I'll try not to go into excruciating detail about the tools, but just in case it's helpful for someone else down the road who is trying to figure out what is required to build an RV:
Air compressor - Like most of my tools, this was a Craigslist find. Do I need an 80 gallon beast of a compressor that spits out more air than any of my tools can use? No. Is it really nice to have that much air? Absolutely! I put the compressor in the corner and plumbed it with enough copper line to let the air cool before it hits the air drops at the other end. This is necessary so that the water can condense out and be removed by the filters (need dry air for priming/painting). I don't have pictures of the air drops here, but every vertical line has a drain, and at the end of the line I have one water separator and one filter before my redneck manifold with a couple of air couplings.
One thing I did hate about the saw was the fact that the tensioning spring was too weak, so I couldn't get the blade tensioned correctly. I bought a new spring, which made all the difference in the world. The tensioning knob was also a tiny thing that was next to impossible to use, so I got an extension with a crank on it instead. Now it's a legitimately functional saw.
C-Frame - Now on to fairly aviation specific tools. The C-frame is a tool used to dimple parts. The dimple dies are sized according to the rivet to be used, and you simply place the male die on one side, the female die on the other side, and whack it all with a hammer. There is a different style of dimpling tool called the DRDT-2 that squeezes dimples instead of using a hammer blow, but personally I like the positive set of this C-Frame. It's also cool that it can be used for back riveting.
I was told that I'd need some decent space around the C-frame since it's used heavily in dimpling skins. I decided to dedicate my 2x4 bench to it. I built up a platform on either side to support parts. None of it is attached to the workbench, so it can easily be thrown under the bench when not in use.
Misc Tools - I ordered the RV toolkit from Cleaveland Tools. This doesn't have everything in it that is needed for the build, but it's a good start. The kit includes the necessary drill bits, clecos, rivet gun, air drill, bucking bars, 3M Scotch Brite wheels, etc. I opted for the pneumatic squeezer, and having used it just a little bit at this point, I'd say it is worth every penny.
Grinder - I already had a bench grinder, but ran into a few problems with it. The Scotch Brite wheels used for deburring are usually 6" wheels (they make 8" wheels, but the hole for the arbor is gigantic and wouldn't work). My grinder is an 8" grinder. This isn't a big deal, except that the body of the grinder is big enough that I wouldn't be able to use a 6" wheel without parts hitting the motor housing. I ended up getting an arbor extension from McMaster Carr to drop the arbor size down to the 1/2" I needed for the wheel, and also to push the wheel far enough away from the motor housing that there shouldn't be much interference when using it.
Back Rivet Plate - One of the simplest ways to rivet is to back rivet, where the bucking bar is on the manufactured head of the rivet, not on the side of the shop head. It's not always possible, but in just the few rivets I've set so far, I can see why it's a go-to technique. It requires a metal plate for setting the manufactured head of the rivet onto. I searched high and low for a small piece of steel (you really only need a small size), but no luck. Then I stumbled onto a welding table that was being sold on Craigslist. I didn't need the frame or the vice, but it was all being sold for barely more than I would have paid for a 6"x12" chunk of steel, so why not? Someday I'll learn to weld, and this is a great little table for that. I pulled the vice and top off and just stored the frame.
I'm putting the steel on my long bench, just to give me room around it. If push comes to shove, I can move it or even put it on the floor if I need to. The tape is to indicate where the holes are for the bolts that mount it to the welding table frame. The last thing I want is to forget they're there and ding a skin by hitting the hole with the rivet gun. Having this much steel is overkill in a big way, but it'll be awfully nice!
Other Tools - From the picture above, you can see some of the other tools. Grizzly was out of stock for nearly all of their bench tools, so I settled for a very small 1" belt sander. From what I've been told, it's hard to live without one of these. The drill press (thanks Dad) is just behind the bench next to the band saw.
