"Tooling" refers to the special tools you have to fabricate to build something. So while you can run down to your local tool store and buy a drill press, you probably can't buy the special holding fixtures, form blocks and other things you need for each part you need to make. You'll be making things that only apply to your specific project. So in this case, you need specially-shaped form blocks to bend your aluminum around to create the shapes you need for parts in the wings, fuselage, tail section, etc. Unless you have an unlimited budget, you'll probably also need to build DIY versions of more expensive tools like bending brakes. You can build a homemade bending brake for around $150, and it will be just fine for your project. Conversely, a professional bending brake will cost many thousands of dollars, and has much more capability than you will generally require. In my case, I built 2 bending brakes, numerous form blocks and lots of other special forming tools.
My bending brakes are built from angle iron and piano hinges. One is 4' long and the other is 8' long. Remember what I said about carefully examining your blueprints? I recently discovered that I have 3 bends in aluminum that are 8.5 feet long. Fortunately, a friend has a professional grade 10' brake, so I don't need to build another one. My 4' brake was more proof-of-concept, but works fantastically on smaller bends.
I spent many hours laying out form blocks from measurements in the plans. My form blocks are made from 3/4" plywood, and I used the table saw, band saw and belt/spindle sanders to create them. There are many pairs of them, even though some of them only create one right- and one left-handed version of a part. In other cases, I might make as many as 16 of each part.
Lots of form blocks, lots of wood!
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