Advice on tools for fabrication

[OldToyotaGuy]

Hey guys,

I'm looking for three new tools to add to my workspace. First off, I'd like a tool to make cutting metal a bit easier. I use a grinder with a cutting wheel and it cuts like butter but leaves a lot of burrs and I obviously can't cut totally straight. I don't know what to look for but I'd like a saw that can make clean cuts and can cut on angles. I know some miter saws an cut angles well but I've heard bandsaws are best for metal. I was also looking into a small drill press. I found this online https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00HQONFVE/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&psc=1. It has great reviews but would I be able to drill through metal effectively with this? And finally, I am looking at getting a pipe bender for the 100 -400 dollar range. I'm thinking of going with the JD2 bender https://www.jd2.com/p-32-model-3-bender.aspx. What do you guys think? I am working in a small space and am looking to get stuff for cheap but also I want good quality tools.

 

[Whitetrashrocker]

You can never have enough tools!

I have a similar drill press. Don't expect too much. I bog mine down and it wobbles. Better than a hand drill but not precise.
Band saws are nice but they are never big enough for what you want to do it seems.
And I don't know about the bender.

 

[Scotfree1993]

I have a Harbor Freight Drill Press. Item #60237 #139.99, $111.99 with 20% coupon. Looks very similar to the one on Amazon however it is different colors. Works well but a little louder than a better quality machine.

 

[Jfive]

I suggest a harbor freight grinder with cut discs. I use mine all the time. Plus the drill bits at 13.99 for a set.

 

[mckutzy]

Well us Canadians have to deal with the Princess instead.... However.... some of there stuff is starting to get a better foothold than Canadian tire......

Pretty much with all of the smaller drillpress's, you have to go slow to drill a good hole through metal.

That bender however is a good top quality machine... You also need the dies, once again expensive... but well worth it.

Band saws arent cheap... even hand varients.... I know that doesnt help... but if you have the money... spend it on a decent one.

 

[pRoFiT]

I would like all three too.

Thinking cheap sturdy drill press and swap out motor with this 90vdc treadmill motor I picked up.

Bandsaw....expensive and good one is going to eat up space. Maybe upright would be okay. I have junk one that needs fixing. Cheap though. I think black and decker! New blades are too thick and won't fit holder! So I gave up.

I was thinking hf chop saw. Can do angles. Cut small pipe and tubing. Better then angle grinder with cutoff blades.

My only tools, welder and angle grinder! Oh and cheap wired drill. Does the job
, but having the three items you mention would be great!

---------- Post added at 10:49 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:46 AM ----------

P.s. Next three expensive items. Mill, lathe, tig. My wife will kill me but I will go out when a smile and some cool tools.

 

[OldToyotaGuy]

Princess Auto stuff usually seems to be better value than Crappy Tire stuff, at least for some things. I guess I'll go for this cheaper drill press then, at least for the time being! The pipe bender has some rave reviews from 4x4 guys, and seeing as I am building my kart for offloading and need a cage, a pipe bender is essential. I definitely am a strong supporter of the grinders with cutting wheels lol. You can never go wrong. And yeah a chop saw could work actually. I'm just looking for a more precise way of cutting metal. I've used cutting tools designated for wood to cut metal but they usually overheat and die out after a while

---------- Post added at 01:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:27 PM ----------

This thing looks pretty cool but its pricey
https://www.amazon.ca/Evolution-Pow...id=1478115185&sr=8-4&keywords=metal+miter+saw

 

[Bbqjoe]

How come no one even mentioned a plasma cutter?
Every real man on this planet needs a plasma cutter.

 

[Jfive]

Lotus plasma Amazon. Buddy ordered this and works pretty good. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004...tus+plasma&dpPl=1&dpID=51lvN2uTFcL&ref=plSrch

 

[Flyinhillbilly]

I have a Woodward fab mandrel bender. Just like the JD2 bender but the mandrels are steel rather than aluminum. I really like it.

 

[B.M.800]

Dont be afraid to look in the used market. Lots of good, quality tools for reasonable prices are out there.

 

[chancer]

That is the bender of choice if you have the money.

Use a Metal Grade Chop saw to cut the steel. A good one may have a lazer line, and mitre.
Yes you have to grind and clean up the edges. Part of the game.

That drill press should Work just fine.

 

[Flyinhillbilly]

How come no one even mentioned a plasma cutter?
Every real man on this planet needs a plasma cutter.

I had one, I sold it. Firepower brand, not even a cheap one. I just never really found it as a preferable replacement to any of my other cutting tools.

Look at a porta-band IMO, I do all kinds of stuff with mine.

 

[Bbqjoe]

Lotus plasma Amazon. Buddy ordered this and works pretty good. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004...tus+plasma&dpPl=1&dpID=51lvN2uTFcL&ref=plSrch

 

[supermanotorious]

all I should say is Welcome to the Worm Hole.

for starters you need a way to cut metal and a way to glue it back together, sounds simple- right?

