Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT The **** Shack

[GeddyT]

Wait, get the eff out. I'm about to make a joke about trying to get that tile done in less than the year it took me, and then you're already done in the next post!? That's not how this is supposed to work!

I think I need to start hiring things out...

Tile looks great, pergola is awesome. Congrats on all the progress you're making!

 

[bdbecker]

I think I need to start hiring things out...

Don't be scared...

I don't like never-ending house projects. I've made that mistake before. It makes it hard to ever just kick back and relax when you know there's a partially completed project just down the hallway. I'd like to say I'm fairly introspective and have learned certain things about myself over the years, which has created a short list of questions I try to ask myself when considering a DIY house project.

A) Do I want to do it?
B) Is it something I have time to do?
C) Can I afford to do it twice?

If I don't want to do a project, its not going to get done. I'll drag my feet and make excuses not to work on it. If I don't have time to work on something, it's not going to get done in a reasonable amount of time, and I'll just stress about it. Finally, if I screw up, will I still save money even if I have to start over from scratch?

I do want to learn how to do tile someday, but I really don't have time right now to learn how to do it correctly. I'd rather focus that time on doing the other things that are in my wheelhouse like patching the drywall and installing the vanity. I also did not want to make the main bathroom of our house my test bed. Finally, I don't really have the option to buy that tile twice because its discontinued (I did buy an extra box).

Now there are certainly works in progress around my house. My garage being one of them, but that is a hobby/passion project. Same thing in the basement. It's bare concrete right now after we got flooded and the carpet got ruined. Those projects don't weigh on me like a bathroom project would.

None of this is intended as a criticism of the time and effort you've put into your house. Your hands were tied by the structural issues you encountered and waiting to dig in until you had the cash on hand wasn't really an option for you.

 

[bdbecker]

Quiet few weeks... the bathroom is fully demoed. When we removed the wainscotting, we realized why it was there in the first place. There used to be plastic wall tiles on the wall, so there are hundreds of 4" squares where the adhesive was left behind after chipping the tiles off. I am going to try and hit it with the steamer to see if I can soften the old adhesive to make it easier to remove because trying to do it dry just pulls away the drywall paper underneath. Worse case, since the old adhesive has such a good bond, I'll just knock any loose/high spots off with a scraper, prime, and put on a fresh skim coat and blend it with the upper wall. We anticipated running into an issue like this when we removed the wainscotting, so I guess it would have been more of a surprise if it was just regular old textured drywall underneath.

Because we're trying to cram in the last of the summer activities into an every tightening window, weekends have been busy lately. We had family in town two weeks ago, this past weekend Wife was out of town with friends, and I'm out of town next weekend. I had the kids all to myself this weekend, so we checked out a local car show on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, the kids were more interested in the playground than the cars, so I didn't get to spend as much time looking as I would have hoped. Definitely a nice mix with well over 300 cars on display. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for it next year. I was going to take them down to the DewTour skateboarding event, but my daughter woke up from her nap and asked to do a movie night instead, to which I didn't argue one bit. Sunday morning was spent at the park. and Sunday afternoon turned into prototyping/experiment time.

Stinker had an idea for wings that could attach to her arms so she could fly. A quick dig through the shop inventory, I came up with the necessary materials to make it happen. A couple pieces of coroplast, some nylon webbing, a little ductape, and we had ourselves a prototype set of wings.

Needless to say, it didn't work as well as she expected, but she had a good attitude about it. She also wanted Smasher to give it a shot, even giving him a safety debriefing before he jumped off the deck, saying not to go too high and to stay in the backyard.

Again, no flight occurred. Stinker reasoned that even though Smasher is smaller, he wasn't flapping his arms fast enough. She tried coaching him a little, but the lesson didn't take. She has some ideas on how to make them work better, so we'll see how far down the rabbit hole we go.

While I failed to make any progress on projects this weekend, I'd like to think that I did make good progress on two of the most meaningful projects I have - raising my kids. That's all the satisfaction I need.

Until next time...

 

[burger]

If Smasher can't flap his arms fast enough, there's only one reasonable thing for you and Stinker to do... connect a small gas engine to the wings so they can flap faster!

 

[bdbecker]

If Smasher can't flap his arms fast enough, there's only one reasonable thing for you and Stinker to do... connect a small gas engine to the wings so they can flap faster!

That's something she'd suggest. Probably would need to go electric though, Smasher has been pretty sensitive to loud engines ever since he had tubes put in.

