Shop Tools, Hand Tools, HELP?

[Gray Adams]

Originally Posted by invertedBottles

1) many more drills (at least one right-angle w/ carbide bits)
1) more hammers
1) more wrenches (allens with handles, ratcheting, sockets)
1) any tools that will help in getting accurate measurements (what else besides calipers?)
1) many vises, mounted on sturdy work tables
2) drill press
2.1) arbor press (a reasonably priced one)
3) chop saw (miter saw + table saw functions)
3) band saw (horizontal or vertical?)
3) miter saw (maybe compound?)
3) table saw
4) bench grinder
4) disc/belt sander
5) lathe
5.1) mill
5.2) combo setups of any of the above
6) reciprocating saw
7) welding equipment? (only if we have members learn)

For drills, Makitas are the best I've used, and they will put up with some serious abuse. Dewalts are good too.
For wrenches, now is a great time to think about what style of fastener you like. I love SHCS, so I would buy based on that. You probably won't need a whole lot of torx keys or allen keys if you like hex head bolts though.

Calipers, tape measures, and rulers are all I can think of that you would need. (for now). Micrometers and all that good stuff is well beyond what most teams will ever need.

As far as big tools go, I would say forget about the chop saw, miter saw, table saw, bench grinder, welding equipment, or any combo mill-lathe type tools for now. A band saw will take you pretty far, and the other tools are nice to have, but definitely not essential. A lathe is pretty good to have. If you can, I would spring for an old bridgeport instead of a drill press. Cost is probably pretty prohibitive though.

EDIT: I should probably make it clear that I've never heard anything good about combo mill/lathe machines and I absolutely wouldn't buy one.

Other important stuff in no particular order:
A decent sized tool box that you can take to competition (small enough for 2 people to carry)
Collapsible shelving units for your pit
Irwin quick clamps
A big box of fasteners
Complete set of drill bits
Rivets and rivet gun
Electrical tools (whatever those are...)
Air compressor

It sounds like you're well on your way to having a better equipped shop than anything at my university.