and other supplies are stowed in our storage room in the basement - which has no outlets. One thing I did this weekend was buy a DC converter to change my light socket into an outlet. That should help. We'll see.

So there my windowsills sit. The edges of the first four have been filled, but need to be sanded and painted. Those last two are in, but that's it. There's always next weekend, right?

My question for you is this: how to you manage your time to ensure that your projects get done?

In the beginning ...

Before I get started, here's a little about me: With a BA in journalism and an MA in English, I am by trade a desk jockey. But from a young age, I've always been a little bit handy, mostly by osmosis. Like most baby boomers, my dad is a tinkerer - the kind of guy who can fix (or at least gerry-rig) anything. Between my younger brother and me, he chose me to be his "apprentice." Not coincidentally, he's often said he's impressed by my ability to anticipate a solution and be ready with a suggestion - or at least the right tool. I've really learned a lot about home improvement, car maintenance and basic DIY skills - more than I could possibly have learned from any class.

After getting married, my wife and I rented for five-plus years, during which time I didn't get much occasion (beyond the odd picture-hanging) to flex my DIY muscles. Luckily, they didn't atrophy because in February 2005, I started needing them again - in a big way.

Home ownership itself often requires that one develop a working knowledge of carpentry, electrical work and more. However, we bought an open-concept loft in an old shoe factory with visions of making it "our own." Among the many projects I've completed (some with help, others by winging it) are: tiling our backsplash, ripping out and replacing the cheap rubber baseboard throughout and building walls. Along the way, my tool stash has grown, although I still find that I'm improvising a lot (i.e. using the wrong kind of saw for what I'm doing), but all in all, it's been a great learning experience.

Like most people, the one thing I wish I had more of is time. Five years later, I still have a lengthy project list, and between working from home (and, up until Valentine's Day, working weekends as well) and taking care of our almost two-year-old daughter (did I mention I'm also a stay-at-home dad?), the list continues to grow with few projects getting finished.

Now that my weekends are free, I'm hoping to start ticking off those projects and truly putting our stamp on this place. I'll be documenting my progress, as well as posting interesting articles, blogs, etc. about DIY and home improvement.

Wish me luck!