With the ever - increase popularity of turning old into new again , re - purposing and upcycling have become great way to redecorate and furnish on a budget – all while keep our landfill and junkyard from fill up .
Traditional carpentry methods and tools are not always the solution when work with old material such as barn wood , pallet and metal roofing .
Although a table saw and a orbitual saw are great in traditional workshop – it can be a second more more difficult to use them to cut a nail impregnate piece of barn wood .
So for this calendar week ’s DIY post – we thought we would spotlight 6 tools we use that have really made our life easier while working on our re - purposing projects at the farm .
I think it ’s important to understand that you do n’t have to have a $ 50,000 work shop like Norm from This Old House to make quality re - purposed item . In fact , the six items listed below could all be purchased together for less than $ 500 .
So here you go … If you do n’t have these in your pecker arsenal already – you will want them soon enough !
Swanson Speed Square
It ’s such a simple tool . It ’s tough and toughened , and undecomposed of all , it ’s under $ 10.00 at your hardware store .
Although call a square toes – the Swanson speed foursquare is a triangular - form measuring pecker .
Originally designed for carpenters and framer to help figure out angles for balk and steps – we ’ve happen 1,000 other uses for it . Other than maybe the magnetic tape measure – it ’s one of the most used cock in the tool corner .
It cause quick work of creating mark production line for cut lumber or to square up off old pieces of jagged barn plank in seconds .
It also make an amazing cutting scout for my circular or jig saw when set beside the cutting Earth’s surface .
We also apply it to check for squareness on tables and furniture that we make – and its the perfect squaring pathfinder when we mark off our pergola end .
Oh , and yes – it does work great for the rafter angles – we used it to make all of our rafters for the b 🙂
Pressure Washer
This one may throw you – but yes , a pressure washer makes our top 6 list when working with old wood .
We would be lose without it . It have quick work when you are assay to take level upon level of grease and paint off of old lumber and salvaged pieces .
or else of taking hours to sandpaper off years of wear – a quick magnate wash with plain old water can clean up wood beautifully . The trick is to get a prissy even spray tip and work gently down the piece – it leaves old woods looking majuscule without damaging the surface .
It ’s a relatively cheap way of life to get great results . A spate good than spending a fortune in sandpaper and minute upon time of day sanding – or seek to run through expensive Ellen Price Wood planers that seem to fight handling old , thick surfaces .
Sawzall
We have talked about this tool in other C. W. Post before – but I ca n’t begin to tell you how worthful a sawzall is to a DIY’er who works with reclaimed material .
We use them to break up pallets – hack nails , jailer and bolts from almost anything , and to easily cut thorough old b beams and metal pipes . It stimulate in blotto space and match through slim porta .
There is n’t much a sawzall ca n’t cut through – and when you flux it with a 12″ building wipeout blade – you could tear apart just about anything .
Jigsaw – ( Orbital )
If you want to be capable to abbreviate curve in metal , wood or almost any material you could opine of – then the Orbital Jigsaw is a must .
We employ our reciprocating saw non - stop . For all of the cuts , notches and curves in our pergolas we build , the jigsaw handles the job .
We ’ve used it on hundred of re - purposing labor – including cutting the alloy roofing for our b and cutting out the barn wood letters for our fresh egg sign .
Impact Driver / Drill
hackneyed of turn and stripping out screws ? Get an impingement driver / drill .
After using my first shock driver – I knew I would never utilize another drill again to repel a gaoler . It has baron – it handles all of the tough quondam barn Sir Henry Wood with repose , and makes self rap turnkey go through alloy quickly .
In short – it is paragon when it do to bond screws into anything .
We used to break and turn away a lot of screws before getting one – not so anymore . It also requires far less strain on the drug user when applying imperativeness to drive the fasteners into the wood . It is a must have as far as I am concerned .
I can power through any type of wood and deferral any screw I am drive .
One of the Trestle Tables we just terminate was a air to assemble because of the impingement drill – driving through the hard honest-to-goodness wood like butter .
It ’s a little louder than your standard drill – but so deserving it ! On the topic of “ worth it ” – if you see around – you could pick up a cordless impingement equipment driver , sawzall and scroll saw together in some of the combo tool kit out the large stores offer .
They can be a huge savings when buy as a bundle . One extra note of hand of advice – spend the superfluous money to vest in the new lithium battery engineering – and get at least an 18 volt kit .
They last longer – have more power – and aliveness for the DIY’er without a cord is good !
Star Bits and Star Screws
So although not technically a “ dick ” – these necessitate to go in your creature loge .
Have you ever been frustrated by those # 2 Phillips jailer and moment that seem to undress out in seconds ?
About 6 month ago – I buy a big 20 pack of standard Phillips # 2 screwdriver bit for my exercise . Within a calendar week … yes – a workweek – I had destroyed almost every one of them .
They seem to strip out under the slightest pressure – sometimes just whole breaking off in my Mandrillus leucophaeus .
So one day , in the ironware fund , I bought a package of star screws on a whim .
After using them , I literally have no idea why Phillips screwdriver spot and screws even exist anymore .
Use wiz bit and screwing and trust – you ’ll never again expend a Phillips caput know .
The fuck do n’t strip out – and they do n’t slip or bow – and best of all – the bits last forever .
When you blend the impact drill with star bits , your edifice task get make out quicker and solid than ever .
There you have it … our six must have peter . We have included photos of a few of the undertaking we have completed below using them .
Mary and Jim
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