Metal work

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BZOOK
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Metal work

Post by BZOOK »

Now that I have a good 5 or 6 self tought arc welds under my belt I've developed a liking to it and I want to build on my skills. What are the tools for the job? I'm using a decent mechanics vice and an angle grinder for cutting. I'm imagining a band saw and perhaps a drill press for sure. A solid workbench. What suggestions do you master fabricators have for a fab noon? Thanks
jonfromhamilton
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Re: Metal work

Post by jonfromhamilton »

Drill press, clamps, set square, wide masking tape
A lot of the cutting i do is just on the ground or bench not in a vice. And the filings from cutting and grinding are murder and will stick to paint and rust. I sometimws use sheets of mdf to catch the filings and keep them contained for easy clean up
BZOOK
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Re: Metal work

Post by BZOOK »

And those filings stick in your foot when you walk in the garage without shoes on!! Thanks.
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gwagensteve
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Re: Metal work

Post by gwagensteve »

Magnets, carbide scribe, centre punch, metal rulers, small levels, plumb bob, cutting fluid, calculator, angle finder, The biggest pedestal drill you can afford (you need the slowness for holesaws) Graph paper, card or mdf in the thickness of the material you're working with for making templates. (Polycarbonate can be useful too to align holes etc) a second angle grinder- one for cutting, one with a flap disc. C clamp vice grips, boxes of hardware in common sizes (so 6mmx25, 8mm x 25)with nylocs and washers so you always have hardware on hand for assembly. Boxes of 1mm cutting discs.

I'd recommend a 5" grinder- they cut much deeper so they are more useful and discs last lots longer. Buy 1mm cutting discs by the box from an engineering supplier. They'll be cheaper that way.

14" chop saw

Band saws are a bit of a hassle. A good steel cutting band saw is very bulky and expensive and bands are an ongoing cost. Cutting discs on a grinder are much quicker and better for tight radii.

If you have space buy steel in full sheets/lengths. It's much cheaper this way and you'll always have stock to work on a project.

And a rigid work bench with a steel top so you can earth the whole bench for welding. If you don't have one, make that an early project- all the skills to make a neat and dimensionally accurate (square and level) work bench are the same as building something for your car.

A box of earplugs and several pairs of safety glasses with foam seals, so there's always a pair handy. I can't stand googles (they fog and are hot) but eye and hearing protection are vital. Wear it every time. I don't like muffs so tend to work all day with plugs in if I'm by myself in the shop. Wear plugs when welding. Not for the noise, but spatter in your ear will perforate an eardrum, especially when your welding out of position (under a car, for example) steel cap, leather, laced boots. Slag down inside a shoe or having the tongue of your skate shoes catch fire while your foot is in it is uncool. Been there.

I DON'T wear gloves when using any rotating equipment. (Drill, grinder) gloves interfere with your spacial awareness and give you a feeling of invincibility. It's too easy to drag a finger into a drill or catch a finger on a grinder. Always clamp your job when grinding on it.

Personally I rarely work on material over 3mm thick so mig welding is preferable in my opinion to arc for those thicknesses.


And read/browse widely. I subscribe to hot rod, Dirtcomp and crawl magazines. Pirate 4x4 forum has some amazing fab work in it. Everyone needs inspiration to make things neat/light and pretty. Knowing how to design a part that's effective and neat is as much a skill as knowing how to use tools. Race cars are a great source of design ideas as they have to be light and strong.
michaelpiranha2000 wrote: The rear is in great condition. but has a broken crown wheel and pinon
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gwagensteve
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Re: Metal work

Post by gwagensteve »

Oh, and cover any glass in your shop when grinding. Grinding sparks etch/pit glass really badly.
michaelpiranha2000 wrote: The rear is in great condition. but has a broken crown wheel and pinon
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gwagensteve
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Re: Metal work

Post by gwagensteve »

Here's a pretty inspirational thread on pirate.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/mercedes ... st39855593

Plenty of reading there.
michaelpiranha2000 wrote: The rear is in great condition. but has a broken crown wheel and pinon
BZOOK
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Re: Metal work

Post by BZOOK »

Thanks as always Steve. My mate owns an industrial switchboard business so he has offered to help me learn proper welding. I have a lot of the stuff you have mentioned which is a good start. Really appreciate the input. Happy fabbing.
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gwagensteve
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Re: Metal work

Post by gwagensteve »

And another.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/general- ... build.html

Also check the "Jumping ship" build by Mieser in the Willys section on pirate. He posts lots of metalworking tricks in his (awesome) build thread.
michaelpiranha2000 wrote: The rear is in great condition. but has a broken crown wheel and pinon
BZOOK
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Re: Metal work

Post by BZOOK »

Impressive. Something interesting to read on the train for sure.
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neofitou
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Re: Metal work

Post by neofitou »

Second hand is your friend.
My drill press was $75 :D

I am loving the battery powered tools:
grinder, impact, drill, reciprocal saw.
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