Tools you can't live without
 

Hi everyone,

So recently we were quite fortuitous and came upon a grant that will allow us to buy some tools. We don't have much time to spend the money, so I wanted your opinions on the best tools you have in your shop, or ones you definitely couldn't live without.

So far, we're going to try to buy some more CAD software for off-season practice, a mini-mill and lathe, and some nicer hand tools that we always seem to break or lose. One team recommended a miter saw with metal blade, another recommended re-stocking our supply of various screws nuts and bolts - so we're really up for any suggestions.

We can also look towards electrical equipment and we're really open to any out-of-the box ideas, I just need them soon. Thanks guys!

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

load tester.
As soon as you start having matches where you cant charge a battery fully in between you want to be using a load tester and even if it is a full battery, says the charger it might not be good enough under load.

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

A vertical Band saw (with metal cutting blades) and a drill press I find the most useful things to buy first. After that, Taps (and drill bits), hand drill, Calipers, Squares, safety glasses, a bench top vise if you don't already have one. Once you have all that, a lathe is very useful, there is a lot of stuff you can't do without one.

What tools do you already have?

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

We just moved to a new room in our school and it came with a band saw and two drill presses - no joke. Aside from that, just some basic drills/hacksaws/taps.

Thanks for the advice on the load tester, didn't even think of that.

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

Wago. Name one thing that a WAGO can't do.


...so buy 10,000 of them, so you never lose it!


More seriously, I would suggest getting a lathe, it is really extremely useful, as well as some good CAD software. Our team uses Autodesk Inventor, though that might be a bit pricey if you can't get your school to get it...

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

The 1.5k Machine Shop, 10k Machine Shop, and Machinist Starter Toolset threads are good places to start.

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

We have a small DC clamp-on ammeter, similar to this one http://www.kmstools.com/darson-instr...amp-meter-1868 that comes in really handy for monitoring how our motors are working. If you're running Jags with serial communications, and you want to write some code to monitor current consumption then you probably don't need one of these. But if you just want to quickly monitor how much current draw a motor is pulling, then just clamp one of these over the line and read it.

Just make sure you get one that reads DC current, and you really don't need one of the ones that measure up to 400A. The lower maximum values often offer higher resolution.

Jason

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

OK on the band saw, get several blades right for aluminum, and make sure it will run slow enough for metal. Aluminum blades are not like those for steel - they are more like wood blades (like 6 TPI or less!)

Get a lathe once you have a decent assortment of hand tools - basically, the $250 mechanic's assortment from Sears Craftsman, with wrenches, sockets, allens, pliers, etc. For screwdrivers, we buy 3 sets of 'el-cheapo', hold one back for after build season, and throw them all away every year. Best $15 a year we ever spend...

Lathes are possibly the most handy item you can have. The mini lathe-mill products are versatile, wide-range tools that do several things, all poorly. An older, used lathe would be a far better choice for value, even for the same money.

We have access to a nice mill, and hardly ever use it. When we do, it's not really necessary, just a nice-to-have.

One thing we lust after is a CNC X-Y cutter, which can cut out shapes from flat plate, or drill precision holes. But these are rarely seen used, and can be several thousand dollars new.

Depends on how much you have to spend.

There are two threads on CD from last year, a $5000 shop and a $10000 shop, both threads have some very good suggestions. EDIT: See 2 threads above.

If you must buy new machines, Grizzly is a good mid-line choice. As long as someone is willing to learn how to set up and maintain these machines, they will give god service. Unlike a power drill, machinery like this CAN be used right out of the crate, but will last longer and work better if they are set up properly and maintained with care.

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

Miter saw is a must. If you ever plan on cutting 1x1 aluminum tubing, you can't beat a miter saw.
Look into getting a break, they're pretty useful.

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

Please don't spend a single dollar on CAD software of specifically Autodesk Inventor. Autodesk provides about 30 of its products for free to students and FIRST teams.

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

I would also suggest a good miter saw. I've found that they're much better than band saws when you need to make a square cut. Plus, they're much more steady than band saws in angled cuts.

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

I'll vote for the compound miter saw with metal blade as well. We have a nice 10" Hitachi with a diablo blade, and it makes framing with 1" aluminum a breeze. The only problem is standard miter saw will only cut aluminum. Evolution Tools makes the FURY 3 which claims to cut steel as well, though.

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

7/16 wrenches. Life without them would be meaningless.

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

And 5/32 allen key :)

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

Vim is an amazing text editor that will...oh wait, sorry.

