Hand Tools

Claw Hammer

These hammers are mostly used for carpentry, not robot building.  We actually hardly ever use nails in the lab, even when doing carpentry.   These hammers can be used to convince axles to get inside bearings.  When hitting axles with this hammer, be careful not to “mushroom” the end and make it even harder to work with.   Alternately, we have intentionally mushroomed the ends of axles to keep them from coming out of a slot without needing a collar.

Rubber Mallet

The rubber mallet is used primarily to get tight-fitting pieces together or apart. This is necessary fairly often.  The rubber head is much less likely to mushroom a shaft. 

Slotted Head Driver

Slotted head, or flat head (-) screw drivers are pretty common, but we tend to not use slot head screws or bolts on robots.  The tool slips out of the screw heads too easily.   Slot head screw drivers are useful for poking, scraping and perforating things.   Slotted screw drivers come in several different sizes. 

Phillips Head Driver

We do use Phillips (+) screws a lot in our lab.  Most of our carpentry is done with Phillips screws and some robot parts do come with Phillips hardware.  Phillips bits tend to stay in the screw heads pretty well.   Phillips drivers come is several different sizes.

Hex Head Drivers

Most of the bolts that we assemble robots with have heads that accept hex drives.  Hex drive heads are very easy to work with.  When driving bolts into nuts, you need a wrench to hold the nut still while you turn the bolt head with the driver. These come in two varieties-

Solid hex extrusion that goes in a hex hole, and hollow hex extrusion that goes around a hex head.

Multibit Driver & Bits

We have several screw drivers that are handles and shafts that accept a wide range of different styles of driver bits.  These tools are particularly useful for travel toolboxes where space is limited. The bits can also be used in our Milwaukee Drills and Drivers. Bits are stored in the Cage.  They are sorted by type. Do not mix the different types together as you put them away.

Combination Wrench

Combination wrenches feature both an open-end and a box-end. The box end is ideal for hexagonal nuts (the ones we use). 

Combination wrenches are often utilized on fasteners that are difficult to loosen. The box end does a great job of loosening the fastener. The open end can then be used to fully unscrew it.

Adjustable Wrench

Adjustable wrenches can be used to hold a part steady or to turn a nut on a bolt.  Adjustable wrenches come in a range of sizes.

T-Hex Wrenches

These wrenches are long hex shafts that let you reach deep inside the robot to turn bolts.  The T shaped head lets you get a good grip on the tool and apply a lot of torque to the head.  These are also called Allen wrenches.

L-Hex Wrenches

These wrenches are a lot shorter and are meant to be used to get in crowded spaces.  Both the long end and the short end can be used to turn a bolt.  These are also called Allen keys.  Many of the collars we use come with specific Allen keys to adjust their locks.

Socket Wrenches

Socket wrenches are useful because you don't have to be able to rotate the handle all the way around. The mechanism is ratcheted so that it applies torque in one direction but slips in the other direction. There is a toggle on the head to change between clockwise and counterclockwise torque.

Pliers

Pliers are used for holding parts still. Basic pliers need to be squeezed tightly to hold onto your object.

Needle-Nose Pliers

These are like regular pliers but intentionally longer and skinnier so that they can be used in tight spaces.

Vice-Grip Pliers

These pliers are useful when you are not strong enough to hold an object still just by squeezing it. The bolt in the main leg of these pliers lets you adjust the width of the jaws. Closing the legs of the pliers together locks the jaws shut around your object. There is a release lever in the other leg to unlock the jaws.

Wood Saw

This saw has big, rough teeth, ideal for cutting wood. This is never used for building robots but can be used to build scoring element prototypes or be used for side projects.

Items being cut with this saw should be immobilized by a clamp or by an assistant. 

Miter Saw

This is also used for cutting wood, but the jig is helpful for cutting straight lines at 0°, 30°, 45°, 60° or 90°. For best results the wood should be clamped to the jig. 

Hack Saw

Metal cut with this saw will be both sharp and hot. You might want gloves on when cutting with this saw.

This saw has many tiny teeth. This can be used to cut aluminum or steel. It will cut through aluminum quickly, but it will take more time to get through steel. This saw should never be used for wood. The blade can be replaced when it is dull. 

Mini Hack Saw

The mini version of the hack saw is useful if you need to cut a piece off the robot while it is still attached to the robot. This should only be done if you are in a particular hurry, or it is impractical to take the piece off the robot first. You should ensure that polymer and metal shavings do not fall into any electronics ports on the robot. The blade can be replaced when it gets dull. 

Drywall Saw

This saw can be used to cut the pink foam insulation that we use to prototype robot parts. This tool makes rough cuts, so you might be better off using a box cutter if you need cleaner cuts. 

