Cool building tools

[Turbojoe]

My favorite daughter (but dad, I'm your ONLY daughter) got me a $100.00 Tower Hobbies gift certificate for Christmas. Tower being my favorite online retailer I wasted no time putting that gift to work. The order just arrived UPS. Not bad time considering the weekend and the holidays. Lots of goodies. I'm a happy boy!

I saw a mini folding utility knife that caught my eye. It was cheap at only $4.99 so I bought two. I'm really blown away with the quality and even though it's mini it fits really well in the hand and the blade locks solidly in place. It can't roll off the table like an Xacto and stick in your leg or foot either! Comes with one blade installed and 10 spares. I like to toot the horn for products I really like so here is the LINK.

Hey, if you have a link for a cool tool that you've found or a picture for a tool that you MADE that can be easily replicated post it up. I think we all have a bunch of things we've made or modified that saved us a ton of time. Let's pass them on.

Joe

 

[Turbojoe]

Full credit for this link goes to Rockyboy. http://retrorc.us.com/buildingjigsystem.aspx If you use a metal building board you are going to love these magnetic clamps/hold downs. There are a few guys offering laser cut versions but this one has good prices and fast service. I'm very happy with my purchase. Rockyboy let the cat out of the bag that he has a laser cutter and made some of his own mods to them. Hopefully, we'll see him offering up his versions for sale in the near future?

Joe

 

[Turbojoe]

HELP!

Here's a "request" for a "tool". Not so much a tool but a storage solution. I have a forest of balsa sticks/sheets/tri stock etc. as well as carbon fiber, music wire and plywood. I've got the balsa in old kit boxes and on shelves. The music wire and CF are in shipping tubes. The plywood on a shelf. No rhyme or reason to anything. I need a solution that is #1 cost effective and easy to put together quickly.

I'd love to see other peoples storage solutions. I saw Jokers DTFB storage in the blog last week. I do have a full case of the stuff that I bought on a whim about two years ago. Maybe I could put it to use. Pure and simple I'm out of room for the hobby. I plan to sell off a lot of R/C cars/trucks/helicopters very soon to open up some space but I still need to consolidate everything into a central location. Let's see what you do with your building goodies.

Joe

 

[Joker 53150]

Joe mentioned my balsa storage unit, which I'm guessing he saw in the video recording of the Flite Test Community podcast earlier this week.

Well here it is, in all it's foamboard glory. The bottom unit is DTFB and holds most of my balsa and light ply. The top pink unit is made from fanfold foamboard and holds rolls of covering and pushrods & metal rods.




While this unit works for most balsa, I plan to rebuild it so it'll hold more sheets and more easily keep them separated by width. But it's been very helpful so far and only cost me about $4.00 to make ($3.00 for the DTFB and $1.00 for the hot glue). Keep in mind if you do this, that the back needs to be open to allow the sheets/sticks to stick out the back. Most lengths are 36", although you can see a few 48" pieces that stick way out the front as well.




The covering holder was a quick & cheap solution similar to the DTFB holder. The plan is to re-build it eventually from DTFB with more sections to separate the different types of covering. But like the balsa holder, it works fine for now.




Here's a solution to having your hobby knife roll off the table and into your foot - this knife has a hexagonal end on it that keeps it from rolling. It's also got a slightly soft exterior for better grip. It's easily my most used knife, thanks to it's good design.




The next two tools I got for building my big balsa L-19. First is a miter saw which is great for cutting sticks of various widths to precise angles. It's accurate and very easily adjusted.




Next is a miter sander. Like the miter saw, it's easy to set the angle and a couple swipes with the sanding block sets your angle nicely. I use the saw and sander together - the saw gets it close and the sander brings it home.




Here's another miter saw that I got about 20 years ago from Harbor Freight. It works great at cutting, but is a pain to change angles accurately so I really only use it for cutting 90 degree angles or if I have to cut the same angle over and over. It's fast, relatively quiet, and small.






