Tools and Materials (We've Known and Loved)
Tinkering School is not about the tools. That said, here are some hard-won truths about tools and materials.
The core tools of our shop, its guitar and drum, its blood and bone are our:
- DeWalt DW715 chop saw
- Makita LCT209W drills and drivers
- vast and ever-growing selection of clamps
- drill bits
Our core materials are:
- square drive screws. They don't slip/strip easily (unlike Phillips), they're common and inexpensive (unlike Torx), they're easy to remove (unlike nails).
- framing studs. At 1.5"x2.5", they're a little more kid-friendly than two-by-fours, and still plenty strong.
If you stop reading now, you'll be fine. Those four tools and two materials present an infinite variety of possibilities that no one can ever fully exhaust.
That said, here's a list of Tools We've Known and Loved, not exhaustive and subject to tinkering.