When you are thinking about building your own Camper you will need some tools. It doesn’t matter what kind of tools you buy but you should always buy good quality tools. All of your saws, routers and other power tools should give you accurate and straight cuts and all of your drills should give you accurate straight holes. Cordless tools should work all day without a charge or at least work several hours without changing batteries. I personally like a light weight cordless drill so I use a 12 volt Dewalt. It works all day driving screws of every size that I use and is not hard on my old arms. I also have an 18 volt Milwaukee drill for bigger holes, and I have a corded Dewalt Drill that I have had for several years. I also have a bench mount Drill Press that I use for drilling more precise holes in wood and metal.
Do you need all of these tools to build a Camper? No, but I am a tool guy and I have been collecting tools for almost 50 years. I always buy the best tools I can afford at the time of purchase and replace them if they quit working or break. In recent times tool manufacturers change their tools pretty much every year so when you go to buy a tool to replace the one that is only a few years old, it is no longer available.
In most cases it is best to only buy the tools you actually need to do a job when you need them. It is not necessary to have a shop full of tools to build your own Camper.
Table Saw
A table saw is one of the handiest tools to have when building your own camper. It can be used to break down sheets of plywood to fit on your camper build and it can be used to run dados and rabbit joints for cabinets. With a table saw you can make all of your own cabinets and walls of your camper.
I have a Ridgid cabinet table saw and I run Freud Diablo carbide tip saw blades on it. Most of the time I am running a Rip Blade. It will make clean cuts and will cut everything I need it to. If I have a big project that uses a lot of plywood, I switch out to a plywood blade. And I have a Dado set that I use for making cabinets for all of the Campers I build.
I don’t have a sled for my table saw because for cutting long pieces I use my Miter Saw. But my Table Saw is designed to use a sled.
Miter Saw
I like to use a Miter Saw to cut all of the framing for my camper builds. It makes it easy to just cut a single piece of framing or to set up a stop and cut several pieces the same length.
On my Miter Saw I also use Freud Diablo Carbide tip Saw Blades. I usually use a cut-off blade or Combination Blade on the Miter Saw.
If you watch the video on the Diablo web site they show a Diablo blade cutting a 3/8 thick steel rod. I don’t recommend you do this but if you are cutting old boards with nails your saw will cut the nails.
Router
A Router is very handy for making openings for windows in the sheathing of the camper. With a trim bit you can cut all of the openings for windows, vents and anything else that goes through the siding or roof of the camper you are building. It also comes in handy for building cabinets and counters.
In most cases I run a Trim Bit with a bottom bearing and a 1 inch cutter in a 1/4 drive router. I have a pair of Bosch corded Routers 1 in 1/4 inch and 1 in 1/2 inch drive. The 1/2 inch drive router is mounted in a router table. I have wanted and expected to replace both these routers years ago but both of them just keep on running.
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Sander
No matter what woodworking project you build you are going to find something to sand. A sander can be used for smoothing a plywood panel, making a framing member fit in place or smoothing out a window opening.
I am currently running a Dewalt Random orbital sander for most of the sanding work on my Camper Builds.
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I also have a Ryobi 3×18 inch Belt Sander
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and a Makita 3×24 Belt Sander
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and we have a Ryobi 1/3 sheet Sander as well.
Linemans pliers
Lines mans Pliers are a handy Electrician tool that are used when making connections particularly on the AC power in your camper.
I always have a pair of Linesmans Pliers in my tool kit because I am an Electrician by trade and these pliers are an Electricians go to tool. My Personal choice are made by Klein and as far as I am concerned, they are the best. There are other brands available.
Connector crimper
The Connector Crimper is used on the crimp connector that are used on the DC side of you electrical system. These crimpers make sure that all of your connectors are secure.
I currently use a Connector Crimper made by Channellock. It only does 2 things, it crimps connectors and cuts wire. This Crimper will crimp both insulated and uninsulated connectors. I like it because it crimps the stak-on connectors properly and I don’t have to worry about them coming apart anytime in the future.
Wire Cutters
This is another handy Electricians tool that is used for cutting wire anywhere you need to make a termination. I use Klein wire cutters with hardened blades. If you need to cut small bolts these cutters will do that as well. But most of the time they cut wire to light all of the lights in your Camper.
Pex Crimper
A Pex Crimper is used to install any water lines that you are putting into your camper. This tool makes it easy to make secure connections on all of your water lines.
Knife
I don’t know about you but I carry a knife everywhere. There are many uses for a knife when you are building your own camper. I use it to cut the end of a tube of Caulking, cutting sand paper for my 1/4 sheet sander, opening the sheath of a cable, and cutting the sheath on the 120 volt wire in a camper build.
Most of the time I carry a Victorinox Swiss Army knife. The model I carry is a Huntsman. It has enough attachments to be useful but not too many to be heavy in your pocket.
Needle Nose Pliers
Needle Nose Pliers are another very handy Electricians tool. They are very handy when trying to retrieve small parts, fishing wires or positioning a device in a tight space.
I currently have a large pair of Needle Nose Pliers made by Klein and a small pair of Needle Nose Pliers made by Xcelite. The Xcelite pliers are very handy for fishing wiring through holes drilled in studs and through walls.
Slotted Screwdriver
There are many devices that your will put into your own camper build that require a slotted Screwdriver. I have several sizes that I use to install plugs and connectors, adjust set screws on tools and install devices that have slotted screws.
