I-chic, I hope you are just venting, because -- between your DS and and the rental and the B&B and everything else in your life -- you have absolutely nothing better to do with your time than learn a new trade :)

WOW, have a sister?

Finish nailers. For cabinet trim work I HIGHLY recommend a micropinner. Get one that shoots head or headless 23 gauge pins. Buy the headed pins - better holding power. Only two companies that I know of shoot the headed pins and I can recommend the Cadex based on personal use. http://www.floydtool.com/pin_nailer.htm
The pins are about the width of a paper staple and you do not need to putty the holes. They do not split the wood either. Wish I had bought one several years ago.. If your doing door molding a larger nail is better for that application- 16 gauge. Senco and Paslode makes great guns for the larger finish nails Bottom line - at least 2 guns to do it right

You will need a small compressor though for the micropinner - sorry. Senco and Paslode make good guns that work fine for the larger nails that do not require the compressor but I cannot recommend them for the cabinets after using the Cadex micropinner.

Here is a pic of crown molding I put up using it - no putty

I use a Dewalt 12" compound miter saw and a good blade when doing finish work. I like the Rigid saw with the table that HD sells. A friend has one and swears by it. The Dewalt works fine. You will need to learn a few tricks when doing crown molding though. (Build your own little jig) It can be frustrating without it. I can put one together and send you a pic if serious

Routers are fantastic ---and dangerous. I have a Makita D Handle, Ryobi plunge router and Porter Cable trim router. All are good. Stay with a top brand and you will be fine. Buy a small kit or carbinde bits and you should get the bits you need - hopefully just roundover bits? Did I mention - they can be damaging - I have fingers that will prove it from over the years - no beer when using one.

You need a good sander(s) - that was not on your list: a 6" round oscillating sander and a belt sander sound like they should be on your list. Rigid or Porter Cable for the 6" sander and a Makita belt sander

If your going to do much tile work I would buy a good one but they are a pain to store (too big) Depending on what your doing with the traventine, you might use a 4" grinder with a diamond blade. Its also soft enough that the belt sander will work on it. If its a small job and your not going to use it often, rent it the first time then decide

Hope this helps
Steve

I need it as light as possible. I will not be building walls with it, just finish work...So any suggestions?

I need a compound sliding miter saw, 13"?? Will that do it, and is there a table that's easier to use than others?

I need a router (to inset some vents into the toe kick trim). Suggestions? Bit kits I shouldn't be without?

I have a quality skill saw and jig saw (both are cordless...I love them!) Dewalt. I have high quality screw and drill guns (Miketa in a cute little silver brief case L

I have recently been drooling over Festools. A local store carries them and I may be getting a sander for my monthly gift to myself! They are lightweight and very high quality.

Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Festool

I second homepro's recommendation for the German Festool brand. Insanely high quality and durability, and they all work together with the Festool vacuum -- invaluable when routing or sanding in situ, for instance. Gorgeous sanders, routers, compound miter, and a very nice compact saw table. The Festool orbital sander is the only one I've used that leaves virtually no sanding marks.
They will run you quite a bit of dosh -- the most basic Festool power screwdriver goes for $400 -- but I don't think I could have finished my copper counters without their router and compound saw. It will be a big (and noticeable) step up from your Makitas and DeWalts. :)

Fein (another German brand) makes a fantastic small-surface sander called the MultiMaster. It has a zillion optional attachments that come in handy for all sorts of tasks, but for your purposes it is irreplaceable for sanding places the larger sander won't reach.

We've had good luck with Tenryu saw blades on the chop and miter saws. For fine power sanding, get the Finnish discs from Mirka. For hand sanding, use the flexible sheets.

Enjoy singlehandedly reinvigorating our economy! ;-)

LOL that last line killed me circus :) Hey I'm doing my best :OP

Ok blue...I'm selling the rental to the business and will let them assign a project manager to it to finish. I just have do draw up the plans and story boards and hopefully it will be off my plate.

DS is going to get a nanny again (just 20 hours) because frankly I'm not cut out to be a 24/7 mommy to a very demanding (he's sick again) child. I have to have a mental break to keep sane, and this is it :)

Oh and the this is all training for the B&B (which will just be a big house for us).

