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Tools List

This is a list of tools that I found valuable during the build. I’ll try to keep it updated as I add more tools to my collection during the build process. CubCrafters does supply a tool list at the beginning of the manual and, while the tools listed there are necessary, I found that they were not completely sufficient. Unless its use is obvious or it is included on the manual’s tool list I’ll try to provide some context as to where I used the tool and why I found it useful. I’ll also try to break out tools that are not strictly necessary but are nice to have into a separate section. That being said, I tend to err on the side of buying more tools rather than making due with less so some people may disagree with my categorizations. My view is that messing up and replacing a part likely costs more in time and money than just getting the correct tool to begin with (although the correct tool obviously doesn’t preclude mistakes completely).

Tool Suppliers

While some more common tools (such as sockets and screwdrivers) can be bought through more traditional vendors, the following are all good places to buy a variety of aviation specific tools. If in doubt, these are good places to look. In no particular order:

Cleaveland Tool Kit

This is a kit put together by Cleaveland Tools that includes some of the basic aircraft tools needed for construction. You can email them for pricing and to order it since (at least when I ordered mine) it wasn’t listed on their website. You can source all of the tools separately if you wish (might be a little cheaper) but it saves some time to order the kit and their quality/customer service is good. I should note that I did make the following 3 upgrades to the kit (they gave me a bit of a discount for including them in the kit instead of ordering separately):

  • I added the Nova 4000 RPM palm drill to my kit. This is a fantastic tool for drilling aluminum, especially the smaller #30 and #40 holes. It is also a lot more comfortable to use than a cordless drill and fits into tight areas better. It is very easy to finely control the RPM and operates very smoothly. One of my favorite tools overall and highly recommend.
  • I also added the deluxe air hose and manifold block kit to my order. This includes some lightweight hoses and a manifold so you can keep several air tools hooked up at once. This is great so that you can leave the drill, rivet puller, and blow gun hooked up and avoid constantly disconnecting to swap between them. The air hoses and (critically) the quick disconnects are also very small/light which really helps with the tool weight and the ability to fit the tools into tight places. Another option is to just purchase a single lightweight hose kit if the benefit of a lightweight hose sounds good to you but you don’t mind swapping tools.
  • Finally, I upgraded the squeezer to “The Main Squeeze”. This is a squeezer made by Cleaveland that provides a little more leverage. There aren’t that many squeezed rivets or dimples in the build so it isn’t necessary but it is a very nice squeezer and I thought it was worth it. That being said, a pneumatic squeezer definitely isn’t necessary for most people.

Kit Contents

If you decide not to buy the kit, here are the tools that came in mine that you should buy separately:

