Gunsmithing tools and your choices

[brant]

Thank you to all so far. I should have said tools for gun work

I once read advice from a man that was a professional furniture maker and shop teacher. He would give it to all of his students that wanted to follow the trade.

Every paycheck buy one small tool and put money back to purchase a larger mor expensive one.

I am trying to upgrade on some things. I also want to start buying a little at a time for my nephews. I would like to know what tools that you can’t do without If one brand is better than all the rest, then name it. I hope this will be fun.

[kings6]

Auriou cabinet maker rasps, Grobet rasps and Festool are three brands I use every day in the shop. Sawstop saves my skin from age related lapses in attention 🥴.

[potatojudge]

For me it's a jointer, planer, then the splurge is a thickness sander.

Dimensioned straight square lumber is an infinitely better starting point to any project.

Drill press, for those of us that have a tendency to drift and wobble.

Table saw sled. Make and tune it yourself, so it's more labor than materials and money, but it's a massive game changer for table saw capabilities and safety.

The Bosch glide miter saw is a real luxury and also increases what can be done with a mitre vs a standard 10 or 12 inch chop saw.


Watch local ads for used versions of some of these and make that saved money go further.

In that vein, a good scrub plane, jointing plane, and smoothing plane are nice to have for the right projects and are usually found used. Same for chisels, you've just gotta invest in a good sharpening setup first.

A good sharpening station is also important.

A lot of it depends on your type of woodworking.

Edit: oh, for gunsmithing. Good files. Ceramic stones. Proper screwdrivers. Punch pins. Vice blocks.

[sharps4590]

brant, are you asking about gunsmithing or woodworking?

[kings6]

PJ reminded me of my DeWalt planer. I switched to a Shelix spiral head with the square knives and it turned into other animal. For the beginning grip making, as 90* did grinder and oscillating sander are fine savers plus the requisite band saw. I pitchman Enco mill to use for flattening panels and hope to learn to deck grip frames when learning from Dustin in a few weeks,

[Aggie01]

I do more metal and vehicle work than woodwork.

Little tool - a good 1/2 drive cordless impact.
Big tool - A welder. It's most used tool I own. Mine is just a little Hobart 140A that runs on 120v.

No other two tools I own have saved me the time and money those two have.

miter saw, table saw, drill press
ratcheting wrenches
you can get by with low buck sockets but get good ratchets.
oxyacetylene or oxypropane rig
bullet heater
shop fan
A set of bolt cutters. Decide what the biggest bolt you will ever cut is, ignore that and buy the biggest set of bolt cutters in the store.
winch/hoist/lift that can slot into a receiver hitch on a pickup. Mine is ostensibly a game hoist, but it will also put my 200lb + generator in the back of truck without me breaking a sweat or tweaking my back.
needlenose visegrips (locking pliers) - name brand

[paleroadster]

Jun 18, 2024 11:31:25 GMT -5 kings6 said:

Auriou cabinet maker rasps, Grobet rasps and Festool are three brands I use every day in the shop. Sawstop saves my skin from age related lapses in attention 🥴.

I've preferred Nicholson files for metal working for years.  Recently tried several Grobet files, and I think I will be making a clean sweep shift to Grobet going forward.  They are noticeably harder, and cut as clean, or cleaner.

I'm a big fan of Knipex pliers too, they don't seem to put their name on anything junk, love the Cobra series slip joints.

[sharps4590]

One would expect everyone's choices to be different and in accordance to what they do. I'm more in line with Aggie01 than woodworking....which I really do not like and frankly, avoid at all costs.

There is two tools that come immediately to mind I find indispensable. 1st is an air compressor big enough to run air tools. My 5 HP, 60 gal. tank has done fine for me for 35 years. 'Course then you have to buy the air tools. The next is my 9 X 19 metal lathe. I also have a little vertical mill but I would choose the lathe first. I've spent 10 times in tooling what the mill cost, I bought it CHEAP but, it's worthless without it. The mill also serves as a more accurate drill press, unless you have a machinists vise attached to your drill press table.

Then the list becomes endless. I don't use my oxy-acetylene torch twice a year but I'd hate to be without it. It's one of those things when that's what you need, that's all that will work. Same with my little wire welder and bigger Lincoln 225 amp welder. I wish I had the room and height for a lift....THAT would be indispensable!!!

The lathe and mill are both Grizzly. They aren't a South Bend or Bridgeport but they serve my purposes....and they were a heck of a lot less expensive.

The heck of it is, no matter what you do or your hobby is or, in my case, what my livelihood was, you need a heck of a lot of tools.

[nicholst55]

Grobet files, Knipex pliers. Starrett punches, Starrett or Mitutoyo measuring instruments, Yost or Wilton bench vises (check carefully, you want a US-made vise and they also sell Chinesium vises).  Also Wiss pliers or other tools.

[bigbore5]

I'll add an ac/dc tig welder. And learn to use it. I use mine for everything from welding automotive patch panels, aluminum, motorcycle frames, and everything else. Also make some side money between it, the lathe, and the mill. Got a cnc plasma table too. Once I retire I'll probably make more from my shop than I make working now.

[kings6]

Gun work only means I’d drop the Festool items and add the complete tool list I was required to buy for a gunsmith class that Tim and I were going to attend with Hamilton Bowen right when Covid hit and it got cancelled.

[kelye]

Lathe, mill, air compressor, polishing lathe.

[zeus]

Lathe, mill, heat treat oven, polishers, metal band saw, adjustable belt sanders, cabinet full of reamers, files, end mills, collets, vises, etc etc

[ridgeline]

Jun 19, 2024 9:31:25 GMT -5 kings6 said:

Gun work only means I’d drop the Festool items and add the complete tool list I was required to buy for a gunsmith class that Tim and I were going to attend with Hamilton Bowen right when Covid hit and it got cancelled.

Any chance you can share what was on that list?  That would certainly interest me since I'm trying to get up to speed on doing some of my own work.

[Aggie01]

for gunsmithing -
Barrel vise
v blocks if you have a drill press
good files, and dont be shy about tossing them when they get worn. they are a consumable.
small flat blocks to wrap sandpaper around
small flexible blocks to wrap sandpaper around
a damn good set of screwdrivers, and a back up set of damn good screwdrivers of a different brand.
an assortment of brass pin stock. (better than brass punches - pick your size and cut to length)
Brownells replaceable tip punches
brass hammer

I have a handful of AR specific tools (barrel nut and castle nut wrenches, for example),
and 1911 specific tools(grip screw bushing screwdriver, beavertail fixtures),
and savage 110 tools (barrel nut wrench)
Revolver (frame wrench)
Depends on what you are working on.