Now if I can just finish before I find out I'm pregnant with twins or tripplets) heh heh

Steve...I do have a sister, LOL but she didn't inherit the power tool gene...poor girl. I'm actually this way about all tools. My sewing machine could fund a small nation (DH says) but I like to work with quality...it makes the work more fun :)

I am serious about this stuff though. I really want my house done, but if you've ever read the tile forum, I also like to get my hands dirty. I see this finish work the same as I see making quality silk drapes...it's the "Fun" stuff :o) And I don't normally like shopping, but I adore tool shopping....they're so much fun :o) Please share details on that hand made jig!

Oh and thank you...I was seriously lacking a sander and hadn't even thought of it yet!

Ok I'm going to drool over Fes guys....please really, keep the advice coming.

By the way,I see this as echnomical actually...I was spending fifteen to twenty grand on my freaking contractor who took a month to do a floor (simple wood foor). After his broker called to verify he'd be working for me for at least another year at the same "Salary" I let him go...so I can buy a whole lot of tools on his silly salary and I might even get something finished.

Did I mention I have serious Level Love....I adore levels...goofy, but they're soooo cool! LOL

LOL, welcome to our world.

My husband only likes Freud blades... last longer.

The table saw scares the crap out of me so I don't use ours but it was one of our 1st purchases so at some point we'll upgrade ours... its a sears and we're not happy with it. I wouldn't recommend it for molding... my husband uses it to cut big stuff... our molding is done on our miter saw. We have the Hitachi 12 inch miter saw with a digital read... very nice (husband loves it) - compound is overkill, but nice which is why we didn't get it. Plus it takes up a lot of room.

I forget which router we have... nothing special though. You may want a router table too.

You may want a band saw for some trim cuts... ours is from Sears and drill press (I just got the $100 special at Lowes but paid $25 on clearance) for some holes.

You pretty much figure out what you need as you go and make many trips to HD and Lowes . The best thing you can do is load up on the DIY books - the internet is good for a lot of things, but the books are still really helpful... we like the Stanley and Black and Decker.

I love my Stinger shop vac from Home Depot - cheap disposable filters (get extra) and light weight so you can move it everywhere - use it much more than our big one.

And, if you are going to be a DIY, you have to get a Sears Ball Bearing Tool Chest - we just got a pretty blue one - don't get the home owner ones - they are cheap and look like they will fall apart. They have good lucks on there to keep your son out.

And, lastly, a nice set of kids tools to put your son to work... they make mini everything for kids... don't forget him too! He's not to young to learn .

Ooh yes, I forgot to mention a table saw. I confess a fetish for tools as well.

My parents got me an amazing table saw as a housewarming gift: it's the SawStop contractor saw. The safest table saw ever made. Not that you can't still do a whole lot of bodily damage in many ways, but you won't chop off a finger at least.

If you're doing much woodworking, you might need to get a dado blade for it as well -- that's my project this month (bookshelves, as my first practice step on the way to making breakfast nook seating). Dadoes and rabbets, that's the ticket, Igloo my friend.

It's a really nice saw with an excellent reputation (not just some goofy gimmick) and all my Real Contractor friends keep stopping by to play with it. Check it out!

Here is a link that might be useful: Saw Stop Contractor's Table Saw

PS: Steve, that is some GAWgeous molding you did there!

LOL,
You have no idea how serious us guys can get with their tools. I would have to agree the Fes tools are among the best - but they are not THE best for all applications. Flames will be forthcoming shortly from owners as they paid dearly for them. Think of tools like appliances, one company may make a great oven but that does not mean they make a great refrigerator. There are also several types of ovens (I really want a pizza oven and am researching them) so when buying a "router" you really need to look at the application. I do not have any experience with routing copper so I will defer to those who have. I can say I have used most major brands of saws, nail guns, routers and sanders and for use on various hard and softwoods and if you stay with the good names, you should be fine. I have made mistakes buying "cheap" tools in the past and they work "okay" but for consistent high quality work, a good high quality tool is requirement. They also seem to last forever. Be sure to look at the application, quality, reliability and accuracy for the work that you are going to do and then buy the tool that fits. Fine woodworking, Journal of light construction, all do decent reviews on tools which I have found generally pretty fair. Real life field experience is the best.

Now what about laser levels and laser measurers..... way cool (but not necessarily the best) when doing kitchens

Hubby wants to know how big the moulding is that you'll be installing as that impacts tool choice.