Most of the time when I buy screwdrivers I buy a set to get all of the sizes and types. I like the Craftsman Screwdriver Sets.
They have just about everything I need to turn almost every screw I encounter when building a Camper. For specialty screws like the ones used for security I have a set of screwdriver bits that fit in a magnetic drive.
Robertson Screwdriver
I use a Robertson Screwdriver or square drive for everything in a camper build. Most of the time it is a driver in my cordless drill.
I use Robertson screws for all of my framing and sheathing for all of my Camper Builds.
Philips Screwdriver
I have several different sizes of Philips Screwdrivers. I use them mostly to turn screws that come with all of the devices and parts that are made in the US or China.
Hammer
I find that since I am building with screws I don’t often use a hammer. But I have several different hammers close by. I have a claw hammer mostly for taping parts into place or installing a nail in a piece of trim.
I also have a small ball pein hammer that I use to encourage things to fit into place, or to bend metal into different shapes.
I also have a Rubber Mallet that I use for many things mostly to move things into place that I don’t want to mar with the steel hammers.
Wood Chisel
I find that having a good wood chisel is always a useful tool to have around when building anything. I have an assortment of different size chisels from 1/8 wide to 1 inch wide. Make sure that your chisels are sharp.
Hand Saw
Most of the time when building a camper, I use a power saw but a hand saw comes in very handy when doing a quick job or for making exact cuts on trim pieces. I have a variety of saws from a traditional crosscut saw, to a small back saw, a large back saw, a hacksaw and a small close quarters hack saw. The hack saws are primarily for cutting plumbing pipe and metal for small trim pieces.
Vibrating Saw
One of the most versatile saws that I have is a vibrating saw. This saw is very handy for cutting and sanding in a confined space. It can cut metal, wood, or plastic. And anything it can cut, it can sand or polish.
The vibrating saw that I have currently is made by Dremel.
Tubing Cutter
A tubing cutter is used to cut pex water line or copper propane line. The tubing cutter will make sure that all of your tubing cuts are square.
Flaring tool
A Flaring Tool is used to put the flare on the end of a propane line for a connector. The use of flared fittings on you propane system is standard practice in all campers.
Jig Saw
A Jig Saw is another of those tools that do a variety of jobs and can be used in small spaces. You can get a variety of blades for your Jig Saw to cut metal wood or plastic and you can get blades for cutting sharp corners.
The Jig Saw that I have at the moment is made by Makita and is corded. I have had this saw for several years and it has never let me down.
Measuring Tape
You will of course need a tape. In most cases a 16 foot tape is more than adequate for most work on a Camper Build. You can also get longer tapes, but to me they are just heavy. You can also get measuring tapes in imperial measurements or in metric measurements or both.
Chalk Line
A Chalk line is very handy when breaking down large sheets of plywood with a Circular Saw or when marking a line to run screws to attach the siding to a camper.
Circular Saw
A Circular Saw is very handy when cutting sheets of plywood to size or cutting wooden parts that are already in place on a camper. Some people also use a Circular Saw to cut out the Window opening on a camper.
At the moment I have a 7 1/4 inch Circular Saw made by Makita. I also run Freud Diablo blades on my Circular Saw. This is a corded saw. I am thinking that in the future I will get a compact cordless Circular Saw for working in small spaces.
Stapler
A Stapler comes in handy for many uses on a Camper Build. A variety of Staplers can be used to build the framing of a camper, attach internal trim and attach internal sheathing.
Air Compressor
An Air Compressor can be used for many purposes in a Camper build. It can be used to clear building debris, power your stapler and brad nailers, and clean sawdust from small spaces.
Drill
The trend now days is of course to cordless drills. That is okay they are very handy. My preference is for a 12 volt cordless drill. It is very light and will work all day driving screws on a Camper Build. And it has enough power to drill any holes that I need when building a Camper. If I need more power in a cordless drill I also have a Milwaukee 18 volt cordless drill. If I need to run a drill longer I have a corded Dewalt drill that will drill as many holes as I need to. If I need to run a lot of screws in a day I have a 20 volt Dewalt Driver drill it is very quick for running a lot of screws.
Metal Bender Pliers
A pair of Metal Bender Pliers comes in very handy when forming the metal roof of a camper over the edges. Dealing with the tin is much more enjoyable with a Metal Bender Tool.
Metal Snips
Metal Snips are used to trim all of the metal that is used in a camper build. Even if you trim all of your metal with a router you will find a small corner that needs trimming with the Metal Snips.
Wire Stripper
A Wire Stripper makes a clean cut of the right size on all of the wiring in a Camper. It can also be used to just cut the wiring.
Socket Set
A Socket Set comes in handy in any Camper Build. There is always a bolt to tighten or a clamp the fasten.
Pex Cutter
A Pex Cutter is used to specifically cut square cuts on Pex tubing for all of your water lines in you Camper
Hole Saw Set
A Hole Saw Set is used to drill larger holes than 1/2 inch in wood, metal, or plastic. A hole saw leaves a clean hole in most all materials and is easy to use.
Do you need to have all of these tools to build a Camper? No, but if you have a large variety of tools you will be able to build a better, more secure product. If you don’t know how to use to tools you have, you will by the time your Camper is built. If you don’t have any tools then you can make a plan to buy new tools and learn how to use them as you build your Camper.