Hardware Brands & Advice About Tools (It's Fathers Day weekend, after all)

[Glamador]

Hi there, I am *new* to this. Very new. I lack...the equipment that I may need. But that's fine, because this is a GREAT time to buy tools. I've been seeing ads for Fathers Day sales everywhere I look, but I'm not about to go make any purchases half-****ed, or without knowing what all I may need to build my own Lightsaber.

To that end, I am seeking some advice as to which tools, brands, and model numbers I should look into purchasing this week while the iron is hot. I know that I will likely be needing the following at a minimum:

• Dremel tool with flex-shaft attachment (or a flex-shaft tool that is not a Dremel)
• Drill-Press
• Various drill bits
• A tap set for either by-hand or drill-press thread tapping
• Some SMD LEDs

And some maybes:

• Table saw
• Band saw
• A tool for threading pipe
• Lathe
• Milling machine

(probably best to buy those last 2 used, if possible)


I already have a hand-drill, a soldering iron, helping hands, and solder. But I have no wires. I already know that hardware stores don't have bugger-all in the way of hookup wire in any gauge suitable for sabercraft, so I probably won't bother looking for any sales in that department.

But I am hungry for advice and suggestions! I am *not* a handyman at all, and have hardly touched a screwdriver. IKEA furniture vexes me. So please, spare no detail if you can.

[jbkuma]

I'm working with mostly hand tools and a drill. You can make a sink tube hilt with little more than a saw and a drill.

In any case, you will want some files for refining your work, that's more important than any of your maybes. Dremels are super cheap for what they are capable of, the accessories are where you'll spend your money there. Get sanding drums for your drill press.

[Glamador]

Thanks for the input, but I was going more for "I am definitely buying some tools which brands won't break in a week?"

[Sevinzol]

I am *not* a handyman at all, and have hardly touched a screwdriver. IKEA furniture vexes me.

A brave admission. With that I would say first, do not think about a lathe or milling machine.

Your question is a rather all encompassing one. By starting this hobby you are saying I want to be a "maker". I can read it as "how do I set up a workshop?" That, for many of us, is a never ending quest in acquisition and refinement. I can give suggestions but I don't want it to come back and bite me in the ass.. "you said buy X and its a piece of crap" and I also don't want you to fall for the Martha Stewart style hype... "you can only make cookies with this pan and this mixer". Many innovations in this hobby arise from people asking 'what if'. A shop is as personal as the saber you want to build in it, will be. It has to fit you, your space, your budget and you're interests.
Think outside of just lightsabers with regards to tools. This hobby overlaps: auto mechanics, electronics, jewel crafting, leatherworking, etc. So don't limit your sources to just the big box hardware stores. http://www.instructables.com/ has lots of cool ideas for a workshop. If you have a sales tax and use number you can take advantage of wholesalers who don't sell to the general public like https://www.riogrande.com/ who sell to professional jewelers.

If you need help planning out a shop, I suggest looking up Adam Savage (from mythbusters) on youtube. He blogs with the guys from 'tested' and he shares his philosophy about what makes a shop work (I just entered "Adam Savage shop").

Start with the basics.
Do you have a place you can dedicate to your hobby or are you using the kitchen table? If you have space for a "shop" (regardless of size) then great.
1) buy or make a sturdy work table. I made one out of 2x4's and 3/4" plywood for under $100
2) get a good Vice (not a woodworkers vice) 6 - 8" jaws. also get a smaller one for holding things like LED stars while soldering
3) a Rotary tool is nice. An actual jeweler's flex-shaft (foot pedal operated) can run you a couple hundred dollars but a "dremel" will work great for our hobby. I would stick with dremel or sears craftsman, If you have the money buy more than one so you don't have to keep switching bits. Do not buy a cheap knock off.
3a) buy quick change cut-off wheels
3b) sanding disks, drums and polishing wheels for different grits (do not cross contaminate the polishing grits)
4) files: get a set of jewelers files
5) gloves, leather (for grinding) and nitrile (for weathering/painting)
6) a multi-meter so you can check your wiring
7) safety gear, eyes and ears (everyone says it but actually do it, don't be stupid).
a small fan (for solder fumes)
9) containers, you're going to have lots of small parts laying around (plastic peanut butter jars are a nice size)
10) for drill bits I would get Vermont American. I bought cheap ones and they bent

A note about brand names:
Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM for short) are items that stores put their own names on. They pay another company to make it and then they assume the warranty for it. Some major OEMS with good reputations are craftsman (sears), ridgid (home depot). Others like toolshop and masterforce (from Menards) I know less about. Finally be very careful at Harbor Freight. Most of their stuff is made in China and it can be a real crap shoot. You can end up putting a lot of money into tools. You do not have to always buy new. Use craigslist and check estate sales. There is also a growing movement of community shops I found a reference to http://www.techshop.ws/ on the instructables site. You might find something similar to it near a community college

[Silver Serpent]

Sevinzol has most of it covered.