Will the vent be completely inside the toe kick trim? Do you want a lighter weight one that is easier to handle and should be able to get the job done or do you want a more all-purpose one?

What size blade is the skill saw?

Do you have a work table? How are you planning to stabilize the pieces while you cut them?

Would you consider a nailer that is lightweight but runs off an air compressor?

Are you concerned about dust?

He also says that for anything that cuts, you need to go corded as you won't get a clean/even cut otherwise. (The power drains on cordless ones.)

(Can you tell Hubby is very detail oriented?)

It sounds like you have gotten some great advise. I have the Compound miter saw and table saw that Steve mentioned....they are both fantastic! Forget the $65 dewalt trim blade that Lowes sells though....it will not stay sharp long enough. What a waste of money. Plan on spending some pretty serious money on trim blades.

OK.....for tile, you simply cannot go wrong with the low-end wet saw that lowes and HD sell. I bought mine probably 12 years ago for around $125. I have made hundreds of cuts with the original blade (replacement blades are over $60) and it still cuts great. I even cut some of the rocks for my stone columns with it and flagstone for the fireplace at my last house. It is still going strong. Much better than renting!

fun-fun-fun! I love my level too! He's a 4' mahogany wonder - simply beautiful. I also have a very old 1/2" wide maple & brass folding tape measure that is gorgeous but not functional - is that tool jewelry? But my favorite is a 6" iron pulley - she's so fluid - reminds me of a fertility goddess. Every DIYer must pray to the tool gods : )

Anyway.. don't forget a protractor. You also might consider a set of sample cove cuts - I can't remember the feakin' name of this thing but they show how different corners would look after they're cut - so you use them as a templates for your mitre cuts to make sure your saw is set correctly It's handy in preventing mistakes - which can be a disaster when you only have a set amount of trim to work with. And after a few dozen cuts - you literally don't know which end is up : )

Oh, and some quick clamps in various sizes are nice too...ours are by Dewalt. And maybe a coping saw for fine hand work.

It's clear this is the place to get a recommendation for a cordless drill so I'd like to throw out a question about that.

What's a good basic, all around sensible drill for various jobs around the house like hanging mirrors, putting things up, furniture repairs?

I will buy this once so, as Igloo says, so if it's one of the Festools, that's ok too. Unclear to me what the differences are and how much power is useful vs too much to handle. Have shopped for this once or twice but found folks in HD and even the local hardware store (where I like to buy to support them) to be useless.

Thanks to all for the sander recs as I need one of those as well.

I have the Ridgid compound miter saw mounted on my own worktable - excellent tool. You can adjust it in almost every angle imaginable.

My router is a Freud. For any kind of accurate work I find that the router table (also Freud) is pretty well mandatory. Bits get dull fairly quickly - even the expensive ones - so I have settled for buying middle of the road quality and replacing them frequently.

If you do buy a table saw DON'T buy a portable weekend- warrior type. They can't cut a straight line. Delta makes a nice middle of the road one. If you have the space a radial arm saw can do most things that a table saw can and IMHO are the preferable choice.

If you are doing finicky stuff you may find that a small bandsaw and a good scroll saw are invaluable.

Milwaukee tools are great. Ridgid tools are great. DeWalt are very good to great. Porter Cable are great. There are other great brands too.

I have a Mastercraft spiral saw that has a flexible cable attachment. Basically a Dremel tool on steroids. This is one of the most useful tools for detail work that I have ever owned. I would be lost without it.

As with anything else - you get what you pay for. I find it is particulary true with power tools though.

Forgot to mention: DON'T EVER USE THESE TOOLS WITHOUT WEARING EYE PROTECTION. I WOULD BE BLIND SEVERAL TIMES OVER BY NOW WITHOUT THEM !!!!

Rococogurl, I have the Festool compact C12 cordless drill and I LOVE it for these reasons:
1) it's lightweight and slightly smaller, so it's actually comfortable for a woman to grip and use,
2) it has a "D" design which means that you can get into tighter quarters, and I find it's easier to keep level and steady than the traditional pistol style,
3) the chuck changes with a twist and push, which is fabulously quick and easy mid-task, and
4) it's virtually indestructible - I dropped it down some stone stairs to a concrete floor the other day with no damage at all (!). My carpenter friend says he's used his as a hammer (!!) for years with no ill effects -- he's the one who got me into the Festool brand.