  • Nova 4000 RPM palm drill, 1/4” chuck and key (see above, highly recommended).
  • Rivet squeezer that takes pneumatic yokes such as The Main Squeeze or the Avery squeezer.
  • 2” yoke for the rivet squeezer.
  • 2.5” flange nose yoke for the rivet squeezer.
  • Dimple die set including at least a 3/32” male die, a small diameter 3/32” female die, a 1/8” male die, and a small diameter 1/8” female die.
  • Flat rivet squeezer set including a 1/8” x 1/2” set, a 1/8” x 3/8” set, and a 1/2” x 3/8” set.
  • Cup squeezer set including a 3/32” cup and a thin 1/8” cup.
  • Micro Stop countersink cage (nylon foot is nice to have but not necessary).
  • Countersink cutters for 3/32” and 1/8” rivets (one each).
  • Speed deburring tool.
  • Drill set numbers 1-60. While not strictly required (you could buy the individual bits you need) it is very handy to have odd sizes accessible when you need them. This also prevents you from having to scour the manual to find all of the odd sizes that you only use once or twice.
  • #3 Unibit (step drill).
  • #30 cobalt jobber length bits. You’ll go through a lot so it’s worth getting a pack of 12 or 2. It’s nice to have extra bits on hand so you don’t feel bad swapping to a new one as soon as the one you’ve been using starts to get a little dull.
  • #40 cobalt jobber length bits. I didn’t go through these quite as quickly but a 12 pack is probably still worth it.
  • 12” #30 cobalt bits. You’ll use a number of the 12” bits as well.
  • 12” #40 cobalt bits.
  • 6” #30 cobalt bits. The kit comes with 6” bits although I find that I don’t use them as often as the jobber or 12” bits. Normally if the jobber bit doesn’t fit the flexibility/extra length of the 12” bit is appreciated. That being said, there are a couple places where 6” is long enough and the extra stability over a 12” bit is appreciated so it’s worth picking up a couple.
  • 6” #40 cobalt bits.
  • 6” 3/16” cobalt bits. The tool kit comes with one 12” bit; however, these are used in the wings for drilling out the drag wire holes and I found that 6” bits are plenty long. In fact, they do a better job since they don’t flex as much and therefore don’t bind. I used one bit for each wing so you’ll likely want at least two. You could maybe get by with one but the bit dulls a fair amount over the course of one wing.
  • Reamers. The kit comes with a 1/4”, a 5/16”, and a 3/8” reamer but there are some additional sizes that are useful (see below).
  • CDI 1501MRMH 1/4” Drive Torque Wrench, 20-150 in/lbs.
  • Cleco pliers.
  • 3/32” clecos. The kit comes with a bag of 25 which generally seems to be enough.
  • 1/8” clecos. The kit comes with a bag of 25. There are times where more (50+) would be useful so it wouldn’t hurt to pick up some extras.
  • 3/16” clecos. The kit comes with a bag of 10. That’s probably enough.
  • Pneumatic blind rivet puller This is optional if you aren’t buying the tool kit and you could always buy a cheaper one in its place. That being said, it is nice to have a pneumatic puller for some of the sections with a lot of rivets, such as the fabric rivets in the wings.

Basic Tools

There are a number of other tools, in addition to those mentioned in the kit above, that I would consider either necessary or extremely useful for the build.

Drilling

  • Extra drill bits. I mentioned this briefly in the above section about the tool kit but you’ll go through plenty of bits during the build so it is worth while to have extras on hand. In addition to not having to slow down to wait for new bits to be delivered, it help avoid the temptation to keep using a bit that is starting to get dull. The split point cobalt bits do work better and last longer so they are worth the extra cost. Pan American Tool Corporation makes my favorite bits but others work as well. The 12 packs from Aircraft Tool Supply are a good deal, especially for common bit sizes like #30 and #40 (I think they might actually be Pan American bits anyway). Jobber length bits are the most used but some of the longer bits have their place as well. The following are the most useful to buy/keep on hand:
    • #30 cobalt jobber length bits.
    • #40 cobalt jobber length bits. I didn’t go through these quite as quickly but a 12 pack is probably still worth it.
    • 12” #30 cobalt bits. You’ll use a number of the 12” bits as well.
    • 12” #40 cobalt bits.
    • #55 cobalt jobber length bits. These are optional but highly recommended since I found them to be the perfect size for drilling pilot holes. Drill bits have a tendency to walk when starting a hole with a larger size (#30 or #40), even when using a split point bit and a center punch to create a starting point. #55 bits are much easier to control and stay in the punched position very well. The holes can then be enlarged with much less of a tendency for the bits to wander.
  • 1/4” cobalt drill bit. Used to enlarge the holes in a few of the tank extension straps.
  • Drill stops. These are used all the time to prevent drill bits from marring the material behind holes to be drilled (such as preventing the bit from contacting the spar web when drilling through the side of the spar cap). Extra #30 and #40 drill stops are also nice to have as they are the most commonly used.
  • Spar drill jig. Ensures that you are drilling the spar cap in the right spot and not hitting the bulb when drilling holes for the leading edge skins and the tank extension skins. It is technically possible to measure carefully and do this by hand without the jig; however, the likelihood of the bit walking is greatly increased and any poorly placed hole that hits the bulb could ruin the spar and require its replacement. To me this tool seems like money well spent.
  • High torque drill. This is necessary for reaming the bolt holes since the 4000RPM air drill (if purchased) is too fast and doesn’t have enough torque. My 20V cordless drill worked fine for this although PAT makes a high torque drill that is extremely nice, works great, and operates more smoothly.
  • Under-sized reamers for reaming bolt holes. Even with good technique, the reamers can slightly over-enlarge the bolt holes in the hinge blocks and lift strut fittings. The manual now recommends starting with a 0.249” reamer for 1/4” holes and a 0.311” reamer for 5/16” holes. The larger reamers can be used if the bolts still do not fit; however, greasing the bolts with lithium grease and gently tapping allowed most of the bolts to be fully inserted with a tight fit. Using the larger reamers directly still works but does not create as tight of a fit.
  • Hole finders: #10 and 1/4”.
  • Automatic center punch. Great for creating a small mark that helps prevent drill bits from walking when starting holes.
  • #10 nut plate drilling jig.