Dremel with flex shaft is a wonderful addition to your workshop.
Needle files (sometimes called jeweler's files) are a must.
Drill press is nice, but not mandatory. With steady hands and a proper vice, you can do most things with a hand drill.

The next power tool I'd purchase after a drill press would be a belt sander. Something similar to this: http://www.harborfreight.com/1-in-x-...der-61728.html Not necessarily from HF, but you'll get the idea.

I've built my fair share of sabers, and a benchtop belt sander is next on my list. A lathe and a milling machine are FAR FAR down the wish list of tools. They're expensive, take up a lot of room, and practically demand that you take a course in how to use them effectively. Not to mention you'll be spending as much on tooling as you do on the actual machine. Unless you need those tools for other purposes, I wouldn't get them just to build lightsabers.

If you just won the lottery and are dripping with cash, feel free to buy a huge workshop with all the metalworking tools you can find. Just take some training courses first so you don't lose an eye.

[xl97]

I am on the opposite side of the fence for these..

I -do- say buy as much as you can for cheap... from Harbor Freight or wherever.

Are they cheap? yes.. Are they crap? Only 'sometimes' IMHO... and at that point then you know what tool/tooling you need to spend a bit more on.

Do you need to buy the most expensive craftsman/snap-on (whatever) hammer?.. doubtful.. I think a $2.00 hammer from Harbor Freight will work the same. Same for other basic tools, screw drivers..wrenches..etc


bandsaw and drill press should be high on the list... good metal cutting blade.

[darth_chasm]

I give this advice solely based on my experience so take it with a grain of salt. START with a very simple build!! Get to know the parts and how they interact. Get to know the electronics and the process of putting a saber together. DON'T go into the deep end without learning to swim. Trust me, after building one, you'll get new ideas and want to build another.

I started simple, then moved on to more involved builds with increasing complexity and got quite complex with my most recent build. I am glad I did it this way. And, I've been able to do it with mostly hand tools, cheap drill press, dremel and power drill.

[Glamador]

Wow, this is a lot more than I expected. Thank you, all of you.

While that's probably great advice, darth_chasm, there's the cost to consider. I want to buy a Badaxx next year, so I won't be able to afford to build multiple sabers for what may be years down the road. And besides that, I find it impossible to settle. If I'm going to build my own saber, then it is going to be fabulous. I can't be seen to have made something...simple. It just will not do.

That said, I'm already seeing some fantastic deals coming into my inbox, so the advice I really, desperately need right now are for brands. There's a $59 Dremel 4000 starter kit on Amazon for the next 8 hours, but that sounds really cheap and I won't want to have to re-buy a tool down the line because I acted out of haste. That's why I'm seeking advice.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002L3RUVG/ Is this even good? I don't know.

The way I see it, all rotary tools do the same thing, just as all drill presses and band saws and belt sanders do the same thing. I may not know which of those things will most benefit me in my sabercraft, but I DO know that there are some things that I DON'T know. Let me be specific:

Which model of dremel is the best for the purpose of sabercraft? I see 3000s and 4000s, but I don't know which of those will work best on aluminum, or brass. I have nightmares about buying a woodworking tool and trying to work metal with it.

Is Dremel even the best option? I read a forum thread on FX Sabers that recommended a Black & Decker rotary tool. And I intend to buy a Dremel workstation but I don't know if it will fit a Black & Decker product.

What brand of drill press is reliable? What features should I look for if I go shopping for one? That sort of thing. I'm on the lookout for all manner of tools, but I have NO IDEA how to judge them against one another as far as feature-set, price-to-benefit, warranty, or durability.

[Silver Serpent]

I personally use a 3001 variable speed Dremel with flex shaft. It's served me well for the last 5 or 6 years. It replaced an older one that had the motor brushes die on me from ingesting too much aluminum dust. Word of advise: clean your tools regularly.
The 4k Dremel should be fine as well. I hear lots of people saying the quick-change tools are a great investment. I don't use them myself, but I'd imagine they're wonderful.
The Dremel workstation is very wobbly. I use mine just to hold the Dremel upright while I use the flex shaft. I wouldn't trust it as a budget drill press, no matter what the manufacturer says.

I like Black and Decker tools. I have several of them in my shop. DeWalt makes some great tools as well. I personally love my DeWalt hand drill. Get some quality drill bits to go along with them.

Get corded tools, or buy lots of extra battery packs. The cordless tools always die before you're done working in the shop. Always.

As for hand tools, like my needle files, I just grab the store brand from Lowe's. Their Cobalt brand does the job just fine on a budget.

[FenixFire]

As far as power tool brands go, they are all the same. By that I mean all are owned and manufactured by the same Japanese company, even Milwaukee finally sold out 2 years ago. The brands still kept their offering level so you choose a price range you are comfortable buying. Knowing that all are designed with a 2-3 year lifespan at the level of use the brand's target consumer would use. Example the internals of a Milwaukee/Dewalt/Bastitich etc. tools are designed to work 15-20 hours a week for 3 years, black and decker are designed for a couple of hours use a month for 2-3 years.