It is one of the commonly accepted cliches regarding suburban life that a man should have a garage full of power tools. This is a recent development that has only really existed since the DIY boom of the 1970s and 80s, before which work was either carried out by hand or by the hand of a professional.

Power tools are there to make our lives easier. Anyone who has had the pleasure of assembling a flatpack bed will be aware that some tasks are infinitely easier when a little electricity is added to the equation. Cordless power tools, in particular, are very useful when assembling furniture. It should be noted that not all power tools can be cordless, as many use a large amount of electricity.

One of the most common places to use a power tool is the garden, where gardening equipment such as chainsaws, leaf blowers and lawnmowers all exist to make gardeners' lives easier. Of course, power tools are useful for a huge variety of tasks for both the DIY enthusiast and professional tradesman away from the garden too. Whether you want to strip old wallpaper from your walls or completely renovate your home, there are tools there to help you (or the people you employ to do your work).

Chainsaws

There are a wide range of chainsaws available and you need to pick the correct one for your needs. Heavy-duty industrial chainsaws are designed to fell Amazonian trees and are impractical for relatively prosaic tasks such as trimming the hedge in your front garden. The two main types of chainsaw are petrol-powered or electric. Electric ones are generally more suited to smaller tasks where less brute force is required.

Professional Power Tools

A number of power tools are available which will generally only be used by professional tradesmen, whether that means the professional glue gun used on a building site or the huge, industrial-sized thicknesser you may find in a large wood workshop or factory. The difference between professional power tools and those intended for occasional home use is mainly in robustness. An angle grinder or circular saw used day in, day out in a challenging environment needs, understandably, to be harder wearing than one used once in a blue moon.

DIY power tools

The power tools used by a DIY enthusiast range from common ones such as the electric drill to more specialized tools such as the biscuit joiner, which is used to stick pieces of wood together. Whatever items you may have for home use will probably require power tool spares at some point during their working life. Fortunately, these are available from the internet or direct from the manufacturer.