Minimum List To Get Started

[JohnF]

I also have the Ridgid floor model from Home Depot. I bought on sale/clearance (don't remember which) and with a 20% off Harbor Freight coupon.

I also bought the Ridgid spindle/belt sander from Home Depot with a Harbor Freight 25% off coupon.

[marcusofcotton]

X'N wrote: " lucky enough to get one that only had .030 of runout..."

I'd consider that quite excessive.
Mark J

[robert7467]

Last night I purchased a Delta Drill press for $125. This guy was a machinist and he took a bench model and converted it to a floor model with around 40" of movement as far as the little table is concerned. The only issue I see if the chuck has around a 4" clearance, which should be fine since other are using bench drill presses and I am hoping it will work. The guy also threw in a table which I can mount a vice and a bench grinder in for $15

I am hoping that I made the right decision on the drill press but if not, I should be able to get my $125 back. Any thoughts?

Hopefully this weekend I will have my garage spotless.

I plan on using "dry erase board" paint on my tabletop so I can write notes on it.

[alaskabearhawk]

Don't overthink this. Just write on the plywood and erase as necessary. This may help. Look at about 6:42 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Tqg...kv=6TqgxL8kn3k

[jaredyates]

You can make notes on any tabletop, just repaint it each time you complete a major assembly!

[JohnF]

If you use dry erase you might accidentally wipe your notes off.

[robert7467]

So far:

Bought drill press
.25 and .32 sheet metal
Router and Table
Built 2 EAA workbeches
Set of files
Cutting tool for lightening holes
De burr tool
Nibbling tool
3 dewalt aviation tin snips
Whiteside Router Bits RFT2100 1/4-Inch Diameter Spiral Flush Trim Up Cut

[jaredyates]

Sounds like all you need now is a "nice piece of ashe." Or perhaps maple. And maybe a bench-mounted belt/disk sander to get your form block shape just right.

[bestbearhawk1231]

I used oak for the master form block...not sure I would use it again. Had a tendency to split along the grain.

[robert7467]

Oh, last night I bought a 20 GAL air compressor and a large bench vise. One thing I am going to struggle with is the lightening hole dies. Any suggestions of an easy way to do them?

[Chris In Milwaukee]

Is the concern about cutting them or flanging them? Or is the dies, specifically, that you're asking about?

[robert7467]

Making the dies, everywhere I look it seems really confusing. Maybe if I actually sit down and go through the steps it wouldn't be that bad. or I can Bob Stick them

[John Massaro]

This is where Newton's and Erb's build information is quite valuable.

There are several ways to skin the cat.

[X'N]

Use MDF for the forms its much better material to use for forms than hardwoods.
Using the bob stick is really easy on the large holes.

Buy one of these 7A compound wheels and mount it on your bench grinder. Its better than sliced bread!

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalo...eburrwheel.php

[max_burke]

Dumb question, does it matter if the aluminum sheets are rolled for shipping?

[sjt]

I followed John (N3UW) and Dave (Desert Bearhawk) youtube videos. I got a lot of use out of a 2hp sears router ($90)mounted upside down like N3UW. The only thing I would add is that I put a piece of plexglass on as a shield to keep the aluminum from getting in the router. Ignore the bit that is in the router. The bit on the mdf form is the one I use all of the time. It is a RFT5125 spiral flush trim solid carbide up cut ($67) amazon. If you go with the router method of removing material give some thought to getting the rft5125 down cut. The up cut means that the material is cut and pulled up toward the router. That is why I need a plexiglass shield. The down cut will throw aluminum (hot aluminum) away from the router. No matter which one you use it is a fast process for removing metal; and it as a very messy process for removing material. You will need eye protection and a vacuum to clean up the the chips -which go everywhere. The router method will need a hole saw like the one on the mdf form. Somewhere I saw the recommendation to grind off the outer teeth - a very good idea. I also found a hand saber saw (jig saw) to be useful. A bandsaw is useless. A table saw is not that helpful except for cutting 4x8 sheets into smaller pieces which the saber saw could do as well. I copied Dave and bought a $7 harbor freight hammer for bending flanges.

In the second photo I rough cut with a saber saw the mdf blank. I preferred the 1 inch thick because I thought it was less effected by humidity. The technique in Bob's manual that came with the plans is to glue the mylar down permanently to 0.032 aluminum. You then cut out close to the line and can file it exactly to the line. I then made a sandwich of the mdf I want to cut to size, followed by a cheap pegwood spacer material, followed by my exact permanent 0.032 master, followed by a piece of shrunken copy mdf to hold it down. The idler bearing on the 1/2 inch router rides along my 0.032 master sheet. The generated mdf forms are exact replicas of the master. I needed a drill press and a circle cutter to cut those big holes in the mdf. You only need to do that once and then a flush cut bit can duplicate that hole in all of the other mdf. The most important feature of a drill press is that it goes slow. Those circle cutters are dangerous and you want them to rotate slow while cutting thru the mdf.

stan