Drills and drill bits:

A power drill is one of the most useful things to have in a house. What you want from your drill is speed, control as well as high levels of accuracy. Here are a few tips:

A cordless drills allows you to move around more. Should you have a mains powered tool, make sure you have an extension lead;

Use a basic mains drill to drill small holes in wood. You will need a minimum of 400 Watts and a chuck size of 13mm.

A basic cordless drill is ideal for driving as well as undoing screws. Use the reverse gear to remove the screws. Here a maximum chuck capacity of 10mm is required. Should your drill have variable speed and a hammer action, it can be used on masonry as well as wood and metal.

Select the correct drill bits for the correct tasks:
Use a high speed twist for wood, metal and plastics (1mm – 13mm)

For tile and glass use a sharp tip with a curved blade

To make holes in wood, plastic and light metal larger than 40mm, use a hole saw.

A screwsink can be used to drill pilot and countersink holes so you don’t have to change the bits

Sanders and planers

A power sander is used to remove layers of varnish, paint, stains and even rust.

Belt sanders are suitable for heavy duty shaping, preparing and finishing on large areas of timber.

It has two rollers to hold the continuous abrasive paper sheet in place.

For lighter sanding work use an orbital sander. If your orbital sander can’t reach into those hard to get to places, use an electric hand sander.

To shave and smooth sawn timber, use an electric planer.