I am looking for a list of tools that you would need to start building. Any suggestions??
Thanks in advance

i have done much with as little as a good razor knife (xacto) and a razor saw with a good selection of sandpaper and sanding blocks, any thing more then this just makes building more enjoyable and faster, if you have the room and the funds, 10 inch band saw, belt sander, dremel with cut off wheels and sanding drums, drill and selection of drill bits ect.

Thank you very much. I am just getting started and looking for what you told me. I acquired a couple of kits, one being a Sig Kadet Mark II and the other a Sig Piper Cub J3. The J3 is pretty much done, need to replace a few things that got broken over the years but all of the pieces are there. So I thought abouting finishing that one and start working on the Kadet. Anyway, again thanks for the info and I will also get the rest of the tools as I go or as needed.

Chuck, I've been buying tools for over 45 years now and I still don't have what I need at times. Like Egaledancer said there is a basic set and then stuff that makes life easy.

Xacto knifes rate very high on the list of must haves along with the razor saws. Clamps are another thing you will need. I've used spring clothes pins and they work well, but tend to get glued to the work if you are not very careful. I picked up a tube of small plastic spring clamps from Harbor freight and they are great. Even if you get some CA or Epoxy under the pads, the will eaisly come off the work. I ended up buying a second tube of them. Use caution when buying and using the clamps though as stronger is not always better. With balsa, it is very easy to crush the wood with a standard wood workers clamp. On the subject of clamps, a couple large, 6" to 8" C clamps are a good addition to the tool bin.

Sand paper is next. A good selection of paper is needed. I have found that buying a couple of 4" belt sander belts, the longer the better, and then cutting them and laying them flat on a board, using carpet tape makes an extreamly usefull tool. For the small work I spray the back of a sheet of sand paper with 3M 77 spray adheasive and then press down craft sticks (popcisle sticks) as close together as I can get them. Then cut out the outline of the sticks using your Xacto knife. These little sandpaper sticks are great for getting in the small areas. If needed, you can cut them down with a knife. I like the garnet paper best, but it has a short life. The silicon carbide (wet or dry) is not as good for wood, but is good for plastics and metals if needed.

Screwdrivers. Get a good set jewelers screwdrivers with both straight and philips tips in various sizes. A couple larger screwdriver is also a good addition.

Wrenches, at a minimum a 6" crescent wrench, but better yet is a set of small sockets, and a set of small end wrenches both metric and imperal. Same for allen wrenches, both types.

A soldering iron and solder. Get one of the welders with the replaceable tips. You will need two tips, one for fine wires and the other for heaver work and battery building. A 50watt anda 20 watt should do.

A Dremel is a good tool, but better yet is a Fordom Flex shaft. The basic jewelers setup comes with a handpiece that has a small drill chuck that will take drills up to 3/16" diameter. That about covers what we need. The Fordom handpiece makes a great little drill press as it will hold from a #80 drill up to the 3/16" drill and is powerful enough to drill through most materials we use for our models. It also will drive any of the Dremel tools with ease. Oh yes, they last a life time. I've a used one from a jewelry store I bought back in 99 and I've had to replace the brushes and the flex shaft once since then and it's still running strong. When I had the store, I used it for three hours a day for the five years I had the store and that would equate to 50 years of hobby use.

While we are talking about drills, pick up a cheep set of drills. I would suggest a set of import that include sizes 1/16" through, 1 to 60 numbers and A to Z letter drills. This will cover your drill needs completly. Enco has a set on sale now for $29.95. Also a set of taps is needed, and they also have a sets of taps in sizes we use for $9.95 for SAE from #0-80 through #12-28. Oh yes you will need a small tap wrench.

Power tool wise, in addition to the Dremel or Fordom a bandsaw rates way up on the list. Sears has a 10" on sale now for under $100. A small bench drill press would also be nice and you can pick them up quite reaonably from Enco or Harbor Freight. An 8" would be all that you would need. A belt-disk sander is also something I finally picked up last year and now I don't know how I got along without it. It is getting harder to find the 1"x 42" belt sanders, and the 4" belts witha a 6" disk are not any more expensive. I got the 1-42 but there are times I wish I had gotten the 4" one.


Don

Here's a list of indispensable tools every shop should have.

Laser cutter
Lathe
Mill
CNC router
CNC foam cutter
Vacuum bagging system
Vacuum mold machine
Injection mold machine
Rapid prototype machine

I think other than the basics you probably already have in your shop a dremel has to be high on the list. I cant imagine doing a build without a dremel.

Some of my most used tools are some of the cheapest. A pin vise, razor saw, z bend pliers, a cheapo set of small files, and a set of ball tip hex wrenches.

