First of all, what power tools are you going to need? The four most common power tools that most do-it-yourselfers buy is the circular saw, jigsaw, router, and sander. The circular saw probably gets the most use of all the tools other than perhaps the sander. It's an excellent choice for cutting down wood materials, especially plywood and sheet materials. The sander does exactly what its name indicates, it sands. But because it uses power to accomplish its sanding, it can save an incredible amount of time and drudgery.

The jigsaw is often used for cutting holes and patterns into panels, for instance cutting out the countertop when installing a sink. Routers can actually be used for a lot of different small projects that require making grooves or recesses.

There are other useful power tools including a band saw, a power planer, and an angle grinder. But the good news is that these are used infrequently enough that you can simply rent them when needed and usually save yourself a lot of money in the process.

When buying power tools keep in mind that most consumer reviews indicate that you generally get what you pay for. It may be an expensive proposition to buy a high-quality set of power tools all at once, but they will pay you back many times over in the coming years with good service. Most consumer reviews also indicate that the combination tool sets that allow you to have one body that accepts attachments for sanding, drilling, etc., do not perform nearly as well as the power tools that are dedicated to a specific purpose.

It's important also to use power tools correctly. Avoid using power tools with very loose clothing, as it can easily get caught in the tool and become a serious safety issue. The same with long hair. And always wear a good set of safety glasses when using power tools of any sort for maximum eye protection.

Always inspect power tool cords before using them, as they can sometimes get cracked or broken and expose enough wire to create a safety hazard. Dull power tools can also be dangerous, so keep the blades and drill bits sharpened at all times to keep them functioning correctly.

If you have to rent any power tools, look them over very carefully before you leave the shop and make sure that they are in good usable condition, and have no apparent safety issues. Also be sure that you are thoroughly familiar with how each tool actually works before you leave.

Power tools are a tremendous time and energy saver for the average do-it-yourselfer. And they make do it yourself home improvements go so much faster and easier if you are safety conscious and careful.