So my birthday is just around the corner and I couldn’t be happier or more grateful for the many blessings in my life. When it comes to birthday gifts, my approach to receiving has always been of humble appreciation. That someone cared enough to go out of their way and get me a present matters more than the actual thing I got. (Although flowers, jewelry, chocolates, a bottle of my favorite perfume… are all winning combinations my darling husband and daughter have successfully used in the past, hahah. Thank you!) This year however I’ve adopted a more pragmatic approach to receiving gifts and I’m trying something different. No more jewelry, no more chocolates. Instead, I made a short list and what I badly want/need right now is a cordless 60V chain saw! ( If nothing else, a 40V would be fine to! That, and a beautiful oil on canvas I’ve been looking at for months now, in the display of a local art gallery 🙂 )
Last weekend we got machetes from Home Depot and got to clearing out the backyard. We (Ivan, really!) removed the wire fence surrounding the abandoned garden patch but the machetes were no match to the overgrown vegetation that has been slowly taking over the perimeter of the garden. We need more power! So yes, the 60V-40V cordless chain saw would be perfect to get that job done.
But it’s not just a chain saw I want/need. Although my fascination with power tools is fairly new, I find myself oogling the aisles at Home Depot every chance I get. I think it all started last year when Ivan and I tinkered with a pair of Ikea bookshelves. We trimmed those babies out and made them look pretty and custom and in turn got the confidence & appetite to tackle more difficult jobs around the house. And when we moved into our new house last summer, we made a list of power tools we needed and promised that every birthday and major gift-giving holiday we’ll increase our library of tools. So far we’ve gotten pry bars, safety goggles, safety gloves (safety first!), machetes, a miter box, a circular sander, a hand-held electric circular saw and a nail gun. But we’re still a ways to go and here’s what (I hope) is coming next:
1. A cordless chain saw – to keep the garden in check
2. A compressor & nail gun attachments – we desperately need this so we can replace the baseboards and add crown molding where needed
3. A miter saw – to make precision cuts at any angle
4. A stud finder
5. A digger – to fence in the back of our garden
6. A wall sander to smooth out decades of cracking plaster
7. A hard-working workshop vacuum cleaner (on its way, arriving today!!)
8. A laser level
…. and as our list of projects keeps expanding, I have a feeling we’ll be adding more tools to this list! Do you have a favorite home improvement tool?
Have a great weekend!
My favorite home improvement tool is the telephone–call the guy! LOL
Author
Hahah, that’s hilarious Diana!! You had me laughing out loud!! The telephone, of course!! How didn’t I think of it? 🙂 xo, Eva
Hi Eva,
I can relate to your wish list. Tape measures, garden spades, clippers… these have been some of my favorite gifts. Since we have a lot of trees, my husband bought a chain saw and I have to tell you it was a troublesome and dangerous tool. It was always difficult to start and once you had it going it was very scary to operate. We found that a better tool that will work for the thick brush you are trying to remove is a reciprocating saw. We used one to cut out a large Hemlock stump. You can replace the blades so if the blade gets dull because it is hitting dirt, it is not a big deal. It’s much easier to control than a chain saw and much less dangerous. The chain saw also leaks oil and gas so we had to keep it in a plastic box to contain the mess in the garage. Good luck with your yard project. It’s great to have the satisfaction of doing things yourself and there is a whole lot you can do! God bless! Oh and a good pair of loppers is very handy.
Author
Good morning, Laurie! Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us! We’ve never operated a chain saw before so this is very helpful, thank you! We plan to pick and choose projects around the house and yard that we can manage ourselves, the bigger ones we’ll hire out. We’re total beginners but willing to learn… The garden puzzles me right now, but I did add loppers to my list of necessary tools! Thanks! xo, Eva