Must have for kit building

Xacto kinfe and a pack of 100 #11 blades.. when it's dull get out a new blade.. Don't work it to death.
Razor Saw and miter box
2 sanding blocks.. 80 grit in one for quick removal.. 220 in the other.
Set of metric and standard ball hex wrenches.
A set of drill bits from 1/4-1/16.. Get something sharp.. Dull bits just rip up balsa.
A drill.. (always makes the bits work faster)
A METAL drill guide (plate with holes in it for checking drill sizes, also handy to see what size that rod or screw is.
T pins
45 and 30-60 triangles
A ruler (metal prefered)
Small HDPE kitchen cutting board ($1.99 at Target) cut on it.,drill, saw whatever.. why abuse the work surface.
A couple 5mm pencils and some fine line sharpies.

Nice to have.

Small hand plane (a razor plane works but I prefer a nice iron plane when it's dialed in just right)
Dremel tool, drum sander and saw bits
Clamps.. the more the better.. little spring clamps big C clamps..
I got a pair of the Irwin Mini Quick grip clamps.. I love em.. $16 but worth every penny.. I want 4 more!
a good cordless drill
A set of Forstner drill bits (perfect clean round holes)
set of small files
set of taps and a few dies.. I have 4-40, 6-32, 8-32, 10-24 and 1/4-20 taps, 2-56 and 4-40 dies
I'd like a 2-56 tap but it's not easy to find outside a hobby store.. 4-40 and up taps can be found at Lowes or Ace Hardware.
2-56 and 4-40 dies are great for making linkages.
BIG soldering gun.. I prefer the electric gun.. I have a bad habit of melting stuff with a torch.
Bench Vice.. lots of uses like soldering, bending and general mayhem.

Really nice to have for scratch building but $$$

Bandsaw.. The 10" jobs are good.. The Harbor Freight 14" saw is really a nice unit.. Just follow this tip.. Burn the manual and go online for directions on how to assemble it.
Drill press.. a cross slide vice is a huge plus but $$ for a good one..
Scroll Saw.. Bandsaws don't do inside cuts
Belt/Disk Sander
Table saw.. Mostly useful for getting ply down to a size that works in the bandsaw.

Lots more.. just depends on the project

Wow thanks guys for the reply, I went and bought a few things just need to get a few others. I got a xacto knife a dremel (been wanting one for awhile), and some Titebond II. I could not find a Razor Saw at Lowes so I will have to stop at my LHS and pick a couple up.

Again, thanks for the info and if there are any other tips keep them coming.

On a more serious note, here's some of my favorite tool bookmarks.

http://www.harborfreight.com/
http://www.saveonscales.com/
http://members.aol.com/harryhig/MainMenu.htm
http://www.mcmaster.com/
http://www.micromark.com/
http://www.emsdiasum.com/microscopy/...ols.aspx?mm=11
http://www.utopiatools.com/StoreFront.bok
http://www.leevalley.com/Home.aspx
http://www.bvmjets.com/Tools/permagrit.htm
http://www.rockler.com/


Scott

Any body suggest me which scroll saw to get? Delta??

I would go with the craftsman. It is a much better saw than the delta. I picked up one on sale at the local Orchard supply for about $100 a few months back. It is a heavy duty saw and it makes the delta (and the others with different paint) look like they were made from leftover beer cans. Delta's stuff is just a little more costly Harbor Freight stuff with a different paint job.

Don

I just checked, Sears has the 16" on sale right now for $99.99. It the one I have and you won't beat it. It will take either the pined blades or you can clamp them in. Once the blade lock get kind of worn in, popping the blade out for going for inside cuts is a snap. It is money well spent. One thing if you get one, turn the speed control way down before you start it up. Mine about danced off the bench (I hadn't bolted it down yet. I was very unhappy with the viberation until I discovered it was set to the highest speed. The slowest speed is about right for balsa and lite ply work.

Don

.

Thanks for the advise Don.

Srikar.

Can somebody help me in getting some decent foam cutting/hot wire tool? I need hot wire tool to cut out the servo bays in foam cores and for other small foam cutting stuff. I was looking at some custom made tools but I am not ablr to find any ready made tool from the market. I am thinking to build this one on my own.

Here is what i think. Get a mastech variable power supply for not less than 100W. Then buy some nichrome wire and build the tool as per need. But i am not 100% sure if this is the way to go.

Suggest me if this is any chaper and effective way to go. Tell me if i can build the tool with basic battery instead of buying a 100w powe supply. I am totally new to this and i never done this before.

Thanks a lot.
Srikar.

Here is the link to a tutorial I did back in 2003 showing simple devices used in cutting wheel wells in foam wings. Crude perhaps, but it works for those one offs without major investment in specialized foam cutting equipment and with a little work yields a nice wheel well.


http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_95.../tm.htm#952918

Dremel is right next to the Visa as the most valuable tool in my garage.

somegeek