 

[bdbecker]

My fingers hurt. Well, at least my thumb and palm do...

Had some time to work on the bathroom this weekend. As I mentioned before, the lower half of the walls were covered with plastic tile adhesive.

I was just going to skim over it and blend, but the more I thought about it, the more worried I got that it'd just come back to bite us as we tried to smooth out the walls. I tried steamer, but that just made things a wet mess. The heat gun ended up doing the trick. It wasn't fast, but it wasn't too hard. The only difficult part was watching out for tears in the drywall paper so I didn't make them larger. That, and I forgot my earbuds at work. I didn't dare listen to my podcasts or music on speaker as to not wake up Smasher from his nap. So there I was, listening to the heat gun and my thoughts in a 90+ degree bathroom scraping old glue off the walls for the better part of Saturday. At first, having no distraction from the tedious task was a little annoying, but by the end, I dare say I think I enjoyed it.

I know it doesn't look like it in the pics, but those walls are now smooth. It ended up taking more time than I expected. In hindsight, it may have been quicker to cut out the affected drywall and replace it, but by the time I realized how much time it was taking, I was nearly done. Wife then primed and did the first skim coat. She wanted to try her hand at drywall, but after that first coat, I think she's over it already. I should have time this week to get a couple of sand/re-skim sessions in, so hopefully we can get some paint on the walls in the near future. After that, a little electrical for new lights and the vanity install. I'm getting excited to see how this turns out!

 

[burger]

Funny- as I was looking at the first pictures I was thinking to myself that it may have been easier to just replace the drywall!

 

[bdbecker]

Funny- as I was looking at the first pictures I was thinking to myself that it may have been easier to just replace the drywall!

By the time I went to the store and got the drywall, demoed and disposed of the old stuff, measured/cut/fit/taped the new stuff in, I think time-wise it would have been pretty much a wash. It would have required more brainpower, but probably less effort. I have no way of proving it one way or the other, so that's the story I'm sticking to.

 

[GeddyT]

Was the adhesive dried hard? I'm thinking a carbide rasp on an oscillating tool might have worked as well. Usually used for grinding off thinset.

 

[bdbecker]

Was the adhesive dried hard? I'm thinking a carbide rasp on an oscillating tool might have worked as well. Usually used for grinding off thinset.

Yes. The tiles were removed at some point in the past and the remaining adhesive was covered by beadboard.

I haven't pulled the trigger on getting an oscillating tool yet, but probably will sometime in the near future.

 

[Chrisb62]

I haven't pulled the trigger on getting an oscillating tool yet, but probably will sometime in the near future.

Did I read that correctly........

I have 3 and they are handy for so many different things. I had to pull up some subfloor that was glued down with some kind of heavy duty adhesive ,put a blade on that had old teeth removed and it peeled off super easy. Once you get one you will find reasons to use it.

 

[bdbecker]

Did I read that correctly....

Yes. I'd like to go cordless when I do get one, but the main hangup is that I need to commit to the next battery platform. I'm still running DeWalt 18v, but my batteries are starting to drop like flies. I know I can get the adapter to run 20v batteries, but my Dad has a few setup like that and I'm not a fan (neither is he). I've even looked at sourcing my own cells to fix the batteries I have and the cost adds up quick if you want decent quality. Probably just keep my eye out for a deal during the holidays. I don't really care which brand, DeWalt, Makita, Bosch, and Milwaukee all seem to be viable options.

 

[rlmartinson]

I picked up a corded Rockwell Oscillating tool with hard case 6-8 years ago from Menards when we lived east of Des Moines. It must have been Black Friday or something because I think it was under $50. I'm very happy with it and I bet it will still be running long after all my 20V Dewalt batteries die. It uses universal blades, but all blades are expensive and don't last.

 

[harley jim]

I bought these over a year ago, they last as well as any other I have bought.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

I bought these over a year ago, they last as well as any other I have bought.

Two is one, one is none, and 100 is enough for a while.

 

[bdbecker]

Speaking of batteries dropping like flies, I just found another bad one yesterday (now down to three good ones out of the seven that were working 6-8 months ago). I didn't plan it this way, but I was hanging a bird house in the backyard and Wife was out on the deck saw me struggling with the batteries. I mentioned the battery issues I'd been having and that I'd be looking to get a new set this holiday season, she asked why wait? I love that woman... so I guess the hunt is on for real now.

