Beginner team, where to begin?

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Jason,
There are a few threads on CD that have some good suggestions. For the cost of a few minutes of research you will be able to get a list of tools and some part numbers for McMaster. My daddy always told me "Don't go cheap and dirty on tools. They will fail you when you need them the most". Sears still sells excellent tools sets that carry long warranty times. Screwdrivers and nutdrivers immediately jump to mind.

[BJT]

Read as much of the info on chiefdelphi as you can.

[purduephotog]

Originally Posted by Al Skierkiewicz

Jason,
There are a few threads on CD that have some good suggestions. For the cost of a few minutes of research you will be able to get a list of tools and some part numbers for McMaster. My daddy always told me "Don't go cheap and dirty on tools. They will fail you when you need them the most". Sears still sells excellent tools sets that carry long warranty times. Screwdrivers and nutdrivers immediately jump to mind.

Thanks Al- and a big thank you to everyone else that has contributed.

I actually am a very skilled bargain hunter- I peruse craigs and ebay with a passion- I figure I bought, on average, most supplies at 40 cents on the dollar last year for our previous team.

The metal working skillset and equipment is non-existent at the new school- and the wood shop is well equipped but very small- I'd imagine I'd like to see 4x the space at least (I guess I'm spoiled).

I'm going to be buying a hydraulic crimper from HF (60$) and I'm trying to get a molex crimper for signaling control (ebay). After that all of the suggestions are valid.

I've got to order some 1/4 20 screws from bolt-depot (unless someone else has a better vendor). I liked the idea of a 1/4" riveter - that would be sweet and lightweight for framing.

[Tom Bishop]

One thousand bucks won't go too far with a mill less tooling, never mind the know how to use it. I would go in a different direction. Pre-buying some basic stuff will save you some time though during a limited build season.

A good idea for any team is to standardize the fasteners. We use 1/4" bolts for just about everything. You can buy steel ones in varying lengths, say about 1/2" to 4". Or you can splurge and go for aluminum ones to save on weight, but they are pricey. Get some 7/16" wenches and sockets for the heads and bolts and some 9/32" drills. Making the holes larger makes getting the bolts in easier.

Get some 1/8" pop rivets and a gun to fill out the fasteners, with a range of 1/8" to maybe 1/4" fastening range.

Tools:
1) A nice 18V cordless drill is good to have. A table top drill press will help drill holes more squarely through thicker material. ($250 or so)

2) I really like a nice belt sander. Here a good and cheap one. Order extra belts that are made for this machine. Regular 48" ones won't fit! $299.00

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=40643

3. You can use a hacksaw to cut aluminum, if you have lots of students it keeps them busy but a basic horizontal band saw saves a lot of time.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=93762

4. Try to find a quality used vertical bandsaw.

5. Hand tools like pliers of various types, mallet, drill index, wrenches, socket set, screwdriver set, measuring tools like steel rules or a tape measure, electrician's tool, tap and die set, punch set, jeweler's screwdrivers, chain tool; the list goes on and on...

That's more than $1000 so look for donations from parents and businesses. Welcome to FIRST!

[NorviewsVeteran]

I'll just toss this out there- I suggest a drill press, just make sure everyone knows how to use it without breaking it (ours has a bunch of zipties on it).

[DanaRocks]

i dont no how great the laptop in the kop will be this year but you may want to find a computer for programing