What should be in my tool box?

[colospace]

Okay, I just got a new tool chest that is looking really empty and I’m hoping to get it as well stocked and organized as feasible before my kit arrives.
I have seen the “Kitfox Builders Tool Kit” list of hard to find tools. But what other general hand tools, clamps, handy do-dads or whatever, would you experienced Kitfox builders recommend?
What range of wrench sizes and types are needed? How many of “this or that” is handy to have on hand? I am also assuming that anything on the Rotax is metric.
Only 2 ½ months until the fun begins…

[Tom Waid]

OK I'll start this.

Yes you will need the metric tools but you will also need SAE wrenches for all the AN nuts and bolts on the airframe.

Beyond that, if you have the Builder's Manual, read it and make note of the tools you'll need for each operation. When I began building my kit I already had a pretty complete set of tools. But I didn't have everything. By reading the manual I determined that there were a few tools that I needed to purchase immediately and a list of tools for future purchase. As an example I will not require a good crimper until I start wiring the panel. No sense in buying it now.

[t j]

I saw your question so went out in the shop to look in my tool box and see what jumps out at me as must have.

Clecos. Get twice as many of each size as recommended for your kit. They're inexpensive.
A smart level. It will save you hundreds of hours with the rigging.

[DesertFox4]

Lots of clamps also. Inexpensive spring clamps for holding pieces in place while bonding sets up like in the tail and wing false ribs. # 30 and #40 drill bits. Went through a few of those. A+ to clecos. Long straight edge was handy for laying out long fabric tape lines. Those cone shaped universal drill bits were handy. Reamers are a must but may be in the builders tool kit you mentioned. Chalk/string box was very handy for laying out fabric.
Hand pop-rivit gun. De-burring hand tool with extra blades.

[enyaw]

By no means an unabridged list, but some items I haven't seen listed yet and we found useful.

Set of numbered bits.

Reamers are great, as long as the bolts going through the holes are the correct size. On more than one occasion (read many times) we found that a bolt was .0008" (or even less) larger than the reamed hole. This cost us MANY hours until we got smart and got a numbered drill bit set.
Pneumatic Riveter

Pulling stainless steel rivets w/a hand riveter is a lot of no fun.
6" Digital Calipers

IR Thermometer

Not required, but much faster and easier for calibrating iron and often is on sale at Harbor Freight for $30

[Slyfox]

nets get real here. plastic wire ties and duct tape are high on my list, cross screwdriver, flat screwdrive, I use the stubby ones for space. small pair of vice grips and a size 10, 11, 3/8 box wrenches. side cutters. small crecent wrench. pretty much it for me.

[Dave S]

I agree with what has been posted - pretty good list. I really like the idea of buying as you go - you learn what you need and don't need

Some items that I found very useful although not necessarily of the hand too category included:

A band saw for cutting aluminum and wood parts - really speeds up the process compared to a hand shears and file

A combination bench disk/belt sander - very useful for shaping and finishing aluminum parts, wood parts and some of the fiberglass parts

A cordless electric varispeed reversible drill for just about everything from drilling to reaming to sanding certain parts like edges of fiberglass

A drill press


Sincerely,

Dave S

[Slyfox]

are we talking on the airplane or in the shop.

[Dorsal]

Sly, I think he is talking about the shop, stuff for building. I was about to be impressed that you built your plane with a few screwdrivers and some duct tape

[Slyfox]

Ah, we are talking in the shop. oops. in that case A nice quiet compressor would be up on the list for me. sabre saw, yup like that one to. I've made many a parts with that item. electric drill with many 30 and 40 size drills.

[HighWing]

Pinking shears, and lots of disposable brushes - it looks like everything else is spoken for.

Lowell

[jtpitkin06]

First, you can never have too many tools. My friends call me the "tool junkie".

Here's my input for the five best bang-for-the-buck shop tools when building a Kitfox.

1. A vertical metal cutting bandsaw. There are lots of parts that need fabrication and a hacksaw is either too much work or too crude. Even a small band saw is worth it's weight in av-gas.

2. Dremel Rotary tool. It's great for detail work and fitting of parts. Get a good supply of sanding drums as they work better on aluminum than grinding stones. A flap wheel puts beautiful radius edges on parts.