My dad gave me this sander a while ago and it's easily one of the most used tools in my arsenal right now. The disc is 4" and uses stick-on sanding pads. It can be hooked up to a vacuum if desired to keep down the sanding dust, something I really need to do when I eventually re-build my work benches. It's VERY quick at sanding balsa so care must be taken to avoid over-sanding. The miter gauge is pretty accurate as well. There are various models of this type sander on the market, but be aware that the cheap ones are not always as flat across the face as they should be which is a problem when it comes to balsa sanding. I had one from Harbor Freight years ago that was fine for steel, but wouldn't have worked well at all for delicate balsa.




Last up is a sander my brother gave me, as he got a better version to replace it. It's from Harbor Freight. It's kind of loud and the table won't hold an angle. The narrow belt is good for getting to the inside of curved sections, which is what I mainly use it for. For free, it's a good deal. Like the other sander it's got a port to hook up a vacuum for dust control.

 

[Turbojoe]

I have to agree with Joker. The hexagonal Xacto knife is a problem for me though. I've had many that I bought in the 80's but the plastic body eventually split after several years of heavy use. Haven't seen them for sale for a LONG time or I'd definitely buy more. Fourmost cutting/sanding products.... Lots of cheers for them!! I have them both and simply couldn't live without them. I use the sander multiple times during EVERY build. That Harbor freight cutoff saw is dirt cheap and is easily worth three times what it sells for to us hobbyists. NICE clean cuts in balsa and lite ply. Grab one, I love mine! I have a Delta disc/belt sander (looks exactly the same but I probably paid too much) that I got years back at Lowes on a super sale. Yet another one of those must haves. I also have a Delta band saw and scroll saw. I don't think I'll ever like a scroll saw but I love the band saw. Another amazing buy is the Harbor Freight "table saw". I use this saw a LOT! Perfect for plywood cutting. I made a sliding jig for mine so that every cut is perfectly straight. My saw is close to 10 years old and it hasn't missed a beat. Hard to believe for a low dollar Chinese import.

I'm still thinking about what I want to build for wood storage. Covering is yet another issue. Probably 30+ rolls. Maybe I should just buy a bigger house.......

Joe

 

[Turbojoe]

Almost forgot. A drill press isn't mandatory but it sure is nice to have. I have a smaller Delta bench mount that I got a good deal on at Lowes. (Again, you'll find it cheaper at Harbor Freight.) Watch garage sales and you can pick up exceptional deals on smaller ones as well as floor mount drill presses. You'll use it much more than you think once you have one.

Joe

 

[Turbojoe]

Here's something else I use a lot. Hole cutters made from brass tubing. You can use aluminum as well but it doesn't hold an edge for very long like brass does. I run the tube into the band saw to make several slots then sharpen it on the disc sander. I have made them in all sizes though all aren't in this shot. Some in the picture are pretty beat up and need a little TLC. You'll notice sand paper on the 1/2" tube. They also serve well as round sanders with stick on paper.

Joe

 

[mikeporterinmd]

X-acto makes a nice, non-rolling rubber covered handle for number 11 blades. Much nicer than the standard AL handle. It doesn't roll, either. I think I paid about $5 for it.

Probably my favorite "tool" is the cutting mat I got a while ago. The self-healing properties keep the knife from following old cuts.

I have carpet under my work area, and I just got a plastic mat for the chair. I predict I will really love that, particularly the next time I drop something small and it ends up not in the carpet.

Mike

 

[Turbojoe]

Good call Mike. I have two of those handles. I just found two of them and two of the handles Joker mentioned while I was rummaging around in some old boxes. Didn't know I had them! COOL!

I'm also on board with the self-healing cutting mats. I have various sizes but the one most used is a 24"x36" I got from Tower Hobbies 15+ years ago. It's getting ready for replacement. There are drill holes, CA drips and solder splatters all over it. If you watch closely you can pick them up at places like Michaels and "the other" Hobby Lobby for dirt cheap.

Joe

 

[Joker 53150]

While out on a run to the store with my daughter I realized we were only 100' or so from a Dollar Tree, so I stopped in and bought some DTFB to build a new balsa rack. My old one worked, but didn't hold enough balsa and it also required me to store the sheet vertically. I wanted to lay it flat, so the pic below shows the result. 8 individual slots that will handle sheet up to 10" wide. The old rack stacks nicely on top and will hold all the misc sticks, rods, blocks, etc. It needs a little bracing between the racks for strength still.

