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European Tool supplier

Nils89

I'm New Here
Hi all,
being a private pilot now for 6 years I am looking to start my RV-9a project next year, based in Germany.
At the moment I am preparing my workshop, and am looking for a good tool/toolkit supplier in Europe.
Seems like all the ones listed on the Vans Site are not there anymore.

Any hints, where I could reach out to?
 
Hi Nils,

My experience is that it's probably cheaper to fly to the US and buy your tools and fly back.

You might also find a builder that has decided to stop their build, and buy all their tools.

In the end, you'll need quite a few tools, so best to just spend the money up front with one of the pre-configured kits - you will be much more productive.
 
FWIW, when I started my build, living in France, I chose a RV tool supplier and bought their tool kit adding some tools and increasing the numbers on certain items like drill bits and clecos.
It was a big, heavy box, with another big, heavy box for just ther DRDT2...

Those were shipped to my place for a decent price.

Now, that was 10 years ago and shipping today would probably be insane...
One challenge is to find good SAE tools like wrenches and box-wenches etc.
Searching Internet, I found a supplier in France (DR MOTO PARTS) that sold tools for guys that worked/repaired American cars and Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
Unfortunately, that supplier shut down in 2020...
As said above, Aircraft Spruce Europe works also.
 
Try LAS Aerospace I have got some good stuff from them and they are easy to seal with, alternatively Aircraft Spruce Europe may be an option. I have also had stuff from www.aircraftengineersstore.com

Hope that helps

Please don't use LAS for tools. They are an aircraft parts company who sell tools (most of which aren't wonderful quality). On the whole they are quite expensive but hold an extensive stock. Some items they sell are offered at good prices, usually brand name parts such as the tube flaring tools. They can also be useful for supplying the odd part quickly, such as replacing a broken dimple. Far better to buy a kit from Cleaveland and then the odd tool from people like LAS or aircraft engineers store
 
good tool/toolkit supplier in Europe

Forget Europe ;)
You wanna build an aircraft, this is gonna be expensive... probably more than what you are planning for, and also take longer... ever heard of the factor 3 rule? Multiply building time and cost by 3 to get closer to the European reality (and quality).

Tooling, don't skip on that, buy the best, even if it's the most expensive. Yes, same as penguin and Harry I also recommend Cleaveland.

Anecdote:
When I built the -4, I bought some cheapie countersink from a certain US big tool company. Well, this (probably Chinese made) countersink had some roundout, and when I finally realised what had happened, my VS was ruined :mad:
A new skin/ribs, and a new countersink from another company, + shipping to EU, was quite a blow to my initial budget...
 
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