Reddit reviews DEWALT DWHT70265 Ratcheting T-Handle Set, 31 Piece

As someone working through this but a few years ahead of you, I'll pass along the list of stuff I've bought and/or wish to buy...

Hand Tools

1. You say you have screwdrivers, but ifs worthwhile to have a full complement of them. You might consider getting a hand tool set like this one. Also, diagonals. Can't stress that enough. Eventually, you might upgrade a lot of these, but it'll get you started.
   
   
2. Ratcheting wrenches, along these lines. Conventional wrenches are functional, but these are much more so.
   
   
3. Ratcheting hex key set. In fact, this one looks good. If you have any Ikea furniture in your future, these will be worth their weight in guld.
   
   
4. Maybe a vise. That particular vice is mid-priced, but you can find well-reviewed vises at just about any price point.
   
   
5. A good range of sand paper grits: 80, 100, 120, 150, 180. You might also pick up a sanding sponge.
   
   Power Tools
   
   
6. A Dremel
   
   
7. Maybe an electric circular saw or a jigsaw. I really don't know which I'd prioritize, but you should probably have at least one of them.
   
   
8. If there's money left over in your budget, I'd suggest a random orbit sander.
   
   
9. A drill press
   
   Also, there are fluids to consider
   
   
10. Simple Green
    
    
11. Penetrating oil
    
    
12. Wood Glue
    
    
13. Mineral Spirits
    
    
14. Linseed Oil
    
    Of these, I'd focus on the hand tools, fluids, and the Dremel. You can always ask someone to buy you a saw for Christmas. If you have these things on hand, there probably won't be a job come along that you can't handle at some basic level. I'm assuming you don't need yard grooming tools, because that's an entirely different list.

Haha, yes! I personally like the DeWalt stuff (I like their drills/bit too). Something like this would probably work very well. Comes with a handle too if you don't have a drill.

This will make assembly and maintenance much easier.

Get a ratcheting T-handle with allen bits and then you can also use a drill to assemble things much faster. I've put together bed frames, chairs, etc. So much faster and easier. And then you'll also have a nice case for the bits so you won't have to tape them to anything to find them. :-)

HA! My grandfather gave me an oscilloscope. The cobalt gets me through the little stuff, but if I ever have a "real" job, or I'm going to get into something in a fairly intense fashion, I need a real set. IT also helps getting into tighter spots that the cobalt can't get into, however I also have three or four of these things however I actually prefer the cheaper home depot off brand version. Which is less than 5 bucks? Shit, that's a no brainer if you can spare the space. Comes in a case and everything.

Anyway, you stroke the screwdriver with the magnet a few times and, that's about it. Makes it easier to pick up bits, but then again this was common practise before taking your laptop into the shop.

Wrapping them with electrical tape is so they don't conduct electricity or arc if you're working on live wires (even electronics with capacitors).

Unfortunately this method only works with proper screw drivers.