What tools do I need?

[sephson]

Here are a couple of items that we have all forgotten to mention. You're going to need a pair of safety glasses to protect your eyes and a pair of ear plugs to protect your hearing. If you're going to be cutting metal, you should also have a good pair of leather gloves.

 

[SternWake]

I bought a Ridgid Jigsaw today. It is quite compact, and only has a 3 amp motor so i can run it off my 400 watt inverter if I have to.

I already have a ryobi 120v jigsaw, but it is not a good tool. The Blade is not parallel to the base, so one cannot run it along a straight edge to get a straight cut. the base always moves too and makes it impossible to achieve a perpendicular cut.

What I do not like about the Ridgid is there is no speed control, just on And off, but it does have a soft start.

It works with my router speed controller despite the soft start feature. The base is nice and thick and it will run along the rounded edges of store bought 2x4's without digging under the rounded edge and causing one of those tool throwing curse fests I am so prone to.

There is a 90 day return is I do not like it, But so far it appears like I can achieve better cuts with it compared to my previous jigsaws.

I also picked up a 'buckethead' which is like a mini shopvac which fits on a 5 gallon bucket. It is 4 amps so it does run on my 400 watt PSW, just barely, but I have an 800 wattMSW inverter. It is pretty compact too,. It also runs on my router speed controller with a full range of speeds/ noise levels. One can also use it as a blower. But at only 4 amps@120vac, it is only a third as powerful as a full size shop vac.

 

[wagoneer]

dito dito and Got That,thanks for the reminder

 

[SternWake]

I used my New Ridgid Jigsaw today:
https://www.ridgid.com/us/en/compact-orbital-jig-saw

I did not Miss the speed control or the finger trigger of my previous jigsaws which was my main concern. The reviews on the link above have valid complaints about the inability to easily see the saw blade from the standard position of above and just in front of the tool. But I found that looking more along the line from a lower angle further in front of the tool( with eye protection of course) allowed me to achieve precision I never before have attained using a jigsaw when following a curvy line, and I have hours and hours total time with a jigsaw in hand.

I hooked the jigsaw to the buckethead vaccuum, and the only dust was that which fell below the workpiece. This was with the buckethead at ~2/3 speed via my router speed controller. It was very nice not having dust obscure the line or a cloud of dust in front of the tool. A big thumbs up for the vaccuum on the Jigsaw for precision cutting

I did run the base along a straight edge cutting through the 1 9/16 inch thickness of a 2x4 as a test, and here one can notice the motor is only 3 amps and that a 5 or 6 amp tool could certainly power through this task much quicker. But there was much less tendency for the blade to follow the grain and turn from 90 degrees. Not once did the blade catch and cause the workpiece to start jumping with the blade as could happen all too easily with my top heavy Ryobi, and Skil brands I owned before.

This tool takes up very little space, and the barrell handle gives a very firm one handed grip, but small hands might find it uncomfortable to control. I found the ease of one handed operation to really increase confidence and precision of the cut.

The Soft start is a very nice feature and makes the lack of speed control a non issue, in my opinion, at least on what I was using it for today.

I think this would be a good tool for a Van dweller to take into the woods and power from an inverter and build/rebuild their interior. I will have to see exactly how much current it actually consumes through my PSW inverter in actual use. Theoretically it is 360 watts, but that might only be under heavy loading and light loading it could be OK.

Not sure how the soft start feature will work on a MSW inverter though.

This saw, A straight edge, a drill and a kit for predrilling holes and driving the correct screw for the task at hand, one could certainly achieve a lot toward building a Van interior well away from grid power.

 

[BradKW]

I really couldn't imagine being without my cordless tools, the convenience factor is just huge for me. But they are also an important part of how I earn my living...I have 20v Dewalt (8 tools and growing), but I feel that Rigid is also a solid choice given its Home Depot's brand and if you jump through the fine print hoops, the warranty is unbeatable. That said, for years I've always made the joke that Ryobi's company motto should be: "Ryobi...eh, its Good Enough!"

And that basically goes for the entire Ryobi tool line. Under occasional to light-moderate use, the actual tools almost never stop working. The batteries are another story though, they are orders of magnitude inferior in both run-time, charging, and lifetime duration. But they are also much cheaper to replace...often its the case where buying a new Ryobi drill on sale will get you 2 new batteries cheaper than buying them separately. So when all is said and done, I really think you can't beat Ryobi on "value" and its a great choice for the homeowner/hobbyist.

And its also fair to say that corded tools are cheaper, both initially and over time, and might make good sense if you have a generator or good inverter. Which reminds me, many cordless tools won't charge off of cheaper inverters. Haven't figured out all the details on this...insights appreciated!

 

[highdesertranger]

I think we covered the charging off an invertor on another thread. it seems some will charge fine others not on a MSW. if I remember correctly some one burned up their charger on a MSW. I use DeWalt 18v and charge with a MSW, I have not had a problem. of course if you have a PSW they should charge fine. highdesertranger

 

[flying kurbmaster]

For your build you will need jigsaw circular saw snd a drill preferably cordless and the most expensive you can afford you will need a tape measure drivers for your drill use only Robertson bscrews if you buy high quality brands like Milwaukee makita or dewalt you will not only get longevity power and quality builds most important you will get a better balanced tool

 

[Almost There]

Haha, I can see what this thread has turned in to - mostly a discussion about which power tools are better and who has the most toys...

The thread is titled 'What tools do I NEED'!! NOT what toys should all big boys have....

Here's a list of all the tools in my possession that were used to build the complete interior of Lady Arabella:

Owned previously:

Jig saw
single speed drill
12 ft tape measure and a pair of metal rulers
Vice grips
16 oz hammer
3 Plastic Spring Clamps (for holding wood to table)
2x4' plywood table for workbench
Utility Knife
1/2" wood chisel
C-Clamps (2)

Bought for the job:

Ryobi 31 pc drill and accessory kit
Mini screw driver with bits
Stubby Robertson because the Mini was too small...sigh
Milwaukee ratchet screw driver (multi-tip)
Carpenter Square (still looking for my old one)
Stanley TR250 stapler
small hacksaw
Multi-pack of saw blades for jig saw
Nail Set (hardly ever used)
Kreg Jr. pocket screw kit
Knee Pads
Sanding Pads
Paint brushes
90 degree corner clamp

Yes, a router and a skill saw would have come in handy and would be nice to have but I designed around them and had the lumber yard do all the major cuts before I brought the wood home.

 

[RVTravel]

Bobs Ryobi starter kit is on sale.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-ONE-18-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Starter-Combo-Kit-2-Tool-P825/203466900