10 Accessories to Make DIY a Breeze

Love this post? Share it! :)

This post is brought to you by RYOBI Powertools, but all opinions are those of Thrift Diving.

 

When I was first getting started with DIY, I had no idea what accessories I needed.

(Heck–I’m still learning about cool tools and accessories!)

Of course, I would wonder aimlessly around blogs, not sure what I really needed or wanted to buy.

Looking at all the accessories I’ve amassed after several years of DIY’ing, I’ve got my clear favorites, which I’m sharing with you now! Whether you’re a beginning DIYer or you know how to wield your own power tools, you’re sure to learn something. 😉

 

10 Accessories to Make DIY a Breeze - Great list for when you're getting started with DIY - Thrift Diving

10 Accessories to Make DIY a Breeze

 

DIY Accessory #1 – The Almighty Hole Saw

It wasn’t until last year that I discovered the “almighty” hole saw but thank God I did.

I never understood how DIY’ers could cut out perfectly round circles. Dude–why didn’t I have such a steady hand like them?!

I thought the jigsaw was the only tool for cutting out circles, which shows how little I knew just a year ago! LOL

Then I discovered one of my favorite DIY accessories: the hole saw!

Hole Saw

It inserts right into your drill just like a drill or driver bit and–BOOM!–you can cut perfectly shaped circles!

 

Hole Saw

 

With the hole saw, I was able to create this really cool DIY drink holder. Imagine how jacked up those holes would have been doing it free-hand with a jigsaw.

Hope, perfectly round. Every single one of them. 🙂

 

DIY Drink Holder with Snack Compartment - 7355

 

DIY drink holder with secret snack compartment

 

I’ve got a few of the hole saws, but I’d love to get a complete set. They come in multiple sizes. Check RYOBI Power Tools for more info about hole saws or buy them at The Home Depot.

And be sure to watch this video on how to choose drilling accessories, because honestly, I didn’t know half of the information in this video! HA! I think I may need to watch this on REPEAT:

 

 

DIY Accessory #2 – Sturdy Mobile Workstations

Imagine owning power tools but having nowhere to put them. Yeeeeaaahhhh….that’s kind of not going to work.

And when you’re out in your garage, you learn reeeeeaaaal quick how important it is to not only have space for your power tools, but you need sturdy tables.

Let’s take this one step further.

Imagine sturdy tables with–GASP!–locking wheels on them!

When your tools are stuck in one place, it makes it hard to shift things around to accommodate different projects, or to even save space when you need to.

That’s why I love the idea of mobile workstations on wheels. These are built using 2’x4’s and 4’x4’s which are pretty inexpensive.

You just have to be careful that what you’re placing on top is well-anchored down and won’t tip over!! But when you can easily move things around, it makes getting the job done easy, no matter where you’re doing your project–in the garage, or down in the driveway (which is where I frequently DIY)!

 

Mobile Workstation

 

I think I may have to build some of these!!

You can find out more about this project on RYOBI Nation.

 

DIY Accessory #3 – The Laser Distance Measurer

Wouldn’t it be nice if every DIYer had an assistant?

Not only would they fan me when I’m sweating, but they’d shake the sawdust from my hair. Oh. And maybe blow out the garage and put my tools back when I’m done. Wouldn’t hubby appreciate that?? HA!

But seriously, all jokes aside. It’s usually just me working on a project, which means when I need to take measurements of a room to figure out how much materials I need (like when I put up my own DIY crown molding), I don’t always have someone around to hold a tape measure.

That’s where the laser distance measurer comes in!

RYOBI Laser Distance Measurer

It works with the RYOBI Phone Works app so you plug it right into your smartphone, and then you hold it against the wall and measure! Seriously, it’s that easy. No yelling to your spouse to peel their backside off of the sofa to come help.

And no twisted metal tape measures that can slice a finger off when it’s winding back up!