I think it can be had for around $350 without any of the optional attachments.

That said, depending on what your needs are, you might be just as happy with a traditional drill, like a nice one from DeWalt or Bosch. I used my boyfriend's old cordless DeWalt for the first half of my remodel, although the Festool is so much more powerful and handy that I'm kicking myself for not having gotten it sooner. (I could really have used it when the DeWalt was at its limit driving screws into the Hardibacker concrete board for bathroom tiling.)

My 2¢. :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Festool C12 compact cordless drill info

circus -- thanks so much for your response and the link. Very useful. One more question: any accessories truly needed or just what comes with the drill?

Salmon_Slayer,
How dare you question my suggestion for Festools? :-) Should I go on on my rant? No flame throwing here. I was hoping others would chime in with more recommendations!

I had several requirements for some tools, I am purchasing a router, sander and drill from them. Now circus has me dreaming of the multimaster. Not everyone makes the best tools for every situation. I have to agree with circus, being a girl, the Festools are really light weight and more ergonomic for my hands. I actually got to use the drill because my plumber had one and he is a smaller guy. I find it more powerful than my Makita which is heavier and has a much shorter battery life!

The laser levels are not good in my opinion. A good quality basic level works so much better. I also can't see straight without a level. i bought some Kobalt ones from Lowes and they appear to hold true level.

Igloo,
Have we enabled you enough? After you buy just a few of these tools, you should single handedly be keeping the economy afloat!! So do your civic duty.
Good luck!

Rococogirl

I have not used the Fes drill but have used (and currently own ) Makita, Porter Cable, Dewalt, Craftsman and a little Costco LiIon 3.2V thing. I have used Ryobi, Milwaukee, Hilti and Bosch.

The answer: Depends - what the primary use will be.

The size and type of battery is a big player in your decision. Today, If you buy anything but Lithium Ion, I would say your making a long term mistake. The other batteries do not hold up as well and batteries are expensive.

For general use, most contractors I know that when buying again would get the Makita 18V drill/impact driver combination. Check the weight though to make sure your comfortable with it. The LiIon units do not weigh as much but may be heavy for some. You can go down to a 14.4V if weight is an issue and then they also have a nice little 10.8 V drill that is sweet. Bosch and Milwaukee also make a smaller 9-10 Volt that are very respectable - the Milwaukee has more torque and is preferred between the two. I have not used one of the new 10.8 Makitas but hear good things - The 14.4 and bigger impact drivers will easily take care of screwing down Hardibacker. Many carpenters/deck builders use them. The impact driver makes a huge difference in driving longer screws or into hard materials

The drills I mentioned can be bought with the hammer drill setting which is good for drilling into cement.

Again, there are different best solutions for different applications

I know guys that buy the Rigid drills/impact drivers because HD guarantees the batteries forever and performance is fine - certainly a consideration

Bottom line: avoid cheap tools, they will not last. Today is buying: I would buy the Makita Li ION in 18 Volt (I currently use the 18V Dewalts) and would pick up one of the 10 volt drills for smaller applications (putting screws in hinges, small around the house things) Either the Milwaukee or Makita. (The small Milwaukee really was that much better than the Bosch which surprised me)

t might be better to rent the tools this way you have less clutter in the end.

I've rented tools and haven't been happy in the long run because they were abused, didn't come with instructions, and were sort of middle of the road most times. I want my own :oP

I think the biggest molding I'll be cutting will be maybe 4". I'm not going to build the bench seat (which will use larger pieces of wood) so I don't think I need a bigger saw. I do want to cut down the toe kicks on those though...I'll have to think about how to do that if the freak never shows up.

I am using a vent for that toe kick that I've already purchased. It's basically a long iron piece with decorative detail. Inside the toe kick will be it's "works" (it opens and closes) so that we can use it as necessary. (It's to offset the hood when we're using the fireplace). The iron is about 1/4" thick, and I think that it would look bad against the molding since it would stick out further. I also don't like the way the contractor mounted a similar (but wood) vent cover in our master bath. I think it should be recessed...so the router is a must.

