dewalt tools : The contracting king talks about his must-have gear

Here he offers a primer to wannabes on how to keep it to code:

Six-pack of Dewalt tools (cordless drill, impact drill, skill saw, reciprocating saw, grinder, flashlight), $900 — "My most-used tools. Dewalt doesn't pay me to say this, but the reason I love the six-pack is simple: It's all cordless, it's very strong and it's extremely versatile. It makes it easy to do a lot of things with just a small number of tools. They pretty well go with me everywhere."

Dewalt tripod laser level, from $469 — "This is a great tool we didn't have 10 years ago. I can put it on a tripod and spin it around the room to create a perfect line. It's a technological change that's much appreciated by contractors, for how easy it makes things and because it saves time. And if we save time on labour, the customer should save too. At least, that's the way it's supposed to happen."

Bostitch compressor and nail combination kit, $599 — "In the first years of my contracting business, I was big with the hammer and nails. It took me a long time to spend money on a compressor and all the guns. But once I did, I realized how foolish I'd been. Sure, you get a great workout with a hammer and nail, but I can build faster with better tools."

Stanley FatMax Xtreme FUBAR demolition tool, $50 — "I must have 20 different types of hammers, each with its own job. This one is an extreme tool, with claws and pry bars all in one. I can use it for many purposes: smashing down walls and ripping out joints or studding."

Dewalt 10-inch mitre saw, $320 — I remember cutting all my joints on your standard mitre-box with a buck saw, and man, you would sweat like you wouldn't believe. As soon as I bought my first chop saw, it was like, "Wow, why didn't I do this years ago?" I'm very fussy—I want everything to look good. If you do it right from the beginning, everything is perfect at the end, and that's what makes the difference to me.

© Copyright 2006 Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.