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Hand Tools for
Robot Construction
Imagine robot building during
Neanderthal times. Your only tools
were various rocks, maybe an antler
or two, and wood sticks that everyone
else in your camp used for throwing
at animals they wanted to eat. This
most certainly made constructing that
perfect line follower very difficult.
Be grateful you live in the 21st
century, where tools are the mainstay
of our industrial existence. Starting
with just the lowly screwdriver, an
assortment of the right tools and the
right time helps you build better,
stronger robots. In this column, we
review some of the more common
hand tools used in building the
average robot.
There’s no way to discuss every
tool you’ll possibly see or use, but
we’ll cover the most important ones
that you won’t want to be without. In
the Sources section, you’ll find online
suppliers of hand tools in various price
ranges. (To learn more about power
tools useful in the roboto building
trade, check out the April 2008
column).
What’s in Your
Toolbox?
The most common tool for any
kind of robot construction is the
screwdriver. Because screws have
different types of heads (usually
slotted or Phillips) and heads of
different sizes, you’ll need a couple
of sizes to meet most any demand.
At a minimum, get #1 and #2 Phillips,
68 SERVO 11.2008
and medium- and small-tip slotted
drivers. Magnetic tips are handy,
but not necessary. For working
with slotted screws, get a small and
medium size flat blade screwdriver.
If space in your toolbox is limited,
consider a set with one screwdriver
handle and multiple bits. (You just
exchange the bits depending on the
screw you’re working with.) Whatever
you buy, don’t cheap out. You’ll use
your screwdrivers more than most
any other tool, so test the grip for
comfort. The plastic should not dig
into your palm. Try soft (rubber)
coated grips for extra comfort.
Miniature fasteners (those
4-40 and under) require smaller
screwdrivers. Purchase a set of #00
and #0 Phillips, and small-bladed
slotted “jeweler’s” screwdrivers.
Standard and needle-nose pliers
are the next most common tool used
in making robots. Pliers hold things
with a stronger grip than you can
apply with just your fingers. A pair
of both standard and needle-nose
pliers is sufficient for 90% of all jobs.
Avoid using either one as a wrench
for tightening bolts and nuts. They’ll
strip the head of the fastener.
A pair of “lineman’s” pliers can
be used for bigger jobs, and they
provide a sharp cutter for clipping
non-hardened wire (don’t use them to
clip steel aircraft cable or music wire).
If your robot uses nut and screw
construction, you’ll want a nut driver
to secure the nut while you’re tightening the screw with the screwdriver (or
vice versa). Nut drivers are typically
sold in sets for nuts from #2 size
to 3/8”.
You may find some other types
of wrenches useful. Locking grip
pliers — such as the Vise-Grip brand —
incorporate a mechanism that literally
locks around whatever object you
want to hold, saving your hands
considerable effort. There’s also box
wrenches, socket wrenches, adjustable
wrenches, and a slew of others, but
unless you’re building the larger metal
combat robots, you probably will have
little use for these.
A mainstay of robot building is a
hacksaw, purchase one with a sturdy
metal frame. Look for a tool that
allows quick blade changes, yet holds
the blade securely. Common blade
sizes are 10 and 12 inches long, and
many hacksaw frames are adjustable
to accommodate either one. The
smaller size is recommended when
working with metal, as the short
blade gives you more control of
the tool. Purchase an assortment of
carbide-tipped blades in 18 and 24
teeth-per-inch (tpi).
Though most robots are not
made with nails, a standard 16-ounce
hammer is a useful tool for any workshop. You might use it to hammer a
small metal bracket into a new shape,
or softly knock at the corners of your
robot to ensure the frame is square.
You will need drill bits and a
drill if you want to make any holes.
I personally recommend a small
electric drill rather than a hand drill,
