Ok, the title is catchy but I have no useful information to add. Actually I was trying to find a tool list or something like that using "tool list", "required tools" and "getting started" on the search engine and I found a lot of cool stuff about how to get a team started, being it about sponsors, recruitment or basic knowledge.

But, what if the team is really a new team with absolutely no workshop, tools or know-how to search the right things? Guess who fits exactly in this case...

So, people with experience, help us to create a good source for future teams! The idea of this is the basic-basic-you-must-have-this-before-going-to-fancy-things-like-a-mill tool/equipment list. I'm not saying that having a mill/lathe/cnc/autoclave in your workshop is something bad, but for a beginning team this is a bit too much (considering that we can use our university's ones or sponsors).

And before someone say "you should add something too!", I'll do my contribuition:

A set of allen wrenches
A set of sprocket wrenches
A good vernier caliper
A good ruler
A couple of different sized monkey wrenches
A screwdriver set

This is where we started...

Thanks in advance for any contribuition!

A first aid kit, fire extinguisher, and safety glasses.....

I would not want to try to build one of these cars without a bench grinder in the shop. But more importantly:

2 Hand Drills
AT LEAST one COMPLETE drillbit index
All the JB Weld and Kwik that is in your city

I don't think there is any way to get by without having access to the following

Mill
Lathe
TIG Welder
Tube Bender

Perhaps a sponsor might let you use their shop. I saw this alot when i did FIRST in high school.

I would add a good multimeter, a battery charger and a toolbox to put above mentioned tools in

A couple things I realized after graduating:

We always notched our tubes with a bench grinder. In the last couple years we started using Tube Miter to get the correct angle, but it still took a long time and there were always big gaps.

Not wanting to repeat this lengthy process for my own frame project, I spent the money for a tube notcher (Harbor Freight, $50, spend $10 on a good hole saw) and busted out about 30 notches in an hour.

I can't believe we never bought one of these. Grinding tubes, checking fit, regrinding, and repeating for both ends of 40 tubes is no way to go through your FSAE career.

A mill will work too, but the notcher is just so quick and easy. Highly recommended.

I Second Collins on the drill bits. I would find the funds for a couple large sets of very good drill bits. My first experience milling with good drillbits, I thought I accidentally bought some super machinable alloy, but I had just spent four years building cars with hand-me-down bits that had been beaten to hell by every engineering student at Oklahoma for the past ten years. Buy them, lock them up, and assign a team member to be in charge of replacing the lost and broken ones periodically.

Try to use some restraint on the JB kwik, but you should have several packs at the competitions and tests.

Also, magnetic pickup tools. And I second the fire extinguisher, saftey glasses and first aid kit.

a belt sander is a must for finish work on sheetmetal and tube end clean up.

Other than basics like socket and wrench sets...

A good hacksaw
A working bolted down vise with some soft jaw inserts (can be strips of wood even)
Basic electrical crimper and soldering iron

Ball peen hammers, tin snips, rivet guns, arbor press

One of our sponsors last year wanted to get us new tools, and we replaced almost everything. Here's the list:

Air tool set - die grinder, impact gun
Craftsman 263 piece tool set
Craftsman Ratcheting Wrench Set
Screw driver set
Dewalt 18V battery pack
Craftsman Torque Wrench - 3/8 drive 25-250 in*ln
Craftsman 8 piece plier set
Craftsman 1/4 air swivel x3
Craftsman quick connect coupler x3
Craftsman 1/4 quick connect studs
Makita varaible speed angle grinder
Craftsman 3/8" x 50' Air Hose
JD Squared Tubing bender
JD Squared Die 1" (3 180)
115 Piece Drill Bit Set
cutoff wheels (Die Grinder) 50 pack
cutoff wheels (Chop Saw) 10 pack
Milwaukee 17 piece hole saw kit
Craftsman 1" hole saw
OTC 8 pc. Snap Ring Pliers Set
Extension cord reels
Air hose reels
electric hand shear
Dead blow hammers

The Craftsman tool kits are nice because the case is molded for each socket, so you can't just throw everything in the tool box, they have to go back in their place keeping everything sorted.

