Recommended Tools and Machinery for Your Team's Machine Shop

[Akash Rastogi]

Originally Posted by Cory

Sadly Craftsman is not all that much higher on the totem pole than Harbor Freight anymore.

Hmm a lot of the items on sale we found were quite old. Many people were selling tool chests and cabinets as is with many hand tools inside. I would hope the older stuff was still higher quality.

[Mk.32]

Originally Posted by Akash Rastogi

Hmm a lot of the items on sale we found were quite old. Many people were selling tool chests and cabinets as is with many hand tools inside. I would hope the older stuff was still higher quality.

We have had good experience with older craftsmen [6< years ago] tools, in general we have had good experiences with old tools [drillpresses, saws, table saw, radial arm, saw, various power hand tools] we have picked up.
They don't make them like they used to.

[Phyrxes]

Some of the most reliable equipment we have is from the original outfitting of our school's shop in the early 70s.

Depending on your relationship with the school you may be able to get first shot at equipment that is being replaced.

[artdutra04]

Harbor freight can be useful for cheap non-powered tools as long as you take it all with a grain of salt.

Originally Posted by ksafin

16" Variable Speed Scroll Saw $64.99; $59.99 with coupon. http://www.harborfreight.com/16-inch...saw-93012.html

There were about a half dozen scroll saws in my high school's shop. I don't think they were ever used once for FRC in the time between when I was a high school freshman and a college senior. Jig saws were more versatile.

Originally Posted by ksafin

18 V Cordless Jigsaw $29.99 http://www.harborfreight.com/power-t...saw-68242.html

Don't buy this brand. For all your cordless tools, pick a single name brand and voltage, and ONLY buy that. Only needing one cordless tool charger is better than six different brands and voltages. The Ryobi 18v line of tools at Home Depot are relatively decent quality for their price. DeWalt and Makita are better quality (and more expensive).

Originally Posted by ksafin

3 Piece Folding Hex Key Set $6.99 http://www.harborfreight.com/hand-to...eys-94905.html

These are the only Allen keys you should ever buy: http://www.mcmaster.com/#high-torque-hex-keys/

I've used high-torque Allen keys for years and have yet to strip out the hex key on any of them.

[ksafin]

So, I don't really understand what's wrong with HF tools..

We've had a few HF power tools for a few months and there's been nothing wrong with them. The drill press drills, the miter saw saws, and the grinder grinds. They never broke, had any safety issues, or otherwise been a concern.

While they probably could work smoother (the miter saw just has a weird feel to me, after using a Ryobi last year), they work fine and we don't have any major issues with them.

[Cory]

Originally Posted by Akash Rastogi

Hmm a lot of the items on sale we found were quite old. Many people were selling tool chests and cabinets as is with many hand tools inside. I would hope the older stuff was still higher quality.

Old Craftsman was still high quality. Most is made in China now...or just overpriced and not very good.

Originally Posted by ksafin

So, I don't really understand what's wrong with HF tools..

We've had a few HF power tools for a few months and there's been nothing wrong with them. The drill press drills, the miter saw saws, and the grinder grinds. They never broke, had any safety issues, or otherwise been a concern.

While they probably could work smoother (the miter saw just has a weird feel to me, after using a Ryobi last year), they work fine and we don't have any major issues with them.

Wait until you've had it all for a year or so and if you use it hard enough it'll be broken or developing issues.

If it works for you that's great, but there's certainly better stuff out there.

[DanMystery]

We want to make a plan for the following year or couple years (depending on how much we will need) to build up the machine shop. What machinery you guys think a machine shop should have?

[Cory]

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...t=machine+shop

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...t=machine+shop

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...t=machine+shop

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ight=machining

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...&highlight=CNC

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...&highlight=CNC

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...&highlight=CNC

Some of this info is a little old and may not apply to your budget/space constraints, but there is a lot of good info already on Chief.

[ehfeinberg]

First, what type of tools do you have now? Its hard to suggest different tools if we don't know what you already have.