Cutting and Shaping

  • Rotary tool (Dremel and/or Die Grinder). I use my Dremel tool much more than the die grinder but both are useful and overall usage will depend somewhat on comfort level with each.
    • Cutoff wheels and sanding drums are very useful for shaping sheet metal parts and deburring edges quickly.
    • A non-ferrous carbide burr, such as the 30-372NF from PAT, is also useful for taking away larger amounts of material quickly. This is particularly helpful when shaping the diagonal cross tube for the wings but a file set and sanding drums on a Dremel could be used instead.
  • A set of files is also important for shaping sheet metal. Small “needle files” are extremely helpful for a lot of applications in addition to a rat’s tail file and a flat file. More options here are better though and they definitely come in handy a lot.
  • Sandpaper. Used to debur edges and remove small nicks/scratches. Also used to remove less material when shaping than the files. 220 grit and 400 grit are useful and good starting points. A couple sheets go a long way.
  • Hand nibbler. Removes sheet metal slowly and precisely without deforming it.
  • Sheet metal shears.

Deburring

  • Small-hole deburring scraper. This is a somewhat specialized tool that is great for deburring the back of blind holes, such as those in the spar cap, that are in close quarters and can’t be reached any other way. It wasn’t immediately obvious what tool was needed to get to the backs of these holes but this does a great job. An in/out deburring tool could potentially also be used for this purpose. I don’t have any experience with these but they need enough clearance between the hole and surrounding parts for the blade. They are also used with a drill so don’t offer the fine manual control.
  • Back side deburring blade. For holes with bigger burrs and less tight tolerances, this can be a great way to debur the back.
  • Dental picks. These are great for removing burrs from the back of holes when you just need something to bend it back and forth a bit. Plastic picks are also great since they won’t scratch the aluminum. As many varieties as possible is nice since there are some very tight spots in the spars and it helps to have more options.
  • Scotch-Brite 7447 pads. Great for deburring sharp edges and in place of 220 grit sandpaper.

Measuring and Marking

  • Sharpies (fine and very fine tips).
  • Tape measure (at least 16’).
  • Digital fish scale. Used for setting the tension on the drag wires in thw wings and only needs to measure to 15 pounds.
  • Digital level/protractor. Used to ensure sawhorses are level during wing build and to rig the control surfaces. Should support re-calibration and be fairly accurate (I don’t know the officially required spec but 0.1° seems okay).
  • Calipers, 0-6” range. Digital is convenient although dial or vernier would be fine too. They don’t need to be as nice as those linked here although I found I used them a lot and appreciated having a nice set.
  • 6” steel ruler. Something with 64th inch markings for precise measurement is useful. A 6” plastic ruler is also nice since it won’t scratch aluminum. There were a few times a 12” ruler came in handy but it’s not strictly necessary since a tape measure could typically be used.
  • 16x24” framing square. Used when trammeling the wings.
  • 8x12” framing square. Useful to keep the machined tail ribs square to the spar since it fits better and can be clamped more easily than the larger square.
  • Machinist square set. Used to ensure nose and tail ribs are square to the spar and for checking other areas larger squares won’t fit.

