Do More DIY: The Best Tools to Rent

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Tool-rental stores offer a wide selection of equipment that can make DIY projects easier. MATTHEW T. STALLBAUMER

Tool-rental services offer thousands of great tools and machines. You can rent just about any power tool that exists, take on big projects and avoid the burden of maintaining and storing a tool you may need only once or twice a year.

Rental rates vary widely, but you can rent many tools for $20 to $50 a day, although large equipment may cost considerably more. For example, an electric concrete mixer (see photo in Image Gallery) might cost $50 a day to rent, while a skid-steer loader (see Image Gallery) will cost closer to $200 a day. Whether to buy or rent a particular tool usually hinges on two factors: cost and frequency of use. If your rental fees would pay for the purchase of the tool or machine in a year or two, then it probably makes sense to buy the item upfront. If not, rent it!

Renting tools gives you access to an entire universe of expensive equipment usually owned only by professionals. Here are just a few of the handiest tools you can rent.

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Reciprocating saw. This tool is ideal for any kind of demolition work. A reciprocating (recip) saw slices through plastic, pipes and nail-embedded wood. Nowadays you’ll find powerful 28- and 36-volt cordless recip saws that are convenient to use when you’re working far from an electric outlet or in wet locations where a corded tool might be hazardous.

If your cutting area is unobstructed, then a one-piece recip saw will work fine. But if you’re working in close quarters, then look for a professional-grade articulated recip saw. These saws’ swiveling bodies allow them to bend at different angles, so you can configure the saw to cut around obstructions. Recip saw blades are expendable, so plan to buy several replacements when you rent the tool.

Concrete mixer/mortar mixer. Both kinds of mixers perform similar tasks, but to choose the appropriate one you need to know the difference between concrete and mortar. Concrete is a mixture of sand, cement, water and crushed stone. It’s often used as a stand-alone building material that’s poured into forms made of wood, metal or foam. Mortar is just sand, cement and water. It’s used to bond brick, blocks or stone.

Drum-style mixers are simple machines designed to mix concrete, but with special care you also can use them to prepare mortar. Prop up the machine at a slight angle with blocks underneath the mixer frame so the drum is almost horizontal. This change in the drum’s angle helps keep the mortar tumbling in the mixer. Without it, the mortar may stick to the walls of the drum instead of mixing. For most homestead work, a drum-style concrete mixer is the ideal multipurpose masonry tool.