studio, The tile seemed adhered to the plywood pretty well except the row right next to the cabinets and I suspect they didn't get thinset under there as well as they could have..but I also suspect a decoupler like Ditra might have been better in an older house like this where there's been settling. Just guessing, I don't really know! Not to mention that they pushed out the kitchen at some point and the transition to the newer floor isn't level even to the naked eye. Considering all that, I guess it's held up ok. Yeah, I know the reputation of Harbor Freight tools, but I thought that if the blades were interchangeable it might be worth trying one out on my Multi-Max. You wouldn't think they could screw up a blade too badly. They were signifigantly cheaper, but then I probably won't have a need to cut out grout that often anyway. I'm not really unhappy with the Multi-Max, it did its job well - I just tend to think it would take a long time on a large floor. But then again, the grout lines I had to cut out were extra wide so they did probably take longer than most would.

I am getting lost in details as far as the multi tools. Today have been looking at reviews on Amazon.com for the negatives. Dremel is noisy, gets hot after 5 minutes, bit comes loose. Price $119. Rockwell heavier, but not so noisy, attachment screws work loose, blades smoke. Price $139. Fein Multimaster Smoking blades, expensive blades. All three had lots of good reviews, but Fein Multimaster had the best. I bought the Dremel at Lowes today but after more research this afternoon I think I should return it and get a Fein. They have them at Tool Crib. How do I know which is best for me. Of course I would prefer the cheapest, but also want one that will hold up and work well. 250 Start is $199. wonder if it has the easy change attachment feature? 150 Select is $281 250 Select $329 Top $354 Top Plus $399 At present, I just need something to cut out portions of an old maple floor that need replacing. Thanks for anymore advice.

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!

I have the Fein and a Bosch. They are tools that will do the little things that took you so long to do in the past. Or the things that took you two hands, or two tools, or multiple steps...you can now do with one. One tool, one hand, one time. They'll do those little things, faster, neater, and more precise. I don't have a preference for one over the other. Both work well, perform well, etc. The blades are pretty much universal now. Last thing I used them for? Everything in adding an addition with gable dormer onto an existing building: For precisely cutting into the fascia trim on the existing house that allowed me to tie the new trim in with the old. Precise cuts into the existing clapboard siding. Cutting gutters. Cutting through the old roof's drip edge, roof sheathing, and shingles from the underside. Clean flush cuts. Had to nibble a shaving off the end of a rafter that was a tad too long. Easy and fast and one-handed with the multi-tool. Definitely worth the money. Convenience. Accuracy. Ease of use.