yes even a $9 Harbor Freight angle grinder (with coupon) with a cut-off disc will cut the metal (albeit not very efficiently (read: get a ton of discs)) and their 70 amp stick welder will do the 2 tricks

then someday you get tired of the angle grinder for it's quickly disappearing cut-off discs and inaccurate cuts (plus those HF grinders burn out quickly...$9 here and there) so you opt for the <$100 chop saw, it has a angle setting clamp, cuts slightly more precise than the angle grinder, and the 14" discs last quite a bit longer, but you still have to deal with sharp, aggressive burrs, sparks, and ear splitting noise as you cut

the stick welder handles most of your needs but now your family and friends are asking you to fix their pool fences, lawnmower decks (you name it) and more, and that doggone stick welder is blowing holes in everything, on top of that you get to test out a friend's HF 90 amp flux-core machine and you love the convenience so you pick one up- but still you find it blows out thin metal given it's crude adjustments

where do you go from here? name-brand welders significantly range in price

you'll also need files, clamps, jigs, cutting oil, nozzle gel, pullers, expanders, pliers, drivers, wrenches, sockets, adapters, squares, magnets, tool boxes, drill bits, step bits, reams, and more

your cutting and gluing leave much to be desired..... how do we prioritize? cutting? shaping? or joining?

somewhere along the line you want to work with bends, welcome to inception as this is the largest worm hole within the fabrication worm hole, pipe or tube? flat? square or round? hollow or solid? mandrel? the options are almost limitless, there's DIY then there's pro-grade $$$$$$$$$

holes! hand drill or drill press? there are times and places for either

now you're running out of room! the garage can only hold so many tools, the wife only allows so many tools per square foot so you must get creative! an RV pad? a shed? somewhere off-site? how do you deliver adequate power to the spot?

sometimes you need to work with sheet metal- another worm hole, sure a jig saw will cut it crudely, so will the band saw you're considering buying, and by now, you're realizing every new "toy" is at least $500 or let's be honest, you would've had it by now, but to cut sheet metal you need a shear, a real one, not a pair of aircraft shears that might've worked here and there, and maybe a brake too to put accurate bends in the sheet metal, how about an english roller to make nice, curved pieces of sheet metal (not to mention the press, or the hammer press)?

oh my! what about a plasma cutter? about the same price as a welder and we're cutting most anything, but not with super precision, but maybe we could attach a computer to that plasma cutter?! now we're getting some pretty precise cuts! but this comes at the expense of not only dollars, but time, and space

plasma is great but CNC or waterjet would be even better!

how "fabricator" are you trying to get? making your own chain links? expanded sheet metal? much to consider but do not fret, no one, and I mean no one builds this tool set overnight, it is a worm hole, a journey, you will learn SO much on the trail and we're here to help

no doubt I've left many things out so comment away

 

[Bbqjoe]

Nice Super!

 

[Flyinhillbilly]

all I should say is Welcome to the Worm Hole.

for starters you need a way to cut metal and a way to glue it back together, sounds simple- right?

yes even a $9 Harbor Freight angle grinder (with coupon) with a cut-off disc will cut the metal (albeit not very efficiently (read: get a ton of discs)) and their 70 amp stick welder will do the 2 tricks

then someday you get tired of the angle grinder for it's quickly disappearing cut-off discs and inaccurate cuts (plus those HF grinders burn out quickly...$9 here and there) so you opt for the <$100 chop saw, it has a angle setting clamp, cuts slightly more precise than the angle grinder, and the 14" discs last quite a bit longer, but you still have to deal with sharp, aggressive burrs, sparks, and ear splitting noise as you cut

the stick welder handles most of your needs but now your family and friends are asking you to fix their pool fences, lawnmower decks (you name it) and more, and that doggone stick welder is blowing holes in everything, on top of that you get to test out a friend's HF 90 amp flux-core machine and you love the convenience so you pick one up- but still you find it blows out thin metal given it's crude adjustments

where do you go from here? name-brand welders significantly range in price

you'll also need files, clamps, jigs, cutting oil, nozzle gel, pullers, expanders, pliers, drivers, wrenches, sockets, adapters, squares, magnets, tool boxes, drill bits, step bits, reams, and more

your cutting and gluing leave much to be desired..... how do we prioritize? cutting? shaping? or joining?

somewhere along the line you want to work with bends, welcome to inception as this is the largest worm hole within the fabrication worm hole, pipe or tube? flat? square or round? hollow or solid? mandrel? the options are almost limitless, there's DIY then there's pro-grade $$$$$$$$$

holes! hand drill or drill press? there are times and places for either

now you're running out of room! the garage can only hold so many tools, the wife only allows so many tools per square foot so you must get creative! an RV pad? a shed? somewhere off-site? how do you deliver adequate power to the spot?

sometimes you need to work with sheet metal- another worm hole, sure a jig saw will cut it crudely, so will the band saw you're considering buying, and by now, you're realizing every new "toy" is at least $500 or let's be honest, you would've had it by now, but to cut sheet metal you need a shear, a real one, not a pair of aircraft shears that might've worked here and there, and maybe a brake too to put accurate bends in the sheet metal, how about an english roller to make nice, curved pieces of sheet metal (not to mention the press, or the hammer press)?

oh my! what about a plasma cutter? about the same price as a welder and we're cutting most anything, but not with super precision, but maybe we could attach a computer to that plasma cutter?! now we're getting some pretty precise cuts! but this comes at the expense of not only dollars, but time, and space

plasma is great but CNC or waterjet would be even better!

how "fabricator" are you trying to get? making your own chain links? expanded sheet metal? much to consider but do not fret, no one, and I mean no one builds this tool set overnight, it is a worm hole, a journey, you will learn SO much on the trail and we're here to help

no doubt I've left many things out so comment away

This sounds a lot like my biography

 

[supermanotorious]

This sounds a lot like my biography

it's all of ours ha ha ha

 

[Whitetrashrocker]

Like Johnny Cash said...
One piece at a time.

 

[supermanotorious]

absolutely correct, this collection add$ up, I've never met anyone with the interest in collecting these tools have the means all at once, likewise, I've never met anyone with the means have the interest