Workshop
| Shop |
| Adhesives and other liquids | Clamping and holding | Cutting |
| Drilling and reaming | Driving | Electronics | Measuring and marking |
| Miscellaneous | Power tools | Safety and comfort | Shaping |
Shop
My workshop is tucked into a corner of our basement. The basement was finished when we bought the house, but very sloppily so - so all of the wallboard and crooked, misaligned ceiling tiles came down and most of our stuff went in.
It started out as a woodworking shop. The previous owners of the house left behind a huge old workbench made of massive pieces of timber, complete with a large and perfectly functional vise. I gave it a new plywood top, installed a lower shelf and braced it with wire at the back. It got new adjustable feet so it could be leveled. And I dabbled, built a few things, took a couple of cabinetmaking courses... and then the RC bug bit me. This is now, first and foremost, an aeromodelling shop.
On the other side of the basement we are creating a dedicated wood shop. My darling wife, an avid woodturner, has her lathe there. And other tools will move there - the band saw, drill press, grinder and mitre saw.
From the outside looking in you can see the airplane bench in the foreground, the big workbench against the wall in the background, and the toolbox off to the right:
Most of my old woodworking books and magazines are in here, along with a lot of rattle cans. The top shelf is mostly hardware my dear departed and much-loved Grandfather-in-law gave to me when he and Grandma moved out of their house. There's a tower of tape on the floor and you can see the vise on the end of the bench:
Here's the main bench. Tools on the wall, adhesives at the back, glass on top, references underneath:
A little storage. Drill bit sets in the bottom drawer, drill accessories above, miscellaneous tools above that, and more drill accessories on top:
Metal shelves with storage, grommets, heat shrink and waaay to much junk:
The toolbox I got for Christmas when I was sixteen, a storage dresser in need of repair or replacement and shelf with most of my collection of screws. Airplane bench to the right, bandsaw in the corner:
Here near the stairs, more storage. Transmitter cases on the floor, shelves for 2-stroke oil and balsa, a dresser resurrected from the curb with soldering station on top. Top drawer - chargers and covering irons. Second drawer - balsa and ply offcuts. Third drawer - covering scraps, stickers and decals. Bottom drawer - Rolls of covering. And another fine Ikea shelf that holds portable power tools:
Another shelf with RC-specific stuff on it:
Adhesives and other liquids
Acetone is very handy for cleaning epoxy from benches, fingers, tools, etc. It's also great for cleaning CA tips and applicators:
Start of Adhesives and other liquids / Start of Page
99% IPA is great for cleaning brushes, thinning epoxy and sterlizing wounds:
Start of Adhesives and other liquids / Start of Page
Epoxy is the workhorse of adhesives in my shop - especially the 30-minute stuff:
Start of Adhesives and other liquids / Start of Page
I use plenty of zip ties. When I trim off the ends, they go into the epoxy stir stick bin:
Start of Adhesives and other liquids / Start of Page
I use thin CA mostly for hardening threaded servo screw holes; the medium stuff with accelator is generally useful and especially helpful when balancing prop hubs:
Start of Adhesives and other liquids / Start of Page
Cabinet glue is another useful shop adhesive:
Start of Adhesives and other liquids / Start of Page
Out of a drawer and onto the stick - it's the tower o' tape. Masking, duct, electrical, packing, double-sided... everyone is welcome:
Start of Adhesives and other liquids / Start of Page
Nothing - not WD-40, alcohol, acetone or peanut butter (yes, peanut butter) removes sticker residue as effectively as Goo Gone:
Start of Adhesives and other liquids / Start of Page
Great for cleaning up slimy glow planes, transferring MonoKote or cleaning up Goo Gone. Good glass cleaner too:
Start of Adhesives and other liquids / Start of Page
Keeps epoxy off of things you don't want epoxy to get on, like threads and hinge pivots:
Start of Adhesives and other liquids / Start of Page
Clamping and holding
It's been said, and I believe it - you can't have too many clamps:
Start of Clamping and holding / Start of Page
It's just not possible:
Start of Clamping and holding / Start of Page
This vise was attached to the workbench that was in the basement when we bought the house. Lucky me! It gets consistent use:
Start of Clamping and holding / Start of Page
A pair of shopmade jaw pads are handy for more delicate work:
Start of Clamping and holding / Start of Page
Storebought rubber pads are good too:
Start of Clamping and holding / Start of Page
For clamping small items, the simple clothespin is a great help:
Start of Clamping and holding / Start of Page
These small needle nose pliers are great for delicate work:
Start of Clamping and holding / Start of Page
These are a step up from the usual locking pliers - an adjustable screw inside the handle determines the locking tension, which is constant for all items regardless of thickness:
Start of Clamping and holding / Start of Page
Very useful for bundling and securing wires, especially when the bundle may need to come apart:
Start of Clamping and holding / Start of Page
Zip ties are a mainstay in the shop and are using for securing all sorts of stuff inside airplanes:
Start of Clamping and holding / Start of Page
Cutting
The ubiquitous hobby knife and #11 blade - the go-to cutting tool for fine work. This one has a hex collar that stops it from rolling off the bench:
Start of Cutting / Start of Page
The very handy single-edged razor blade - excellent for straight cuts:
Start of Cutting / Start of Page
The simple utility knife gets a lot of use in my shop:
Start of Cutting / Start of Page
I bought this band saw before I became interested in RC flight. It's been very useful for the hobby:
Start of Cutting / Start of Page
A fine back saw is great for fine cuts:
Start of Cutting / Start of Page
A flush cut saw is essential for trimming flush to a surface:
Start of Cutting / Start of Page
Despite their bulk, end cutters often fit where side cutters don't; they're especially useful for snipping the free ends of zip ties:
Start of Cutting / Start of Page
Drilling and reaming
This cordless drill gets a lot of use in the shop:
Start of Drilling and reaming / Start of Page
My benchtop drill press gets frequent use too:
Start of Drilling and reaming / Start of Page
When the cordless drill is too big or too clumsy, this hand drill often does the trick:
Start of Drilling and reaming / Start of Page
The pin vise is an excellent tool for drilling small holes - servo mount screw holes, for instance:
Start of Drilling and reaming / Start of Page
Brad point drill bits cut more cleanly than standard twist bits:
Start of Drilling and reaming / Start of Page
A closer look reveals the brad point and outer spurs:
Start of Drilling and reaming / Start of Page
Forstner bits are excellent for drilling clean, large diameter holes:
Start of Drilling and reaming / Start of Page
A close look reveals the centre point and cutting edge:
Start of Drilling and reaming / Start of Page
Depending on the size of the engine's crankshaft, a propeller hub may need reaming to fit. Enter the metric prop ream:
Start of Drilling and reaming / Start of Page
And the imperial prop ream:
Start of Drilling and reaming / Start of Page
Propellers for 50cc engines (such as the DA 50R on my SBach 342) require four bolt holes to be drilled. Enter the prop drill jig:
Start of Drilling and reaming / Start of Page
Driving
The best RC fasteners are socket head cap screws, which require hex head drivers. Ball drivers add flexibility by allowing an angle between the driver and the fastener. However, not all ball drivers are created equal. These are by Bondhus, made in the USA. Metric set:
Start of Driving / Start of Page
Imperial set:
Start of Driving / Start of Page
Flat, Philips and Robertson screwdrivers
Electronics
I've owned several soldering irons, but this soldering station is a cut above:
Start of Electronics / Start of Page
Here's a shopmade clamp to hold two wires together for splicing:
Start of Electronics / Start of Page
For the application of covering film, I use two irons - this small one:
Start of Electronics / Start of Page
And this larger one:
Start of Electronics / Start of Page
Heat shrink tubing is a highly useful insulator:
Start of Electronics / Start of Page
Here's some more:
Start of Electronics / Start of Page
Measuring and marking
For most measuring, I use 12" and 18" steel rules:
Start of Measuring and marking / Start of Page
When something longer is needed, I have a 36" steel rule:
Start of Measuring and marking / Start of Page
And when I need a really long straight edge, there's this 48" power tool guide:
Start of Measuring and marking / Start of Page
For smaller and more precise measurements, digitial calipers are handy:
