"Learn to use Local Rough Cut Lumber to Build Your Dreams!"
My Essential Barn
Building Tools Checklist..
Perhaps the biggest delay causing sticking point in a new Post and Beam Barn Project, or any project for that matter, is not having the right barn building tools to do the job.
You can have all the material ready, and think you have every tool you need on the job, except for that one essential barn building tool that you forgot you needed, or didn’t even know you needed in the fist place.
That happened to me on the first barn we built.
I knew I needed a hammer drill, to drill holes in the concrete, so that we could attach our U brackets to the concrete with wedge anchors.

Rent or Buy?
So I rented a hammer drill for a day so that we could get all of our drilling done in one day, and we did… Why buy a tool when I am only going to use it one day right?
…Except there was one pier that the concrete guys had neglected to pour!
Having to rent that barn building tool for an extra day meant I had to spend the same amount on tool rental as I would have had to spend had I decided just to buy the hammer drill in the first place!
And then I would have owned the drill, instead of having to take it back to the rental store…
I decided that this time I would buy the hammer drill.
If I needed it again, I wouldn’t have to spend all that time driving to the store, renting the drill, and driving all the way back to return the rental.
Besides, If I ever decided I didn’t want to own the drill anymore, I could sell it and get at least some of my money back, which is never the case when you rent a tool.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love renting big machines for a few hundred dollars, that cost tens of thousands of dollars to buy, that saves a ton of money! But, those are specialty items that wouldn’t make sense to buy, like a telescoping fork lift, or a man lift.
But a small hand or power tool on the other hand has a small price tag to purchase compared to a high cost to rent. So it makes sense just to buy that tool, so that you have it when you need it.
The Biggest Saw You Have Ever Seen!!
One time I rented a large Makita saw, the same kind I use to cut beams for my barns… But the rental tool was really old and worn out, it wouldn’t make a square cut no matter what I tried!
I would have been better off to buy a new one… You would think I would have learned this lesson the first time! So again, I ended up buying a new one, and boy am I glad I did!
That new Makita, cut through those beams like a hot knife through butter, and every cut was square and smooth as a babies bottom.
Check out the video below to see my Big Makita in Action!
A Prazi Beam Saw with Power Head

One time I rented a large Makita saw, the same kind I use to cut beams for my barns… But the rental tool was really old and worn out, it wouldn’t make a square cut no matter what I tried!
I would have been better off to buy a new one… You would think I would have learned this lesson the first time! So again, I ended up buying a new one, and boy am I glad I did!
That new Makita, cut through those beams like a hot knife through butter, and every cut was square and smooth as a babies bottom.
Check out the video below to see my Big Makita in Action!
Don’t Get Stuck Because You’re Short on Barn Building Tools!
I can’t tell you how many times, way back when I started doing my own projects, that I found myself short on tools.
Just because I didn’t know I needed them…
I wish someone back then had put together an essential list of tools that I needed to do that job. It would have saved me so much time going to the hardware store.
Time I could have spent working on my project!
That is why I have put together a list of all the essential tools you need to build your new post and beam barn…
Not only that, but I have put them all in one place where you can order them right off Amazon and have them shipped to your door!
You don’t have to worry about not having the right tool, because you have everything you need listed out for you!
Think of all the time you will spend building your barn instead of hunting for tools!
Here is my list of essential Barn Building tools.
The Homesteader
- Library of Barn Plans under 1k square feet
- Chicken Coop Plans Library
- Timer Frame Shed Plans Library
- How to Build a Barn Course
- Chicken Coop Course
Most Popular: The D-I-Yer
- Full Library of Barn Plans
- Chicken Coop Plans Library
- Timer Frame Shed Plans Library
- How to Build a Barn Course
- Chicken Coop Course
Read More about Post and Beam Barn Kits below.
Jay Bell 40×60 Gambrel Build
Jay Bell Posted to the Barngeeks DIY Facebook Group 2/27/23 My wife and I moved from New Hampshire to Texas in 2018 after retirement. In New Hampshire we owned an antique home built in 1840 that had a 40’ X 60’ bank barn attached to the house, which was my inspiration...
How do I talk to my building department about the legality of this?
How do I go about talking to my building department about the legality of this? Are you guys building these under agriculture? Can I contruct this into a house? Location Ogemaw county Michigan. Also what size beams should I saw up to let dry ahead of time or does size...
Barn Interview: John Casper
"Probably the most gratifying part of this whole project is every time someone new; friend, family, associates, what have you, come step through that door for the first time, people I've known my whole life or people I've just met just through work associations or...
Ancient Jib Pole, A Game Changer for Your Barn Project
Simple Jib Pole saves Your Back and Your Wallet! My sister and her husband are building an off grid Barn Home, AKA a Barndominium on a raw piece of land, this will be their forever home. Their plan is to do so with as little cost as possible, while maintaining a High...
How To Install a T Plate
How to Build a Post and Beam Barn Video Series, Installing T Plates.
5 Barn Businesses You Can Start Now!
In this article and video, we are looking at 5 businesses you can start with the tools in the BarnGeek Barn Plans Library
5 Steps to build a Barn Business and beat Big Lumber
1. Assess the local market.This kind of business is easiest to run in the country, however there might be an Urban Market, in your area. It’s really an appealing product anywhere, you just have to identify what marketing angle works best for your area. You might have...
3×4 chicken coop with solar power
Built this coop from the free plan - reduced the size a bit. It can be moved around the yard - has wheels on a single axle in the centre. Light activated door is operated with solar power
Old red barn paint safety
Hello, We recently bought a rustic house that is finished with beautiful barn siding on the walls. They have quite a bit of remnant red paint. They are from an old barn in Iowa, and I have no idea how old they are. In much of the area, the red color seems to have...