Toolkit

Besides the standard fare of hand tools like a hammer and screwdrivers, there are a few tools that we found to be essential to completing our build. Not everyone uses the same tools for the same tasks, but these are the ones that we found most effective and the most important for our needs.

 

Circular Saw - A circular saw can be used to tackle a large portion of the demo and assembly of a build. With a variety of blades available, circular saws can cut wood, metal, foam insulation and pipes. Before we purchased a table saw, we used a circular saw to do the majority of the work on the bus, from cutting the subfloor to building our dresser drawers.

 

Jigsaw - Capable of making curved and plunge cuts, as well as straight cuts, the jigsaw also constitutes a formidable tool. Using a jigsaw we were able to cut wall panels that perfectly contoured to the curvature of the roof or were notched to accommodate plumbing and wiring. We even used our jigsaw to cut holes for which we didn’t have a large enough hole saw.

 

Angle Grinder - Outfitted with a cutoff or a grinding wheel, there is very little that can’t be accomplished with an angle grinder. Without one, we might still be on the demo phase of our build. We used our grinder to cut off all of the bolts that held the wheelchair tracks and cut out our chair rails. We used the grinding wheel to grind off rivets inside and outside the bus. We even used sanding discs to smooth patches and soften edges of sheet metal.

 

Voltmeter - A voltmeter is immensely helpful, especially when dealing with unknown wiring. We were fortunate enough to obtain electrical schematics for our bus, but that didn’t answer every question we had. We used our meter to check continuity and ensure that our wires were unbroken. We used it to test circuits and determine the pinouts for some switches we recycled. Even an inexpensive voltmeter (the one pictured here was a freebie from Harbor Freight) can be a valuable asset.

 

Drill - A good reversible drill is absolutely essential to the build process. It makes removing screws easier and faster as well as installing new ones. Drills can be used with grinding wheels, wire brushes, cutting discs, hole saws and all manner of accessories to expand their capabilities.

 

Riveter - There’s a reason the aeronautic industry has extensively utilized rivets - they’re extremely effective. We used rivets to maintain the aesthetics of the bus as well as to create strong, simple connections between components. In addition to using rivets for patches and window skins, we also riveted our solar rack to the bus and hinges to our access doors.

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