Clamping/Work Holding

  • Cleco clamps. These come in handy to hold pieces together before drilling. They also come in a 1/2” variety that is pretty useful. These use the same cleco pliers as mentioned above in the tool kit.
  • Cleco “C” clamps. Similar to the above but when you need to clamp something over a lip or farther from an edge. Having a couple on hand doesn’t hurt.
  • A 5/16” KHNL cleco and a 1/4” KHNL cleco to hold the fittings to the spar when reaming the holes.
  • Irwin 6-SP clamps. 6+ of these are good to have. A cheaper alternative can be used instead, if desired (Harbor Freight has some options). One or two without the swivel pads is also useful for some applications.
  • Spring clamps. Cheap options from the local hardware store are fine. Despite what the tool list in the manual says, only a few 3” clamps are needed (I got 5). I’d instead get a large number of 2” clamps (maybe 20+ to start and more if needed) and a decent number of 1” clamps (10+) since they are quite useful as well.
  • 4” long nose locking pliers. I have about 8 of these and they’re really handy when attaching the false spars on the wings. Wrap the jaws in friction tape (see below) to prevent marring. Again, a cheaper option could be used instead. A larger (6”) pair is occasionally useful as well.
  • Single handed trigger clamps are frequently useful as well. I found them great for things like holding the rear spar reinforcement to the spar.
  • Large clamp for clamping the spars together at the lift strut fittings. This ensures the tubes are bottomed out (and stay there) while match drilling the rivet holes.

Riveting

  • Marson HP-2 hand rivet puller. The standard hand rivet puller used throughout the build. It will be ground down in order to fit in some areas with tight clearance.
  • Marson PRP26A offset rivet puller. Only used a couple times but there’s really no other way to pull a few of the rivets in the machined ribs. This is a good tool to look for used.
  • Pin punch set. At least 1/8” and 3/32” punches are needed for removing rivets.
  • Rivet gauge set. This makes it much easier to ensure the shop heads on the rivets are acceptable. Although it’s not strictly necessary it’s recommended.

Hand Tools

  • Socket set, 1/4” drive. At least 3/8” to 9/16”. Standard chrome sockets are fine and deep sockets shouldn’t be needed. 6 point sockets work, as do 12 point. 12 point sockets are more convenient since they offer more options for bolt positioning.
  • 1/4” socket extensions. At least one 6” extension is useful.
  • SAE Combination wrench set.
  • Torque wrench, 30-250 in/lbs. The entire 20-250 in/lbs range is needed so, if the torque wrench from the Cleaveland kit is acquired, the 150-250 in/lbs range must also be covered. Any quality tool may be used.
  • Socket drive adapter (if needed to adapt sockets to torque wrench).
  • Screwdriver set or bit driver and bits including at least #1 and #2 phillips.
  • Allen wrench set (especially for adjusting drill stops and tools).
  • Small mallet for use with pin punches when removing rivets.
  • Scissors.
  • Pliers. A general set is probably fine although needle nose are very useful to include. A pair of 45° needle nose pliers is also great to have. I really like Knipex tools if buying new but anything basic will be completely fine.
  • Diagonal cutters. Similarly to the pliers, anything will work here for removing zip ties and similar tasks. A nicer pair, such as Knipex, may be nice if you plan on doing wiring as well.

Miscellaneous Tools

  • Safety glasses.
  • Respirator for use with methacrylate glue and fabric coating materials.
  • Dental/inspection mirror. This is invaluable for checking the back of drilled holes and other hard to reach places.
  • Small flashlight. Used with the inspection mirror to see tight areas.
  • Fine point angle tweezers.
  • Angle or bench grinder for modifying tools (rivet puller, framing square, rivet squeezer yoke, etc.).
  • Tubing cutter for fuel lines.
  • Fabric pro iron. For use during covering.
  • A cheap soldering iron for burning rivet holes in the fabric.
  • Wing/fuselage rotator. The Dropbox folder that contains the manual also contains some drawings for a rotator you could build yourself. If you’re handy with a welder you could design/build one as well. Bogert also makes a rotator for this purpose that can be purchased new, although a long piece of steel must still be sourced locally. The rotator isn’t needed until after the wings have been built so there is some time to source one after the kit arrives. I had some luck reaching out to previous builders and was even able to find one locally.

