If you could only buy 2 power tools for a fresh van conversion, what would they be?

[ccbreder]

circular saw is dangerous beast to use on body work. Not recommended.

 

[GotSmart]

The right cordless makes a corded drill almost worthless. I have an antique 1/2 inch corded I use for running wire, (Many holes in a series) but the cordless with good batteries is one of the most essential tools I use.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

i went with drill and jig. when making my fold away bed i had a tough time doing straight cuts with jigsaw, so i bought a tool from kreg that took care of that (for board cuts, not ripping ply).
Here it is on amazon

 

[Almost There]

i went with drill and jig.  when making my fold away bed i had a tough time doing straight cuts with jigsaw, so i bought a tool from krieg that took care of that (for board cuts, not ripping ply).

Link please...I'm going to be using a jigsaw that I already own. I figure 90% of my cutting will be either paneling/1/4 ply and small stuff like 1x3.

Power tools are expensive here and I don't have access to either a table saw or a circular. Besides, neither of them and I are particularly friendly with each other...sigh!

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

link above, had to grab it lol

 

[akrvbob]

If you buy a Ryobi 18 volt kit for $99 at Home Depot you get the cordless drill and circular saw.  The cordless jig saw is another $50. So for $150 you are set, the three essential tools for converting a van.  That's less than a Dewalt drill by itself. 


Is the Dewalt better? MUCH BETTER!!! Is the Ryobi plenty good enough for a vandwellers infrequent use? 100% YES!!!! I've used the same set of Ryobi cordelss tools to build a cabin, two decks on my moms house, and build and re-build multiple times my box van, F150 camper and   6x10 cargo trailer. I've replaced the batteries three times, but the tools works just as well today as the day I bought it.

Highly Recommended--by far the best bang for your buck!!

I took this picture in 2010 when I built my cargo trailer conversion. You can see I marked the batteries when I bought them in 2007. I replaced them in 2011 and I'm still using them but they are about shot and I will replace them this year with Lithiums. When Ryobi upgraded to Lithium, they made them backwards compatible so I can use new Lithiums in my old drill-saw.

That charger is 12 vot and friend gave me an extra charger that will do both the old batteries and the new Lithiums , it's also 12 volt.
Bob

 

[GoldCityGuy]

I built mine with a drop saw, a skilsaw and a power drill. Plywood cuts where a bit off but just used the straight side facing out then covering the rough side with trim.

 

[Almost There]

If you buy a Ryobi 18 volt kit for $99 at Home Depot you get the cordless drill and circular saw.  The cordless jig saw is another $50. So for $150 you are set, the three essential tools for converting a van.  That's less than a Dewalt drill by itself. 

That's nice for all of you who are stateside...

Remember to take any of the US tool prices and just about double them when you're talking to us Canucks.

The closest kit I could find at Home Depot Canada is $199.00 plus 13% sales tax. It had the drill, the circular saw and also had a reciprocating saw which I don't need.

I have no decks or cabins in my future that I know of so what I'll be using what I have on hand and getting any large major cuts of the flooring plywood done at the store for me. They charge a $1.00 a cut and you wait forever and ever for someone to come do it but hey, better than trying to do it myself.

 

[BaywardBoondocker]

For me.. A multitool comes in real handy. But you do need a drill and a jigsaw

 

[TucsonAZ]

I have been thinking about this a bit since I last posted, provided I had a table for a jig saw so that I could use it like a hybrid scroll/table saw I would choose a jig saw and a drill. I have owned Dewalt, Makita, and now Milwaukee and hands down I would choose Milwaukee.

 

[ccbreder]

I had a light battery jig saw and had some trouble cutting some stuff. I bought a heavy duty corded jig saw and find it satisfactory for most things. I grab it before the circular saw for most uses. I have a few clamps, metal straight edge, and a modified framing square. I can follow a pencil line, but often use the saw along a clamped edge. The real trick is to use a new, sharp blade suited to what you are cutting. Size and weight along with tooth count. I change blades during the job depending on straight cuts, curved cuts, and type of material being cut. I agree that a circular saw is the best electric hand tool for cutting long straight cuts, but my jig saw does an acceptable job with a little care on my part. For the cost conscious, Ryobi rules.