Modern Sauce :: This is All You’ll Need . . .
: The Story of a Girl, a Drill and a Dream
I’m Madame Sunday of the little blog known as ModernSauce. In addition to my blog of wonders I also have an old 1960′s fixer-upper that I drunkingly refer to as the ModernSauce Ranch. We have a love/hate relationship – I love what this house will be one day but it hates cooperating. As this was my first home I made a concerted effort to become a legitimate homeowner by purchasing all the requisite things for my house like fresh towels, a home warranty, a fully stocked liquor cabinet and an array of shiny tools. The most important item – the homeowner’s piece de resistance – a handy drill. I was so excited to tackle projects involving my new tool just so when people asked what I did one weekend I could shrug and say The usual. Drilled stuff. *flex girl bicep*
At the suggestion of a friend and the incredibly concerned staff at my local hardware retail giant I took home a jazzy little 12v drill. They said it was all I’d need. Wide-eyed and eager, I thanked them for their help and skipped home. My new purchase even came with a cool carrying case (their words) and tons of tiny drill bits that all lined up in neat little rows. I was so excited. And completely deluded.
My DIY dreams were crushed after fifteen minutes because a 12v drill is essentially worthless. My electric toothbrush has a more powerful motor just based on the evidence of my dazzling pearly whites. I don’t know what the hell these guys thought I was going to do – drill pompom fringe onto a bedskirt no doubt. (which looks adorable by the way!) The reality is I have the upper body strength of a malnourished T-rex and ancient plaster walls made of diamonds that require a grenade and a prayer just to hang a curtain rod. I’m not even going to talk about the failures of drilling an actual hole into wood or removing decades-old rusty screws. When you do the math 12v just isn’t going to cut it. I need something to compensate for my absence of bulging biceps not compound my handicap.
Math and magical walls of steel aside, upon reflection of my purchase what frustrates me more was the casual assessment that this pseudo-tool was all I would need. Also frustrating was my complete trust in their assessment. At the time I felt like they had evaluated my needs and responded accordingly – that 12v did fit my hand quite nicely – when in fact they did the opposite. They made assumptions based on my ignorance (and gender if I’m being honest) that somehow my projects were petty, less complex and required less power than others. No one has ever tried to sell me a car with fewer amenities or less horsepower. Every time I hear that phrase, and it is still quite often, it feels like they are trying to do me a favor because everyone knows that power tools have demon spirits inside that only a calloused man in Carhartt overalls can properly tame.
I wished they had given me the benefit of the doubt and worked backwards. They probably wished I knew what the hell I was doing. So I guess we’re even. But now I’m a seasoned pro *cough liar cough* and when I don’t know the answer I at least know the right questions to ask. And if I don’t even know that I know that I’m willing to fake it ’til I make it.
So if you happen to see a madame with dazzling white teeth looking confused while staring at the belt sanders please suspend your judgment and bring your open mind – I swear it’ll be all you need.
Unless of course you have an 18v drill because I will totally need to borrow it….
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Note from the hosts: Thanks to the Madame Modern Sauce. You may find her blogging at http://modernsauce.blogspot.com or on Twitter @ModernSauce. She is fabulous and that is all you need…
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Kudos to a fellow female DIYer! And you’re definitely right about woman being given the brush-off by home improvement types, though I’m not sure these guys steered you wrong. Is the drill just not working? Maybe the battery is at fault. If it’s still under warranty, I’d return it.
While 12V is definitely NOT the be-all, end-all of power tool strength, I should think you’d find it at least fairly useful — unless you’re drilling through concrete or 4-bys. I’m in the market now (looking for either an 18 or 24V, ideally as part of multi-tool pack) to replace my 9.2V drill. But only because I’ve nearly beaten it to death and pretty much made the battery worthless during the past two years.
I’m hardly a linebacker but I’ve used it to install a vinyl fence, reside my shed with vinyl, frame said shed, and countless hang, repair, or replace jobs.
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Shout out to the laaaadddiiiieeess!!
@Fran absolutely! Determination is, like, 90%. The drill is about 7%. Wine is another 5%. Personal fabulosity is 8%.
@Nicole Glad you have had success with your drill! Mine functions great – if all I needed was an electric screwdriver. ;-) For my old home with its hard-as-concrete walls and deteriorating hardware (and my below average strength) it just doesn’t cut it. Of course I didn’t know what all of my needs would be at that time and they didn’t think to question. It’s cool. But I do still get the brush off fairly regularly. Sigh… High five for your own DIY awesomeness! Let me know how your new drill works out!
@Kim I hear ya sister. Plaster is straight from the devil. Good luck with your projects too!
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#6 written by The pul 1 year ago
Looks like a Ryobi drill in the photo, OK for the price, I would use one but its not what I would buy.
After 35 years as a builder I have 2- 12 volt and one 2-14 volt drills, one 14v is a hammer drill.
In the past I used 9 volt drills and was pretty happy with them, but anything from 12v up is best. that drill you bought should go through steel with the correct bit, plaster should be easy so I’m not sure what the problem is. One thing though is that is most men in the field would have told told to get another brand and model. If you feel an 18 or 24 volt drill is standard i would disagree, after a day of working i would rather have the lighter drill and just keep changing batteries. In the future you could find tool reviews at the Journal of Light Construction site or just Google tool reviews, that’s what many tradespeople do after getting endorsements from other trades. -
That’s exactly my point – I’ve spent 3 months researching a tv but I spent exactly 3 minutes picking out a drill relying on the ‘expertise’ of others without doing my research! I would have gladly traded a lightweight drill for a more powerful one b/c I’m not a pro who would need to use it all day long. Live and learn! Thanks for your comment, The pul!
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Fighting back the urge to 1. discuss lithium ion or 2. to self promote — I’ll say that that was “The Paul” from RemodelCrazy.com — their homeowner forum may be useful for advice on these kinds of purchases as well.
Believe it or not I have actually had good success with this on twitter . . . “Hey, can anyone recommend . . . ?”
after all – people that know like to tell you what they know. . . thanks MS for the linkback from modernsauce.blogspot.com and for returning for comments.
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As with all of your posts…I find myself thinking…I wish I could write like her…or drink like her…or write about drinking like her. Then I usually get distracted by something shinny.
I am not sure how I missed it that you had guest posted here, perhaps I was not paying close enough attention to Twitter, but well done!
I myself have a 12 volt, which is really quite unimpressive too. I may one day get one of the Festool drills, and when I do, I am sure that it will elevate me to master craftsman status, or simply work better.
Good luck in your remodeling.
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Love the post; wish you had consulted my dad at the Northgate Sears tool department. He’d have made sure you had what you needed. If I may say so myself, he’s a genius when it comes to cutting through all the ineptitudes that can spring from the art of nesting! Your wit is amazing, and I truly thank Paul Anater and Rich Holschuh for connecting us (and, of course, Building Moxie)!
Saxon (not my name when I was a Chattanooga girl!)
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Totally love this post! Never underestimate a woman’s DIY ability just because you don’t see biceps! There is more brute strength in determination and will than any big old muscles.