Wire cutters. Seems simple, I know. Having bad wire cutters, though, is a sure fire way to un-inspire students to go into electrical engineering.

RJ-45 crimping tool is a tool you may never use, but when you do use it (like in the middle of competition when your tether cable gets cut with your great wire cutters) it'll work wonders.

Multimeter is a fine tool that will tell you whether or not you correctly wired your 8P8C plug on your RJ-45 tether cable.

Leaterman. When all else fails, in the end, you know you provided your team with as many tools as possible to get the job done.

Last but not least, a nifty little bag. Because you want to keep all these cool tools in the same place, why not do it in style?

Just some simple suggestions from a programmer turned electrical guy for 6 weeks.

PS. I know this thread is mainly for big manly tools, but you'd be surprised how many people don't have the basic tools.

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

If you don't already have one, and/or opt out of a miter saw, consider a horizontal bandsaw. I use ours almost every day to cut stock down to length.

I'd also reccomend several sets of Allen keys. Not the individuals, but the kind on a big block with all the sizes. These are incredibly useful in the pits. Along the same lines, T-bars. You don't always need them, but when you do there's no substitute. We purchased a lousy set for around eight bucks, and have yet to break them.

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

Milling machine, lathe, fixturing/tooling for these machines. Also, good calipers (I prefer non-digital dial ones), Dykem, and Dykem remover.

After these, an arbor press (at least 3 ton if you want to do hex broaching), broaches (2mm, 3/32", 1/8", 3/8" hex and 1/2" hex), and a TIG welder.

The horizontal band saw in our shop gets gets significantly more usage than our miter and radial arm saws.

High-torque allen keys (search for them on McMaster). Buy these, and never worry about stripped allen keys again.

Don't buy CAD software for a FRC team. You can get student versions of Inventor, SolidWorks, and/or Pro|E for free.

Also, be frugal and search far and wide for auctions, tag sales, industrial surplus stores, eBay or Craigslist, or other various sources of second-hand machinery. Through venues like this, we've been able to pick up tools and machines for literally pennies on the dollar.

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

Don has some great advice (as is the usual). There are several garage machine shops in my family and all the machines were purchased second hand. Used machines are great, but its a lot like buying a car... you don't want a lemon. A huge benefit of buying someone's old lathe is fairly often you can purchase their tooling at cut-rate prices, or they might just throw it in with the lot if they are getting done with the hobby or the shop has gone under. It is not hard to spend a lot money on tooling if you don't have a lot to work with.

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

Number 1 would be a lathe.

Number 2 a horizontal band saw, way safer than a miter saw. Since I drug a free horizontal band in saw the miter saw has pretty much sat idle. Plus it saves lots of money on blades. Last year we went through 2 expensive circular saw blades and this year one much cheaper band saw blade lasted the entire season and we used it for cutting lots of big bar stock for our custom bearing carriages for our lift as well as the pulleys that we wouldn't have attempted with the circular saw.

For hand tools spend the extra money for quality screw drivers sockets and wrenches, cheap ones destroy fasteners and create frustration. Buying cheap screw drivers particularly Phillips and Allen wrenches are a false economy.

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

I know our programmers love these two tools for sure:

Zip Tie Tensioner/Cutter
Screw Starter

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

Most of the good ones have already been mentioned. You already have two bandsaws, set up one for aluminum and the other for steel, post the feeds and speeds chart on the wall by the saws. If you only have benchtop saws, get a good-sized floor-standing model. I prefer an offset vertical saw, mine is a Parma Work-a-Matic, it gets used more than any other tool in the shop.

If you have been drilling lots and lots of holes in thin material and then hand-deburring them, its time to get a benchmount deep-throat punch. Get a good one like a Roper-Whitney.

Get ...
1.a McMaster-Carr catalog.
2.another heat gun, they seem to disappear
3.complete metric and imperial drill set, drills seem to disappear
4.a complete metric and imperial hex key set, ditto
5. locking cabinets
6.if you have a mill or lathe, get
a. collet tray/organizer which mounts to the machine or wall
b. machinist's vise for the mill
c. last word indicator and Indicol for truing the mill
7.a complete set of wire cutting and crimping tools appropriate to your wire and connector sizes, keep them separate from the general-use toolbox.

