I'm sure you are going to laugh at me but what is vacuum tubes and what do they do for heating? Not to chance the subject but i was on another forum and they were talking at cheap seed starting heat mat. Most of them were taking Xmas rope lights (indoor/outdoor use)and putting them into sand ( just enough to cover them) and then setting the flats with potting mix and seeds on top of the sand. This was to help heat the soil the seeds were in. Theses light were to help maintain 70-80 degree needed to germinate seed. What i want to know is can these rope light really put out that much heat? They just seem so small and inefficient to me. and maybe this is a down right stupid thing to be think but if those rope lights work like they say. why couldn't i used them in my raised bed (like the soil cables). I'm only going to primely use the raised bed to start seeds in because i can't grow in them in the winter. Does my thought seem WAY out of this world or is it workable. East

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!

For hand tools for someone with difficulty gripping, hunt down a local SnapOn dealer. Yes, they are hard to find. Yes, they are expensive. But SnapOn's hand tools are the easiest to grip and stay in your hand of any of the gazillions of brands I've tried. My "go to" on screwdrivers is a 40 year old phillips head set that was handed down to me from my dad. I add in other hand tools as I can afford them. What kind of saw will work best for you as a general purpose saw will depend on what you're trying to cut. Sheet goods and general lumber will need an electric hand saw. My Porter Cable has been in service for 25 years with no issues at all. A Milwaukee Sawzall reciprocating saw will actually cut small tree branches, or through a car body depending on which blade you have in it. My Bosch sliding compound miter saw can serve as a chop saw, or it can do the complex angles required for installing molding. If you are handling a lot of longer goods, you will need sawhorses and/or a work table to set up your good on to be cut. For someone with arthritis issues, I hate to say it, but you need some family member or friend involved with your projects. You are probably as able as you are ever going to be right at this moment, and you need a backup plan for when a flareup comes, or just plain degeneration happens. Do you have neices or nephews or neighbor kids that you can pay a couple of bucks for them to help you with projects so they too can become familiar with tools and learn about them together? It always amazes me that no one thinks that kids need to learn about how to do anything with their hands anymore! Everyone needs to know a bit of something and to own a bit of tools. It bestows a type of independence that really mentally liberating when you don't have to always wait on a tradesman to do a job.

If you leave the wood paneling as is I would paint the walls a color as close to that color as possible. I don’t think a contrasting color in this space will add anything to this room. The ceiling is rather low , the trim is not that interesting and it will just add to the confusion. You could stain the wood floor darker for contrast and recarpet with something more interesting such as a patterned Stark carpet. This room could use a bit of pattern. I would look for a classic fabric pattern and have drapes made with some nice detail . Lastly; you need furniture that has some color! Perhaps when you find a fabric you like that will inspire your selection.