Consumables

  • Torque seal.
  • Lithium grease.
  • Loctite #271 (red)
  • Loctite #242 (blue)
  • Loctite 657
  • Loctite 680
  • EZ Turn lubricant.
  • Boelube cutting fluid. Used for reaming and drilling holes. Liquid tends to be the easiest to use.
  • Denatured alcohol (for part clean-off). A small spray bottle makes its use easier.
  • Shop towels (disposable) or paper towels. Recycled surgical towels are also useful for things like cleaning parts with denatured alcohol.
  • Rust-Oleum Protective Enamel Paint, Flat Black. If needed to touch up powder coat on the fuselage where it rubbed during shipping.
  • Razor blades.
  • Xacto knife blades (and handle).
  • Masking tape.
  • Friction tape. Useful for wrapping around serrated tool jaws (like locking pliers) in order to prevent damage/marring of parts.
  • Disposable gloves. Useful to keep methacrylate off your hands when gluing parts together.
  • Neutral cure silicone caulk. This is used to hold wires in the spar channels. Neutral cure is important so that it doesn’t affect the aluminum.
  • Scrap sheet metal (from the hardware store is fine) for making shields and fixtures. Scrap wood is also useful for the same purpose.

Compressed Air System

A compressed air system is optional depending on if any compressed air tools will be used and what the plans are for painting (an HVLP turbine system is an all-in-one alternative). That being said, a compressed air system is generally recommended and if one is going to be used the following are some recommended parts and accessories.

  • If using a compressed air system, an air compressor is an obvious requirement. I purchased a Rolair 60 gallon compressor since I’m planning on using it for painting the plane as well but a smaller compressor would be fine if you’re just using air tools. I’d caution against going too small though since it’s nice when the compressor doesn’t have to run very often, especially if it’s inside the shop.
  • A pressure regulator will also be needed with the compressor if it doesn’t have one built in.
  • If the compressed air system will be used for painting, a series of filters will be needed as well. A moisture separator, an oil filter, a desiccant dryer, and another filter would be a good starting point (with the regulator after all of those).
  • I highly recommend using soldered copper pipe wherever possible if running hard compressed air lines in the shop. IT is safe, doesn’t corrode, is easy to work with, and is safe (unlike PVC).
  • A lightweight air hose kit or manifold kit is great if using a lot of air tools. The hoses are a lot less intrusive and the quick disconnects are much smaller which makes a huge difference. The manifold is also nice to have when using a number of tools concurrently. See the discussion of the Cleaveland kit above.
  • Air blow gun for cleaning off parts.

Electrical Tools

If you will be doing any of your own wiring then there are some electrical tools that you will need. These are the tools I found useful but your needs may differ depending on the extent of the electrical work you will be doing.

  • Multimeter. This is mostly needed for testing DC voltage and resistance/continuity so something simple like this would work just fine. Really anything with those features would be good although a buzzer for continuity testing is really nice (it beeps if the wires have a good electrical connection).
  • The following tools can be bought as part of the panel technician tool kit from Stein or separately, if desired.
  • Heat gun. Used for heating solder sleeves and shrinking heat shrink tubing. You could get something nice and digitally controlled but a cheap heat gun works just fine. Just make sure it can reach 850°F or so (depending on the solder sleeves you are using). I also highly recommend one that can sit hands free on the work bench while pointing straight up.

Optional/Quality of Life Tools

These tools aren’t strictly necessary since the build can be completed without them. That being said, they make certain steps easier and improve the build experience. I generally recommend them but you can pick-and-choose what makes the most sense to you.