I always wear protection :) Eyes, gloves if necessary, etc. I'm a bit neurotic about it LOL (which is ironic given that I fell of a 4' ladder, from the second step and broke my arm quite badly LOL) The ladder was recalled (left there by the contractor i'd fired) and had a structural failure. So it wasn't my fault :oP

Steve, apprently bethv is my sister LOL

And your gorgeous trim is very much like mine Steve. Simple cherry with lovely lines :) Now I have to do it as well as you LOL I'm ordering the pin nailer as we speak.

I did spend quite a bit of time on the festools website. I do like the weight issue. This is my primary concern because the broken arm is only at 30% stregnth to my normal arm. Aside from a sick 3 year old...it's my number one deterant to doing some of this work. I can't haul tile, move big pieces of lumber etc. I actually have difficulty carrying laundry baskets...it's just not back to normal at all. (I broke the top inch or so of the bone so badly that they scraped up the mess and gave me a dead guy's bone, then a plate and lot of screws). It will be well over a year before I can do what I used to (like laundry LOL Ok maybe not).

Dust and smells are issues since we're in a townhouse and have a sick child. But I do have a very large garage with a big space for my tools to work in (as soon as I finish throwing the contractors crap in a snow bank today). I'm getting it all set up. I will buy a router table, and a couple of work tables. I saw some lovely rolling pieces I will investigate, and I've got an appointment with the Fes guy on Tuesday.

ANyone use the fes dust removal system? It's a deal with a couple of their tools...

I'm not buying all fes :) I'm also a believer in checking out all brands. I have more investigating to do since ya'll mentioned some fun tools to consider.

I expect that when we get the next house I'll still have plenty of use for all of this stuff, and in 6000 sq ft, I must be able to find room for storage :) I plan on doing much of the work on that house (nothing major, just fixing boggled trim and oh maybe rebuilding a kitchen, but that's small stuff right?) :oP

Ok more reading. Thanks so much ya'll!!!! You rock!

Ouch - sounds like lighter is best then If the Fes drill is not the answer, look at the new Lithium 10 volt drills. See if the new Fes drill holds a standard hex bit. The old ones did not if memory serves - they required their own adapter. These are the first parts that walk away and being able to get ready replacements might be important. See if they have an impact driver if you will be installing screws - I got one months ago and wish I had it years ago. No comparison to a "regular" drill

a 12" compound miter saw will be fine for up to 6" molding. 10" is too small. You will not need the compound part often but when you do, its invaluable. When I built the framing for the hood liner, I "needed" it because of the sloped ceiling and sloped hood design. You do not need it for crown molding when using a little jig. I will make a quick one and send a pic - it makes crown molding much easier to get good tight joints - especially on larger crown.

Bill would be the right person to say what tile saw to buy. I have a 10" M&K that works fine for to me, is easy to keep square and I have abused it over the years. (I cut large cement blocks for a retaining wall and pavers with it) Cons: It is heavy and you have to keep the rails really clean for smooth operation

Its much more fun to be a woman buying power tools... my husband is amazed at how easily I get them loaded in the SUV without him . When I buy them with him or the few times he buys something... he has to do it... the joys of being a woman. (well... till I get home and tell him to unload the SUV as I bought him another present).

Before you run out and buy all the tools, figure out what you need. For molding, you don't need the speciality tools. Buy as you go...

The white Mikita lithium drill is the best - very lightweight but powerful. Both my husband and I use it regularly. It was about $200 and worth every penny.

My husband uses his band saw for more molding than he'd ever use some of the other tools mentioned and you might want to try the compound saw vs. a regular 12 inch miter saw... it really is overkill and in the summer we move ours outside and the bigger you get the more heavy... so consider that too. With the band saw it is nice for some speciality cuts but I wanted the molding to replace what was aready in the house.... not sure how he did it, but love how he did do it.

Router- you don't need one to cut an opening in a toe kick for a vent; the tool for that would be a jigsaw. Unless the vent is wood and will be literally inlaid flush into a toekick board, or enitrely integral to it.
Compound sliding miter saw- A 10" SCMS will miter up to a 10" crown molding. It will straight-cut 2x12's easily. The key is the slide. I have a crapped out Bosch that still works and cuts 54 degrees left- and 62 degrees right- miters (anything beyond 46 degrees is a very helpful bonus that should be sought after). I regularly use a Hitachi 10" SCMS with a laser guide that bevels (compound) in both directions, an extremely nice premium feature.

Festool; you will love the dust collector/hepa vacuum. You will come to regard it as a member of the family! It allows for vitually dust free cutting and sanding. The vacuum is far more than just a shop vac. I have done two floors in my (old and venerable) house with their Rotex 150 Dual-mode sander. The tools stand up to hard constant use.
Their routers (if you must) are also top-rate. One caveat to their driver/drill: the low-profile collet takes only their (metric) hex bits. To use 1/4" SAE hex bits you need an adapter or the optional chuck, both of which diminish the low-profile aspect of the drill. The Festool brad-point drill bits are exceptional pieces of tooling, well worth having, even if the 7 piece set is $72. These bits do snap directly into the drill collet.

The Festool container system (SysTainers, as they are called) are really useful for keeping all the gear organized.

For cabinet crown you will want to try the new-fangled superglues with aerosol accelerator. It allows for fastener-free joining of miters. I can put together two or three pieces of crown and install them as a perfectly-aligned unit, only nailing them off after the glue had set (10 seconds) to ensure perfect alignment. When the 23 gauge pin nail goes in, it won't change the fit of the miter.

Home depot was running a special deal on the (blue-bodied) Makita Driver/Drill and Impact driver kit. A Drill (with hammer drill feature) and the impact driver, charger, 2 @ 18v 3AH Lithium batteries and the case was reduced to $199 right around Christmas. When the impact driver was introduced about 4 years ago, it alone was selling for $400. There you are. Needless to say, I'm a proud owner. I will not buy any more NiCad or NiMh battery drills from now on. LI forever!
The best advice I can give is to know both the abilities AND limitations of all of your tools. Your number one tool is yourself (I just called you a tool, sorry).
Great work can be done with a limited number and quality of tools, but it takes longer and requires more experience. Don't expect things like miter saws to work right out-of-the-box. They need to be tweaked and tuned. And for a beginner this will be even more potentially frustrating, but it is a wonderful way to learn. In general, if a saw came from the factory with a free blade, throw it out and get a real blade. If your table saw is lacking in power to rip through that oak slab, use a smaller diameter blade with a thinner kerf whenever possible. It's like adding HP to the tool.
If a 10" mitersaw blade with 80 teeth gives an adequate cut, a 12" saw will require 100 teeth to do the same job. A 12" saw also needs more time/power to come up to full speed and to come to a full stop. If you can't already tell, I really prefr 10" size for miter saws. Especially when it comes time to sharpen (they charge by the tooth)
Enough of my aimless meandering.
Casey

A sliding compound saw has a bit of xtra capacity over a fixed compound saw , but at the expense of accuracy. A 12" fixed will do for all those that aren't doing 8" + crown moldings. N.B. Festool's unit is the one exception but as you've seen costs twice what other's do.

Festool's whole line is built around dust collection, it's not an afterthought. If you get their mitresaw you need to get their larger vac hose as the standard just over 1" hose is not adequate. Demo it as the handle orientation bugs some folks. If you're working in a finished space these are the only tools to get. The Dewalt 621 router may be just as good at dust collection, but it's the only thing close. Purchase bits as needed, buying a set usually leads to over paying and under using. An up spiral bit will be good for cutting clean holes in the toekick. A drill, jigsaw, and a steady hand will do the same thing.

Festool drills DO take standard short hex shank bits in the included quick change adaptor. If you want to change out longer hex bits into the drill body itself you'll have to go with Festool's as the keying is different. They will debut a Lithium Ion Battey this year for theose interested.

Saw blades are a bit harder to narrow down. One manufacturer doesn't make the best blade for every purpose and certainly not when you factor price/value into the mix. You need to look at what you're cutting, how many cuts you make/need and do you want to resharpen the blade and how often and at what cost. N.B. Festool's blades are metric sizes so there is very little choice outside of theirs. They are very good, and are made by Leitz last I heard. Forrest, CMT and some of Freud's line are really good and available almost everywhere. Dewalt used to have good value blades when they had the 40 series and were made in the UK. Delta has nice value blades if they are the ones made by Leitz in Germany. These 2 aren't widely available though. For a 12" mitre saw just about any blade with 80 teeth or more will cut crown just fine for 1 kitchen. What kind of crown you're cutting will determine what type of teeth to use, how many and how thick a blade to get.

