If you want to do it cheap and make the tools yourself hold on a bit. I am in the process of moving right now. In a few weeks I plan to post dimensions for my home built tools that work great and can be easily fabricated. I don't use a hydraulic press by the way :wink:
Am I duplicating tools? Your opinions on each?
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I'd be into that too. But one I don't have alot of power cutting/grinding tools or welding tools to work with steel. And two this is my first AK build so I think just getting the gun done is enough for me at this point. But as anal as I am I'll probably do some customizing of tools once I'm into my second or third build. lol! 
Syn - When I bought my compressor I ran into some random guy who convinced me to go bigger. So I got lucky. I had done some research. But I bought bigger than I was going to.
But even then - I still wish I had more compressor. I have the normal air tools. But also a media blasting booth I got for $99 scratched at my local HF store. And I can only use it for like 20 minutes or so before I have to stop and have a smoke while it fills back up. And it's a pretty big tank/compressor. That's where it gets you. Having enough PSI to run the tools you want. And then being able to run them for "as long as you want".
Subscribe to slickdeals.net they are pretty good at listing anything that HF puts on sale. Also check for when your local (if you have one) HF store has a parking lot sale. They bring out their scratch and dent stuff. I saw big compressors on sale last time I went. You might even ask them if they have any compressors like that in back. I think it's a pretty commonly returned item. I have been trying to do the same to find a press. If I have someone drive me down (recovering from back surgery) to the HF store they are $140. With shipping ALOT more. I'm also going to try Craigslist. My tool list with a press is close to $500 as it is. So there is plenty of incentive to try to improvise. Some of the ideas here could lower that amount significantly. HF also sells an arbor press for $50. I have read on here about someone using it and a BFH with fairly good results. Might have been Motor'.
I too, see the many ways an AK can be built. More and more I think it's about what you have on hand and what your good at. What your confident with. I can't weld (just haven't tried). But I feel totally confident with air tools. Especially an air hammer. I've stripped several cars with the chisel attachment on the air hammer.
I'm going to buy some of restorits stuff and akbuilder. Use the $40 bolt cutter rivet tool on the front trunion rivets. Use my normal air hammer to demil, do the trigger guard rivets, barrel in and out, and give the aircraft rivet air hammer a try for the long rivets. If it worked I'd save $50 and have less stuff crammed in my shop. Not that a press isn't a VERY usable tool. I could try it and return it if it didn't work I guess. No harm trying.
It also seems like the more you could use an air tool on a build the less set up time you have. Just the time grinding the old rivet heads off is cut way down by using the air hammer with the chisel attachment. I forgot to ask Motor' if he uses his air hammer to push out old long rivets. He does the barrel pin that way. But if you could do the old long rivets that would have to be WAY faster too. I also have this huge set of bolt cutters in my shop. It would be awesome if they could stretch open wide enough to do the long rivets. You wouldn't need a press for anything then. But I don't think the geometry of the cutters bite would work. And I'm sure someone has already tried that - those bolt cutters come in some huge sizes for cheap.
An air hammer is so much like a hammer and/or with a chisel. I like the idea of being able to build an AK with the simplest tools. Like throw out all the power or hydraulic tools and just use a hammer. But even if I ditched the air and did it all with a hammer your still using some pretty sophisticated jigs. I just mean like if you were trying to replicate building an AK as if you were in the middle of nowhere, third world, dirt floor gunsmith type stuff - you'd still be cheating a fair amount. Restoreit and AKbuilder aren't exactly marketing their stuff in the Afghan mountains! lol! They could probably make a killing if they did though.
Sorry for the long post. I'm recovering from back surgery. And BORED as hell! lol!
But even then - I still wish I had more compressor. I have the normal air tools. But also a media blasting booth I got for $99 scratched at my local HF store. And I can only use it for like 20 minutes or so before I have to stop and have a smoke while it fills back up. And it's a pretty big tank/compressor. That's where it gets you. Having enough PSI to run the tools you want. And then being able to run them for "as long as you want".
Subscribe to slickdeals.net they are pretty good at listing anything that HF puts on sale. Also check for when your local (if you have one) HF store has a parking lot sale. They bring out their scratch and dent stuff. I saw big compressors on sale last time I went. You might even ask them if they have any compressors like that in back. I think it's a pretty commonly returned item. I have been trying to do the same to find a press. If I have someone drive me down (recovering from back surgery) to the HF store they are $140. With shipping ALOT more. I'm also going to try Craigslist. My tool list with a press is close to $500 as it is. So there is plenty of incentive to try to improvise. Some of the ideas here could lower that amount significantly. HF also sells an arbor press for $50. I have read on here about someone using it and a BFH with fairly good results. Might have been Motor'.
I too, see the many ways an AK can be built. More and more I think it's about what you have on hand and what your good at. What your confident with. I can't weld (just haven't tried). But I feel totally confident with air tools. Especially an air hammer. I've stripped several cars with the chisel attachment on the air hammer.
I'm going to buy some of restorits stuff and akbuilder. Use the $40 bolt cutter rivet tool on the front trunion rivets. Use my normal air hammer to demil, do the trigger guard rivets, barrel in and out, and give the aircraft rivet air hammer a try for the long rivets. If it worked I'd save $50 and have less stuff crammed in my shop. Not that a press isn't a VERY usable tool. I could try it and return it if it didn't work I guess. No harm trying.
It also seems like the more you could use an air tool on a build the less set up time you have. Just the time grinding the old rivet heads off is cut way down by using the air hammer with the chisel attachment. I forgot to ask Motor' if he uses his air hammer to push out old long rivets. He does the barrel pin that way. But if you could do the old long rivets that would have to be WAY faster too. I also have this huge set of bolt cutters in my shop. It would be awesome if they could stretch open wide enough to do the long rivets. You wouldn't need a press for anything then. But I don't think the geometry of the cutters bite would work. And I'm sure someone has already tried that - those bolt cutters come in some huge sizes for cheap.
An air hammer is so much like a hammer and/or with a chisel. I like the idea of being able to build an AK with the simplest tools. Like throw out all the power or hydraulic tools and just use a hammer. But even if I ditched the air and did it all with a hammer your still using some pretty sophisticated jigs. I just mean like if you were trying to replicate building an AK as if you were in the middle of nowhere, third world, dirt floor gunsmith type stuff - you'd still be cheating a fair amount.
Restoreit and AKbuilder aren't exactly marketing their stuff in the Afghan mountains! lol! They could probably make a killing if they did though. Sorry for the long post. I'm recovering from back surgery. And BORED as hell! lol!
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