As far as weekend updates go, I took a few days of vacation last week to hang out with Stinker before she goes back to school. We went to the theater on Wednesday and saw League of Super-Pets, which was pretty entertaining. On Thursday, we went on a hike. I taught her how to identify different tree species and track animals using footprints. The rest of the weekend, Stinker was proudly naming off each tree we came across, which made me happy. Finally, we went to the science center on Friday. I always have just as much fun as she does when we go there. My favorite is the paper rocket area. It is always funny to watch/participate in the unsanctioned arms race between the Dads and Grandpas to see who can make their rocket fly the furthest. I've made a few rockets in the past that will go over the back net, but could only manage to get within a few feet of the top this time around. A solid performance that might have gotten Stinker on the podium had there been an actual competition.

Wife didn't want me to work on the bathroom, insisting that she'd take care of the walls herself. The second round of skim coat is up and it is really starting to look good. I am honestly impressed with her work. I'm not surprised though - she is not one to be defeated by anything in life and will keep after something until she figures it out. Instead of working on the bathroom, I knocked out a number of 'round to it projects. Just little things (like the birdhouse) that I keep meaning to get to, but get pushed aside by more important things. I had more plans for the time off, but I don't have to explain to you guys how there never seems to be enough time in the day.

Until next time...

 

[harley jim]

There is never enough time, especially after you retire!

 

[bdbecker]

There is never enough time, especially after you retire!

My Dad retired around a year ago. He says he never imagined that he'd be so busy once he quit working.

 

[ronjon1190]

On the new power tools platform issue- I am invested into Ryobi because my dad had Ryobi and he likes to buy me tools for birthday and Christmas presents. (not that I am complaining!) But at this point I can't switch brands. I bought into the Milwaukee M12 series after using a few of a buddies tools, and love them. Sometimes you need a 18-20v tool, but a lot of the time the M12 is awesome. and there are enough differences to justify having both brands. I grab the M12 all the time because they are smaller and lighter.
I have the M12 oscillating tool and the Ryobi 18v oscillating tool and powerwise they are about the same, but the Milwaukee weighs half as much.

 

[Uofime]

Cost no object performance for the home gamer it’s gotta be Milwaukee. Cost matters but want great performance and warranty, heard lots of great stuff about Rigid octane stuff. Cost important and moderate use, Ryobi.
Project farm on YouTubehas lots of reviews of specific tools if one’s a driving factor.

 

[bdbecker]

12v tools are being considered. While there are the occasional construction projects where having the larger 18v tools would be beneficial, the 12v would likely cover 95% of my needs. At that point, I'd probably consider getting a couple 20v adapters and batteries so I could use the DeWalt 18v tools I already have. The 18v tools themselves are just fine, its just the batteries that are the problem.

Just like you @ronjon1190, I've also had my hands on some M12 tools and have been very impressed by them. The Makita sub-compact tools also seem like a nice blend between size and capability.

I'll take a closer look at Rigid @Uofime, maybe they've gotten better. We tried running Rigid at work about 5 years ago, but they just didn't take the abuse like Milwaukee tools.

 

[burger]

I like DeWalt because they are everywhere and of course 20v because that’s a bigger number than 12 or 18. Really happy with the brushless XR stuff. Carlisle swap meet around here always has tons of good used DeWalt.

 

[burger]

My Dad retired around a year ago. He says he never imagined that he'd be so busy once he quit working.

My dad retired recently as well and says the same thing!

 

[mybigwarwagon]

My Dad retired around a year ago. He says he never imagined that he'd be so busy once he quit working.

Lawd, I can never retire then.

 

[bdbecker]

I like DeWalt because they are everywhere and of course 20v because that’s a bigger number than 12 or 18.

I know you're joking, but an interesting tidbit related to this for those who may not be aware, DeWalt's 20v is actually the same as everyone else's 18v. They didn't want to confuse people when they released the new line by having two 18v platforms with different interfaces, so instead of using the battery pack's nominal voltage rating of 3.6v per cell (which everyone else does), they used the maximum voltage rating of 4.0v per cell rating instead. Batteries consist of groups of five cells connected in parallel, so you get...

5 x 3.6v = 18v nominal
5 x 4.0v = 20v maximum

Marketing...

 

[harley jim]

If I started over I would go with Milwaukee just because of all of the different tools available, they have pumps that will transfer 90W oil, dont know why I find that so amazing but I do. They just have the best options for an across the board system.
I still have my 18V Dewalt and have added some 20V tools to the mix, I did buy the adaptors and convert all of the batteries to 20V, it's just too late in the game for me to start on a new brand.