Craft Knife

These knives can be used to cut paper, cloth, and vinyl. Replace the blade when it gets dull. 

Box Cutter

These knives can cut cloth, paper, cardboard, and vinyl. Replace the blade when it gets dull.

Sandpaper

Sandpaper is used to smooth wood and aluminum. Low grit paper is very rough and takes off a lot of material at once. High grit paper is much smoother and is used for polishing. 

Razor File

Files are like one-dimensional, rigid sandpaper. It is used for removing material from aluminum and steel. There are flat files and round files so that you can get the shape you want in the material you are working with. 

Deburring Tool

This is a rotating blade that is used to carve excess material away from the contours of polycarbonate stock. It can be used to clean up both inner and outer contours. 

PVC Cutter

This is a ratcheting blade that is used to snap PVC pipe. The cutters we have can do pipes between 0.5” and 1.5”. 

Tube Cutter 

This is a small, bladed guillotine that is used to get crisp cuts in surgical tubing, or round belts. 

1. The Dremel tools can kick up a lot of dust and sparks so you must wear safety glasses while using the Dremel.

2. The Dremel is used for 2 primary tasks – sanding and cutting. These are done with different bits. To use the chuck on the Dremel, you have to hold down the blue lock button near the top of the tool.

3. The sanding bits are cylindrical. The bit itself is not disposable, but the sandpaper sheaths that go on the bit are disposable. When you wear out a sheath, throw it away and put on a new sheath.

4. The cutting wheels have their own holder bits that pinch the cutting wheels and hold them in place. The holders are not disposable. The cutting wheels will get smaller with repeated use.

5. The cutting wheels are ceramic and WILL break if they are dropped or twisted. They are also expensive. Please be careful with them.

Table Clamp

We have several table clamps in the lab. These are used to quickly restrain material that needs to be cut or drilled into. Be careful not to over-tighten the clamp on bolts or threaded rods so that you do not wreck the threads. Similarly, be careful when clamping steel axles or aluminum extrusion. If you scuff up an axle, it might not fit in its bearings anymore. If you over-squeeze the aluminum tubing, you will bend it. 

C-clamp

These clamps are used to temporarily attach multiple components while glue is drying or while holes are being drilled through multiple layers. 

Small Quick Clamp

These are used similarly to how C-clamps are used, but attach and detach much easier and they cannot be over-tightened, which protects the materials. There is a lever to release the lock. 

Large Quick Clamp

The large quick clamps are used similarly to the small ones but have the ability to stretch farther. 

White Glue

This glue is good for paper, cardboard, and pink foam. It takes 5-10 minutes to dry depending on how much you use. 

Wood Glue

This glue is thicker than white glue and good for filling gaps. Best results come from clamping glued surfaces together overnight. 

Gorilla Glue

This is also a gap-filling glue. It can be used on wood, polymers, and ceramic. The finished glue can be sanded and painted, making it easy to disguise the glue. 

Hot Glue

This glue is convenient but not strong. Even dry, the glue is flexible, so joints won’t crack if they are bent too far. This is best used for prototyping. 

Two Part Epoxy

This is one of the strongest glues we have. It can be used on most materials. You mix the 2 parts 50-50 with a stir stick and apply it right away. The glue is brittle, so it will crack if the joint is bent too far. This glue will be “dry” in 15 minutes but needs a few hours to fully cure. Mix this material in a disposable cup or bowl. Try not to spill this glue. It is very hard to clean up. 

CA+ Glue

This chemical reaction is very exothermic. Don’t touch the reaction site. Try not to get it on your skin.

This is the most expensive glue we use. It is thin and runny, so you have to be careful not to use too much. To fill gaps, use baking soda and then apply the glue. The glue dries instantly. Don’t touch the tip of the bottle to the material or the end will get sealed shut. Drip it from a height of 2-5 mm. Keep the cap on the glue because it evaporates at room temperature. If the bottle does get clogged, use a dissection pin to open it up. 

Hot Glue Gun

1. Hot glue is good for prototyping, but it does NOT make permanent connections. There are much better attachment methods for work that needs to be robust.

2. Plug in the gun for about 5 minutes before you use it.

3. Don’t touch the tip of the gun.

4. Let the gun cool off before you put it away.

Staple Gun

1. The primary use of the staple gun is to attach fabric to bumper panels.

2. Staples load into the gun in the back. Make sure you use the correct size staples.

3. Push the head of the tool tightly up against the surface or the staples will go all the way in.

4. Keep a pair of pliers handy to pull out staples that go in crooked.

5. Also keep a hammer handy to pound in staples that don’t sit deep enough on the first try.

6. Clean up after yourself and put everything away when you are done.