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Re: Tools to have?
I'd recommend a saw such as the Rage Evolution over a horizontal bandsaw. A vertical bandsaw is nice to have though.
Do you have sufficient computers for programming and CAD? Cords and outlet strips? Do you have a good solid workbench and vise? Do you have storage? Shelving, container bins, and parts organizers? Keyway and hex broaches are nice to have, as well as an arbor press. A 7/8 and a 1 1/8 TCT hole cutter might be good, depending on what bearings you use, and what material you put them in. I see a lathe as one of the first major investments to make. |
Re: Tools to have?
For our team the most used tools we actually have in our shop are our vertical bandsaw and drill presses. Next for us is having access to a good quality mill and lathe which is essential when you get into fabricating drive trains and mechanisms. Our team has been lucky and been able to utilize sponsors equipment so we didn't need to buy our own. Other tools we have and often use are our arbor press, belt/disk sander, heat gun (for bending pvc and plastic), and chop saw.
In the category of tools that we have and don't use is a large harbor freight combination mill/lathe that we rarely use since it is just awkward to work with, instead we end up using our sponsors equipment. |
Re: Tools to have?
We purchased a mini benchtop lathe this past season. Our shop also has limited resources since it was setup as a woodshop and not necessarily a metal shop like some of our neighbors have. Band saw (horizontal and vertical), miter saw, table saw, drill press (small and large), large lathe (for wood only), and a small CNC that we use for plastics and sometimes metal but it takes time.
Before dishing out a lot of money for tools and fancy machines your team should sit down and ask what type of capabilities would you like to have and would you use them effectively. It would be a shame to invest a ton of money into tools and machines you won't use. Tools also don't make winning robots or better robots. I know of a few teams who have resources in their highschools one can only dream of and yet they haven't made eliminations in several years. The tools you listed are the same I used on my old team and we produced some very good robots with a few parts outsourced to local shops. :cool: For us the mini lathe was a great investment especially with making roller parts this past season. I'd recommend it but its not a must have. Good luck! |
Re: Tools to have?
One of our more recent purchases is heater bar to make cleaner bends with sheet plastics than using a handheld heat gun.
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Re: Tools to have?
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Re: Tools to have?
IMO having a mini lathe/mill [full sized if possible] in the shop as well as a person that can run/teach the tools is amazing.
While we don't have the machine tools in our shop, we have access to them at a sponsor company off site, and using them we were able to expand what we able to do ten fold. |
Re: Tools to have?
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Re: Tools to have?
The heater bar is used mostly for thicker thermoplastics that wouldn't bend cleanly in the brake when cold, like 1/8 or 1/4 inch hdpe or nylon.
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Re: Tools to have?
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Could you guys give me some ideas? The only thing that comes to mind are rollers for a conveyor belt. I'm by far not the best mechanical member of our team, so I may not have the mechanical imagination that some of you do, but I'd like to hear some examples of what a lathe has enabled you to do. |
Re: Tools to have?
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We ordered through amazon instead of the manufacturer. Common lathe usage is to turn down stock to a smaller diameter or to turn down hex shaft to round stock so that "normal" bearings can be used. You also have the option to turn your own pulleys or wheels especially if you also have access to a press and broach. |
Re: Tools to have?
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Pretty much anything round goes into the lathe. You will find more uses as you go along, I am not saying machine tools are necessary but they can help a lot. For example I don't see any other way to make a shaft true then with a lathe. |
Re: Tools to have?
In addition hubs, gears, and pulleys. All your round parts will need a lathe because it is very hard(almost impossible to make them accurately) to make them without one.
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Re: Tools to have?
The amount of harbor freight I see on that list somewhat worries me... Personally I would avoid HF for any tool that need to be powered, but there are people that have gotten good deals with Hf.
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Re: Tools to have?
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The list above are some on the tools I wonder if you would actually use. IMO having a full set of taps and dies aren't needed. There are very few times in FIRST where i have even considered using a die to be necessary. And while in some rare cases it might be useful to have a full tap set why not buy multiples of the few sizes that your team uses. If you only use 1/4 20 hardware the other sized taps would be unnecessary. I would say the same thing about the multi-tool and allen wrench sets if you think that your team may use all these different tools than this would not be a bad purchase, but i think you could better spend your money having more than one of the sizes that you use most often. Nothing is worse than losing the one needed wrench size, and having to make due. Quote:
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