[jman4747]

1st find a good junk yard.

You can make just about anything you need for FRC on those tools but you will need stock. Something you will be doing a lot in future will be to weigh time making custom parts vs buying them. If you can get good raw material for free (hence the junk yard) it cuts down on the material costs and assuming labor is free you end up with a ~free part. If you do get a good relationship with a junk yard you should get comfortable with using steel. It's usually easier to find for free.

This goes into the main point that the more raw materials you can get donated from anywhere the more ~free parts you can make, especially simple things.


2nd get designing.

When you have custom capabilities like this it can be easier in the beginning to design things that are hard to assemble and sometimes impossible. The best way to avoid doing this in the middle of build season is to start practicing now. A good way to start may be to try to re-design your current robot with these tools in mind.


3rd Take a look.

Ask to sit in on the tools being used for as long as you can. It will give you a better understanding of what the limitations are and what kind of designs cost more time.


4th Ask an expert

First obviously the machinists who man the shop. But don't forget the people designing things that get made in there. They will be a great resource in getting to know how to design for the tools.

Remember that the biggest cost to you will likely be time from now on if you can get donations.

Try to design things that don't require the CNC. This I've found can help with machining time and will make you more resilient in case something you were depending on is not available right when you need it.