The Laser Distance Measurer is part of the RYOBI Phone Works system, which includes a Stud Finder, Inspection Scope, Stud Finder, and more. Click here to learn more about the Phone Works system.

 

DIY Accessory #4 – The Kreg Jig Pocket Hole System

If I had to run to the hilltops and shout about my favorite accessory, you know what would be at the tip of my tongue? Oh yes….my friends… The Kreg Jig Pocket Hole System!

Let’s just say that you can’t be a DIY builder and not use a Kreg Jig.

Okay…that’s a far-reaching statement.

But the truth is that 99.99% of DIY bloggers out there today are using the Kreg jig in order to make strong joints between wood. If you’re upcycling or building from scratch, this accessory becomes your best friend.

 

Kreg Jig Pocket Hole Accessory

Remember this awesome workstation I upcycled from an old laundry room cabinet??

Well, it wouldn’t have been possible without the Kreg, which allowed me to join 2’x4’s to create an “arm” to hold my scrap wood!

Just using your power drill, it creates pocket holes that allow you to easily screw wood together to create strong joints!

Kreg Jig

 

Here’s an example of what the pocket holes look like. The Kreg system comes with speciality screws and drivers that you attach to your power drill, connect two pieces of wood, and–voila!–you’ve built something that won’t fall apart! You’ll amazing yourself. 🙂

 

Kreg Jig

 

Because of the Kreg pocket holes, I was able to add wooden “arms” to the side of this upcycled workstation.

 

cabinet-upcycled-diy-scrap-wood-bin-before-thriftdiving-blog-after

 

Learn more about the Kreg Jig Pocket-Hole Systems here.

 

DIY Accessory #5 – An Awesome Toolbox!

You’ve got to find a way to store your stuff in order to even find it.

I’m not picky on what your toolbox looks like, but I did want to share that you can get as creative as you want with how you store your DIY tools and accessories!

The important thing is that you’re not leaving them all over the garage. (Ahem–guilty). 🙂

This toolbox was a DIY creation from a RYOBI Nation member, and I am floored at how creative they got by using–get this–a crape myrtle branch for the handle!

I have never seen anything as cool as that!

You can read more about this DIY toolbox here.

 

Crape Myrtle branch tool box

 

Whether you do something just as cool, or you get a standard toolbox the point is that DIY is simple when you can actually find your stuff and you’ve got it all in one place when you’re working. 🙂

 

DIY Accessory #6 – The RYOBI Stereo & Radio

As glamorous as we bloggers make DIY look, it can be a long, lonely day working on projects, especially when it’s a complicated or tedious project. I’ve tried working in silence and it sucks! LOL

I’ll usually have my RYOBI Stereo (the one on the left) which, hopefully, will be coming back in stock for the holidays. I’m always out there with beats blaring, dancing in the driveway. (OMG, why do radio stations play the same song every 2 hours….??). But sometimes, I’ll

I usually feel guilty sitting around watching my favorite Netflix shows, but if I’m working on a project, I’ll connect my tablet to the Bluetooth in the stereo and listen/watch all the things I never give myself permission to sit down and enjoy (Serena never sits. LOL).

And because they’re rugged, I don’t worry about sawdust getting on it. Also, when my phone dies, I can plug it into the USB port and charge it without having to leave it in the house and miss calls! :). They run on battery, too, so I can take them even to the backyard when I’m gardening. Love that! I usually keep the stereo in the garage and the smaller compact one in the kitchen!

Learn more about the RYOBI Compact Radio here.

RYOBI Stereo and Compact Radio

DIY Accessory #7 – The 6-PORT Supercharger

It happens to me all the time: I’m right in the middle of the project and–CLICK, CLICK–the battery dies and my power tool has stopped working. It happens to everyone, right? But when you’ve got multiple batteries all charged and ready, you can jump right back into your project without missing a beat!

