This is my wifes contribution to the project - I think she just wants to keep me out of her kitchen!
Good tools are required
When you're building an airplane, there is just no way to skimp on tools. Enough cannot be said about buying quality tools to do a good job, or the amount of money that you'll spend getting there. I started with the basics that just about any handy husband would have, and I think I've probably already spent another $5k on good tools for this project, and I'm pretty close to set for what I need now at this point. All the aircraft-specific tools are obvious, such as countersink cages, clecoes (and lots of em!), fluting pliers, rivet squeezers, rivet guns, bucking bars etc etc, but some of the not-so-obvious stuff turns out to be almost essential. Among these are a GOOD air compressor - I recommend at least 8 CFM and 10-12 is better, and DO NOT get one of the oil-free variety. First, it won't last until the end of the project, and second they are noisy, inefficient and hot. While you can make a project limp along without air tools, you're going to save yourself an enormous amount of time and aggravation by just writing the check and getting the right stuff up front.
To each their own, but I got a 2X and a 3X rivet gun, a pneumatic drill (very nice for drilling out rivets you screwed up - and yes you will screw some up), pneumatic air die grinder (works wonderfully for countersinking!), a pneumatic squeezer with several yokes (and get the quick-change pins for this also - and the adjustable set holder is a MUST), a DRDT-2 dimpler for dimpling the skins (HIGHLY recommended and almost required!), a couple Scotchbrite wheels for my bench grinder, a bench-top drill press and a bench-top band saw. I use a $20 air touch-up paint sprayer from Harbor Freight for shooting primer, it's totally the beans - there's no need to spend a wad of cash on a sprayer, this thing is great - but you'll need to make or buy an air dessicant filter to dry the air you run through the sprayer. In addition to that a good cordless drill with high/low speed selector is very handy - and I recommend getting the Lithium Ion battery packs for it due to their very light weight - your arm will be glad you did at the end of a long match-drilling session. Mine is a Hitachi from Lowes, I think I gave about $80 for it, came with two batteries and a charger, and I use the dogmeat out of it on a regular basis.
You'll need a good steel ruler about 6-feet long, a bunch of spring clamps or C-clamps to hold work down on the table, a couple small (6-inch) steel rulers for marking small parts, a whole pile of fine or ultra-fine tip Sharpies (Blue and Red work the best and last longest), and always ALWAYS keep a credit card handy for last-minute internet purchases for stuff you forgot - like maroon scotchbrite pads, replacement drill bits (#30 and #40, about 5 each to start), countersink bits (get a couple each of #30 and #40, and two cages - keep one cage set up for each size to avoid having to constantly re-set the depth), and the 90-degree air drill for tight spots that you just figured you could do without when the time came - you can't. Sometimes I think my laptop is my most important tool - I frequently have it in my shop listening to online radio while working, and use it to order parts or look at other builders logs to answer a question I have while I'm right there in my shop. A good digital camera is also a must for keeping your builders log. While you're buying the drill bits, get a couple 12" long bits as well - they are extremely useful for drilling way up in the leading edges of the elevators where nothing else will reach, and I'm sure I'll find more uses as I go. Don't forget LIGHT - and plenty of it - I hung three more flourescent fixtures in my garage to get plenty of light on my work, one big one is directly over my workbench - which by the way is another necessary tool - make it big, and light enough to move if necessary. Mine measures 3'x9' with a 6-inch overhang for clamping items down and is free-standing so I can put it in the middle of the workshop if needed - and the wings will pretty much require that much room.
As soon as you order the tailkit, you'll need to start getting organized or you'll be tempted to jump off a cliff inside 2 weeks - so get a couple sheets of pegboard and hang them on the walls where you can store tools while you're not using them. Get one of those storage boxes with about 20 or 30 small plastic drawers that you can hang on the wall and put small parts in, and then get another one because you'll need them both eventually. The tail kit alone comes with 18 different rivet types, and you DON'T want to get them mixed up. Sticky labels on the drawers will save your sanity. I've got another 20 or 25 small bins stuffed with miscellaneous hardware for the kit, small tools (like drill bits, countersink cages and bits, deburring tools etc) and some kit hardware as well. That will get you started pretty well on the must-have stuff, and then you can work on the nice-to-have list once you get started.
