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  #1  
Old 03-10-2015, 09:55 PM
Randy777 Randy777 is offline
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Boulder City, Nevada USA
Posts: 7
Default More tool questions

I recently received my Empennage and have more tool questions. 1) If I get a tungston bucking bar do I still need the steel ones? 2) I have several drills but no air drill. Should I get one? 3) My grinder needs a 6 x 3/4 x 1/2 scotchbrite polishing wheel. Is any 3m wheel ok? The ones at the tool places seem very pricey. 4) I bought a belt and disk sander but the pads are very coarse (80 grit)
What grit do I need? Thanks for all your help. I have been reading this forum for the last three months and it is a wealth of information. This forum is the reason I believe I might be able to build a plane.
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Boulder City, NV
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  #2  
Old 03-10-2015, 10:06 PM
lorne green lorne green is offline
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Oliver, B.C. Canada (Okanagan valley)
Posts: 786
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Randy777 View Post
I recently received my Empennage and have more tool questions. 1) If I get a tungston bucking bar do I still need the steel ones? 2) I have several drills but no air drill. Should I get one? 3) My grinder needs a 6 x 3/4 x 1/2 scotchbrite polishing wheel. Is any 3m wheel ok? The ones at the tool places seem very pricey. 4) I bought a belt and disk sander but the pads are very coarse (80 grit)
What grit do I need? Thanks for all your help. I have been reading this forum for the last three months and it is a wealth of information. This forum is the reason I believe I might be able to build a plane.
Just my opinion:
1) yup, pretty much.
2) ya, cleaner holes.
3) 3M is best and yes they're expensive. You'll only use one.
4) I'm using 120, works well.

Regards
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RV 7a tip-up
Pre-cover MD-RA Inspected.
Canopy completed. Bonded with Sika-Flex.
Up on her mains, Firewall Fwd and wiring on going.
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  #3  
Old 03-10-2015, 10:34 PM
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BSwayze BSwayze is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Molalla, Oregon
Posts: 955
Default

Randy, when you're first starting out the tools seem expensive and you would like to save money wherever possible. But you have to keep things in perspective. You're building a $100,000 airplane and the cost of the tools is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Neither is the cost of the parts you're bound to ruin along the way. We all make mistakes and ruin a few things. Keep the big picture in mind and get the quality tools you need to do a good job. Cutting corners here won't pay off in the long run.

Having said all that, you can find quality used tools if you look around. Not too many builders that I've known sell off their tools when they're finished. But I found some great deals on eBay, the classifieds right here, and so on.
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  #4  
Old 03-10-2015, 10:58 PM
psyborgg psyborgg is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Ft Worth, Tx
Posts: 6
Default Tools

I have been doing blue collar hands on for 50+ years. Good tools are your friend and will pay you dividends.
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  #5  
Old 03-10-2015, 11:14 PM
rightrudder rightrudder is offline
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Laguna Hills, CA
Posts: 1,805
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Hi Randy,

You'll find that having several bucking bars, of different sizes and shapes, will serve you well during the build. At least versus tungsten, the the iron ones are VERY affordable! On the grit question, I've got 80 on my belt/disc sander and it works great to quickly remove material. When deburring, I'll use the belt sander first (for long pieces like empennage spars, etc.), use a file to slightly bevel the edges and then finish with either the Scotchbrite wheel or 400 grit paper.
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RV-9A "slider"
Flew to Osh in 2017, 2018 & 2019!
Tail number N427DK
Donation made for 2020
You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky -- Amelia Earhart
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  #6  
Old 03-10-2015, 11:48 PM
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dave4754 dave4754 is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Edson, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 483
Default Some thoughts on tools

Can you ever have enough? not likely
Some tools I treasure having bought, my air drill, now i own another the angle drill.... not necessary but pretty nice to have
My tungsten bucking bar... essential! yes you will need others
My segregated inexpensive small parts boxes.. 6 to 15 dollars each they house ALL my rivets, bolts buttons, washers and hundreds of parts that would get lost otherwise..... this thing takes years to build just try to remember where you put aileron bolts after two years.
A good compressor..... not essential to buy big but those die grinders love lots of air... good on is 10CFM at 90 psi
I have a pnuematic riveter.... it makes some lines of rivets way easier but you can buck them or do them with a hand squeezer too.

Good luck, and remember to have fun.... i forget that once in awhile as it takes so long to do this.
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Dave Cobb
[color="Red"]=VAF=2019 Donation - and a bit extra for great work![/COLOR="blue"]
Empennage RV 7 - Tipper
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Dynon installed and running
Fuse closer to completion, Canopy complete
AME reviewed and repaired O-320-Lyc installed
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  #7  
Old 03-11-2015, 06:51 AM
Vansrv7arob Vansrv7arob is offline
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Coal Point, Australia
Posts: 128
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Buy a reverse cycle air-conditioner for the workshop, unless its a hangar, one of the best tool purchases ive made. Comfortable builder = more build time.

