Things I wish I had bought years ago...

[Scott & Heather]

Doing bus number two, I'm buying things I should have bought for bus number 1. Here's my short list so far:

1. Advantech OSB. This stuff is everything it claims to be. It's perfectly flat, no sanding at all, it's dense and heavy, it's literally waterproof (I have some out in the rain to prove it). And the tongue and groove on it is way more precise than any plywood tongue and groove I've worked with. My seams are tight. Also, there are no knots so no filling in knots before you lay your flooring. That was a pain last time around. And at $26 per sheet, it's affordable.


2. Dewalt impact screw gun and drill set.  I have had Hardly Fake brand, Craftsman pro brand, and used Makita and others. Buying a good impact screw gun and drill has made this bus build way easier. I can't even begin to explain the quality difference.

3. Great Stuff pro foam gun 14. Yes, it's expensive, yes the foam cans cost a bit more, but the ability to precisely place an knob-adjusted amount of foam exactly where you want it and then release the trigger and the flow stops instantly? Awesome. Simply awesome. No bendy breaky plastic straws, just a long metal needle nozzle that can reach places you never thought foamable

4. Electric sheet metal shears. Bought the Hardly Fake brand and frankly, they work. When skinning over some window openings, these cut through my 20 gauge steel like it was paper. Easy peasy, fast and very clean cuts without any rippling of the metal whatsoever. Really wish I had these in my arsenal for the first bus build.

5. Screw gun holsters and screw caddy. When building the first bus, I was always on a constant hunt for my screw gun or drill and often even had to find the last place I had left my box of screws. It slowed my progress down immensely. It was annoying and I determine not to repeat that circus while converting the new bus. These made all the difference in the world. Now as I walk around the coach working on projects, I can pre drill a hole in the metal with the drill and instantly whip out the screw gun and a screw from the caddy and pop it in. Huge time saver...where have these been all my life?

6. Self locking tape measure. The truth is, tape measures are probably the most used and abused and lost tools on a job. The old school tapes that require you to lock them in the extended position are really lame. The newer tapes that lock by default in the extended position and only unlock and retract when you press the button are really wonderful. You won't know how great this feature is until you use one for a while.


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[Dave5Cs]

Scott now get 2 more batteries so you always have a charged one ready. I just got the Milwaukee 18 Lithium battery. Stays charged 4 times longer and it has a hammer drill in it also.
Always wanted one of the shears though!...
Dave5Cs

[Jim Eh.]

Any smell from that OSB? I installed some regular OSB against the fire wall and even after 3 months I still could not stand the smell. What a joy ripping it out after using a little too much sikaflex! 

[jav9956]

That is a good list. First tool we bought for our conversion was a Rigid combo drill driver/impact set... I like Rigid's warranty. The lithium impact driver is absolutely irreplaceable.

This is how we save a little money on some of the goodies we buy: 1.) Change your mailing address (a mailing address), home depot sent us a 15% off coupon up to $200 in savings 2.) buy home depot gift cards online for an added 6.2% off (we bought $1,400 in home depot gift cards on giftcardzen.com at one time, they e-mailed them to us and they worked great), 3.) use your credit card for gift card purchase for an added 1-3% off and finally 4.) buy certain items in bulk from home depot like Great Stuff, paint, construction glue etc for added savings. I am a penny pincher and this is how we have already saved a couple thousand on tools and supplies (we were starting from scratch). Another approach is buying 10% coupons from Lowes online... I use a website that charges me about $2 a coupon good for up to $500 in savings and they e-mail them directly to me. Always looking for a way to save a little bit on toys  . You really have to in L.A. though because it is 9% sales tax  .

Looking forward to some more pictures on your project, it is great to see what you come up with! We managed to raise our roof 9", very happy with it now. Progress happening a lot faster now that we are over that hump.

[chessie4905]

Wrist band magnetic nail holder-Amazon or Ebay


http://www.ebay.com/itm/MagnoGrip-311-090-Magnetic-Wristband-New-Free-Shipping-/361071033665?hash=item541182bd41:g:AwkAAOSwxYxUr5BT

[lvmci]

chessie, what a great idea...

[luvrbus]

How can you do a bus without a table saw ?

[Debo]

I've found a thousand uses for an oscillating tool. Mine is a Rockwell SonicCrafter, but a lot of companies make them. Sometimes, it's the only thing that will do the job. Very handy, and not super expensive.

[Dave5Cs]

Bosch Jig saw!...

[MB LeMirage]

 Chinese plasma cutter. Cheap on the outside but all the exact same Panasonic internals (even the same part numbers) as our big brand name unit at work. $300 versus $2500.
Ryan.

[eagle19952]

Chinese plasma cutter. Cheap on the outside but all the exact same Panasonic internals (even the same part numbers) as our big brand name unit at work. $300 versus $2500.
Ryan.

Chinese brand name would help...

[TheHollands!]

4-1/2 in. 40-Grit Steel Demon Grinding and Polishing Flap Disc for my grinder. I had a fella show me these for cleaning up all the curves on my bus. I ended up using this so much. Craig

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Diablo-4-1-2-in-40-Grit-Steel-Demon-Grinding-and-Polishing-Flap-Disc-with-Type-29-Conical-Design-DCX045040N01F/202830903

[Scott & Heather]

Jim, no smell at all from my advantech. It's formaldehyde free and used in construction enough that it would get a bad rap if it stunk. Oscillating tool!!!! This one is huge so I added it to the list. I've used ours to the point I think it is on its last leg!!  Craig, I've used the flap discs. They are awesome. Dave, the batteries are $100 for two so I'll be getting them soon. Bjorn, dude, I need you here...we could nail this bus conversion fast and cheap. I need to pop over to your project page and see the roof raise. Magnetic nail holder? On my screw caddy cliff, I have one lol. But I'm listing some of the things I didn't have for the first bus conversion that I do for this second one that seem to be making all of the difference. Dave5c, the jigsaw is the do all for me...for radius curves. Ryan, haven't needed one yet....but would love one.


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[TomC]

I have 4 Dewalt 18v screw drivers. There's times I'm using all of them for the same job. Drill, sand, countersink, drive screw. Good luck TomC

[Seangie]

Bosch Jig saw!...

Bosch Anything - Their tools are bad @$#.