Starting basic metal working - Tools

[SprintCC]

There are some things that I'd like to do to my project car that require cutting/minor shaping of metal. I'm talking about cosmetic items, custom spacers, brackets, etc. Small items, *not *Rollbars, custom exhaust, etc. I would like to try these things myself but I am not in a position to do due to tool limitations (ie, lack of the right tools)

I need to be able to cut and finish metal, relatively thin tubing (for custom length spacers) and sheetmetal for brackets. Right now I have no way of doing that - my Dremmel died, I was using that for some simple cutting.

For Cutting - what real choices do I have. I'm not buying a jump shear, that would be severe overkill. There are Chop Saws, sawz-all, bandsaw (vertical and horizontal), handheld shears, jigsaws, etc.

For finishing, deburring, minor shaping I can think of a Disk/Belt Sander combo, and files.

I do have a decent vise and a Bench Grinder.

I've done a good bit of research and may be in the "analysis-paralysis" zone.

Where would you recommend starting on cutting/finishing?
What tools would you recommend for this kind of thing (Good used tools are always welcome in my book)
Am I overlooking something obvious?
Lastly where to look? I've been watching craigslist and ebay for a while, haven't seen any really screaming deals (maybe I'm not watching enough, or the wrong place)

Thanks for any replies, I really appreciate it.

Chris

 

[Bondo]

There are some things that I'd like to do to my project car that require cutting/minor shaping of metal. I'm talking about cosmetic items, custom spacers, brackets, etc. Small items, *not *Rollbars, custom exhaust, etc. I would like to try these things myself but I am not in a position to do due to tool limitations (ie, lack of the right tools)

I need to be able to cut and finish metal, relatively thin tubing (for custom length spacers) and sheetmetal for brackets. Right now I have no way of doing that - my Dremmel died, I was using that for some simple cutting.

For Cutting - what real choices do I have. I'm not buying a jump shear, that would be severe overkill. There are Chop Saws, sawz-all, bandsaw (vertical and horizontal), handheld shears, jigsaws, etc.

For finishing, deburring, minor shaping I can think of a Disk/Belt Sander combo, and files.

I do have a decent vise and a Bench Grinder.

I've done a good bit of research and may be in the "analysis-paralysis" zone.

Where would you recommend starting on cutting/finishing?
What tools would you recommend for this kind of thing (Good used tools are always welcome in my book)
Am I overlooking something obvious?
Lastly where to look? I've been watching craigslist and ebay for a while, haven't seen any really screaming deals (maybe I'm not watching enough, or the wrong place)

Thanks for any replies, I really appreciate it.

Chris

Ayuh,... A 4, 1/2" angle grinder will do All of those things, by just changin' the wheel ya put on it,....

 

[zkling]

Do you have a set budget? I'd start with a decent horizontal bandsaw and a good 4.5" grinder.

 

[tdkkart]

One of the first non-handtool that I bought 25+ years ago was a Harbor Freight 4x6 bandsaw. I've run the hell out of it, it has never failed me and it still gets used today on just about every project I do. Hands down the best money I've spent in my shop.

http://www.harborfreight.com/horizontal-vertical-metal-cutting-bandsaw-93762.html

A couple notes:
1. As with any Horrible Freight item, don't expect it to be perfect out of the box. It will need a few tweaks to make it work at it's best. Do some googling, there's a tone of tips out there. I think there's a Yahoo group on just these saws.

2. Buy good blades from Starrett or Lennox. I use Lennox blades I get from McMaster-Carr. Three $10 blades are not the same as one $30 blade, junk blades will do nothing but frustrate you.

 

[Stooge]

70% of most of my metal cutting amd grinding i do with a simple porter cable 4.5" grinder that i have been abusing since the first day i got it 5ish years ago. I was using it this morning to cut some 2x2 3/16 wall tubing, some 20ga sheet yesterday and a 3/8 plate last weekend. Another good investment for sheet is a decent air saw, i regret waiting so long to buy one, took the place of my snips in alot of instances and makes easy work on alot of little pieces. My project thread in my sig is all done with mostly a grinder, air saw and tin snips, along with some hammers and dollies, alot can be done without alot. Ive been acquiring different varieties of snips and dollies , but those are my go tos.
Those 3 things can be had for new for around 200-250 to get started, see where you are headed and interested in and what you need to do certain jobs and build from there.

