tools needed to get into metal fabrication

[sscustom]

hi everybody so i was just watching jesse james,s motorcycle mania and it kinda inspired me a lil bit iv always loved working with my hand i got my 1st mig welder at 15yrs and build my 1st petrol scooter that failed due to engine problems

anyway i would like to know what elese do i need and what do you guy use
check out my list at the bottom

1st petrol scooter built from the ground up

all done with a simple mig welder and a angle grinder with a cut off wheel

2nd one pretty much the same deal failed because of the china motor but i learned how to weld better and better frame deisgn

now currently ,,i admit i have some china tools some machines but who dosent right .please dont hate on me of put me down like some people do on the forum

drift trike building


welding the frame

my tools

i have two bench top model drill presses
two bench grinders 125mm and a 200mm
to many hand tools to count sockets ,wrenches,
makita metal cut off saw
4*6 metal bandsaw
unimig. tig and arc welder 160amp
150amp mig 130amp and a 120amp
belt and disc sander
angle grinders
etc

can anybody else help me out both scooter were designed by me no plans just what i see in my head

 

[NASTYZEN]

Your off to a good start with what you have.Funny that we could build some thing with nothing in the beginning but then as time goes on we seem to need all kinds of tools and machines.
Take a look at my shop pictures to give you an idea of how out of hand it can get.There is no end, I need one of everything.

 

[sscustom]

Your off to a good start with what you have.Funny that we could build some thing with nothing in the beginning but then as time goes on we seem to need all kinds of tools and machines.
Take a look at my shop pictures to give you an idea of how out of hand it can get.There is no end, I need one of everything.

hahh i know what you mean it all starts with a mig and a cut off wheel now we need bandsaws and plsma cutters to do the job lol

 

[raley]

all i see thats missing that im pretty sure you just left off is measuring stuff and markers.

 

[trbomax]

Tube bender with interchaingable mandrels and shoes. Doesnt need to be hyd,they used to make lever/gear driven ones that will bent 1" or more. I have one somewere.

Hydraulic floor press of at least 10t and a press brake insert for accurate bending of stock for brackets,gussets. I have one (its still in the toledo shop) that is 12" long and will bend aluminum up to 1/4" and steel up to 3/16".

 

[Jim Stabe]

If your school system hasn't eliminated all industrial arts classes, see if a local school has an adult class in metal working. Gives you a chance to use different tools/machines and see what works for you before you shell out your own money.

 

[djjsr]

Shear, brake, English wheel and tubing notcher.

 

[bradweingartner]

I'm with the rest of the suggestions here. All too often I see guys who want to fabricate go out and buy a welder and think the rest of it will come easily.

Truth is, the best fabricators are great fitters first. So invest in tools to cut, bend and shape the metal to the form you want - and practice doing it. Get all the pieces cut and fit like a glove. Only then is it time to weld.

Welding is an art of its own, don't get me wrong. But a good fit makes the welding a pleasure to do.

And Practice Practice Practice.

 

[justanengineer]

I say start with the basic hand tools before spending money, time, and dedicate space in your shop to larger tools. You can do a lot with standard body tools - 1/2 dozen body hammers, dollies, various sheetmetal bending pliers, hand nibblers, aviation snips etc. Moving up from there you should invest in a good hefty 200+ lb pedestal vise, anvil, stake set, and an acetylene torch. Every thing that you can do automatically with machines can be/has been done better with simpler tools. It may be slower, but if you want to really acquire skill or do the best possible job this is the only road to go.

 

[MP&C]

Here's my first project in my shop about 8 years ago. Rather sparse in metalworking accessories. But in a few short years, with each project completion came a reinvestment in new metalworking tooling. We've gone from this...

to this.....

One thing I'll say, making things by hand will help you see and understand the process better. You'll soon realize what makes that job easier and quicker, and before long you too will have tool addiction.

 

[sscustom]

wow everybody has given me great ideas


cheers sam

 

[wishihadatalon]

I'm with the rest of the suggestions here. All too often I see guys who want to fabricate go out and buy a welder and think the rest of it will come easily.

Truth is, the best fabricators are great fitters first. So invest in tools to cut, bend and shape the metal to the form you want - and practice doing it. Get all the pieces cut and fit like a glove. Only then is it time to weld.

Welding is an art of its own, don't get me wrong. But a good fit makes the welding a pleasure to do.

And Practice Practice Practice.

Agreed 100%. Not having to fudge things makes any job much easier.

One thing that I didn't see mentioned is a heavy duty flat table. Something wih a 3/8" or larger top. A table that accepts tooling is a huge plus (clamps etc.) so you can lock down your work in the middle of the table and not be limited to working on the edge.

 

[5lima30]

Looks like you have a pretty good start for being so young! One thing that you might consider adding is an O/A torch set. I use torches for a lot of different things. Even though they are "old school" I think they have their place in any fab shop. YMMV.

 

[brianh]

I do wood and metal work more wood than metal now, I started around 11 years old, all I had to use was the tools my dad had. A hand saw a few planes and a electric hand drill.

