Essential Tools: These are the tools that anyone who wants to make props must own. Available in hardware stores and hobby shops, chances are you already have most of these items.

• Cyanoacrylic Glue (aka CA glue, crazy glue)
  Available at most hobby stores, you can find it marketed under various brand (and even store-name) labels. It comes in different types (thin, thick and rubberized) for varying applications. Thin is for general use, thick for filling gaps and rubberized if you need some flex in the joint. For added strength where the seam isn't visible you can sprinkle some baking soda along the joint and saturate it with CA glue. It isn't pretty but makes the join very strong. If necessary, you can shorten the glue's set time by using a product like Zip Kicker. When applied it instantly cures CA glue but be warned that it can weaken some plastics like styrene.
• Razors
  Probably the best known are the Xacto brand of razors. Great for general hobby work the blades can be too small/delicate for some applications. I use contractor-grade razors almost exclusively; they are sharp, heavy duty and replacement blades fairly cheap.
• Rotary Tool
  Almost synonymous with the Dremel brand, rotary tools are the mainstay of propbuilding. I've found Dremels actually aren't that great--they bog down under load, overheat quickly and are prone to sucking in dust (which shortens their life). Black & Decker's RTX line of rotary tools is far superior. They don't bog down, the on/off switch is separate from the speed dial and they stay cool under sustained use. The two most commonly used accessory bits are the cutoff wheel (fiberglass wheels cost more but don't break easily like the standard ones do) and sanding drum. You rarely need anything else. At the high end of rotary tools are devices like the Foredom. Capable of spinning in both directions and at much higher speeds, the isolated motor means you don't have to worry about overheating or dust getting into the motor. It's a great tool to have but you can buy several RTX's for the same amount.
• Hand Drill
  I like using a Dewalt 14.4v cordless drill. Cordless means you have the freedom to use it anywhere. The more powerful the battery the heavier it is so I find 14.4v a good compromise between power and weight. Dewalt's 15 minute quick charger means you don't need a spare battery. A drill with a keyless chuck is faster and has one less part that can be lost in the shop.
• Sandpaper
  The two most common types of sandpaper use garnet or aluminum oxide as the abrasive material. Garnet embedded paper typically has a reddish hue and is intended for hand sanding. Aluminum oxide is more durable and looks tan; it is suitable for use in power sanders or by hand. For parts that will be painted there isn't a need to go finer than 150 grit.
• Sanding blocks
  In order to sand a part level you have to use a sanding block of some sort. It's easy enough to use a small block of wood but rubber sanding blocks are cheap and designed to minimize build-up of dust under the pad. For contour sanding a foam sanding block is great. They come in various grades of grit and work better than freehand sanding.

Nice to Have: Listed in rough order of usefullness, these are the tools that will make your prop building life easier.

• Hot Glue Gun
  Great for general construction as well as any time you need a temporary join. A hot glue bond can deteriorate over time so you may not want to use it for permanent stuff but it's great when quickly assembling a silicon rubber mold.
• Heat Gun
  Another general purpose tool with too many uses to mention. Use it to quickly dry parts, shape plastic or anything else you can think of.
• Bandsaw
  The larger the bandsaw, the more rigid its blade. This is important to ensure straight cuts. A metal cutting blade (10-18 teeth per inch) is best for all-around use. While not as suited to cutting wood it is better at cutting various plastics.
• Bench Sander
  Good for quickly removing unwanted material but not for finish work. A combination 4" belt sander and 6" sanding wheel using 60 grit is a good choice.
• Drill Press
  Hand drills can do all of your drilling work but there are times when you want to guarantee a straight and accurate hole. Hand sanding tends to round off edges but attach a woodworking sanding drum to a drill press and you can get perfectly straight edges. Chuck a fiberglass dremel cutoff wheel to trim the sides of a box to a consistent height.
• Table Saw
  Another good general purpose tool. Fitted with at least a 10" carbide tipped blade the most important characteristics are how wide a piece it can support and how accurate is the guide rail. Accessory parts exist for both to improve the quality of your cuts.
• Angle Grinder
  Too coarse a tool by itself for prop building work, it is transformed when a sanding belt attachment is added. Its sanding ability earned it the nickname "Wand of Destruction" within our group.
• Shop Vac
  Not just used for vacforming it can also be employed in its intended purpose of keeping your work area clean. Doing this can not be emphasized enough--a clean work environment is safer and makes it easier to find things. Needless to say this is a constant battle for us--and one we often lose.
• Air Compressor
  Useful for resin casting (pressurizing casts and blowing away excess bronzing powder). I also like to use it to blow dust away from parts or general housekeeping.
• Palm Sander
  Makes sanding (especially large pieces) easier. Doesn't do anything hand sanding can't so it rarely gets used.

Besides the proper tools the one thing every prop builder needs is space--lots and lots of it. Storage space to keep raw materials, molds and works in progress, table space for working on props, floor space for moving around or working on extra large items, and finally space to put all the large tools like vacformers or table saws, plus the room needed to work around them. It would be nice to keep a car in the garage but as it stands there's barely enough room in this two-car garage for a couple motorcycles.

Because space is so important keeping it clean takes on an added dimension--a cluttered or dirty shop robs you of free space and makes it hard to find places to work. Pushing clutter aside to make room makes it that much harder to find tools or parts when you need them later, robbing you of time better spent working on props. It does take time to make sure your working area stays neat but it's far better than spending your time dealing with a messy area.