Odd Jobs around the Farm With Milwaukee, Bosch and Diablo

This review was created as part of a paid affiliate program with the Home Depot.

My first order of business with this and every product review is a disclaimer: I am not a professional contractor. I am a farmer and a fine furniture maker. When it comes to construction and renovation projects, I’m a DIYer and weekend warrior. That said, I doubt many professional contractors will be reading my tool reviews. My goal in reviewing tools and products is to provide honest feedback based on my own use and experience with these tools to other regular folks like me- wanting to get their hands dirty, try new things, and get the best value for their hard earned dollars.

Farm Facelift

The past few months, I’ve been working on a massive project I’ve named Farm Facelift. It is, just as the name implies, a huge effort to truly change the face of this farm for the better. I’ve installed french drains, regraded and replanted the pasture, installing long overdue waterlines for the garden and animals, am finishing building out my blacksmithing and fabrication shops, and am putting up new gates, fencing and adding growing space to the garden. Oh and while I was at it, I also helped my bff/neighbor redo her bathroom. (More accurately, I showed up with a sledgehammer, did the fun part, cleaned up my mess and then checked in on the project from time to time over the next couple of weeks). For several of these projects, the GIANT Milwaukee Chalk Reel (I never intend to add chalk) and the Bosch 50 ft Self- Leveling Laser came in very handy. The Milwaukee reel got used to reconfigure my garden beds and their spacing as well as laying out fence posts for the new garden enclosure. The Laser was super handy during the bathroom remodel, hanging gates, and also hanging new joists in the blacksmith shop.

And speaking of the blacksmith shop, I also used the Milwaukee Torch Carbide Toothed Metal Cutting Saw blade to cut off about 100 rusty bolts off of these fabrication tables we recently moved into the space. I’m quite unsure as to what purpose they once served, but I’m equally glad they are now gone.

It never ceases to amaze me how far blade technology has come. The fact that I can literally saw through metal is just mind blowing. Of course, I still love my plasma torch, but tossing a metal cutting blade in a battery operated tool and cutting solid metal is pretty dang awesome. This month the Diablo 48 tooth Steel Demon Ferrous Metal Cutting Saw blade also saw a lot of use as I was cutting tubing and channel for the windows in the Blacksmith shop. Diablo’s patented Cermet (ceramic and metal blend) teeth hold up really well against steel and the blades last forever. The coating on the blade keeps it cool in the cut, the tooth design minimizes burrs on the cuts, vibration is minimized by the stabilizer vents on the side of the blade, and the fact that it’s cutting rather than abrading the steel makes for a much quicker cut, far fewer sparks, and a generally safer work environment.