Planning my garage - fab tool recomendations

[tRustyK5]

Welder: Millermatic 210. ($1300)

Hypertherm plasma cutter: ($925)

Good for up the 3/16" thick

JD2 bender with accressories and die set ($700)

TN-100 Tube notcher: ($197)

Dake horizontal band saw: ($1075)

Total before shipping costs and taxes is $4200, but you'd be very well set up. I know the band saw seems a bit much, but after using it you'll be glad you got a quality tool (like everything else on the list..) Hydraulic downfeed, recirculating coolant and can cut up to 7" round.

You might jump up one model of plasma cutter if you already have an air compressor. The model shown in this post has it's own integrated compressor. The next model up will cut much thicker steel, but needs a seperate compressor.

Rene

 

[AkMudr]

Buy all of that stuff ^. That plasma, is that the 190C? Good model, specially if you dont have yer own compressor, but hey..if yer already buyin these tools I'd imagine you probly have a compressor. Ive used a PM380 a few times, nice torch! Definately the one I'll be buyin plus you can cut up to 1/2 dependign on speed and distance.

 

[clarkjw24]

I don't know if this is the type of bandsaw Mike was talking about...
This is the one I'm looking at from Mcmaster-Carr.

It's nice to drop some steel in...and let it do the work.

Got one these. Also got a heavy duty one which is nice. The smaller ones are good but remember with them you run a smaller/thinner blade and it will "flex" and give you slanted cuts. The bigger ones come with a hydraulic clynder that will relieve the weight coming down, giving you a straighter/slower cut. I don't use it much but a press is awsome when you need it. Also I've got one of those big air/hydraulic jack with the adjustable with. Really nice to lift lifted trucks from the front or back. Get a large air compressor so its not running every five minutes. I've also got a tire changer and electronic balancer but that not really fab stuff, but super nice to have (make some decent money changing tires for locals). Also a really good vice and maybe one of those side to side front to back drill vices for the drill press. Lathe and milling machine would be nice also.

 

[70~K5]

My dad had a cheap one that looked like this and it wouldn't cut straight. He even had the oil bath cooling setup rigged up for it. I think his was a taiwanese made one. If you can find an older quaility made one go for it. Now a days some of the best cheap machine tools are ones from the '40s and '50s if they're in desent shape.

I don't know if this is the type of bandsaw Mike was talking about...
This is the one I'm looking at from Mcmaster-Carr.

It's nice to drop some steel in...and let it do the work.

 

[AkMudr]

Not to hijack BUT...With the manual bender..how hard exactly is it to bend tubing, say 1.5x.120 wall DOM? I'm lookin at gettin a bender and saw the price of makin it hydraulic, yeh definately the way to go and more precise bends that way but dayum, can get spendy!

 

[tRustyK5]

I have the JD2 and the TN100 notcher myself. The die set we got was the 1.75" x 6.5" CLR and the bending part of things isn't that bad at all. I made a big angle finder and used it a lot...even though i have the degree wheel to

The actual effort to bend the tube is moderate I'd say. If the floor is slippery traction is more of an issue than arm strength. I don't have a lot of ballast though...I weigh about a buck and a half. Unless you're doing production work I don't see the need for hydraulic's.

Rene

 

[tRustyK5]

Buy all of that stuff ^. That plasma, is that the 190C? Good model, specially if you dont have yer own compressor, but hey..if yer already buyin these tools I'd imagine you probly have a compressor. Ive used a PM380 a few times, nice torch! Definately the one I'll be buyin plus you can cut up to 1/2 dependign on speed and distance.

Yeah, that was the 190C. The PowerMax 380 is the next model up and will cut 3/8"...yet it's only $75 more.

Rene

 

[BadDog]

Basics:

Hobart 180 (or similar) 220 welder set up for gas with 75/25. 210 class machine if you can swing it, but I have only once wished I had a bigger machine than my 175 (and that was on the links project).

