Condo Blues: 10 Gifts for Men and Women DIYers

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

10 Gifts for Men and Women DIYers

I like to give Father’s Day gifts that appeal to my Dad’s DIY side. I would not be able to do all that I do without my father. My first DIY project was building a step stool with my Dad as a toddler so I could reach the bathroom sink and brush my teeth. I’m sure I just handed him screws or something but he said we made it. A tool belt diva was born.





Cue choir of angels singing chainsaws revving.

I put together a list of my top ten DIY Father’s Day gift ideas to help you out based on things I have and find useful, have borrowed and considered not returning, or have on my own personal wish list.




Most weekend DIYers may think wearing a tool belt is overkill. Not so! Most clothing doesn’t have large enough or strong enough pockets to hold screwdrivers, hammer, pliers, and the like when you are up on a ladder trying to do something simple that requires more than one tool. I like the Style N Craft Carpenter’s tool belt  because it is sturdy with rivet reinforcements and has plenty of pockets for tools, screws, and two hammer loops to keep your hammers from hiding or wandering around the project area.


2. MagnoGrip Magnetic Wristband



 If a tool belt seems like overkill in keeping things close while working on a project, then the MagnoGrip Magnetic Wristband might be more your guy’s speed. Strong magnets in the armband keep metal screwdrivers, wrenches, or nails nearby. It fits big arms as well as smaller arms with its Velcro closure.

3.Leatherman Core Multi-Tool


 

The thing that sets a Leatherman apart from a Swiss Army knife is the Leatherman’s regular and needle nose piers. This version has 11 locking stainless steel blades so it will not open on you or rust. It also has 3 types of wire cutters, a wire stripper, an electrical crimper, 2 types of knives, a metal/wood file, saw, 4 types of screwdrivers, an awl, a ruler, and last but not least a bottle/can opener. Whenever I give someone the gift of a Leatherman, the receipt lights up like Christmas morning.






You might think that it is strange I added a giant canvas messenger shopping bag to my DIY gift list. Not when the home improvement stores I shop insist on having only the small size of disposable shopping bags at their registers! Very little that they sell (or I buy) fit into those bags. The Super Strong Cotton Canvas Messenger Shopping Bag is a big, heavy duty cotton canvas bag the size and style used by mail and newspaper carriers. It is designed to carry heavy loads and will haul home a lot of stuff from the home improvement store, warehouse club, to sports practice, or around the workshop.

5. Black and Decker LI4000 3.6-Volt Lithium-Ion Smart Select Screwdriver with Magnetic Screw Holder

Black & Decker LI4000 3.6-Volt Lithium-Ion SmartSelect Screwdriver with Magnetic Screw Holder


My Dad recommended this screwdriver in his guest post. My Dad doesn’t buy junk and if it’s good enough for him then I want to borrow it and never return it. (That never works out for me because he knows where I live.) My favorite feature on the Black and Decker Smart Select Screwdriver is the magnetic screw holder because if Blitzkrieg had a dog biscuit for every time I dropped a screw while trying to start it in with my current screwdriver he’d be as wide as a Rottweiler.


With 80 drill and screwdriver bits the DEWALT 80-Piece Professional Drilling/Driving Set  shot straight to the top of my personal wish list because it is such a complete set. This set will keep from running to the store mid project to buy a new size drill bit that I need and don't have. The Dewalt drill bits will work with any brand of drill you may have.  The handled case makes it easy to keep everything neat and organized – a nice bonus indeed.


Speaking organized workshops, a label maker is what that makes that possible in my home. It takes the Brother label maker a quick two minutes to make a label to stick on a drawer, cabinet, or garage shelf and turns, “Honey where is the…” to “Did you put it back where you found it labeled the last time you used it?”






Trying to use a regular vacuum cleaner to suck up sawdust is a bad idea – guess how I know? The six gallon Shop Vac is a powerful and durable little guy despite its small size. Sure, you can buy something that just cleans up sawdust, nails, and dirt for less but the little extra money spent on a wet/dry shop vac is worth its weight in gold when a kitchen pipe bursts or the washing machine heaves its last breath and floods the house.




I gave a Helio headlamp to Husband to wear while running at night. It quickly became our favorite DIY tool because it allows you use both hands to complete a task while shining light on your project that those bendy work lights can’t do as well. It is perfect for working on computers where you need to shine light to work with both hands in a small space. We gave a Helios Headlamps as a gift to fellow IT person. He politely thank us at the time thinking he wouldn't use it. A week later I got a phone call later praising the headlamp as the BEST. GIFT. EVER!


Sometimes DIY does not go as well as it does on TV so you might as well laugh about it. One of my favorite time suck websites There, I Fixed It which is part of my other favorite time suck site I Can Haz Cheeseburger, published their first book There, I Fixed It:  No You Didn’t featuring a whole new group of DIY bodges, kludges, and Oh You Did Nots! It’s available in both hardback and Kindle editions.

Do you have any gift ideas to add to the list?



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1 comment :

The4Rs said...

Once again, I am drawn to your very practical blog! Can you post a link on my Reap What You Sew Sundays, it closes on Monday or tuesday, so hop on over there! Thanks, great stuff!
Sandy

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