A pin nailer is great for tacking mitres together but it's not going to be adequate for attaching built up crown to face frames or fastening crown to the house walls. Paslode's Impulse 250 - 16 guage angle trim nailer is very versatile and doesn't need a compressor. Has more holding power than a pin. Requires a bit of maintence though.

salmon -- thank you for all the extra info and the alternatives. What I need to do now is learn to speak power tool and go take a look at all the various suggestions to see what I can handle. A friend gave me 2 really old drills he had, one is almost to heavy to use and neither hold a charge although I just sent $20 to B&D for a new charger. So the point about quality is well taken.

Compared to the OPs scale of things, I'm just a piker here, needing a drill for "handy" things and small fixes. Still, I appreciate the passion and detail of your explanation as it's really helpful to me. It's like going into a store to buy something small and having them treat you like a big spender -- LOL!

It's like going into a store to buy something small and having them treat you like a big spender -- LOL!

Heck, sister, if you buy a Festool drill, you WILL be a big spender! ;-)

The C12 I got about a month ago came a quick-change chuck included that is used with all my standard bits from other drills, so no, I don't think you need any of the extra attachments to get up and running right away.

I'm impressed at how long the Festool NiCd battery lasts for me, and it comes with an extra. Their Li battery will probably be very impressive.

---

Igloochick, I'd definitely consider the Festool vacuum hookup (or some dust collection system) with your tool purchase -- I would still be finding tiny copper shavings between my toes if it weren't for that.

circus -- hear you. It looks very good and I also should take a gander at the makita specs then find a place to go see how they balance and how I would relate. It's something I will use a lot now and going forward.

An old carpenter taught me to put a layer of masking tape on my router base before using it for my first cut and then removing it after that cut and repeating the process. Removing the tape lowers the router just enough to make a really nice second pass.

Its nice to see someone else experiencing contractor problems and I too have had better success buying some nice tools and doing the work myself. I have appreciated reading the recommendations.

I'm looking for tools too, this is great.

As an older woman without nearly as much strength as a contractor, I'm concerned about different issues.

Weight is paramount. I'll put up with less sturdy tools if necessary.

Hand size is a big problem. A lot of tools have triggers and switches that I can't easily reach with my fingers.

Balance is key with a lot of tools like drills. Having less strength makes it more critical.

Bottom line, I have to find many tools somewhere where I can handle them before buying.

Sounds like you've gotten good advice so I'll throw in my $.02 on a few things. You'll definitely need a new blade for your miter saw. I'd recommend either freud or forrest, and make sure you get the right type of blade (crosscut trim blade). In general for crosscut trim blades the more teeth the better. I haven't seen a good selection at HD or Lowes so you may have to shop Amazon for one.

If you want a table saw, and it doesn't sound like you actually need one, then personally I'd go with the sawstop mentioned. The poster who mentioned it has a fantastic and well-informed mother :-).

For drills I can see where contractors like the 18v models. But as a hobbyist I find them too heavy and I really don't need the power. Be sure to hold and play with one at the store to see if you can handle the weight, even of the Lithium ion models (which I would definitely recommend).

For routers, Porter Cable and Bosch are generally considered the best. Although maybe Fein is up there - Fein is kinda low-profile in the US but I know some of their tools have an excellent reputation.

My last piece of general advice is to buy the right tool for the job. Don't buy a bigger or heavier tool when a smaller, lighter tool will do. Good luck and have fun!

There's lots of good advice here, but if I can throw in my two cents worth...

Cordless tools with lithium ion batteries are indeed swanky, but in my opinion, you're paying a lot for a little bit more runtime or a little less weight. Given your arm, maybe the cost is worth it...

This isn't you, igloochic, but occasional home users that stumble upon this thread might note that batteries die after about 5 years, so spending a lot on something like a dewalt or milwaukee might not be cost effective. I know a few people (some professional; some home users) that have had good success with Ryobi cordless tools.

I'm very happy with my Makita LS1013 sliding compound saw. 10" blades are cheaper than 12", and they occasionally cross over to the table saw. The saw itself is solid, though doesn't stay in perfect alignment if it rides around in the van too long. High-end Freud blades are nice, as are Dimar, if you can find them. Forrest seem to have a good reputation, though I haven't used them.