 

[GeddyT]

For cordless shop tools, I've only experienced DeWalt, and I have pretty much the whole collection. There are some real gems in the collection, but there are also a few duds. Most of the really impressive tools are in their 54/60V line, and it's cool that those batteries can be plugged into MAX tools to give them a crazy amount of battery life.

I had an old corded Dremel oscillating tool, but I hated it. With cordless, I find myself using that thing all the time! No better way to cut drywall, for instance.

I've said it before around here, but the tool that I love more than any other is the cordless leaf blower. I use that thing ALL THE TIME. Clogged Shop Vac filter? Take it out into the yard and hit it with the leaf blower. Car getting full of little leaves and pine needles and whatnot? Open all four doors and give it a blast. Covered in grass and debris after doing the string-trimming? Hand the leaf blower to a partner and ask them to give you a blast. Need to quickly get a fire really hot? Leaf blower. I even blow leaves with it from time to time... I liked the DeWalt leaf blower so much that I gave it to my dad so that I could upgrade to the more powerful EGO version, as I'm also invested in that battery system for lawn tools.

Although I'm really happy with most of the yellow cordless tools, there have been some duds and failures:
1.) 20V string trimmer failed almost immediately. Switched to EGO and have no regrets.
2.) 20V heat gun is pathetic. Barely melts heat shrink. I know they probably wanted to just keep it small, but this would have been a lot better as a 60V tool.
3.) Jigsaw. The bevel lock is really weak and doesn't have positive detents, so it starts to cut a bevel without you knowing it. The little plastic fence comes off every time this happens, too.
4.) I like the 20V drill a lot, but I'm on my second one, as the planetary gears are sintered, therefore brittle, and the gears in the first one I had shattered. Replaced it with the exact same drill for under $100, and I'll run this one until it breaks, too, as I like it. It's my understanding that most brands use sintered gears in this application.
5.) They do not have a cordless inflator. Booooooo...
6.) The 60V sawzall is an absolute beast, but the head doesn't articulate. Small complaint.

Anyway, it seems like now that all of the tool manufacturers have adopted brushless motors and lithium packs, you really can't go wrong. I'm sure there are some real winners and a couple of duds in every collection.

 

[Jeff Ivers]

A number of years ago, I went through some initial cordless tools that came in blue, red, and gray. I pretty much wore out a drill/driver in each color and then bought a yellow 12v. I was still using it when I started doing volunteer home repairs once a week, beginning about 10 years ago. At the time, the organization I was working for had 18v Dewalt, but the 20v tools were just coming out. You are correct that the 18v and 20v Dewalt tools have about the same actual power. What I liked about the 20v was the battery attachment and the fact the batteries were Li/ion. By this time I was fed up with the NI/Cad batteries that would fail and have to be replaced. I started buying Dewalt 20v tools which I have used for my volunteer work as well as in my home shop. I now have circular saw, reciprocating saw, oscillating saw, jig saw, drill/driver, hammer drill, impact driver, brad nailer, palm sander, 4.5 in angle grinder and a 20v/60v weed eater. I have really nice corded drills, angle grinders, circular saw, oscillating saw, and sanders that never get used - I always grab the cordless. I have burned up one drill driver and replaced it in that period of time. I am still using all the batteries I acquired. Over time, I have picked up higher amp/hour batteries so that I can work an entire day without recharging anything till I get home. 12v tools may be adequate in some tools, but in my opinion you are miles ahead to pick a brand of tool you like in a particular voltage that provides a wide range of tools and stick with it. The last time I paid much attention that meant either 18v or 20v. I really like that I can recharge my 20v and 60v batteries with the same chargers.

 

[bdbecker]

I've said it before around here, but the tool that I love more than any other is the cordless leaf blower.

I've been running Ryobi 40v for yard tools and have been happy with them. I will admit, I was skeptical about even having a leaf blower when Wife suggested getting one when we moved into our house. I already had a rake, why would I need a leaf blower? I ended up getting a corded one, and as usual, she was right. Switching over to cordless a few years ago made it even better. Super handy for all sorts of tasks beyond blowing leaves.

If I started over I would go with Milwaukee just because of all of the different tools available

I've basically narrowed my search down to Milwaukee and Makita in either 12v or 18v. I like a lot of the M12 tools. The big 'but' is that I'd like to stick to one battery platform, which tips the favor towards Makita 18v sub-compact, at least for the drill and impact driver. As I mentioned yesterday, that line seems like a nice blend between the smaller format of the 12v tools without sacrificing too much on the power side. This would also allow me to get some of the other oddball tools that I've had my eye on without having to have a different set of batteries.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

After smoking 4 Dewalt recip saws in one year, I bought an 18v Milwaukee Sawzall. It is a beast. 4 years in and it still works. So far I have switched over everything but the circular saw and angle grinder.