Since this page only lets me post 3 pics, go to my "Parts Preparation" page and I'll have multiple entries there showing my tool layout. I will, however, post a pic here of my absolute #1 favorite tool in my shop - the beer fridge!
To each their own, but I got a 2X and a 3X rivet gun, a pneumatic drill (very nice for drilling out rivets you screwed up - and yes you will screw some up), pneumatic air die grinder (works wonderfully for countersinking!), a pneumatic squeezer with several yokes (and get the quick-change pins for this also - and the adjustable set holder is a MUST), a DRDT-2 dimpler for dimpling the skins (HIGHLY recommended and almost required!), a couple Scotchbrite wheels for my bench grinder, a bench-top drill press and a bench-top band saw. I use a $20 air touch-up paint sprayer from Harbor Freight for shooting primer, it's totally the beans - there's no need to spend a wad of cash on a sprayer, this thing is great - but you'll need to make or buy an air dessicant filter to dry the air you run through the sprayer. In addition to that a good cordless drill with high/low speed selector is very handy - and I recommend getting the Lithium Ion battery packs for it due to their very light weight - your arm will be glad you did at the end of a long match-drilling session. Mine is a Hitachi from Lowes, I think I gave about $80 for it, came with two batteries and a charger, and I use the dogmeat out of it on a regular basis.
You'll need a good steel ruler about 6-feet long, a bunch of spring clamps or C-clamps to hold work down on the table, a couple small (6-inch) steel rulers for marking small parts, a whole pile of fine or ultra-fine tip Sharpies (Blue and Red work the best and last longest), and always ALWAYS keep a credit card handy for last-minute internet purchases for stuff you forgot - like maroon scotchbrite pads, replacement drill bits (#30 and #40, about 5 each to start), countersink bits (get a couple each of #30 and #40, and two cages - keep one cage set up for each size to avoid having to constantly re-set the depth), and the 90-degree air drill for tight spots that you just figured you could do without when the time came - you can't. Sometimes I think my laptop is my most important tool - I frequently have it in my shop listening to online radio while working, and use it to order parts or look at other builders logs to answer a question I have while I'm right there in my shop. A good digital camera is also a must for keeping your builders log. While you're buying the drill bits, get a couple 12" long bits as well - they are extremely useful for drilling way up in the leading edges of the elevators where nothing else will reach, and I'm sure I'll find more uses as I go. Don't forget LIGHT - and plenty of it - I hung three more flourescent fixtures in my garage to get plenty of light on my work, one big one is directly over my workbench - which by the way is another necessary tool - make it big, and light enough to move if necessary. Mine measures 3'x9' with a 6-inch overhang for clamping items down and is free-standing so I can put it in the middle of the workshop if needed - and the wings will pretty much require that much room.
As soon as you order the tailkit, you'll need to start getting organized or you'll be tempted to jump off a cliff inside 2 weeks - so get a couple sheets of pegboard and hang them on the walls where you can store tools while you're not using them. Get one of those storage boxes with about 20 or 30 small plastic drawers that you can hang on the wall and put small parts in, and then get another one because you'll need them both eventually. The tail kit alone comes with 18 different rivet types, and you DON'T want to get them mixed up. Sticky labels on the drawers will save your sanity. I've got another 20 or 25 small bins stuffed with miscellaneous hardware for the kit, small tools (like drill bits, countersink cages and bits, deburring tools etc) and some kit hardware as well. That will get you started pretty well on the must-have stuff, and then you can work on the nice-to-have list once you get started.
Since this page only lets me post 3 pics, go to my "Parts Preparation" page and I'll have multiple entries there showing my tool layout. I will, however, post a pic here of my absolute #1 favorite tool in my shop - the beer fridge!