I've settled happily on Porter-Cable routers. You can usually get a combo pack with a fixed base, a plunge base, and a 1-3/4 hp motor for a decent price. With smaller bits, I wouldn't spend the extra money for variable speed. My router table is effectively an old piece of plywood with the router bolted underneath and a 2x2 oak fence, so don't let anyone tell you that you *need* to spend heavily on that. Admittedly, you *can*, but that's another story.

I know you didn't want a compressor, but the guns are lighter and you get a lot more flexibility as far as adding more air tools. I'm happy with my Porter-Cable 18g finish nailer. One caution is that the 18g PC nailers that come in their combo packs are sometimes only capable of shooting 1-1/4" brads, which is a little short for some uses. While the 23g pinners are nice, I wouldn't shoot baseboard with them.

I'm very happy with Stabila levels. (Oh, except for the price.)

I posted in your X-post in remodeling

Get the Fein Multi-master or clone....for all your "impossible cuts".....

Use CO2 bottles for an "air" power source for your nailer.....something like this.....do you have paintball in Alaska ?

Nice and QUIET operation

Here is a link that might be useful: Doitbest

get the mulitimaster with the optional blades
that tool as a hand held plunge cut is awsome, i don't mind spending 500 bucks if it makes my job easier..
you also need a rotary hammer drill, bosch is my favorite
light but mean

Hi igloo,

As a woman who started out not knowing pliers from a wrench, and has since done almost everything in our whole-house remodel, I'll give you my perspective. I think I remember you saying in the past that you're a small person? Even if not, these tools are made for men. They're heavy -- I've given myself wrist/thumb problems from using my drill a lot because of the torque when it stops. So check out any hand held tools for a while to make sure they're very manageable for you.

Next, it doesn't seem to me that you need a table saw. That opens a whole can of worms: tools like TSs, jointers, planers, etc, need a very good dust collection system, and that gets complicated and controversial. It's the fine dust, the dust you can't even see, that is harmful to your lungs. You don't actually have to worry as much about the typical sawdust you generate, the stuff you're very aware of, because you kick it out of your lungs when you breathe. The fine stuff lodges in them.

Given that, if you start wanting to build cabinets and/or furniture, you will need a TS, and I definitely recommend buying a cabinet saw (as opposed to a contractor's saw) that costs at least $2300 or so. The Sawstop is a very good saw, from what I've read. But you're paying $1000 extra for the stop feature. Losing fingers happens often enough to seasoned woodworkers, but danger from kickback is a lot more common, and it can't stop that. For $1K less you can get others of a similar quality (I have and like the Powermatic 2000.) The cheaper ones (contractor's saws) are inaccurate in any number of ways for cabinetmaking.

I bought an $88 wet saw from HD a few years ago. I installed tile on three smallish rooms and it worked like a charm. Much better to buy than rent 'cuz they're not expensive, and you can take your time with them.

I'm impressed by what I've seen of Festools, but I've worked with their vacuum and a Fein Turbo III vacuum, and I prefer the latter. (I encouraged my boss to buy the Festool vac and now I wish I hadn't, it's unwieldy.) The Fein, a little more expensive, with a HEPA filter, moves around easily and is less clunky. And its suction (see stats on website) is at least as good as on the Festool. You'd have to check out whether its hose will hook up to Festool tools.

If you're doing only trim work, you don't need to worry about most of these things. I'd start with just the tools that are needed. If you find you need more, you can buy as you go. Buying tools never stops. Even tho I've got an 8" jointer, cabinet saw, etc, in my basement, that work very well for my household needs (building cabinets) they look like toys compared to the ones my boss uses. So spend your money selectively and try to resist buying all kinds of things you won't use much!

Sombreuil said a very true thing: Great work can be done with a limited number and quality of tools, but it takes longer and requires more experience. Don't expect things like miter saws to work right out-of-the-box. They need to be tweaked and tuned. And for a beginner this will be even more potentially frustrating, but it is a wonderful way to learn.

I'm far from a pro but I've found out that it takes a lot of skill to do good work! Crown moldings are among the most frustrating things I've ever done, because no angle in your house is 90 degrees.

Best of luck and I hope you enjoy the work!