Hey. Our team is going to the Trenton Regional and we are bringing some of the tools that we bought. We have a drill, a portable drill press, and a chop saw. If anyone needs to borrow one of these during the Pit breaks when we aren’t using them, you can ask us. Also, if anyone has any qestions or suggestions on what oher tools to bring to the Regionals, please let us know.
The best way to determine what tools you bring to regionals is to keep track of all the tools you use durring the build. What have placed a tool rack in out crate which we keep in our robotics room, and whenever we use something we put it up on the rack so we can keep track of everything. For example because we use extruded aluminium and Bosch hardware we have a hook for 4mm allen wrenches, and for bolts we use 1/4-20 bolts with a 7/16 inch hex head so we keep a couple 7/16 inch wrenches. It all depends on what your team needs to build a robot.
Also dont forget spare safety glasses, Safety First
Each Regional usually has a machine shop available that can make and repair parts and do some welding. However, the wait can be much longer than you can stand to get the robot up and running. Your chop saw would likely not be allowed in the pit. Small lathes, bandsaws, bench drill presses have been allowed in the past. Some Regionals have had an area away from the pits where you could do some grinding and cutting, but no open flames allowed. Bring all the handtools you can muster and organize that you needed to build your robot. And don’t forget to bring raw materials, even materials you may not have used. You might be able to provide help to another team. And Rookies, don’t be hesitant to ask another team for help. Finally, if you’re not sure, ask the Safety Advisor at the Regional for guidance.