G

g zero

Well Known Member
just got the tour of the delta hanger in atlanta by a good friend.neat place.he is a a&p and gave me a hour worth of rivet training,the pnumatic squezzer is the ticket!on a non quick build 8 what % of riveting can you use this tool for .is it worth the 500 to 650 us dollars$$$$?
 
I wouldn't want to be building without mine.

For me, so far (wings), I'd say other than the big skins, you can use a squeezer 80-90% of the time...provided you have the correct yoke.

Also, don't forget, you can use it to dimple alot of holes, and to dimple things you will rivet using a different method (stiffners that get backriveted, wing ribs that get shot & bucked, etc.)

Joe
 
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Yes, it's worth every penny. It's my favorite tool by a long measure. I can't imagine building without it. I use it for all riveting and dimpling within the range of the yoke. You grown when the yoke doesn't reach.

I have three different yokes, which did bring the price up, but they come in handy for reaching more spots.

- normal 3" yoke (used 40%)
- longeron 3" yoke (looks like a G, and gets around angles, used 50%)
- flat head 3" yoke (has flat head without a set hole. This works in some tight spots, only used about 10% of the time)
 
Buy the foot control to go with it. Tape the thumb control down and it makes controling it a lot easier. Well worth the money.
 
g zero said:
just got the tour of the delta hanger in atlanta by a good friend.neat place.he is a a&p and gave me a hour worth of rivet training,the pnumatic squezzer is the ticket!on a non quick build 8 what % of riveting can you use this tool for .is it worth the 500 to 650 us dollars$$$$?
Click to expand...
No question a good pneumatic squeezer is worth every penny. When a given rivet can be set pneumatically, I much prefer my alligator squeezer 90% of the time even though I possess perfectly good single and double piston pneumatic "C's." The alligator is pricey but worth it to me because I've done a fair amount of repair work in addition to building RV's. It is much more ergonomically comfortable too. Here's a quick video showing me dimpling an RV-8 empennage part. I sincerely doubt most people who blindly favor the much more common "C" squeeze could keep up with my alligator when squeezing rivets or making dimples.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR2giHt2Mi0
 
You can usually find them on Ebay for $300-$400 and if you buy from Toolsez on Ebay you will usually get a selection of rivet sets or maybe another yoke or two. The alligator style units usually go for somewhat less.

RScott
RV-9A Wings
 
Yes! I had a friend lend me one not thinking I would need it that much, but let me tell you it is worth every penny and one of the most useful tools in my box!

Adam Silverstein
Moving Aircraft This Weekend!
RV-8
 
I agree that the tool is useful. Especially, for dimpling and squeezing -4's. I do not like it for 426-3's. I find it easier to control a hand squeezer.

I bought mine for $295 at SNF one year. I was on my way out of the country and decided it would look funny or likely be stolen if I put it in my luggage. So, I stopped off on my way back to the airport in Miami and shipped it to my house. It was worth the $'s and the trouble. Of course, at that price it is a re-built one. I think that is all you need. Especially for a QB project. I have been using mine for over 4 years now and haven't had any trouble.

I don't know how much the foot switch is but there have been times I would have liked having one. Not often enough to make it worth what I suspect the price is, however. For dimpling, I put the squeezer in the vice and use one hand to operate the squeezer and the other to manipulate the part being dimpled. Dimpling goes fast. On the occasional very large piece it would have been nice to have the foot switch. But, it was easy enough to just put the large piece on the workbench and use the sqeezer with both hands.

One other thing... go ahead and get the adjustable set for it. It is well worth the money also.
 
A pneumatic squeezer and DRTD-2 dimpler are worth the money. I can't imagine building and not having these. Plus, spouses are not intimidated by them and are more likely to give you a hand if you have them, and time with them in the shop helping you build a flying machine, well, you can't put a price on that.
 
Pneumatic Squeezer

I've built my airframe using Cleaveland Tool's "Main Squeeze" hand squeezer. I think it's pretty easy to squeeze 1/8" rivets with it. I've seen a pneumatic squeezer in action and don't really see the big value-add.

I've also used the plain C-frame for dimpling skins. Again, buying a more expensive tool won't deliver significant improvements in time savings or quality IMHO.

Save your money for all the tools you'll either need or will provide significant time savings/quality improvements that they don't tell you to buy and aren't in the tool kits:

-Angle drill
- 1/8" pop-rivet dimple tool
- Electrical: crimper, wire stripper
- lots of #30 and #40 drill bits
-- Smart Tool (digital level)
-- Band saw, drill press
-- Dremel Tool
-- Washer insertion tool
-- Bolt insertion tool
-- Reamers
-- Tap set
-- lots of clamps
-- Snap-On screwdriver for #8 screws
 
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Whisper

They are very quiet. Just a little puff of air. It is also very fast. I have both the pneumatic and a hand squeezer. There have been a few rivets I could not get with the pneumatic that I could get with the hand squeezer, but not many. There have been many mor that I would not have been able to get with the hand squeezer (long handles) that the pneumatic got nicely.

My advice: get one. And for the price on the classified forum, if any are still available, I wouldn't hesitate one more second. Get it now!

In addition to the standard yoke that comes with it, I also got a 3" no-hole and a Longeron yoke. These are all interchangeable with the hand squeezer from Avery and have all been used extensively. I use the lengeron yoke most of the time, but when clearance is an issue, the no-hole is great.
 
I have an Avery pneumatic squeezer and a hand squeezer. I find that the pneumatic one is more useful if I have a long row of rivets to squeeze but if I need to worry about finesse (or a difficult to reach position) the hand squeezer is always more controllable. Maybe I haven't really learned to tease the throttle on the pneumatic but it is especially annoying when the geometry of the part requires the male dimple die to be on the moving piston. it causes me to either have the work move or the dimpler move as the gun goes through its full range of motion. With the hand squeezer it is easier to get the dies almost together before putting any pressure on it.

Net: I like that I have one but I could live without it. Just my vote.
 
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