Tooling Up for RV-10 Build

Have made the decision to build an RV-10 starting late fall or winter. Looking for some guidance on getting tooled up to begin. Laundry list of tools needed, suppliers, and particularly the best quality pneumatic tools that most are using. Rivet gun, drill, squeezer, dimpler, hoses, swivels, etc. Thanks.

I have been happy with the Isham (PlaneTools) kit as it includes the pneumatic squeezer and DRDT-2 dimpler. I subtracted the dimple dies and rivet sets and sourced those from Cleveland for the high quality reputation. Most other tools I buy are either Cleveland/Spruce or Amazon specials.

One package does not cover all.... Leave room in your budget for future tool purchases, you'll find that about every month you'll be making a tool supply order for some time!

I actually downloaded the tool list from Jason Ellis' youtube page, then priced the actual items. Ended up spending roughly 3600 for everything plus a few other things.

If you want easy - go with one of the kits from PlaneTools, Cleaveland, or one of the other vendors.

Can you save money "building" your own kit - sure! Can it take longer / be more work for you? Maybe. Depends on if you like the thrill of the hunt. (Remember you may end up spending more on shipping lots of little things vs as a larger kit).
Regardless of what you do, you will find that you will need to purchase additional tools throughout the build.

Other suggested items that you may want?
Bench grinder - 3M scotchbright wheel
Bandsaw with blade for cutting metal
Air compressor (get one that has enough capacity so it's not always running!)
Dremmel tool or similar.


Personal preference items:
DRDT-2 vs C-frame
Pnumatic Squeezer vs hand squeezer
Tungsten bucking bars vs standard
Cleaveland (Avery) dimple dies vs generic

One recommendation, don?t get enamored with tungsten bucking bars. They are great for a few rivets (less than 5%) but the small size tends to be a disavantage for normal use as it is harder to control than the larger steel bars.

This tungsten bar is the one I have (borrowed from a friend): https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/topages/buckingbar12-04864.php

The below bucking bar did 90% of three airplanes. Years ago it was a standard in the Avery kit but I could not find anyone selling it. It is just the right shape to enhance control - using any of the various surfaces. If you can find one, get it.

Tape any surface on the various bucking bars not in use. This helps to prevent dings and makes the bar easier to hold. The tape on this bar is set up to buck the wing bottom skin rivets.
Carl

I humbly disagree with Carl about the tungsten bucking bars. My tool set came from Isham, and originally I only got the steel bucking bar set (I think it comes with 3 different types). Later, I bought a single, tungsten bucking bar that's about 1"x3/4"x3" and one end has an angle on it. I have used this tungsten bucking bar to buck every bucked rivet on RV-10 that came once I purchased it. My experience was the opposite from Carl. I find the mass of this bar to make it easier to hold in place than the steel ones. I also found that novices (aka my helpers) have an easier time with it too. Your mileage may vary. I just wanted to give you another data point.

I actually like heavier, physically larger steel bucking bars. The Unriens have long term loaned me their tungsten bar, but my favorites are some steel bars I made myself. If there is space, I find that a bigger, heavier bar is easier to steady. But a big bar becomes tiring if you're in an awkward position.

Ultimately, it comes down to individual preference. Use what works best for you.

Love my tungsten bar as well.

3 tools that I will not build without:

DRDT-2
Pneumatic Squeezer with a 4" no hole, 3" C, & 2.5" Longeron Yokes
Tungsten Bucking Bar. Mine is one of the originals that showed up way back when. I think it is 3/4x1x4 with a slight taper on one end. I have other steel ones but hardly ever use them.

Really appreciate all the help from those who posted. Lot of good info. Thanks for taking the time to help. Just a quick informal poll on which rivet gun, drill, and squeezer people prefer. ie reliability and how good a job they do. Will be using a Kobalt 2-stage, 30 gal, 175 psi compressor.

If your not in a big hurry, watch the classifieds here. If you can find a builder selling there tools, or one selling a kit, ping them and ask them about there tools, you can find some deals out there and builders have usually amassed more than just the basics.

I use my small tungsten bucking bar a lot these days. Also a squeezer with an adjustable set was invaluable to me. Look for a used DRDT-2 what you pay for it should be about what you can sell it for when your done. If you can find one locally or close, it's always better, the thing is 75lbs to ship!

iwannarv said:

I have been happy with the Isham (PlaneTools) kit as it includes the pneumatic squeezer and DRDT-2 dimpler. I subtracted the dimple dies and rivet sets and sourced those from Cleveland for the high quality reputation.

Click to expand...

I'll second this rec. We also went with the Isham set, though we didn't know about the quality of the rivet sets. We've since bought some duplicates from Cleveland.

My wife is the chief bucker, and she, too, prefers using larger, steel bucking bars, but there are some tight spots that just about require the small tungsten bar.

Best of luck with the build.