 

RYOBI Supercharger

When you’re DIY’ing, just make sure you’ve got the Supercharger, and get lots of batteries. The 18V RYOBI ONE+ works on over 70 tools, so it doesn’t matter what tools you’re using–you’ll always have a battery ready for you!

 

DIY Accessory #8 – The Perfectly Angled Paint Brush

Brushes….ahhh…they can perplex people because there are so many of them to choose from. But I’ve always stayed true to recommending angled paint brushes!

The reason why is because they’re so easy to cut in when using them, whether you’re painting furniture, painting along the ceiling (if you’ve got a steady hand!), or just want a straight line. I usually use Purdy angled paint brushes because they’ve always performed well with regular latex and with furniture paints.

 

Purdy Paint Brushes

 

Regardless of what brand of paint brush you get, look for ones that have angles so you can cut in accurately. It makes all the difference in the world between doing a good job and doing a great job when painting! Plus, it makes it faster when you don’t have to go back and fix mistakes!

 

DIY Accessory #9 – The DOCKit

Once you’ve been DIY’ing for a while, you’ve got this massive collection of drills, bits, router bits–you name it. After awhile, they start to pile up, and it becomes a guessing game trying to figure out where all your bits are!

With the RYOBI DOCKit, it stores all your bits together so that you’ve got them in one handy little place!

RYOBI Dockit

You can see in the picture below I’ve got one hanging on the pegboard above my workstation!

No more running around trying to find where my bits are!

You can buy the DOCKit at The Home Depot.

 

Create an upcycled garage workstation by using an old cabinet and building a scrap wood bin on the side.

 

DIY Accessory #10 – An Empire Square

I don’t trust myself to draw a straight line.

Much less creative a right angle.

I’ve tried free-hand and I end up with this wonky cut that just doesn’t work! LOL

One tool that makes DIY soooo easy when it comes to drawing straight lines and making sure your angles are correct is the rafter square!

When building or joining two pieces of wood, always use a rafter square to eliminate having to go back and fix sloppy angles!

Rafter Square

You can buy rafters squares from The Home Depot.

 

There are a bunch of other accessories I could include on this list, but these 10 are absolutely my favorite and recommended!

Of course, as you learn more DIY, there are always new and favorite accessories and tools. That’s what makes it so much fun….just seeing what other things that can make it easier and more enjoyable! 🙂

Win $300 in RYOBI Tools & Accessories!

So now that I’ve told you what I love, it’s time to get some of those tools and accessories!

My awesome partners at RYOBI is offering one lucky reader (sorry, U.S. residents only!) $300 worth of RYOBI power tools and accessories!

HOW TO ENTER: Check out at least one of the accessories above to learn more about it, and then leave a comment telling me which accessory is your favorite! For another entry, pin this post and leave an additional comment below telling me that you pinned it! GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!

Check out RYOBI Power Tools online and be sure to LIKE them on Facebook and tell them that Thrift Diving sent you! 🙂

 

 

Signature

Download the 5 freebies!

Thrift Diving inspires women to decorate, improve, and maintain their home themselves...using paint, power tools, and thrift stores! Use these 5 printables, checklists, and ebooks to get started!

Now go check your email for those freebies! Powered by ConvertKit

Love this post? Share it! :)

Similar Posts

310 Comments

  1. I love #6 because whether you’re doing a fun project or a tedious project, everything always comes together better with music!

  2. I would really like to try the 6 port supercharger. I agree that it’s always right in the middle of a project when the battery goes dead. I would also love to try the laser measurer as well. That looks like a really sweet one.

  3. Johannys Bengochea says:

    I pinned you! =] <3

  4. Johannys Bengochea says:

    The hole saw would be so useful to have holes on the back of furniture for cables to run through, for that organized look and media center. Thank you do the opportunity to win something, I just saw you on tv and discovered these tools that are so easy to use!

  5. Donna Capps says:

    The Hole Saw is a must have for installing new bathroom cabinets.

  6. Need the Compact Radio!

Leave a Reply to Kathleen Sigelman Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *