How I stopped being afraid of power tools and started building awesome projects
When I first started sharing projects at Lovely Etc. 14 years ago, I was afraid of power tools. I’d used a drill of course, but that was it. In my mind, power tools seemed like something best left to the professionals.
But as I started trying to fix up my house and make cute decor, I quickly realized the vast majority of projects involved using power tools at some point.
Which left two choices – ask my husband to execute all my DIY ideas or figure out how to safely use power tools myself.
To be honest, I think a lot of women choose option one. I couldn’t even begin to count the number of DIY posts I’ve seen where a smart, creative woman shares her latest built-ins or a new mantel or a piece of DIY furniture and then throws in how it was her design but her husband actually cut the wood and built it for her.
That’s a totally acceptable option, but if I’m really honest, I do throw a little side eye whenever I read that. If your husband did all the actual work, then does it really still feel like your project?
I can promise you there isn’t anything special about men that makes them more capable of using power tools. If you want to get creative and fix up your home and build stuff yourself, you absolutely can whether you’re a man or a woman!
I know because as I said, I used to be scared of power tools too. I mean, let’s be real – spinning blades are scary! But I’ve never been one to easily accept that I can’t do something. And now instead of asking my husband to do things for me, I have a garage full of power tools that my husband is welcome to use if he wants. (He doesn’t. DIY is my thing not his.)
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How to Get Started Using Power Tools
If you find yourself putting off all your potential DIY plans because you just aren’t sure about the power tools, I have some tips to help you get started using power tools without fear!
Start small
My first power saw was a jigsaw. This is the one I have. Instead of a huge spinning blade like other power saws, a jigsaw just has a tiny very controlled blade and it was so much less intimidating.
Once you’re comfortable with a jigsaw, it isn’t as big a leap to move to something bigger. Once I got comfortable with a jigsaw, I moved up to a miter saw, then a circular saw, and finally a table saw.
Read the instruction manual first
Things we don’t understand are scary. If you understand how a tool works and know how it is supposed to be used, it’s a lot less scary and you’re also a lot less likely to get hurt.
Practice
You don’t have to dive right into a huge project. Grab a piece of scrap wood and practice first. It will help build your confidence and you won’t waste more expensive materials figuring out what you’re doing.
Wear ear and eye protection
I know we’re probably most scared of losing a finger, but you’re much more likely to damage your eyes or hearing than cut yourself. Protecting these is easy. All you need is a simple earplugs and safety goggles.
I recently got this set of safety goggles from Amazon and they’re super functional and also still kind of cute. And if you want to really step up your ear protection, these noise-blocking headphones also have built in bluetooth so you can listen to music or an audiobook while you work.
And if you have long hair, always put it up before using power tools. There’s a very tiny chance long hair could get wrapped around something or pulled into a motor so it’s best to keep it out of the way.
my old safety glasses were functional but decidedly not cute
Get help
If you do happen to have a handy husband or friend around, it can definitely help to have them show you how everything works the first time. (If they are the patient type). If not, Youtube is full of tool tutorials; I particularly like the Woodworking 101 videos from Anika’s DIY Life. Sometimes just seeing someone else do something is all you need to feel confident you can too.
Wondering what power tools you actually need as a DIYer? I have a list here of the tools I consider essential along with the nice-to-haves. And I’ve also included my favorite tip for saving a ton of money on tools.
And if you want to see some of the things I’ve built since shaking off my fear, you can check out my woodworking projects here!
Still afraid or have question? Leave a comment and I’m happy to help!
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