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What should be in my toolkit for RV-8 Tail?

pilotian

Well Known Member
I am beginning the journey to building an RV-8, and after spending about some 3 hours in a new friends shop learning all the different types of rivets, rivet techniques etc... I realized this is 100% something I want to do!

After leaving his house, I got on the internet searching all the top brands tools sites, and realized I had forgotten all the tools I would need to start my project.

So I am asking, What is the bare minimum of tools I would need to start on the tail? And what prices should I be expecting?

Also if your building on a budget, where are some places to get tools that are less expensive, or used?

Please Note: I have an Air compressor, and will already have a wheel for deburing.

Thanks for the Help,
Ian
 
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Ill let someone else give you a full list but as far as buying them on a tight budget just post a wanted ad here on VAF classifieds. Although pneumatic squeezers are nice I havnt had to use one yet.... just a regular hand squeezer worked fine for me. I used cordless drills thruout so far instead of air drills. But some of the reason was to keep the noise down.
 
Construction Manual

Van's has a pretty good list of "must have" and "nice to have" tools in their construction manual, I would study that and start on your own list. If you don't have ANY aircraft building tools, the "RV tool kits" from Cleaveland or Avery might be a good place to start with perhaps a few upgrades.

The hand tool(s) you will use the most throughout the project are riveting tools and I would suggest trying out several rivet guns if possible before buying. A good rivet gun should feel good in the hand as well as be easy to drive rivets with. In addition, try out some of the high end rivet guns with vibration absorbing pistons/features. All that vibration on 15,000 to 20,000 rivets can be hard on your hands and arms. My favorite tool is my pneumatic rivet squeezer.

High speed 3600 rpm drills whether air or electric work better on aluminum than the ordinary low speed ones.

I would say a drill press is mandatory. In my case I also have a lathe and while not mandatory, it sure makes a lot of things easier. See if you can arrange access to one.
 
I am currently talking to someone that posted a VAF ad with an avery 3x gun and a bunch of accessories for it. I think I am going to go through with that and perhaps he will sell his hand squeezer as well.

So I will have the gun, bucking bar, dimple dies, and a couple other things that I need but dont fully understand yet
 
Here is the starter kit from Cleveland. You will necessarily need each type of tool listed. You do not have to buy the kit itself, nothing wrong with piecing on together. I built my entire tail kit with an electric dewalt drill, worked great. Also, if you do not use an air drill, you can get away with a very small compressor.

http://www.cleavelandtoolstore.com/prodinfo.asp?number=EMPKITW

Try looking at the RV tool kits that the majority of the tool companies offer. They will list out everything and you can compare what they offer and the prices involved, may help you learn about each tool as well.

I would have to respectfully disagree on the Drill Press and Pneumatic squeezer. I have both, and although they are very nice, and make things much easier and more convenient, they are not mandatory and you can easily build an airplane without them. Be careful with the cheap hand squeezers though. They like to flex and can make a rivet look really horrible, even if you do everything correctly.
 
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Bench grinder with two Scotchbrite wheels instead of abrasive stone wheels.

A benchtop belt & disk sander also comes in quite handy for course-shaping aluminum parts too
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And not to forget, a couple good pairs of safety glasses.
 
I thought Van's recommended tool list http://www.vansaircraft.com/public/rqd-tool.htm was perfect for getting started. I collected all the tools on the list over a year while I was studying the preview plans. I compared Van's list to the tool kits from Avery and Cleaveland and others. Knowing what I know now, I wouldn't hesitate to buy the packaged tool kits from one of the popular tool vendors.

Just be careful if you collect tools piecemeal. Study the specific brands and even model numbers on the major tool vendors kits. I wish I had been more familiar with some of the tools I bought early. Caveat emptor.
 
don't forget

Anybody mentioned clecos, cleco pliers, and some more clecos?

more cleco pliers so you don't have to keep searching for the first two or three pair you loose. Oh, and even more clecos.

There are several places online that have good deals on used stuff. The Yard Store and eBay are a few places.

Cleveland Tool Store , Avery Tools, and Plane Tools are all good choices for tool kits as well as individual tools. Aircraft Tool Supply is another place that is fairly reasonable.

I've picked up some great stuff at good prices from VAF members. Also check your local EAA chapter for tools for sale. Given time, I think you can find all the tools you need on a modest budget.
 
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thanks guys!

after reading these posts + all my RV friends mentioning suggestions on tools etc.. I have a good base of what i NEED not want!

One last question, I of course need clecos but I was wondering how many I should be looking for if im going to start on the tail and how many of each kind.
 
I'd recommend going through the Emp plans and literally writing out exactly what tools you will need. There are a few drill bits that are required but not included in the Cleaveland kit (12" #30, 12"#40, a #12 possibly).

There is at least one tool you'll need on the first page of the emp instructions that are somehow not in the "get me started" toolkit from Cleaveland. I just can't remember off the top of my head.

DB
 
There are a few drill bits that are required but not included in the Cleaveland kit (12" #30, 12"#40, a #12 possibly).

[Text here that was promotional in nature was removed by the owner of the forums. Non advertisers cannot use the forums as a promotional tool (rule #5 at: http://www.vansairforce.net/rules.htm). Answering a specific, technical question that can be verified with a source is of course allowed - and encouraged!
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I understand the number 12, but are the extensions used in the tail?

Thanks,
Mike
 
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I haven't used the 12" #40 so far. There is a place where you need to use either an angle drill (which I did) or a long #30: Drilling the HS main ribs to the forward spar and the reinforcement angles.
 
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