3. A 6 inch stationary belt sander with 9 inch disc sander combination. It makes short work of fabricating all the little brackets. Good for grinding aluminum. Nothing matches the versatility of this tool.

4. Drill press. Hand held drilling is no match for a drill press when it comes to accurately placing holes.

5. More drill bits than you think you need. A complete set of number bits and fractional bits is a must. Don't skimp on the quality, here. Cheap drills dull easily and make sloppy holes. Bargain drill bits are never a bargain. Get a pile of extra #30 and 40 bits. You'll go through them like popcorn at the Majestic.

The above five items will add only 2 percent to the cost of the airplane and you will own them when the aircraft is completed.

Now for the ultimate wish list... What the tool junkie has in the shop.

I love having a vertical knee mill. It makes perfect parts in minutes. It's also a precision drill press. It's way too big, but I never regret having it take up a huge chunk of floor space in the corner of my shop. I made the bird mouth cuts in the wing spar inserts, today. Using the mill it took 10 minutes including set up to do four bird mouth cuts. No sawing, no cursing. A hack saw and file would take hours.

Heat and A/C. Ahhh... luxury!!! My shop is 900 sq. ft. I have a small wall mount unit that pumps in heat in the winter and AC in the summer. We're talking cushy. No hunkering down in winter. Just walk in, take off your jacket and put on the coffee pot. No sweat in the summer.

Urinal behind the door. Installed last year. It has its own little stall for privacy. No tracking dirt or grease into the house when you gotta go NOW!!! No stepping out to the wood pile in back. It's what make the shop a true "man cave".

And the number one shop item... A functional coke machine circa 1970... 50 cents a pop. 12 selections. The bottom two slots are not labeled. (MGD and Shiner for happy hour.) A birthday gift from my wife.

John Pitkin
Greenville, TX

[Dick B in KY]

Long #30 and #40 drill bits for the hard to reach places and a couple of adjustable cargo straps for holding the wings together during build.

Dick B

[Dorsal]

Geez John, create a little shop envy much. My shop was holding up ok till you got to the urinal and the coke machine. Do you ever get tired of being the middle man and just dump the coke straight into the urinal:D

[Slyfox]

bench grinder and vise.

[Slyfox]

oh and I had a urinal outside the door also, I let it go into the wind.

[HighWing]

I like the urinal idea as my hangar is stuck on the side of my house and the track in stuff is real - I often see my wife forcing a smile as she vacuums up the little aluminum chips off the carpet.

John, I also like the milling machine idea. I have one as well - a small one, but to be fair to the non tool junkie guys, I seriously think I could finish the fish mouths just as fast by hand. For me, lay out is the time consuming part (aside from set-up), and I doubt I could do that in ten minutes. I would use a step drill for the internal radius, a hand hack saw for a rough cut and my 2" vertical belt sander for the final finish.

Regarding power tools - in the under $100 catagory, I honestly think the one I use the most every day and would miss the most is the expander wheel I picked up from Eastwood during my car restoration days in the early 80s (Google Eastwood auto). The bands last almost forever and it is great for deburring drilled holes and edges of fabricated parts.

I think all in all, the fabrication part is minimal in the 1000 or so hours put in on a project. For me, the fitting, fabric, paint and what is called final assembly consumes the bulk of the time and the only powered tool that would help there would be spending too much time putting quarters in my vending machine (if I was so lucky).

Lowell

[DanB]

When you start working the electrical...
- The book The Aeroelectric Connection by Bob Nuckolls http://www.aeroelectric.com/Catalog/pub/pub.html#P-Book
- A good PIDG ratcheting crimp is priceless (AMP makes a good one)
- A wide assortment of PIDG terminals (1/4" fast on's, ring, splice)
- A good wire stripper
- A Multimeter... I use a good one in the shop but will carry a very small light one in the plane (found at Harbot Freight for $4) I teach electronics at the high school and the cheap ones will last quite a while. I think I used the continuity tester to trace wires in the plane more than anything.

[colospace]

Thanks for all the inputs and the reminders to look back at the materials I got at the fabric and electrical workshops I have attended.
I do not have the Kitfox Builder's Manual yet.
John, having lived in the Fort Worth area for 10 years (and my wife being a native of Fort Worth) we both enjoyed reading about your shop. My father-in-law has thick, insulated garage doors and a swamp cooler to make life in the "shop" bearable in the summer.