Tools Tools Tools

[David Fuchs]

Good Morning
I am hoping to start my RV-12 Empennage kit very soon. I am looking for a list of the required/recommended tools for that section of the build. I am planning on buying my tools incrementally if that is possible. I am a retired NAVY CPO and P-3 Orion Flight Engineer, 8,000 flight hours in P-3 series aircraft.

Respectfully
Navy Davy

[Phantom30]

Originally Posted by David Fuchs

Good Morning
I am hoping to start my RV-12 Empennage kit very soon. I am looking for a list of the required/recommended tools for that section of the build. I am planning on buying my tools incrementally if that is possible. I am a retired NAVY CPO and P-3 Orion Flight Engineer, 8,000 flight hours in P-3 series aircraft.

Respectfully
Navy Davy

Go to Cleveland Tools site (there are others too) and see recommended tools; and start the ride as your budget allows. You will enjoy every minute....and wind up with an affordable, fun to fly airplane. Welcome aboard!!!

[John-G]

David-

One tool that you will be glad you owned for the entire project is a band saw. Many of the parts from Van's come with more than one part made from the same strip of metal and they need to be separated ... a band saw with a 24 tpi band is great for that and will last the entire project (if you make it a point to never cut a piece of steel).

You will appreciate owning a close quarters rivet puller such as the PRP-26A it comes in handy when working in tight spots.

You will also want to have a 6" ScotchBrite wheel that fits on a grinder or the Harbor Freight buffer ... great for deburing parts and saves a ton of finish filing. I also purchased small 1" ScotchBrite wheels for use on a hand pneumatic grinder.

Having a countersink cage for the countersink bits you will need to buy is also handy ... once the depth is set you can quickly make precise multiple countersinks.

Although not necessary, consider having an air compressor. When you get to the wings and fuselage there are tons of rivets to set and having air for a pneumatic rivet puller will come in handy and move the project along quicker.

Happy building,

[PEB]

Which type of 6" ScotchBrite wheel did you use?

Do you have a part number.?

[John-G]

Originally Posted by PEB

Which type of 6" ScotchBrite wheel did you use?

Do you have a part number.?

PEB-

I ordered the ScotchBrite wheel from Aircraft Spruce many years ago and the ACS part number is 12-00875. The wheel is 6" and is the 7A medium grade with a 1/2" thru hole ... works great with the Harbor Freight buffer I purchased.

[David Fuchs]

Thank You All !

[Mike S]

Poul Erik, welcome to VAF

[aviti]

David,

I just started my 12 build in January and I'm a ways into the build. I bought the Cleveland kit and have no regrets. You end up using the majority of the tools right away so the tool kit is a good way to go. I already had a nice 14" Delta band saw but I think one of the inexpensive models should be fine. I also had a compressor but again, if you aren't running an air drill, an inexpensive one will be fine for the pneumatic rivet puller. I consider the pneumatic rivet puller and the band saw must have items. Also, my cheap Craftsman drill press has come in handy.

One more thing on tools, I opted not to go the air drill route and started with a cordless drill. My Dewalt 20 v cordless turned out to have wobble in the chuck. I tried a few other cordless drills and found they all had some runout. This messed up some parts I was match drilling. I ended up with a Makita corded drill for about $80. The corded drills with keyed chucks seem to run more true.

Also, this forum is very helpful each step of the way in minimizing mistakes (that require ordering new parts). Ask me how I know. Practice countersinking on thin sheet aluminum before using actual parts.

Good luck and enjoy. I love it.

[DHeal]

I purchased a Cleaveland "Main Squeeze" for my RV-12 project. It's pricey but was indispensable for my build. I have two other manually-operated squeezers that now just sit in my tool drawer while the Main Squeeze gets used for everything.

Also, get a grinder or buffer that has a motor diameter that is less than the diameter of your Scotchbrite wheels -- this makes it a lot easier to edge grind long pieces of aluminum.

[David Fuchs]

Thank you all, once again!