I just want to build something, id make my own engine if i could.

I went to harbor freight yesterday, they had some good prices. But Im the type of person that says "you get what you pay for"
This my be a personal preference, but gas or no gas? There are some welders that do both, is it worth it? I couldnt find a tube bender. Grinders are cheap, cutters are cheap, but.... i want the better kind momma

kevan

why is harbor frieght so cheap anyways?

Harbor Freight isn't the place you wanna shop for this. Keep in mind, there is a common misconception that bending tube and pipe are the same thing, they are not. bending a cage with a pipe bender will get you hurt. harbor freight sells the less expensive pipe benders. If you want to bend tube, you need to look at one of the more expensive models from companys like JD^2, Protools, and TubeShark.

Tube bender:
http://www.jd2.com/M3B_Features.htm

Pipe bender:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=35336

-Rob

Kevan,

I don't have any personal experience with any welder, but have researched this quite a bit after completing my welding course. Everyone suggest getting a larger welder then you think you will ever need...so for most people it is a 220V welder. These run pretty pricey ($600+) I would say this is a good route. Keep with a name brand one(Miller, Hobart, Lincoln) You will do just fine with about anyone of those.

As for other tools, look at what you plan on doing in the near future then base you purchases off that.

I would suggest starting with a chopsaw, a angle grinder and what not. If you dump money into a nice welder, you can get by with a harbor freight chopsaw and angle grinder. They should last you a little while, although not as long as a good name brand one(Milwaukee, Makita, Porter-Cable, etc..)

From what it sounds like you are doing, don't worry about a tube bender/notcher. You aren't quite to that task yet. Keep it simple. Get use out of what you have. When/if you look at doing a cage then you can start to look into these other tools. In the meantime, for small things that need to be bent I am sure you could go to a fab shop and have some do small bends for you, without getting too expensive.

This can be an expensive undertaking, so if you start with the basics and add as you need/get the money you should be ok.

another thing about brand choice... stick with what your local dealers sell. You may be able to get that Lincoln extra cheap online, but if your local guy only sells Miller/Hobart, and you need a package of tips one afternoon to finish a project, you're out of luck. Make sure you have a local source for consumables for whatever brand machine you purchase.

-Rob

There are things that you buy at harbor freight and things you just dont buy at harbor freight.

I have found that the earthquake impact wrench they sell there is a steal and works great.

I buy tarps and bungie cords, those 3 ton jack stands are well worth the 20 bucks you spend for them. 3 dollar electrical testers are cheap but generally work, yadi yadi, we also got our floor drill press there as well. So far it has worked well.

You dont want an angle grinder from harbor I have burned up two motors, I would go for a makita or dewalt myself for an angle grinder, I also buy my grinding wheels from harbor, but not my cut off wheels. but chad has had good luck with his 14" chop saw from harbor. NEVER buy a racheting socket wrench from harbor if you need it to work. As for a welder, you really should do lincoln hobart or miller. And yes you need a 220 variety.

wow $600 + ehh? im gonna go check out sears today (after a damn formal play i am being forced to go to) to check out their prices.

Still gas or no gas?

thanx for all the input guys, im gonna plan on the little stuff like jonesy said. grinders, cuters, a good drill, a big air compressor would be really nice.

kevan

Gas for sure, your welds will be much prettier and produce far less splatter than flux core.

I'd only recommend flux core if portability and cost were of the utmost importance. at least get a machine that has the option for gas so you can add it down the road if nothing more.

-Rob

I swear by my 225/125 Lincoln ArcWeld AC/DC welder. I know a lot of people like the MIG's and wire-feed welders, but first of all, most hobbyists who get wire-feed never end up getting the gas or don't refill it, and end up with straight up flux core when they need to weld something. Not to mention the fact that even when you have everything you need, and you go with the 220V, it still takes a LONG TIME to run beads on the thick stuff, 3/16ths or better. Meanwhile I can literally FLY thru it with my $450 stick welder. The only downfall of it is you need the 220V outlet to run it, so it's a PITA to take it over someone else's house and do some welding. But then again, that's the same downfall you'd have with 220V wire-feed, and if you stick with the 110V, expect to take an eternity to do things like boulder bars and bumpers.

Not that I'm really knocking the 220V wire-feed and MIG welders, they certainly do the job, and very well if you're good at it... But that's the beauty of the powerful stick welder -- you don't HAVE to be good at it to make nice welds.

Oh, and all that safety equipment that Matt talked about, don't worry about it -- just a pair of sunglasses should be all you need. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

**Note: For those of you that don't know me, that's a joke, although I don't think I've ever welded with anything more than a helmet and regular clothes on -- and most of the time I don't even have that. I've been known to spark it then look away while I weld, with no eye protection at all. I've also spent nights lying in bed feeling like I have sand in my eyes from welding all day like this, so beware. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/notooth.gif" alt="" /> Note the sig file below.

<edit: I changed the sig file, but it used to say, "Ladies, you don't need no stinkin' tanning beds, just stand next to us naked while we weld.">

-Chris

LOL...I'll suggest that to the wifey next spring when she goes to buy her stupid tanning salon visits. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

One word of caution....If you're not into wearing a bunch of protective welding type garb(like CP and me)....DO NOT FORGET to zip your fly when welding. Trust me on this one, aaight? <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/ignore.gif" alt="" />

I disagree with Koby's assessment of the Harbor Freight tools. I have had my angle grinder for years and it hasn't failed me yet as well as my rachets. My craftsman rachets have both broke as well as one of my snap ons but never my Pittsburgh wrenches from Harbor Freight.