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The best 10 tools for your DIY and craft projects

BY READERS DIGEST

6th Jul 2021 Home & Garden

The best 10 tools for your DIY and craft projects

Today owning a home is quite an achievement. It usually takes a lot of effort just to access one. Then years and years of obligations with the bank lie ahead.

But the homeowner's duty is not limited to paying the mortgage on time during the half-life.

Owning a house also means getting involved in its care and maintenance, either by paying third parties to carry out tasks that you had never thought of, or by tackling them yourself. And that is where the relevance of having some minimal DIY notions comes in.

In general, we do not realize the importance of such everyday household items as a blind, a doorknob or a toilet, until it is too late and they suddenly stop working. Then the urgencies and doubts arrive.

Paying a professional to solve the problem is perfectly valid (sometimes it is even the only possible alternative), but being able to carry out the small maintenance and improvement tasks of our home without resorting to a professional, is undoubtedly the most economical and rewarding option.

All the advantages of DIY

DIY can be both a hobby capable of keeping us busy for countless hours, and a one-off activity focused on solving only domestic problems that may arise. Both approaches provide noteworthy benefits.

The first of these is the satisfaction that comes from being able to fix or do something useful for yourself. The human being is distinguished by being able to devise and use tools. As hominids we have stood out for our fine motor skills.

For millennia we have been able to precisely manipulate objects and shape our environment. All of this has made us evolve and be smarter. But little by little we have been putting aside that ability to do things with our own hands.

Somehow, DIY connects us to our primitive nature, and perhaps that is why learning to solve new problems is such a pleasant activity. Carrying out a DIY project always involves planning.

Doing things for ourselves forces us to think about the best way to achieve the goal, and pushes us to exercise our imagination. And that's really good for the brain, just like staying active by learning new DIY techniques, learning how to handle new tools, solving new breakdowns ...

Accumulation learning makes us smarter!

But we need the right tools! Without them we cannot carry out our DIY projects. Unfortunately, many people don't understand what the basic tools are really needed for their DIY projects.

If this is your case then keep reading till the end!

Still do not know which are the essential tools to carry out your DIY projects? You do not know how to find the best tool? You do not want to spend a lot of money on the purchase of material?

We have created this post so that you know the essential material to be able to carry out DIY projects and crafts. Utensils that you will need to have very close to to use all the techniques and, in this way, be able to unleash your creativity.

DIY and craft tools

1. Pliers:

Pliers are small two-armed pliers that provide you with endless uses: pliers are ideal for picking up and holding small objects or for twisting wires, thin metals, or the like. An essential tool for handling iron or metal. Pliers are your best ally in small repairs, and in the construction of furniture with wood.

2. Driver drill

The most used tool in the union of wood and metal is, without a doubt, the electric drill or screwdriver. Thanks to this fantastic tool you will save time and energy when putting the screws in the holes.

3. Electric screwdriver

The mission of the electric screwdriver is clear: loosen or tighten screws in a simple way. In this way, the electric screwdriver becomes the ideal tool to unscrew or screw in a simple and fast way. A tool that in addition to allowing you to save time, will help you reduce fatigue, so that you can use all your energy in manual modifications that require more force.

4. Orbital sander

Thanks to the orbital sander, whether electric or battery-powered, you will be able to sand wood, plastic and metal surfaces in a fast and easy way. In addition, most orbital sanders include dust collectors, so in addition to being powerful, it is a very clean tool. But be careful! If you want to flatten a surface or material, do not press the tool too hard!

5. Electric stripper

If what you need is to remove layers of paint or any other material, the electric stripper becomes your essential ally. Thanks to the stripper, you can remove paint from the surface effortlessly and safely. The electric stripper also stands out for its great utility and versatility, which make it the essential tool for any restoration project, especially if the furniture we are working on has layers of paint.

6. Mechanical hammer or mallet:

The mechanical or pneumatic hammer is an indispensable instrument for striking and removing nails. A tool that has been designed with the aim of demolishing pavements, making large holes or demolishing constructions of various kinds.

A mallet, on the other hand, is a tool that has the function of striking or striking. The shape is very similar to that of the hammer, but it has a greater weight and size. Thanks to the mallet, putting nails into our creations will be a piece of cake!

7-. Sergeant

Another of the necessary utensils for the realization of our crafts is the sergeant. The sergeants are manual support tools that are used to hold pieces of wood or metals that are going to be modified. The method of use consists of fitting the strip, block or piece with which we are going to work and having it perfectly attached to the table.

8-. Saber saw

The saber saw is the indispensable tool to cut deep pieces, plates and large slabs of wood or iron. It is a power tool with saw teeth, whose saw blade remains in the air and is only attached at its base. Thanks to this tool, we can make deep cuts or separate plates into two parts.

9-. Allen keys and combination spanners

Allen keys and combination spanners will be your best allies in assembling structures machined with nuts. Allen keys are shaped like an “L” and are used to tighten or loosen screw fasteners in a hole. In the case of combination spanners, the great advantage they offer are two types of tightening for different types of nuts on the same spanner, one at each end. A design that allows us to work comfortably and efficiently.

10. Grinder

The radial grinder has a use quite similar to that of the jigsaw. It serves us for more precise cuts and with better finishes on tiles, ceramics and harder surfaces. Although grinders increase precision and power, they are also more dangerous. Gloves, goggles and other protections should always be used when using this tool. Even so, as soon as you know how to handle it, you will see that it is the best cutting tool. But before renting a grinder, why not try renting tools of this type? So you can compare and see which one best suits your projects.

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