There are already a bunch of great threads regarding what tools to have for machine shops. Such as this or this

However, since every team is different, your circumstances are sure to be different then the teams in the linked posts so feel free to ask further questions. These posts are just a place to start!

Edit: looks like Cory beat me to the links... I was actually going through his past posts to find the different treads. The first two he linked are really good.

[DanMystery]

1st Thank you for a fast response. I'm surprised to see it so quickly.
2nd We have two drills, electric screw drivers, circular saw, large wheel band saw, drill press (its small and makes it hard to hold small pieces to make holes in them) jigsaw, sets of ranches, hammers, and other regular tools. We don't have any more advanced machinery. We are separately planning to organize funding and space therefore if you can propose machinery with good space and budget availability.

[Akash Rastogi]

Originally Posted by DanMystery

1st Thank you for a fast response. I'm surprised to see it so quickly.
2nd We have two drills, electric screw drivers, circular saw, large wheel band saw, drill press (its small and makes it hard to hold small pieces to make holes in them) jigsaw, sets of ranches, hammers, and other regular tools. We don't have any more advanced machinery. We are separately planning to organize funding and space therefore if you can propose machinery with good space and budget availability.

Aside from what you listed, there isn't much more barebones stuff needed to build a robot.

The next most useful items can be a larger bandsaw, an arbor press, and a small lathe (and someone who knows how to use it!). This is just my opinion though. More drills and some rivet guns help too. Mills and lathes are great but if you do not currently have space/funds for them, you can definitely invest in good measuring tools and make some great parts on your drill press and bandsaw. I cannot believe how often I meet teams who do not own calipers and such.

Good luck!

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Akash Rastogi

Aside from what you listed, there isn't much more barebones stuff needed to build a robot.

The next most useful items can be a larger bandsaw, an arbor press, and a small lathe (and someone who knows how to use it!). This is just my opinion though. More drills and some rivet guns help too.

Good luck!

A larger drill press with a 2-axis vise attachment would also help. (Or just the 2-axis vise; that would probably help with the holding small parts problem.) That gives a bit of an improvement to positional accuracy, as well as holding parts being drilled.

A chopsaw might also be a good investment; it's good at making large pieces of raw tube stock into more manageable lengths, and at the proper angle for use on the robot, if it's a miter-cutting type.

Don't forget the toolboxes to hold stuff... or for some of the benchtop-sized tools, a cart might be useful. (Just make sure that that cart is sturdy enough.)

[roystur44]

Originally Posted by DanMystery

We want to make a plan for the following year or couple years (depending on how much we will need) to build up the machine shop. What machinery you guys think a machine shop should have?

Scotchman Cold Saw
Bridgeport Knee Mill with DRO
Rotary table for the knee mill
V blocks
100 gallon compressor
Pneumatic pop rivet gun
Makerbot 3D printer
Jett Lathe with DRO
Shop Vac
Drill press
Pneumatic rivnut gun
Notcher
4 foot metal shear
4 foot Electric press brake
press brake dies V and gooseneck
Tig Welder
Welding table
Grinders
Band Saw
Reamers
Arbor press
Hex broaching tools
Haas CNC Mini Mill with a indexer $$$
Gibbs Cam
SolidWorks
Fabricam
If you had the big bucks a Mazak 2000 watt laser cutter.

[Mulcahy]

We love our shopbot.

http://www.shopbottools.com/mProducts/shopbot_buddy.htm

The ability to go from cad to a real part in 10 minutes is a good thing. -And yes it will cut aluminum, if you are careful with you cutter selection and feed rates.

[catacon]

We currently have the following:

Metal bandsaw
Multiple bench grinders
Multiple table sanders
Two tabletop drill presses
Two floor standing drill presses
Three-axis manual mill
12" lathe
Miller MIG welder setup for aluminum (Argon, wire feed gun, etc.)
Lincoln MIG welder setup for steel (Argon/CO2 mix, etc.)

And we just recently gained access to:
3D printer
Laser cutter (mostly for acryllic)
Water jet
and soon a CNC

(These won't be in house, though, since our shop is fairly small.)