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Tool kit recommendations

boearl

Well Known Member
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Looking for recommendations for suppliers of RV tool kits.
Thanks in Advance, Ken
 
Tools

Looking for recommendations for suppliers of RV tool kits.
Thanks in Advance, Ken

Didn't give us much to go on but I'll take a shot.
Assuming you have no previous build experience, I recommend starting with some one on one time with a mentor. That will help you define the list of tools and make mod to the kit.
The big names are pretty good. Cleveland, Isham, etc.
Feel free to look through my blog.
 
Cleavelandtool.com

Small family owned business with outstanding customer service! Highly recommend.
 
I have tried a few different tool companies and found Cleaveland to have the best quality tools. Their prices have recently gone up on a lot of things but still the best tools around.
 
You don't hear much about Aircraft Tool Supply but they have some great start kits and seem to have picked up Bob Avery's tools when he retired.

I really like the Avery Rivet Squeezer.

I built my entire plane with their 3X rivet gun and an Avery squeezer. Never once did I feel the need for a pneumatic squeezer. The C-frame dimpler works fine, just put on some hearing protection.

The two recommendations I would make, regardless of who you buy your tools from is to 1. Get a 3X and 2X rivet gun and 2. Buy three Microstop Countersinks.

The 3X gun is pretty much the standard and works well when riveting multiple layers together. However, after using a friend's 2X gun on his wing skin to rib rivets, I found it is perfect to riveting two layers together and near impossible to dent something.

Set up one Microstop Countersink for a #30 countersink, one for a #40 countersink, and one that you will adjust for all the others. I only have one and spent a LOT of time adjusting that thing every time I changed hole sizes.

Good luck with your build!
 
Hi all, I am new here but feel I could offer some input since I myself just went through this.

I spent over a month researching tool kits before making a decision. It came down to Cleveland and Isham as being the general front runners. I personally don't think you can go wrong with either. Both will allow you to basically customize the kit to your preference. Both will include DRDT-2, pneumatic squeezer, and Sioux drill and/or rivet gun.

With that said, I would recommend you go line by line though each item each kit offers and compare them.

I ended up buying for Isham, because that the kit came with a few more squeezer dies, 1 more rivet set, and more clecos.

But like others have said, none of the kits include everything you will need/want and you will end up buying something from everyone.

Hope that helped!
 
I went with Isham..

..and still use all the tools in the kit, 7 years after starting on my project. Definitely upgrade to the DRDT2, pneumatic squeezer, tungsten bucking bar, Sioux Palm drill and add extra silver clecos.
 
..and still use all the tools in the kit, 7 years after starting on my project. Definitely upgrade to the DRDT2, pneumatic squeezer, tungsten bucking bar, Sioux Palm drill and add extra silver clecos.
Lots and lots of extra clecos of all sizes!
 
I agree with Larry on the Wedgelocks, definitely a noticeable difference. Also I love having a tungsten bucking bar and pneumatic squeezer.
 
Do yourself a favor and get a set of these.
https://chadstoolbox.com/86-03-180-knipex-7-25-inch-pliers-wrench/

THE most handy tool to have, for doing everything. I have a set in each of my tool boxes. Plus the bigger ones (250mm and 300mm sizes) are great for squeezing rivets in places you can't reach with a regular squeezer.

Why are these things so handy? Because they have high-quality jaws that are parallel and stay parallel, and feature 10:1 mechanical advantage. They come in particularly handy for firewall-forward work where every nut, bolt and fitting is a different size. These plier wrenches were issued by Transport Canada to their line mechanics who maintain the TC fleet. They leave no marks on fasteners and the bright red handles make them easy to find. I have four sizes of them, including the Micro 125's that I keep in my avionics tool box. Can't count the number of times I reach for the plier wrench as the first tool to come to hand.

Now if only I could get some kind of kick-back or commission for recommending them...
 
Let us know your final decision when it’s made!

Also, in response to an earlier post suggesting a 2x and 3x rivet gun, just buy the Sioux 3x. It’s amazing with trigger control. That combined with reduced air pressure can basically mimic a 2x if you need lighter taps
 
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Spend the money on the tungsten bucking bars. It took me about 2 months into the build to realize this. A friend loaned me his, and I was amazed at how well it worked compared to the bigger steel ones I was using that came with the rivet set.
 
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