Structure Building Tools

A 'square' and bending mandrels.  

 

Resistance soldering unit-not sure how I ever got along without one.

 

Scroll saw and drill press are handy also.

My laser cutter

 I build a lot with wood clapboard. Micromark sells a sharp chisel with a 90 degree corner. Works well for cutting out windows and doors. I use it in my drill press. Just line up the wood and apply some light pressure and it pierces the wood. You may have to finish some of the job with an X Acto knife but the major work is done. When your doing a building with numerous windows this tool makes quick work of what would be a tedious task.

Here are some of the tools I use. i use the wooden "L" shaped piece in the upper corner as a guide to sand the edges at a 90 degree angle. 

 

1st - toss the exacto and move up to scalpels - #10, #11, #23, and add in a regular utility knife with a new blade, and a couple of razor saws.

Work surfaces - 18" x 24" 1/4" plate glass; a length of 1" x 8" finished oak (MDF) for cutting on and drilling into (recycle into fireplace and replace as needed, )

 

Dremel (2-3) with usual assortment of stuff, but lots of cut-off wheels, regular and reinforced, and a saw blade bit if you can locate one.

 

Pin vise (3-5 of them!) and 2 sets of drill bit #75-61, 60-30.

 

Scale rulers - at least 2

 

Sanding pads, sticks, etc.

 

Steel (lead) weights and right angle blocks

 

Spring clamps & clothes pins (lots!).

 

0.5 mm mechanical pencils (lots!)

 

Tweezers (lots!)

 

Hemostats - small to medium, straight and curved. (3-5 of each)

 

Scissors - small to medium (surgical steel if possible)

 

Larger stuff -  12" band saw, 4" upright belt sander, and fully variable speed drill press that will take a #75 drill bit up through 1/4".

 

Lastly, Band-aids, sterile gauze, adhesive tape and Advil because **it happens,   

WOW mwb! that is the MOST comprehensive list of tools for scratchbuilding that I have ever seen! Thanks-REALLY Thanks!

 

Now my only question is where do you get this:

 

 "and fully variable speed drill press that will take a #75 drill bit up through 1/4"

 

and will the Harbor Freight version of this; 4" upright belt sander, work?

 

http://www.harborfreight.com/m.../i/m/image_22181.jpg

 

 

I'd stay away from the harbor freight tools



       

No idea.  My belt sander was scratchbuilt by my Grandfather.....and there's a bit of it peaking out from behind the Dragon's Milk which BTW is another rather important tool to have in the shop at times,

 

Two of my favorites:

A clipboard with a piece of sandpaper on it is one of my most useful hobby tools.  The perfect tool for quickly smoothing, even-ing, flattening, de-burring, etc. It's my unsung hero and gets as much use as my dremel.

 

The Dremel 543 blade is the ultimate tool for quickly cutting through most everything. It's not a precision blade and you will loose some material, but when I'm hacking apart toys and models for kitbashing/scratchbuilding, there's nothing like it. It cuts and then can be used "pushing" to smooth and grind.  Rather than being a breakable, disposable cutting wheel, it's a piece of steel with abbrasive elements on it and it will last for years.   At $17 it's a pretty expensive for a rotary tool bit, but worth every penny.

A sledge hammer is a great tool to have under the work bench for that "just in case" you have had all the hassle you can stand from a project.

Indeed!  And then you really need one of these for parity & completeness....

More seriously though (no fun there...), I've found that having good fine glue tips are very helpful in controlling amounts and locations of CA.  These are ~.1 mm i.d.

 

Razor Saw

Utility knife,

Mitre box.

Hot Glue Gun

Various clamps

Thanks mwb for that list. Some in that list I haven't even thought of. BTW, where's that dumpster? Maybe you left something.

Digital calipers changed my life.  Get them from Harbor Freight when they are on sale.

 

BTW: I disagree with the blanket advice to avoid HF tools. Some things are as good as any (the calipers, for instance). Many others are certainly second-rate, but good enough for occasional use. I would not buy power tools destined for heavy use there, though.  Also, you can buy accessories such as Dremel-compatible tool sets, shrink-wrap tubing and such for a fraction of the price at other locations. 

I use all of the NWSL cutting tools, chopper, precision sander and duplicator. I use lots of machinist tools: small combo square, dividers, scribes. I also have a collection of dental tools that I got from my dentist. All you have to do it ask. When a tool is dropped and deformed, they scrap it. I re-sharpen the ends to all sorts of uses. I also use the #11 Xacto blades, but also use a ton of single-edged razor blades. And then there's my Taig small lathe. For some jobs it's the only tool that can do it.