HT 380 Plasma. Cheap consumables and dependable machine that will do what it's rated (unlike some). Again, bigger is better if you can swing it, but this thing cuts 1/4 without trouble and I have cut 1/2", but its slow and messy.

NE5 or similar bender, not much to say there. I liked the NE5 because of the bushings and easy die changes. Others have better finish and so no. Each has small pros and cons and all prices are competitive.

Milwaukee chop saw.

One of those Grizzley (or similar) band saws with adjustable angle "head" and hydraulic down feed already setup for coolant. 4x6 is good for most things, as always, larger is generally better.

5/8-3/4" Floor mounted drill press with sub 200 rpm shaft speed. Cross slide vice and mill clamp set too.

20 ton HF hydraulic press. Works fine for most anything automotive.

HF strap and bar stock bender. Cheap and very handy.

HF (or better) sheet metal brake of 30" or better and able to do 16 ga. mild steel.

HF bead roller if your going to do floor panels and such. Also does nice offset flanges for patch panels and the like.

5HP+ 60+ gallon compressor and plumb the shop with multiple drops.

Lots of electrical plugs everywhere!

Steel rack and in-feed table.

Fabrication/Welding table.

Wish List:

Iron Worker.

Mill

Lathe

Hydraulic vehicle lift.

 

[JK5]

We've had that problem..just adjusted tension..and centered the blade.

We have 2 of these at work...
One is a model from the 60's..the other is a Mcmaster saw...

They both work just as well...ours cut pretty straight...for a cheap drop saw.
The only thing I noticed is..speed..they're on the slow side.

I also like the way the saw tips back..so I can do some cutting by hand.

 

[ntsqd]

I've got one of the cheap ones, a "Rong Fu" from HF. It needed some tuning when it was new 15 years ago in order to cut straight, but it has mostly cut straight ever since. The times it hasn't were all operator error.

Found a page somewhere where a guy had one of these saws and he built a reguular undertray and rolling stand for it, instead of the cheesy stand it comes with. Would highly recommend such a mod. Bonus is that his stand and tray allow use of cutting fluid with a pump.
Fast it is not, unless you compare it to cutting things out with a hacksaw....

 

[BadDog]

I built a stand for mine that raises it up to a more convienient level and makes it much more stable. It was also designed for a coolant tray, but I never got around to adding it.

 

[jekbrown]

yeah, one thing no one has mentioned that I'd love to have in my shop is a sandblasting rig. Gonna need a high cfm compressor, but I think it'd be worth the cost. With lots of cfms you'll be able to paint too. I have a cheapo compressor... good for impact wrench, die grinding and some cut-off wheel work, but not much else. Being able to sandblast/paint would be cool.

j

 

[AkMudr]

An overhead winch on a rolling chassis. VERY nice when pullin stuff from a tall rig.

 

[big jimmy 91]

Another handy thing for cutting sheet metal is a "beverlly shear"(sp?)

It's small , good for 10 GA (1/8") mild steel or heavier if you get a larger beverly

It works like a set of tin snips but much larger , and attached to a base

We usually attach ours to a heavy steel saw horse , the only draw back is it distorts the metal on the cut side , its not a clean cut like a regular shear but ti cuts curves

I usually have a problem fabbing at home and not having access to a fully equipped shop

You are still a lucky so and so to be able to fill a shop full of equipment
Have fun , look for some good deals

Auctions are a good place to get great deals on shop equip.

 

[bdozeraz]

"I'm going to use the two car side of a 3 car garage as my shop, so I should have plenty of room."

You think so now, wait till you get all those tools in there and start working. You will find yourself running out of room real quick. I have a 36' X 30' shop and it is getting to small.

I would think about putting a wall up to seperate the one car side if you are going to park anything there will you are working. Protect it from flying debree and such.