 

[jakemac]

A variety of different hammers and dolly's will help with shaping. They can be found fairly cheap at yard sales and flea markets if you have the patience to wait for the right prices. Don't worry about small dings or rust on the faces, they can be re-dressed and brought back to life. Deep gouges, cracks, and chipped tools should be avoided, they aren't worth the time/effort to recover unless you're just collecting.

 

[70C-10]

For Cutting - what real choices do I have. I'm not buying a jump shear, that would be severe overkill. There are Chop Saws, sawz-all, bandsaw (vertical and horizontal), handheld shears, jigsaws, etc.

For finishing, deburring, minor shaping I can think of a Disk/Belt Sander combo, and files.

Chris

Rage Evolution 3 double bevel miter saw. Comes with multi purpose blade. Buy a metal blade, it can be sharpened 2 or 3 times. It leaves a clean, cool to the touch cut that doesn't need to be deburred. Don't have one but would like one. I don't have a miter saw & this would cut anything with a blade change.

Milwaukee *********** band saw & SWAG port-a-band table, check it out.

 

[Mxjr12]

I have a 3ft harbor freight brake and 55lb anvil and basic body hammers and dollies. For cutting I have a 4 1/2 grinder, snap on cut off wheel and 2 different air angle grinders that I got on sale at HF for 9$ each and they have never let me down. Any thick steel chunk always finds itself being used for a Dollie. It's a fun side of working on cars is making different brackets and such

 

[sberry]

The 4 1/2 grinder from Walmart and some aviation snips. A sawzall of some kind.

 

[littletoes]

I have a love for "skinny-wheels". Razor Blades, preferably-they just seem to last!

http://www.flexovitabrasives.com/files/2011/11/Razorblade-by-Flexovit.pdf

Then some flapper wheel's;

http://www.nortoncomposites.com/Composite-FlapDiscs-BlueFire.aspx

Like said above-a 4 inch, or 4 1/2 inch grinder is hard to beat---get a good one, you won't regret it!

 

[crewchief888]

4 1/2 angle grinder

or several of them,
i hate changing wheels

selection of cutoff wheels, grinding wheels, flappers, ect.

angle grinders come in all colors and prices,
pick your fav color, and price.
i have CM pro, dewalt, hitachi, and 2 HF orange grinders.

a hand held woodworking type belt sander held in a vise works as a low tech way of doing things.

take a look around the clearance shelves of your local big box store, i've gotten some decent deals on closeout items.

check out local pawn shops, garage sales, and flea mkts for deals on used stuff.
around here CL is full of overpriced and worn out junk.

 

[Dave455]

The first thing I'd do is make sure you have the basic hand tools!

Some marking tools to start, a scriber and a rule would be the minimum, but you often need a square too!

Next, something to cut with. A good hacksaw frame is a must (hard to find I'll admit) and maybe a pair of tinsnips if you work on thin stuff!

Some really decent files for shaping come next. Get at least a flat, half round and round in a couple of lengths, and preferably a couple of different grades too! A set of warding files are good value for finer work.

Finally, you often need to drill and screw stuff, so a centre punch, decent drill set and a box of bolts should get you going!

Add stuff like angle grinder, linisher and polisher when you can afford them! If you've killed a dremel, then think about a die grinder! You will need compressed air to run it, but will be amazed how much metal you can remove, and how accurately! Mine is the air tool I use the most!

 

[toomanytoyzz]

Definitely get the 4.5" grinder. Like others have said it will do everything you want to do without buying other tools. With that said, this is one of my favorite for cutting tube. I also have a chop saw, but I use this more since it doesn't require me to clean it up with a grinder before welding. The blades(good ones) will last a long time if you use the saw properly. You can also fab a stand for it to make it a vertical band saw. Plenty of threads on that build.

 

[gus1962]

I'll get band saw and grinder.