It is amazing how many tasks can be done with the mind, figuring out how to get the job done with so little tools.

 

[larry_g]

One thing that I've not seen suggested is a good assortment of files. A good file in the hands of a decent operator can move a lot of metal. Those above talk about fitting will probably admit to using a file for final work.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[weegaz22]

By the sounds of it money isnt something that you have a lot of, so the best thing you can do is keep your eyes peeled for any old junk anyones throwing out, things like an old towbar ball hitch are good for hammering rounds/radius's on metal like you would on an anvil.

Building your tools is another option as well, the english wheel a few posts above being a good example.

The truth is you can build a LOT of stuff with basic hand tools, powertools just make it happen a bit faster and help take the load off the individual, which is what you want when you get older as you loose your patience doing everything the manual way with hand tools.

cheap drill
drill bits
tap and die set
nibblers for cutting sheet metal
pop rivet tool
pop rivets
Various size's clamps/grips for clamping metal while welding
grinder
good file set
spanners
sockets and ratchet
allen/hex keys
torx keys
a puller or 2
hammers
screwdrivers with a security bit set
welder
measuring tape/straight edge ruler

you should be able to build and repair/strip loads of stuff with the tool examples above, most are relatively cheap to buy if you avoid top end brands other than the welder which you already have.

checkout the aussie equivelent of UK's www.machinemart.co.uk , they do loads of cheap hand metalwork tools to get you started

 

[Ign]

hahh i know what you mean it all starts with a mig and a cut off wheel now we need bandsaws

You nailed it. If you truly want to get into "metal fabrication" a bandsaw of some sort is really not optional. Little else will cut such a wide variety of materials with such accuracy and long blade life, and even the small bandsaws boast greater capacity than a 14" abrasive (or dry cut) chop saw.

 

[jcabbbang]

It seems to be a never ending process on what you need in the way of tools, only limited by your budget and available floor space. It is great to have your on stuff for your projects and to not have to outsource stuff. Chrsi

 

[Hermit]

this is the equipment i use at work. click on my signature to check out where i work.

 

[KrisKustomPaint]

I can't believe no one mentioned a Shrinking stump. seems hokey, but hey, if its good enough for ferrari and buggatti, its good enough for me.

 

[914forme]

I started out in my dad's garage, your welder is way ahead of what I started with. But here you go. My first project was a 1966 CJ-5, with a fiberglass body. We built a tube frame to tie in everything out of angle iron, and flat stock. Tools, a heavy bench, a heavy vice, and acetylene torch and 14 year old brute force. We had a set of body hammers and a 10 pound sledge hammer. Welder was a AC/DC Buzz Box, I still have it and use it on occasion.

Next Project was a 1973 Karmann Ghia - this moved me into sheet metal repair and repair panel fabrication. Off to the gun store, for 50 lbs of #2 Buck Shot, and a used leather purse - I still have this setup, and I had a panel bag. I built my first brake out of 2 pieces of 2x6 and a piece of flat Iron and a few large C Clamps. Hey I was bending 20 ga steel with it and it worked. Welder I moved up to a spot welder, that attached to the DC Buzz box.

I still do most of my work, with limited tooling, or tooling I made. My last project was to put a bead on some tubes. I went out and bought a beading tool from Harbor freight, got it home set it up, and found out the dies where just slightly to large to fit into the I.D. of the tube, **** now what. Oh theres a vice grip and exhaust clamp a bench grinder and a Mig welder. I built my own hand version. Did the three beads I needed, after I built my own tool. BTW, my chop saw is a 7.25" Craftsmen miter saw I got on sale, built a new fence for it, and a Diablo metal blade, it is a dry cut off saw, less than $100 dollars invested. For what I cut off it is perfect.

Yeah I would love to have a band saw, shears, a box brake. But for what I do, I have found that a few pieces of hard wood, clamps, and a Hammer, I can build almost anything. I also borrow stuff when I need to do something I don't see myself doing a lot of. Bending DOM tubing for a roll bar project. I borrowed a greenline conduit bender and a set of dies from a contractor. I made my three bends, welded it up onto my Autopower Roll bar, and moved on. If I was building tube chassis everyday, then yep I would be building one.

I tend to build stuff, I need out of items most people would not use. Right now I have an idea for a welding table, but right now I use a sheet of 16 ga, and my 5x9 foot bench. The 16 ga, does not over the entire thing. And I can't weld on it for ever, as I will transfer to much heat into the wood on the bench. But it works, I have built a car chassis on it.

But it is not a production shop, it is my hobby, so I can take an extra 10-60 minutes to bend up a box. If this was my living, those minutes add up. Come to think of it, I am off to buy some tools, those minutes add up! Not really, I would love to, but don't see me doing that.

Go have fun with what you got, your way ahead of my game, don't try to do everything with a new tool, it is great, but you really learn very little. A hammer and a T-dolly with a ******* file will teach you more about sheet metal than any radius die bead roller will ever let you know.

 

[sscustom]

i wish we had hf over here in australia ,but arnt most of the tools china made , but i guess is depends on were in china its made