Brent

 

[ntsqd]

yeah, one thing no one has mentioned that I'd love to have in my shop is a sandblasting rig.
j

Search this site: http://www.tptools.com/ I have one of their table top blast cabinets. Works great for 90% of what I need to do. The remainder I take over to MISF's larger cabinet. I can run it off my small home sized compressor as long as I take a break once in a while. I'm just about to set up an old shop-vac to be a dust trap for my good shop-vac.

Another handy thing for cutting sheet metal is a "beverlly shear"(sp?)

Beverly Shears are also the best way I've found for cutting rubber lined braided stainless hose. I use a chop saw for the teflon lined, but it makes huge mess with the rubber lined stuff.

 

[Poohbair]

Best welder I have ever used was an ESAB... best plasma cutter was a Snap-On w/ a drag tip

Oh, and I didn't see anyone mention just a good ol' fashion torch if you don't have one. There are still ALOT of things that a torch can do that a plasma cant.

 

[diesel4me]

buy the "big stuff" first!

Of all the tools and stuff I have in my garage,the one thing I still need the most is still missing--A LIFT!--you can have all the drill presses,bandsaws,presses,lathes,milling machines,etc,which are all nessasary for fabricating metal parts for your truck--but when it comes time to installing axles,engines,tranny's,doing any"undercarriage" work,a lift is an absolute must in my book,NOT a luxury!--having spent all my restorations lying on the cold cement floor(or out on the asphalt driveway before I built the garage)I can attest it is money well spent!--I'd be in a lot better health if I had a lift back when I started messing around with trucks...

Another handy item is a gantry crane that rolls around on 4 wheels,great for loading and unloading heavy stuff into your truck,or pulling engines,cabs,and beds off-an engine crane is an almost must have item too,it can do a lot more than lift engines--an "I" beam with a trolley is almost as good,but you cant roll it outside and use it..you can use a lift to put heavy things in the truck too,but its not portable either....

I think all you really need in most cases is a good set of tools,a welder,a MIG welder for body repairs and light fabrication,and an old AC arc welder for frames and heavy metal,a good set of torches(dont buy the dinky "kangaroo pouch" ones like I did--they suck for cutting anything,great for brazing though)--

a drill press is almost a must,I have gotten by without a chop saw or bandsaw(though they would be nice to have)-I use an old table saw with abrasive metal cutting blades(a guy I know saves me his worn down 14inch ones from his chop saw,the are about 7 inches when they are useless to him,but are perfect size for my table saw!)-

-A press is nice to have,but takes up a lot of space--same with lathes and milling machines--and they are costly,and dont get used often enough to justify me having one(but I would like to have one anyway!)--good floor jacks and jack stands are a must,and a sink to wash up in or even a shower would be a nice addition to any shop--it beats getting your @ss reamed for dragging dirt and grease in the house! A washing machine just for your shop clothes is a costly luxury,but goes a long way to prevent squabbles with the woman of the house--most hate having smelly greasy clothes in with the rest of the family's clothes!(ask me how I know! ).

Just build the garage twice as big as you first planned--and it will still be too small!--if you plan on spending lots of time in it,a TV and a cot or day bed is a good idea--if the wife gets cranky,you can always sleep in the garage!..thats where the beer fridge or kegarator(and a camp stove) comes in!

Another thing I found a must is a large fan mounted in the wall with louvers for ventilation while painting or welding,and for cooling the shop off in the summer..a furnace is a must have too,if you have 9 months of crappy weather like we do--not fun working on a truck when the wrenches stick to your hands...

 

[nvrenuf]

All the obvious stuff has been covered so I'll add the extra things I'd want -

* metal work bench that can survive being used (preferably with a fluid catch/drain)
* (functional) deep stainless sink
* pooper
* stereo and/or TV
* phone

 

[velocitiii]

Before I bought all those "nice to have" tools I'd get a lathe or a mill. There are lots of things you can do with them that just can't be done otherwise.

With a lathe, mill, welder and torch there isn't anything you cant make.