"Essential Tools"

[ChuckDickerson]

Essential Hand Tools:
-Wrenches (7/16, 1/2, 9/16 mostly)
-Socket Set - The 1/4" size ratchet set w/ 7/16 & 1/2 sockets are the most used. If you ever need a 1/2" ratchet on a FIRST robot you probably need to rethink something.
-Screwdrivers - All sizes and types. Two or three of the more common types.
-Pliers (needlenose mostly for us over regular type but get both or a cheap set)
-Hex Key (Allen) Wrenches - We use the T handle type mostly in the shop and take the little foldup sets to comp.
-Ball Peen Hammer - use sparingly
-Wire Cutters
-Wire Strippers
-Crimp Tools for all those wire terminals you will learn to hate.
-Metal Files
-Deburring Tool A.K.A "Whirly-gig" - Be careful it will jump out of that hole when you look up and there goes the end of your finger!

Don't forget things to measure other things with:
-Tape Measure
-Ruler
-Digital Calipers are pretty handy

Clamps, lots of clamps, you can NEVER have too many clamps! We find good old C-clamps (4", 5", & 6") and those ViseGrip type clamps to be the most useful.

We also find rivet guns (both small (1/8" & 3/16) and large (1/4")) to be quite useful.

A few center punches. Once you start using one you will never know how you got along without one. Harbor Freight is your friend here. You can get them for a couple of bucks each. Get several because you won't be able find the one and only one you have under the mess on your work table about the beginning of February. A set of transfer punches are pretty handy as well. In fact Harbor Freight is a good place to get a lot of the above hand tools cheap.

There are special tools you will want for working with roller chain. A "chain breaker" will "break" a link in the chain to make two pieces. A "chain pincher" is pretty helpful to stretch the chain together like a third hand so that it is much easier to put the master link in.

You will probably be building at least a some part of the game field to practice on. Don't forget typical woodworking tools:
-Handsaw
-Claw Hammer
-Square
-Level
-A PVC cutter is usually helpful for something every year.

While you are building that practice field cut some short wood blocks about 6" to 8" long cut from a scrap 4"x4". Keep them near your robot build table. You will figure out what they are for the first time you want to test your new drivetrain on the table. Usually 4 of them will do the trick.

The basic power tools you should try to get if at all possible:
-Cordless Drill (w/ charger, extra battery(s), and a big box of drill bits)
-Drill Press (w/ another big box of drill bits)
-BandSaw (w/ several extra blades on hand for cutting aluminum)
-Miter Saw (yep, it will cut aluminum but be careful)
-Circular Saw

-Power tools that every team would love to have but few do:
-Milling Machine (CNC or manual)
-Metal Lathe
-Welder setup for aluminum

Power Tools that you might could use but can do without:
-Table Saw
-Air Compressor (Useful for blowing all the bits out of your robot before you power it up.)

[EricH]

Whoa there, guys, information overload! In addition to the often-repeated tools (which are probably the ones needed), this is a first-year team. I can't keep straight whether a tool has or hasn't been mentioned (though I know I missed the measuring tools--didn't think of those as tools). I think DeepWater has about as complete a list as you can find, categorized by type. Maybe we should let them sift through the info and decide what to get now and what to wait on until it is needed.

[=Martin=Taylor=]

Originally Posted by DeepWater

-Welder setup for aluminum

Originally Posted by EricH

Whoa there, guys, information overload! In addition to the often-repeated tools (which are probably the ones needed), this is a first-year team.

Yes, buying a welder is very expensive and you'll need a lot of practice - so its probably not a great idea to buy one.

But I HIGHLY encourage you to seek out a welding sponsor for your team.

Finding a welding sponsor is really easy. I know that in 2006 I just asked our local auto-repair shop if they could weld our robot and they were happy to do it free of charge. Welding can vastly speed up the build process and increase the quality of your robot. If you get your frame welded you can save weight on all the fasteners, and you don't have to worry about the structure of your robot coming loose.

[Blue_Mist]

Funny how no one else mentioned it, but you will also need a space and an organization system to put it all. Trust me and our team's previously-disaster area Closet, after a few years stuff really begins to build up and clutter and dust begin to reign freely. Sorting years' worth of lost and abandoned drill bits from five or more sets is really not fun, especially when you and a couple of friends are the only ones without a major robot project on your hands :cough: freshman year :cough:

[Kevin Sevcik]

Alright, so I'm late and the lists are really long already, but there's two good tools that I haven't sen yet:
Heat gun, useful not only for shrinking heat-shrink tube, but also for softening and bending lexan, PVC, etc.

Electrician's Scissors. Vital for your electrical team. They cut darn near anything from wire to cable ties to small diameter steel cable. Plus with a little practice you can strip wire with them too.

[Dan Richardson]

Just to help you out a bit I just uploaded a list of tools we purchased to "start" our garage last year. Our rookie year everything we used was borrowed the team had nothing. Last year we got a sponsor to buy most of the tools on the list. The prices will be a rough guide for you, the names of the actual tools are the more important thing.

CLICK HERE!

Any questions just ask or pm me

/edit ohh yeah the year prior we did purchase a drill press, which was left off the list. I believe that a drill press can be very important, you'd be amazed with some ingenuity ( and possibly a lexan blast shield ) what you can achieve with even a cheap harbor freight one!

[AdamHeard]

Try to find a local team, and go check out their tool area. No way a list on CD is going to sum up what you need; Even the best of us here are going to forget to mention important tools.