  • Angle drill with flat offset head. The 0.3 HP, 2800 RPM motor worked well for me (spindle gear drive). Some form of offset head drill is needed in order to drill some of the holes in the machined tail ribs. Some people use adapters that chuck in their standard pistol grip drills, however, I found this generally useful enough to be worth buying. Just on the wing along it was great for drilling the machined rib clips, rib braces, false rib, and more. The offset head seems to be more useful than the 90° head or the 45° head. It’s also much easier to use than trying to flex 12” bits in most cases. This is a highly recommended tool.
    • If this drill is purchased then some threaded bits are also needed. #30 and #40 are the most used but some smaller bits (#50/#60) are useful for making pilot holes. Long bits can take drill stops although they don’t always fit everywhere needed. A variety of lengths is nice to have.
    • #30 threaded drill collet. This allows chucking bits to be used with the offset angle drill. A jobber length bit with the offset head is perfect for drilling one of the fabric rivet holes in the #5 machined tail rib. A #40 collet is also available.
  • CherryMAX G747 rivet puller. This is another expensive tool that is much better found used on Ebay or elsewhere. It does a great job pulling CherryMAX rivets though and has a very controlled pulling action that is much easier to control than other pullers. In addition to setting the rivets better, it also takes minimal effort (compared to a hand puller) leading to better outcomes when pulling many rivets in a row. The real killer feature of this puller though is the offset head (see below). Overall this is very highly recommended, despite the cost.
    • CherryMAX H781-465 offset puller nose piece. There are some places where a standard B-465 nose piece is easier to use/works better (when it can reach) but there are a number of places that only the offset head can get to. Specifically, the CherryMAX rivets in the machined tail ribs seem to give lots of people trouble and the offset head pulls them with no drama. This tool can likely be sold for the same/a similar price to what was paid for it when the build is done. Since it helps prevent the need for replacing parts and makes the build much quicker and easier it is extremely highly recommended. The other option is to use the ground down Marson HP-2 hand puller with either a pulling wedge (could be home made) or an angle ground in the nose piece. These options seem to also work but may take a few tries and some more pain.
  • Knipex Pliers Wrench. These perform a similar function to an adjustable wrench but work way better. They are also useful for bending pieces of sheet metal and grabbing soft parts since they have smooth, parallel jaws. The 7” size is the most versatile but the bigger and smaller ones are sometimes handy too.
  • #10 Reamer. Useful for enlarging #20 holes to #10 size in sheet metal for nut plates (such as the center nut plate holes for the fuel tank covers). Large twist bits have a tendency to catch/gouge the sheet metal when enlarging while reamers do not.
  • Blind rivet removal tool. Makes removing rivets easier and safer, especially if they are spinning and you can’t reach it with pliers to hold it still.
  • Ratcheting screwdriver. Very optional but makes screw insertion/removal faster.
  • Safety wire pliers. It is possible to twist safety wire by hand but these make it faster and easier to get consistent results.
  • Torque bit driver, 5-40 in/lbs. Some screws (such as those for the floorboard) have prescribed torques so a torque driver can make it easier to install these correctly. Since the manual specifies 20-25 in/lbs for the floorboard screws it is also possible to use a phillips bit driver and a normal torque wrench to install them.
  • Long (48”) straightedge. This was useful to make sure that the nut plates on opposite sides of the fuel tank bay were lined up and for other times when a long straightedge was needed. A long box level, a piece of a board, or something similar could also be used.
  • Forceps. Especially those with a bent nose are occasionally useful for grabbing/holding small parts. Very optional though.
  • Duckbill pliers. Useful for safety wiring by hand and as general pliers with good grip.
  • Utility cart. This is very optional but it is nice to be able to have tools near where you are working and it helps keep the workbench free of tools.
  • Akro bins. These are very optional too but are great for holding clecos and other things.
  • Label maker. It’s really nice for labeling things in the shop and can also print labels on heat shrink tubing which is fantastic for labeling wires if doing wiring yourself.
  • Chip chaser. These are very thin and good for removing chips/burrs between two pieces of sheet metal when they can’t be separated between drilling and riveting.
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