 

[Pointbock]

Although I'm really happy with most of the yellow cordless tools, there have been some duds and failures:

5.) They do not have a cordless inflator. Booooooo...

 

[GeddyT]

[Snip picture of glorious 20V inflator]

WHAT!? How did I miss this!?

Aaaaaaaand ordered. Thank you, Sir.

 

[bdbecker]

It’s been a while since my last post… I still haven’t purchased a new cordless kit, but at the same time, I’m not in any particular rush at this point. I figure I will eventually find a deal I like or be forced into buying something, but I’m going to keep my eye out over the next few months. I have decided to stick with an 18v line. Still leaning towards Makita but could easily be persuaded to go with a different color if the price is right.

Since my last post, I got a year older. Since I guess I’m now an old man in her eyes, Wife got me a couple books on whittiling, along with some Flexcut knives and a few blanks to while away the hours in my rocking chair on the front porch. All joking aside, it was a very thoughtful gift. She knows I can get fidgety if I don’t have something to do, especially when we are on vacation, so she got me something I can easily toss in my bag and bring along. Its not something I’ve ever expressed interest in, but it hits the nail right on the head.

I was doing some reading online and came across a carving website (https://thecarvingbench.tripod.com/, hosted by Tripod!) that had a bunch of good info on getting started in whittling. The first project they suggested was to make an egg. So that’s what I’ve been working on here and there over the last few weeks. It came out decently enough for my first whittling project (aside from the sharpened sticks of my youth). I’ll clean it up a little more, but it was definitely a good lesson in grain direction and planning cuts.

One thing I learned very quickly is to make sure to have a strop and touch up the blade frequently. I dug through inventory and came up with an old leather belt and a drop of plywood out of the scrap bin that was the perfect size. I ran the router around the edges to give it a nice chamfer. I had the idea that I could make the belt replaceable if I ran some bolts through it and pulled it tight around the board, but that didn't work as well as I would have liked and I ended up gluing the belt to the board. Given the investment, I won’t be too upset with having to remake it once the leather wears out (if ever).

Speaking of vacation, Wife and I took our anniversary trip last week. We used https://www.packupgo.com/ to setup a surprise vacation for us. A neat concept that ended up working out pretty well for us. I think we’ll definitely book through them again. For this trip, we ended up going to Chicago. Now, I will admit, Chicago is pretty low on the list of places I would pick for vacation, but I ended up having a pretty good time. The food was fantastic and the activities we did were a lot of fun. The Art Institute was probably my favorite stop. Even just wandering around and stopping by random places that caught our interest was a lot of fun too. I let Wife do all the picture taking because she's a lot better than I am at that sort of thing, so I don't have any pics from the trip to share (well, there is one pic of a parking garage level so I didn't forget where we parked, but I don't think that would be very interesting.)

To cap it off, the annual Concours d’Elegance was Sunday (https://desmoinesconcours.com/). We were originally going to go down as a family, but when it was getting to be the time to leave, the kids were having a lot of fun playing in the backyard and Wife suggested I just go by myself. It’s been probably 8-10 years since I last went to a car show by myself, but I really enjoyed going around at my own pace. This particular show is always very good. No matter what type, era, or country of origin, there is a little something for everyone.

It always surprises me how many exotics are in the area. I see them driving around every now and then, but to see several dozen at once is always a treat. This Superformance GT40 Mk II was probably my favorite of the bunch.

This 1955 Austin-Healey 100S race car was one I don’t remember seeing before. Turns out, it’s pretty rare – 1 of 50 ever made. I did a little digging and I believe I found the auction from when it sold last fall. An absolute steal at $30k when you consider that almost all of the comps that have sold recently went for at least twice that amount.

Finally, I always appreciate that American Dream Machines (https://www.admcars.com/) has an open house during the show. While I’m not a big muscle car guy, it’s cool to wander around and see what they’ve been working on.

Currently doing a little bit of a fall cleanup in the shop. Temps are starting to drop, hard to believe that summer is nearly over. Oh well, until next time...

 

[burger]

Not much of a muscle car guy?!? I'm not sure I can keep following this thread!

(kidding...)

