[Jamie]

Get a good tube tester with sockets for all kinds of tubes. Don't make the mistake of getting a small tester with only four or five sockets (don't ask me how I know this).

You will need -
Tube Tester - $120
DMM (Digital Multi-meter) - $45
Signal Generator - $50
Isolation Transformer (or a dim bulb tester, if money is tight) - $50

About $275

Also good to have -
Variac - $50
Vacuum Tube Volt Meter - $30
decent soldering station - $100
heat gun - $30

All totalled, less than $500 (Ebay prices! .. Much much less if you find it on CL or estate sales). If I forgot anything, please remind me.

Your cabinet repair is excellent, but there is nothing like knowing you can fix most any radio. I used to just focus on cabinets too, but once I got the hang of the electronics, my enjoyment of the hobby quadrupled (and I still have a LOT to learn). Don't be intimidated by any radio... jump right in there and get to work. You will surprise yourself. You're a smart guy, you will learn quickly.

You will only "get better" by working on the tough jobs. You can already do "easy" radios. That radio has loose wires? Pick a known point, any point - a tube, a control knob, the power cord - find it on the schematic and use a highlighter to trace it out, correcting errors as you go, checking resistors, replacing caps. It sounds like a real chore, but it isn't. And the first time you flip the switch and that radio plays... and you know YOU did it - there is nothing like it. You did a BEAUTIFUL job refinishing that set... it deserves an equal electronic restoration. You can do it.