Innovative DIY Tools

Like most homeowners who become a seasoned DIY-er (Do-It-Yourself), I have collected a considerable number of tools for various jobs. Many of these are quite innovative in their simplicity and use. Here are a few of my favorites. I have included some notes for the jobs that included the tool’s use.

Project: Drywall – A drywall hammer comes in handy when hanging 4 x 8 drywall sheets, especially near the ceiling. I put some drywall nails in place at the top edge before pushing the wallboard into place. This helps me get the drywall up and held in place, then I go back and use screws “across the face” with my trusty Makita driver drill (this tool has served well for over 15 years). TIP 1: I put a small ring of Duct tape around the handle at the 8” mark (for walls; ceilings are usually 7”) from the base of the hammer and drill; this is for the nail spacing. I hold the tool sideways to begin proper spacing. Once I get going, I can usually eyeball it from there. Screws can be set at 16” and 12”; just fold-over the tool to double the measure of tape length. TIP 2: The drywall hammer has a ‘dimple’ head; I have a “dimpler” drywall screw setter that fits in my drill for setting drywall screws.

Project: TV and Entertainment Center, bookshelf units, and numerous other cuts on full sheets of plywood –I use an aluminum cutting guide that extends to 8 ft.; two 4 ft. lengths snap together for a full length. This guide can be used with a circular saw (or a router), for cutting full sheets of plywood, or other large flat stock. I use vinyl coated spring clamps in place of the c-clamps; faster, and doesn’t mar the surface. TIP 1: Set the saw blade to a depth just a little more than the thickness of the plywood and cut from the rough or bottom side. This minimizes ‘chipping’ while cutting. Do the same when cutting countertops. Use a plywood blade with a high tooth count.  TIP 2: If you find that you are cutting a door to size, use some ‘painter’s tape’ (blue, light tack) and cover the door where the foot of the circular saw will travel on the veneer. This will prevent scratches on the veneer.

Project: Central Vac – When I installed the central vacuum system, I had to drill a number of large diameter holes in tight spaces. Three tools stood out in this project: 1) A hearty “selfeed” drill bit for boring through nearly 4” of lumber, 2) Dual-Speed angle drive kit for the drill which turned it into a 90 degree right angle drill, and 3) A headlamp for putting some light on the subject, and freeing up some hands, while in a tight, dark crawl space. TIP 1: Using a selfeed bit will nearly pull itself through and clean as it goes along in comparison to a traditional hole saw. TIP 2: Hold on tight to the drill and drive kit. It can easily get away from you while drilling with a large boring bit or hole saw.

Project: Rebuild custom door molding and windowsills – A contour gage is a handy tool to ‘form’ itself to a shape, or duplicate odd shapes. It’s a series of wires, or pins, that conform to the shape that can be traced or copied onto other materials. Great tool to copy the cuts required around moldings when laying carpeting or tile, too. 7" Aluminum Rafter Angle Square - Although this square is for rafters, roof trim and stair angles, I find it handy as a ‘third-hand’ holding materials square while I screw corners and joints together.

Tools mentioned in this Post:

• Drywall hammer (Estwing E3-11), Driver Drill (Makita 6093D), “dimpler” drywall screw setter (Vermont American Tool 1/4 In. Drywall Screw Setter Model 16622)
• Aluminum cutting guide (Johnson Level & Tool J4900), Clamps (Pony 3202)
• Headlamp (PrincetonTec Aurora Model AUR-3), 3/8” or 1/4" drill Dual-Speed AngleDrive Kit (Vermont American Tool Model 17172), 2 1/4 ” Selfeed Drill Bit (Milwaukee 48-25-2251)
• Contour Gage (General Tools No. 837), 7" Aluminum Rafter Angle Square (Johnson Level & Tool RAS-1)

Most of these tools can be purchased at your preferred hardware or building supply dealer.

Sidebar: This list was first published in a DIY column I wrote monthly for a local homeowner newsletter. Since I was deep into DIY projects this week (taking some time away from the office), I thought it would be fun to publish it here on the blog. If you would like to see more from the previous columns, or new ones from time to time, send an email to “blog (at) nvestntech.com”.