 

[ofiesens2]

I think this was mentioned in one of the very first FT podcasts (like in fall 2013), but I think Josh said something about just putting a zip tie around an xacto knife, and the little box where the zip tie passes through itself keeps it from rolling... as long as you tie it tight enough.

 

[Turbojoe]

Joker,

Is the balsa bin just glued together or did you make any slots and tabs at all? Just curious. This would make a really good build project for sharing in the DTFB area. I have a case of the stuff and it doesn't look like I'll ever get around to building a plane with it. I think I'll copy your idea but it'll have to be vertical because all of my table space is in use.

 

[Joker 53150]

It's all just hot glued with surface mounted pieces, no slots were cut into the sides, although that would make it stronger & neater looking. I figured balsa sheets are pretty light and wasn't too worried about the foam sagging. If it does, I can cut some strips and reinforce as needed. Going vertical would save table space, but I had the room available. My plan is to separate all the sheet in the lower unit by thickness - thinnest stock at the top and getting thicker as I move further down, with heaviest material at the bottom. Right now it's far more open space than I really need, but when I order the balsa to do the wing for my L-19 it'll fill up quickly!

 

[Turbojoe]

Ha ha, it looks like that L-19 fuse took up a balsa tree or two on its own! If I had something bigger than a PT Cruiser to haul it in I'd like to build a giant scale bird.

Joe

 

[Joker 53150]

The fuselage alone may have de-forested a small nation! Once the cowl arrives I will try fitting it inside my Expedition to see how screwed I am for space. I'm strongly considering down-sizing the vehicle and going back to something like a Grand Cherokee, which would require the purchase of a trailer. That's fine with me as carrying the bigger planes up and down the basement stairs is a bit of a pain and I could just park the trailer in the garage pre-loaded with planes. The more I fly the big planes, the more I like 'em.

 

[Joker 53150]

This isn't really a "tool", but a good tip. Many fast food restaurants these days have self-serve condiments, and as part of that they have stacks of little disposable cups for ketchup. Some have small paper-ish cups and others offer larger plastic style cups. Either way, they're fantastic for mixing epoxy, paint, or anything else where you don't want to clean the cup. Just use it and throw it away.

 

[SlingShot]

While out on a run to the store with my daughter I realized we were only 100' or so from a Dollar Tree, so I stopped in and bought some DTFB to build a new balsa rack. My old one worked, but didn't hold enough balsa and it also required me to store the sheet vertically. I wanted to lay it flat, so the pic below shows the result. 8 individual slots that will handle sheet up to 10" wide. The old rack stacks nicely on top and will hold all the misc sticks, rods, blocks, etc. It needs a little bracing between the racks for strength still.

View attachment 79536

That's a modeler.

My dad had a plywood box about the size of a (and named the...) coffin. That thing was slap full of kits, materials, engines, and accessories.

 

[Turbojoe]

Your right about those little condiment cups Joker. I stopped drinking soda over 10 years ago and got addicted to Chrystal Light. It used to come in little plastic cups about the same size as the condiment cups. Now it comes in a stupid little tear open packet. I still have dozens of those little cups though and once epoxy cures you can flex the cup a bit and the cured epoxy disc pops right out! Love 'em. I also eat a lot of Chobani Greek yogurt. Those cups are excellent for small parts.

Something else I love are the Eclipse gum "car cups". They have a small hinged flap on the side and the whole top opens up if you want. I use these for parts too but especially for used Xacto blades and other sharps. I also use them at work for paper clips, push pins etc. Almost everyone I know chews this gum so they all give me their empties. Gotta love it when you can put something to good use that you'd normally just throw away.

Joe

 

[Hai-Lee]

Whilst I had a similar problem for storage I did not have the quantity of material or the available space as shown in the previous posts.

My storage solution is a little less impressive though to me extremely functional. I have vertical space by not much depth so I made a few "Wall Hangers" out of FB offcuts and normally hang them on the wall. The added bonus in my case is that I can quickly grab the appropriate hangers and move them to the work area when required. When not required I just hang them back up.

Here is a pic of a couple I quickly pulled down for a pic.



I just make as many as the need and scrap arises.

 

[Turbojoe]

That's a good idea! I should do something like that for all my rolls of covering that are stuffed in boxes here and there.

Joe