Start of Measuring and marking / Start of Page
When marking a centre through a hole, the transfer punch is the tool to reach for. They're also great for determining the diameter of a hole. These get a lot of use:
Start of Measuring and marking / Start of Page
I calculate centre of gravity by weight, so I have a few of these digital scales:
Start of Measuring and marking / Start of Page
A panel line pen is very handy for marking covering:
Start of Measuring and marking / Start of Page
An awl is good for marking a drilling location. This one is a converted precision screwdriver:
Start of Measuring and marking / Start of Page
All propellers need to have the balance checked before they are put into use. Enter the prop balancer:
Start of Measuring and marking / Start of Page
For measurements in degrees, I use an Android application. The throw meter is useful for determining control surface deflection in inches:
Start of Measuring and marking / Start of Page
To determine the thread size and pitch of small nuts and bolts, this thread ID set is perfect. It identifies national coarse, national fine and metric fasteners:
Start of Measuring and marking / Start of Page
For markings on darker surfaces, a correction pen is handy to have:
Start of Measuring and marking / Start of Page
A marking gauge excels at marking a line parallel to an outer edge:
Start of Measuring and marking / Start of Page
This handy device helps to mix the correct ratio of two stroke oil into gasoline:
Start of Measuring and marking / Start of Page
Miscellaneous
When I was a kid my Dad told me never to throw away inner tubes because the rubber is useful for so many things. I still keep all of mine:
Start of Miscellaneous / Start of Page
O-rings also have many uses:
Start of Miscellaneous / Start of Page
Grommets are great for finishing holes in cowls and covering:
Start of Miscellaneous / Start of Page
Bamboo skewers can be used to pin firewalls for additional strength:
Start of Miscellaneous / Start of Page
Popsicle sticks are excellent for building structure; I used them as framework for the external elevator servos on my Pulse 125:
Start of Miscellaneous / Start of Page
Rare earth magnets put regular magnets to shame:
Start of Miscellaneous / Start of Page
This is my Robart stand, modified to add a little height:
Start of Miscellaneous / Start of Page
I keep Ziploc bags of all shapes and sizes - they're excellent for storage:
Start of Miscellaneous / Start of Page
The thin plywood from orange crates is an excellent building material:
Start of Miscellaneous / Start of Page
This set of brushes in plastic, brass and steel are good for cleaning parts and fasteners:
Start of Miscellaneous / Start of Page
Power tools
This is the tool with a thousand uses. I bought it for my Dad at Christmas when I was about eighteen. When he and Mom moved out of the house into their condo, I got all his tools - including this. It's incredibly reliable and gets a lot of use drilling, shaping, cutting and grinding:
Start of Power tools / Start of Page
Excellent for covering compound curves, removing wrinkles and shrinking heat shrink tubing:
Start of Power tools / Start of Page
My bench grinder gets dual use as a grinder and a polisher:
Start of Power tools / Start of Page
I got this small compressor on sale at Canadian Tire. It's great around the shop:
Start of Power tools / Start of Page
Safety and comfort
I use this face shield whenever I'm doing something that might make pieces fly. Using the rotary tool with a cutting wheel comes to mind:
Start of Safety and comfort / Start of Page
All of my used razor, hobby and utility blades go into this bin:
Start of Safety and comfort / Start of Page
The radiant heater is nice on cold winter days and nights:
Start of Safety and comfort / Start of Page
Dust mask
Anti-fatigue mat
Canvas apron
Shaping
Sanding pads conform to the shape of your hand:
Start of Shaping / Start of Page
This miniature block plane is great for fine work:
Start of Shaping / Start of Page
Palette knives for applying filling:
Start of Shaping / Start of Page
A cabinet scraper for fine shaping:
Start of Shaping / Start of Page
The block plane is a great shaping tool:
Start of Shaping / Start of Page
Small files are perfect for small work:
Start of Shaping / Start of Page
Filler is great for dents and gaps in sheeting:
Start of Shaping / Start of Page
Fiberglass for repair and strength:
Start of Shaping / Start of Page
All sorts of sandpaper, from 80 grit to 3000:
