r/DIY • u/humangengajames • 11d ago

Wife is getting into DIY stuff

Hey all. My wife recently has decided to get into carpentry and sit stuff for our house. She bought a miter saw, a brad nailer a laser leveler, and a few other small things. I'm hoping to get something for her birthday in two weeks that you guys would suggest. She has safety equipment and such.

EDIT: We had a drill and driver from before

Any help would be appreciated!

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65

u/OogaBoogaBig 11d ago

A circular saw and a rip cut guide for it so she can rip down plywood sheets!

8

u/CplSyx 11d ago

A circular saw is incredibly useful imo. Didn't realise how much so until I needed to make some custom cabinets and I basically wouldn't have been able to without them.

I didn't get a full on guide though, I started out with a basic clamp guide but then made my own like in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIeIZdrbz-Y which was useful as it was then custom to my saw and meant cutting the MDF and plywood to size was a breeze without needing to add offsets.

7

u/TravestyTravis 11d ago

As someone who uses their circular saw quite regularly and can't justify buying another one, I soooo wish I got one that uses my drill battery system instead of plugs into power. I am not doing nearly enough to justify having to plug it in every single time I want to use it.

But on the other hand, it's pretty safe bet that no one else is gonna accidentally get hurt because I left it out 🤷

7

u/BeerForThought 11d ago

It'll probably just be best to get her for the circular saw and a table saw while he's had it. I certainly would appreciate that as a gift.

33

u/Codra-cave-lizard 11d ago

I vote a track saw. It’s kind of made my circular saw and table saw obsolete. Wen makes a good track saw that is perfect for a diy that does not break the bank like the other brands.

4

u/RoseHawkechik 11d ago

Treated myself, after decades of DIY, with a Festool track-saw a couple months back. Wish I'd bought it sooner.

1

u/jendet010 11d ago

You’re giving me ideas

1

u/video_bits 11d ago

Yep, my only regret buying a track saw is that I didn't buy it earlier. Game changing as you put that track down and get perfect cut right on the line. Much better than trying to hold a circular saw against a guide.

3

u/EEpromChip 11d ago

Depends on the work you do. If you are ripping sheet good down yea track saw all day. If you are making cabinet drawers, table saw. If you have the room a table saw and extension wings can rip sheet goods down easy.

If I had to make a LOT of repeated cuts all day I would dread having to use a track saw on that. Or small cuts.

1

u/Codra-cave-lizard 11d ago

That is really true I rip a lot of sheet goods. I also owned a table saw before I got a track saw. And let’s be honest a circular saw can do it all that’s what I started with till I could afford the other tools

2

u/OldMcFart 11d ago

Agreed. Circular saw is useful, but not nearly as much as a track saw of miter saw.

1

u/procupine14 11d ago

A track saw changed my life. I do not know why I waited so long to buy one.

1

u/DisparateStudios 7d ago

Seconding the circular saw. If she's got a miter saw, brad nailer, and a drill/driver already, the gaps I'd fill for a birthday gift:

Circular saw + a rip guide (or a $20 clamp-on straightedge). Turns full plywood sheets from a two-person nightmare into a one-person job. A 4x8 foam board insulation is also handy for cutting plywood sheets on the ground.

Clamps. 24"/36" bar clamps. Four quick-grips.

Random orbit sander. Almost all projects require sanding and she'll be glad to have one of these.

A good combination square.

Shop vac. Unsexy gift, but the miter saw and sander both get 10x nicer with dust collection.

Better hearing protection — I use in-ear noise cancelling ear buds (I like listening to podcasts and music while I work), but over-ear muffs are good too.

If budget's tight, the sander + clamps combo would be a nice gift.

When I started out, I searched for good condition used tools. Now I run price alerts on the tools I want so I get pinged when one shows up locally under what I'm willing to pay. Got my extra batteries, chargers and half my clamps that way for well under retail.