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

My must haves:

mechanical:

horizontal and vertical band saws... must, must, must.

dremel set

good socket, wrench, screwdriver, and hex key set (if you go craftsman and it is not made in usa, go to lowes and get kobalt... same quality, half the price)

shop-vac (a small one will do, but bigger ones are nice)

lathe if you can afford (get used, new ones including grizzly are mostly JUNK*)

bench grinder (put a stone on one side and a wire wheel on the other, and make sure it is a good brand, no-names are hollow)

if you can afford, mill and a good set of bits

cordless and corded drill and a good bit set

files and file handles

chain breaker

hacksaw and plenty of blades

pliers and vice grips


Eletrical

good crimper, either heavy wire cutter style (like huge set of pliers ans one crimping tooth w/o stripper) or ratcheting style

good stripper, either 2 blade "automatic" kind with cutter or the spring loded multi-size kind.

in addition, find the cheap "does all" kind; the screw cutter in the center is all they are good for but they do it well.

good soldering iron/station (grounded, at least 30w and with a "mini-chisel tip; I recommend the xytronic 258 and a stand w/ sponge)

combo rj45/12/11 crimper (if you try out CAN, you will love it- see link in my signature). on that note, other necessary CAN tools are in my document at the link.

a good multimeter with a continuity beep function

good cutting pliers both big and small

pistol-grip zip tie gun

electronic dymo label gun

wago tool (buy 2 spares- people tent to think they are pry bars and break them... and they like to walk off)

programming:

a nice, 50-100ft cat5 cable (tether)

one or 2 good laptops

Other:

a good color printer
mini-fridge for cool drinks for break (helps with stress)
radio/cd player for the shop OR speakers and an ipod with good music (to boost morale)



*- i know first hand how bad grizzly is... pure junk.

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

Keep in mind that new tools ussualy means first time users. You will break bits, and you will need someone that knows how to use the tools (CAD counts as a tool) very well to teach also. Just dont' forget to have some money for "learning exspenses".

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

If it beeps a half second after you touch them together, that's terrible - my multimeter at home does that and it's terrible.

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

What? No drill press or Pop riveter? We wouldn't last a day without these.

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

Just as an addendum to my other post, the basic tools I would want are:

Horizontal and vertical band saws
Drill press with plenty of 1/4" bits (Not expecting to break them, but they have a tendency to get misplaced/dull)
1/4"-20 taps at least, possibly dies. (I would probably expect to break a few when inexperienced people use them)
7/16" wrenches (These have a tendency to get misplaced all the time)
T-Handle set (Preferably with ball-nose ends)
Miter Saw with a metal blade
Pop Riveter
Hammers/mallets
Loctite

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

1. Zip tie
2. Zip tie
3. Zip tie
4. Zip tie
5. Zip tie
6. Zip tie
7. Zip tie
8. Zip tie
9. Zip tie
10. Zip tie
11. Zip tie
12. Zip tie
13. Zip tie
14. Zip tie
15. Zip tie
16. Zip tie
17. Zip tie
18. Zip tie
19. Zip tie
20. Zip tie

These are the 20 things that keep our robots functioning each year! :D

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

Since a lot of tools have been mentioned, I recommended getting a servo tester. It's great when prototyping without the use of electronics and programming.

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

So far, I have seen only one person mention a Dremel set, and while I can't say I'm particularly surprised as the focus is on a machine shop set-up, I can say that in terms of small power tools, the Dremel (and associated bits) is just about unmatched.

Also, get several tubes of Loctite as bolts coming loose is not a good thing, just ask our elevator we built for this year! (Explanation: we're using 1 in. 80/20 and associated linear slides.Those slides are held by bolts going into a tapped hole in the 80/20. During WI, it was noticed that those bolts were coming loose, and because of the nature of the way we built it, the bolt heads can't be easily gotten at. Oops, there's a bit of a design flaw we never thought about during build. :eek: Anyway, the solution was to take it apart and Loctite the bolts. Problem solved.)

Other than those two small things, I think that just about everything else has been touched upon (except for several power drills maybe?).

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

And buy additional batteries along with the load tester. We cycled through 6 batteries at our competitions this year, which seemed to be a good number. Having 6 new batteries is significantly less stressful than having 6 that are a few years old.

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

Don't buy liquid Locite, buy the semi-solid type (such as Loctite 248) that comes in stick form.

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

I am guessing that is a little easier to work with as it cannot drip? Is there much of a difference in how well it holds? In some cases I think I would find liquid loctite better (tight spots where you are having a bolt run a long distance through a nut.

Re: Tools you can't live without
 

Holding strength is the same, but it cannot drip or be spilled (which is the main reason why we switched, as our students used to go through tubes of the liquid Loctite like there was no tomorrow). It's also a lot easier and faster to work with, and trying to apply it to tight spots wasn't a problem for us because we always apply Loctite to every bolt (only exception is for bolts with nylocks) before we do any final assembly.