Sandpaper
Car Bog
Paint Brushes
5mm Hex key
Plug spanner
Someone that knows how to use the above...

A pedestal grinder
A large table, preferably:

Level

Flat

Steel/Cast Iron/Metal

Stiff

T-Slots or Threaded Holes for fixturing (preferably with associated hardware)

Personally, our team has two, one 3x10x1 foot for frame fixturing and building, and one 5x8x1 foot for general testing, fixturing, and chassis setup. Both are tables off old planes/mills, have T-slots, and are supported at a comfortable working height.

Fred Jabs
Bearcat Motorsports
Chassis

After you have all of your basic tools you might want to look into obtaining some type of steel frame table. The best design will be junk if you don't have a way to accurately build to spec. Steel tables are nice because you can tack parts and supports to them while you are still mocking up other parts.

Whiteboard / blackboard
minifridge (an esky will do too)
microwave
phone

A set of files
Wire brush for cleaning files
Needle files

1. sawhorses
2. A good air compressor where you can use two air tools at the same time w/out it losing too much air. It'll cost more, but save you later.
3. Big and long ruler with levels.
4. compass
5. Drill press
6. A couple of battery pack for each power drill.
7. Fan (FL, CA, AZ, etc)
8. Heavy Duty soap
9. Acetone
10. Rags (lots of em)
11. Push broom
12. Dozens of trash can (you can never have enough)
13. welding gloves +jacket +helmet
14. Degreaser for your floor

When you're a new team, some team members might bring in their own tool set while waiting for the school to supply the basic tools. So it's a good idea to make a mark on the tools that the school or the sponsors supply. Maybe put some florescent yellow or red on the wrench. This way, you can distinguish between personal set and the one that the school supplies.

This might be one of the few threads here on FSAE.com where people are genuinely giving suggestions rather than being elitest assholes.

maybe becoz he
1. present his question in plain good english, writing instead of 'texting'.
2. Did use the search button
3. giving his own thoughts before asking from others.

- heavy duty grit soap (the orange smelling stuff)
- a tape measure.. you can never have enough tape measures
- silver sharpies.. good for writing on tubes
- cat litter (or the industrial equivalent) for cleaning spills
- a method of keeping inventory of tools easily
- a good tire pressure gauge.. will need to measure accurately down to around 15 psi

Although, quite possibly the three things that will make your life easier than anything else are: a way to notch tubes quickly AND accurately, a way of keeping tools organized because nothing is more frustrating than spending 30 mins doing a 5 min job because you can't find a 1/2" wrench, and a sharp set of quality drill bits (and a locked case to put them in if you leave them in your university shop).

Out of curiosity, are you moving into your own shop that is separate from the university? I was wondering what the reasoning for that is since a university shop (most of them) would be a great asset for new teams.

First of all, thank you for all the replies, it was waaaaaaay faster than I thought and brought up more things than we predicted. And we got even a first post from someone! That's good =)

So, about our situation, lets say that the bureaucracy down here forbids us to use the workshops when we need and we just got a space for us on the newly-created automotive department. But the building we are moving in is brand new (finished during summer vacations) and no tools or furniture are available. We don't want to wait the school get us some permit to use the workshops because that will be probably when the teacher is available too (read: no all-nighters), so we are doing by ourselves the whole stuff. As weird as it may sounds, the school gave us financial support but get the composites lab, machine shop, wind tunnel and other fancy things to work with us has been a fight... Anyway, every team has its own situation =]

I'm working on a compiled list of everything said above and I will try to sort them on priority levels. Again, I will need feedback before proceeding to the "Let's get'em!" part. Hopefully I will get it done by today, but I still have to do some research about the tools because, as I mentioned before, we have not much knowledge about them.

Thanks again, I will post the list soon!