Tools?
Moderators: North Shore, sky's the limit, sepia, Sulako
Tools?
Hey all new at all this , will be hopefully attending school here next fall to get my AME , my question is around how much to you spend on your tools to get started? I've been around automotive all my life and have some stuff , but wondering what kinds of Boxes make sense and if there is basic list of things ill need. i would to like gathering stuff in the next year so i am ready to go when i graduate thank in advance
Re: Tools?
take advantage of the snap on discount that you will get from school.
most aircraft are in imperial so your metric stuff from cars will not work.
snap on:
1/4 drive shallow and deep sockets as well as universal/swivel sockets. all 12 point
1/4 drive extensions with the knurled bit on them
offset wrenches
ratcheting screwdriver. I have the long and short T-handle ones that work better for me
lockwire pliers.
long spline drive wrenches. there are 2 you will need one has 1/4 and 5/16 and the other has 3/8 and 7/16
as for the rest. you can find a lot of good stuff on Amazon.
Mastercraft maximum wrenches are as good as the snap on stuff but 1/25 the price.
for wrenches you will usually use 1/4 to 1 inch in size.
for pliers, princess auto/amazon are your friend. I wouldn't waste my money on the snap on truck with those.
as you get more experience in your career, you will decide what you need and what quality you want to buy.
as for a box get one you can use as a work surface. and the largest one you can afford.
this should get you started. it's probably going to be about $1,000 for the tools and box to get you where you don't need to borrow stuff anymore.
My $.02
M
most aircraft are in imperial so your metric stuff from cars will not work.
snap on:
1/4 drive shallow and deep sockets as well as universal/swivel sockets. all 12 point
1/4 drive extensions with the knurled bit on them
offset wrenches
ratcheting screwdriver. I have the long and short T-handle ones that work better for me
lockwire pliers.
long spline drive wrenches. there are 2 you will need one has 1/4 and 5/16 and the other has 3/8 and 7/16
as for the rest. you can find a lot of good stuff on Amazon.
Mastercraft maximum wrenches are as good as the snap on stuff but 1/25 the price.
for wrenches you will usually use 1/4 to 1 inch in size.
for pliers, princess auto/amazon are your friend. I wouldn't waste my money on the snap on truck with those.
as you get more experience in your career, you will decide what you need and what quality you want to buy.
as for a box get one you can use as a work surface. and the largest one you can afford.
this should get you started. it's probably going to be about $1,000 for the tools and box to get you where you don't need to borrow stuff anymore.
My $.02
M
Re: Tools?
If you ever end up around turbines - 1/4 drive 12 point sockets!
If you've been around automotive - You should have what you need to start out with...decent 3/8 and 1/4 drive sockets, wrench set including the oddball ones like 11/32 that are not in the basic sets. Screw driver set, standard hammer as well as a soft face and a dead blow - maybe 5 lb. You will always be adding to it - but that a decent start. Make sure you use decent quality stuff and not the cheapest you can find. It's great if you have a lifetime warranty for tools (I'm talking about the cheap stuff) - but if that wrench breaks at 2AM and the plane leaves at 6 - that warranty doesn't mean squat.
It all depends where you will be working too. My first few years I also had to but some basic sheet metal tools. And heli's may require some different stuff as well.
If you've been around automotive - You should have what you need to start out with...decent 3/8 and 1/4 drive sockets, wrench set including the oddball ones like 11/32 that are not in the basic sets. Screw driver set, standard hammer as well as a soft face and a dead blow - maybe 5 lb. You will always be adding to it - but that a decent start. Make sure you use decent quality stuff and not the cheapest you can find. It's great if you have a lifetime warranty for tools (I'm talking about the cheap stuff) - but if that wrench breaks at 2AM and the plane leaves at 6 - that warranty doesn't mean squat.
It all depends where you will be working too. My first few years I also had to but some basic sheet metal tools. And heli's may require some different stuff as well.
Re: Tools?
The school should have a basic list to start with, go with that for now and when you know what you want to work on, start buying more type specific tools. Some helicopters are completely metric with a few imperial kits thrown in, you need both.
One word: KNIPEX
One word: KNIPEX
