Van's estimates you will need to spend about $2000 on tools. So far after finishing the Empennage I am up to $3800 in tools, and want many many more. I am a tool hound, and like quality tools, so if you are on a tight budget you can get away with less. 2 tools that I purchased that were much more expensive than other options were my dimpler (DRTD-2) and pneumatic squeezers. I am very please with both of them and think the time savings you get with them and the repeatability makes them well worth the extra cost.

Some notes on tools I purchased, and how they are used, as when I started this project and ordered my toolkit 1/2 the tools were a mystery.  This description is for the non-builder, someone who is thinking about building, or just getting started. (Or looking at the toolkit purchasing decisions and going ... "what are all these things and do I really need them".

These are all of the tools I bought and use regualarlly from one of the kitplane tool vendors. (AveryTools, AircraftSpruce, CleavelandTools, etc)

Riveting tools

Rivet sizer

Standard Riveting:

To buck rivets you place the rivet gun on one side of the rivet, and a bucking bar on the other side.  You then hit the trigger, causing the gun to hammer at the rivet.  The impact goes through the rivet and hits the bucking bar.  This causes the rivet to be compressed on the bucking bar side.  Bucking bars come in many sizes and shapes.  The heaver the bar, the more quickly and easily the rivet will set.  Different sizes and shapes of bars are available to be able to place a bar squarely on the back of hard-to-reach rivets.  Riveting at around 40psi air pressure will usually se the rivet with a 1 second burst.  Higher pressures and the gun or bucking bar can be bounced around too much causing all sorts of problems (Usually bent metal where you don't want it).  Standard riveting is done on both flush rivets and curved rivets.

Back Riveting:

You want to back-rivet whenever you can. (Or at least I do).  It is very quick and consistant.  To backrivet you first place in a row of rivets (Standard riveting you usually only place one rivet in or they will vibrate out when the rivet beside them gets hammered on.)  You will then tape over the rivet heads (backrivet only woks with flush rivets).  There is special rivet-tape that is about like scotch-tape, but no sticky stuff in the center, so the rivet heads don't get glue stuck on them.  If you make sure to wipe the skin down with a damp cloth before putting the rivet tape on you can usually use the same piece for 10 sets of rivets.  You then flip the piece over, putting the rivet heads & tape against a backrivet plate.

All a backrivet plate is is a steel plate that acts as a large bucking bar.  You then use a backrivet attachment to your rivet gun (tip with white plastic top in gun picture) to rivet from the back side.  The white plastic piece goes over the rivet and presses the 2 pieces together while the hammer hits the rivet.  Be carefull - it is extreamly easy to start down a row of rivets and keep on going right off the end of the backrivet plate.  I read this on several blogs, and then did it myself.  If the rivet line is longer then the plate I am working on I now work from the middle of the line (at one end of the backrivet plate), making sure the direction I am riveting does not have any rivets off of the far end of the plate, so as you go down the line you can't go too far.  Then adjust the plate under more rivets, and again work back towards the rivets you have already completed so there are not any rivets to keep going on to off of the plate.

 

Rivet Sets -

Along with the 2 rivet sets (attachment that goes on the end) shown in the rivet gun picture I have also ended up purchasing the above. 

Orange tip from rivet gun picture - this is a pivoting flush set.  The tip can pivot so if you don't have it exactly flush it does not damage the surface.  It is used on flush rivets and is vary easy to use.

White tip from rivet gun picture - this is a short backrivet set.  It is used for most backrivets.

Long backrivet set, and Long backrivet offset set. I thought I was going to need the offset one, but never ended up using it.  The long backrivet set I used a lot on the tailcone where a rib would be in the way of the gun.  I would definately suggest a long and short backrivet set.

Standard rivet sets (non-flush).  Currently only have short streight and "double-offset" standard rivet sets.  This has worked fine for now.  Using standard sets you have to be very careful to keep it vertical and pressed firmly against the work surface or you will get smiley face rivets or smiley faces on the surface.

Bucking bars

Here are the 4 bucking bars I have currently, I expect to get a couple more....  The left most bar is a Tungstun bar ($130).  It is much smaller than the others (1/2 thick), but weighs significanly more.  Since I got it I have used it more than any of the others.  You will need a variety of them to get at all the rivets.