Also bar fridge helps to keep fluids up.... And morale high... You will need this when you start on the fuel tanks
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  #8  
Old 03-11-2015, 07:32 AM
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DaleB DaleB is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Omaha, NE (KMLE)
Posts: 2,247
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Tungsten bucking bar: Yes, get one. I use mine about 95% of the time or more. Once in a while I need to pull out the steel bar from my red-box riveting kit.

Drills: Here is my take on drills. I resisted spending the $200+ on the little Sioux drill everyone raves about, but finally did it... and don't regret it. That said, it's not a "must have", it's a "really nice to have".

Scotchcbrite wheel: I wouldn't give mine up. Yes, expensive. Oh well. And buy a box of the maroon pads, you'll need them.

Remember that whatever you spend on specialized tools, you can (in theory) recover a lot of it when you sell the tools after you're done building. If you're the kind of person who can sell a tool. For most of us it's kind of a one-way street, no matter what we think when buying.
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Omaha, NE
RV-12 # 222 N980KM "Screamin' Canary" (bought flying)
Fisher Celebrity (under construction)
Previous RV-7 project (sold)
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  #9  
Old 03-11-2015, 08:25 AM
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wirejock wirejock is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Estes Park, CO
Posts: 3,947
Default Tools

Quote:
Originally Posted by DaleB View Post
Tungsten bucking bar: Yes, get one. I use mine about 95% of the time or more. Once in a while I need to pull out the steel bar from my red-box riveting kit.

Drills: Here is my take on drills. I resisted spending the $200+ on the little Sioux drill everyone raves about, but finally did it... and don't regret it. That said, it's not a "must have", it's a "really nice to have".

Scotchcbrite wheel: I wouldn't give mine up. Yes, expensive. Oh well. And buy a box of the maroon pads, you'll need them.

Remember that whatever you spend on specialized tools, you can (in theory) recover a lot of it when you sell the tools after you're done building. If you're the kind of person who can sell a tool. For most of us it's kind of a one-way street, no matter what we think when buying.
2nd that.
Tungsten
Sioux drill
6"x1" 7a Scotchbrite wheel
3 countersink cages
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Larry Larson
Estes Park, CO
http://wirejockrv7a.blogspot.com
wirejock at yahoo dot com
Donated 12/03/2019, plus a little extra.
RV-7A #73391, N511RV reserved (2,000+ hours)
HS SB, empennage, tanks, wings, fuse, working finishing kit
Disclaimer
I cannot be, nor will I be, held responsible if you try to do the same things I do and it does not work and/or causes you loss, injury, or even death in the process.
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  #10  
Old 03-11-2015, 09:17 AM
BillL BillL is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Central IL
Posts: 5,516
Default

Quote:
I recently received my Empennage and have more tool questions.
1) If I get a tungston bucking bar do I still need the steel ones?
2) I have several drills but no air drill. Should I get one?
3) My grinder needs a 6 x 3/4 x 1/2 scotchbrite polishing wheel. Is any 3m wheel ok? The ones at the tool places seem very pricey.
4) I bought a belt and disk sander but the pads are very coarse (80 grit)
What grit do I need? Thanks for all your help. I have been reading this forum for the last three months and it is a wealth of information. This forum is the reason I believe I might be able to build a plane.


Quote:
Originally Posted by lorne green View Post
Just my opinion:
1) yup, pretty much.
2) ya, cleaner holes.
3) 3M is best and yes they're expensive. You'll only use one.
4) I'm using 120, works well.
+1 I got my tools from Avery. Full kit. It is so easy discovering I needed a tool and looked to find it was included. I made several customer bucking bars for the rudder, even with the standard steel ones. Also got two scotchbrite wheels from Bob. The standard (hard) and a softer one. I got the HF (cheap) buffer and use both wheels, mostly the soft one. The standard wheel will cut the teeth off of a file easily - tell you something about it's hardness?

2) cleaner holes and fits in tight spaces. My drill is 40 years old, bought it new and used heavily, it put me through college. You won't regret a good air drill.

Just my experience and opinion, too.

Just so you know, by the end you will spend way more on shipping than tools, so don't order parts or tools piecemeal.
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Bill

RV-7
Lord Kelvin:
“I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about,
and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you
cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge
is of a meager and unsatisfactory kind.”

Last edited by BillL : 03-11-2015 at 09:26 AM.
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