 

[bdbecker]

Not much of a muscle car guy?!? I'm not sure I can keep following this thread!

Ha! Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't like muscle cars, I just never really quite got into them the way some people do. While I'm pretty good about knowing the make/model and approximate year of just about anything I see in traffic, I don't know the nuances of what makes a certain vehicle more desirable than another.

 

[burger]

Ha! Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't like muscle cars, I just never really quite got into them the way some people do. While I'm pretty good about knowing the make/model and approximate year of just about anything I see in traffic, I don't know the nuances of what makes a certain vehicle more desirable than another.

Just busting your shoes!

I recently sold a rare and desirable 1968 GTO 4-speed convertible and replaced it with a nothing special Buick Skylark. The GTO was fun and all, but I like to modify my old cars, and you'd be destroying your investment to modify an original GTO.

BTW, thanks for the lesson on the Dewalt voltage rating. I told that story to both of the people that I know!

 

[nicholam77]

We were originally going to go down as a family, but when it was getting to be the time to leave, the kids were having a lot of fun playing in the backyard and Wife suggested I just go by myself. It’s been probably 8-10 years since I last went to a car show by myself, but I really enjoyed going around at my own pace.

Every single car show I've been to this summer, except one, I've dragged my kids with me. My daughter likes to go, but also gets somewhat bored after 15min or so. I'm planning on going to one this weekend with the kids again. But man... that one I got to go alone was so nice. Could actually take my time and enjoy it.

That lineup of the F430, Z8, and Viper is like a time capsule for me — definitely reminds me of car spotting in my adolescence!

It always surprises me how many exotics are in the area. I see them driving around every now and then, but to see several dozen at once is always a treat.

You would think in places where it's freezing for half the year there wouldn't be that many supercars. But there are soooo many in the Twin Cities area. The last show I went to had 15+ McLarens alone. You don't see them driving everyday, but especially at shows it's eye-opening.

 

[amkluttz]

It’s been a while since my last post… I still haven’t purchased a new cordless kit, but at the same time, I’m not in any particular rush at this point. I figure I will eventually find a deal I like or be forced into buying something, but I’m going to keep my eye out over the next few months. I have decided to stick with an 18v line. Still leaning towards Makita but could easily be persuaded to go with a different color if the price is right.

I too was heavily invested in the DeWalt 18v tool line. When a pair of batteries cost more than a new 2-tool combo with a couple of batteries I decided it was time to jump into the Li-Ion game. I strongly considered staying with DeWalt but a friend of mine had gone to Milwaukee's M12 Fuel lineup. I took a big plunge into M18 with a pretty big combo kit that had everything I wanted and needed. I've been very happy with everything so far. I ended up with the M18 string trimmer and blower as well so having everything use one battery platform has been amazing. When I needed a smaller platform to keep with my work bag I picked up a M12 kit on sale at the big orange box store. Having the smaller form factor of the M12 now makes me think I could've gone M12 for everything except the yard tools.

That being said I was at Home Depot this morning and thought they had a pretty good deal on the M18 tools going on. I was going to link to it on their website but can't find it for some reason. It was essentially this kit pictured plus a "free" 5.0 ah battery for $499.

 

[bdbecker]

...When I needed a smaller platform to keep with my work bag I picked up a M12 kit on sale at the big orange box store. Having the smaller form factor of the M12 now makes me think I could've gone M12 for everything except the yard tools...

You are not making it easy for me by saying this...

...That being said I was at Home Depot this morning and thought they had a pretty good deal on the M18 tools going on. I was going to link to it on their website but can't find it for some reason. It was essentially this kit pictured plus a "free" 5.0 ah battery for $499.

Thanks for keeping an eye out for me! I'll have to swing by today and see if anything catches my eye.

 

[Bob Heine]

That being said I was at Home Depot this morning and thought they had a pretty good deal on the M18 tools going on. I was going to link to it on their website but can't find it for some reason. It was essentially this kit pictured plus a "free" 5.0 ah battery for $499.

@amkluttz, their website has a crazy deal right now, not $499 but $299 ($500 off).

Milwaukee M18 18V Lithium-Ion Cordless Combo Tool Kit (5-Tool) with 3.0 Ah and 1.5 Ah Batteries, Charger and Tool Bag 2691-25MT - The Home Depot

MILWAUKEE M18 5 Piece Combo Kit features an M18 ½ in. Drill Driver, the most compact in its class to access the tightest work spaces while delivering users 500 in-lbs of torque and up to 1,800 RPM. The

www.homedepot.com