When it comes to versatility, there are few things that can outperform the multi-tool and its range of oscillating blade fixtures. Even better, the tool is fashioned in such a way that the inexperienced homeowner can quickly become proficient enough to use it as well as the professional handyman. The fixtures, when all taken together, can tackle just about any job in a home improvement project, from cutting bolts to sanding finished surfaces.
A Flat-Scraper for the Multi-Tool
This accessory is paired with the ultimate, do-it-yourself tool today. The flat blade is often used as a job nears its completion, when you need to clear out the ridges on a piece of wood for the sanding phase to come. This latter phase is usually handled by a similar fitting called the flush-scraper. Originally, it was conceived as a means to scrape off hardy plaster and the stuff laying under a carpet that has been laid for a long time, and it evolved into a woodworking apparatus as time wore on.
Other Blades for the Multi-Tool
Many of the other blades find their use in cutting and breaking applications, thereby replacing a host of individual power tools that a homeowner might have used in the past. With your oscillating multi-tool, for example, you can make short work of metal piping and even lop off rusted bolts to install a new kitchen sink. Because of the thinness of some of the cutting attachments, it’s also possible to slice wooden doors at the bottom so that you can extend the flooring underneath them. Obviously, having a paint scraper is a necessity for most handymen and women, given that any construction job, or even most remodeling jobs, will need paint removed at some point or other.
A Hefty Handsaw
Although the oscillating tool blade is capable of cutting small pipes made of copper or plastic around the house, a handsaw is a must for heavy-duty jobs. The two-foot-long blade is employed for simple jobs that require strong metal piping to be sawed off, and it comes in either the ripsaw or crosscut saw configurations.
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Similarly, a power saw can be used for even heftier, more complicated jobs, and should always have a place in any handyman’s toolbox. The ultimate in this class of sawing tools is probably the handheld circular saw because of its practicality and flexibility for anything that involves cutting in the average residence.
The Electric Drill
You cannot expect to place and remove nails efficiently without one, not in a project of any reasonable size. Power drills can do what your hand-held screwdriver cannot: bore easily into the wood to actually make the holes into which the nails will be placed. The chuck of a modern power drill is almost as useful as an oscillating multi-tool because of its ability to take on a variety of attachments for different jobs.
A Vacuum to Maintain the Working Environment
A wet/dry vacuum is also a common tool because it helps keep the working area free of wood shavings, paint chips, and all the dirt that accumulates while you’re working. Although this is more important for a handyman working on someone else’s home, you would need to clean up even if it’s your house too. Usually, a 5-gallon model suffices for most renovation jobs.
