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Wed Jul 14, 2004 4:53 am

I'm selling my old Triumph 650 in boxes and will have $1200 to spend on tools for my new garage. Hopefully, gotta keep it under the wife's radar. I'm looking to buy a decent 220v mig welder and have a 5hp compressor. Any suggestions for "must have" tools or supplies. I've got a couple VWs ready to go under the knife. Thanks

Wed Jul 14, 2004 5:36 am

What will be the main line of work in in this shop?.... Auto? Metal? Wood?

Wed Jul 14, 2004 10:42 am

lincoln 175 t welder.

Wed Jul 14, 2004 10:08 pm

Well, I'd say blow the whole thing on a good compressor. You will use it more than any other tool. Seriously, I've been trying to keep an eye on what's out there. I saw a unit at Lowes the other day that I think might be a really worthwhile moderate priced compressor. It was a 2-stage, maybe 7 HP, 240 volt, with decent volume numbers priced at $999. There are lower priced units around but this one is the first in that class where I think I can say, "Go for it. It will handle anything you want to do in a 1-man shop." The Lincoln MIG will be around $500 so you would be some over your budget but have 2 good tools. Maybe you could get it all on a Lowes credit card and pay it down before she notices. Oops, I just scrolled down and looked at the messages again A Lincoln 135 is around $500, a 175 will be more.

Thu Jul 15, 2004 5:20 am

The shop will be for auto restoration, the Lincoln 175t was exactly what I was planning on. The big compressor sounds like a good idea. I can get a free 80 gal compressor tank but would need to supply a motor and 2 stage compressor. Do you think this would be worthwhile? I'm really psyched to get the garage done. I've been working my can off the last couple years to save for it. 28x36 w/ radiant heat and overhead storage. It will be nice during the long VT winters. God bless my wife, her job of 21yrs got sent to India but she said go for it! So now I'm busting my hump just to keep the normal bills paid.

Thu Jul 15, 2004 5:51 am

Something that you can build with your welder that will be used every day is work table with good vice and grinder built in. I woul recommend building the frame out of steel square tubing; 2"x2" or so. The top should be thick steel plate, like 3/8" or 1/2". You can find this leftover steel for dirt cheap at recycle yards, etc. You want to mount the vice (buy the best vice that you can afford.....shop around) on the corner of the table so that you can rotate it 90 deg to work on different size/length pieces. Get a bright overhead light and a table mounted "reading light". You will be very happy to have this in your new shop. And it is a fun project to put the new toys to work.

Thu Jul 15, 2004 8:25 am

Saggs wrote: The shop will be for auto restoration, the Lincoln 175t was exactly what I was planning on. The big compressor sounds like a good idea. I can get a free 80 gal compressor tank but would need to supply a motor and 2 stage compressor. Do you think this would be worthwhile? I'm really psyched to get the garage done. I've been working my can off the last couple years to save for it. 28x36 w/ radiant heat and overhead storage. It will be nice during the long VT winters. God bless my wife, her job of 21yrs got sent to India but she said go for it! So now I'm busting my hump just to keep the normal bills paid.

If you plan to do high quality restoration, one tool you should consider is a shrinking disc. I have lots of sheet metal tools and it is my favorite. Saves money on filler and sand paper...makes metal-finishing a lot easier:

http://allshops.org/cgi-bin/community/communityalbums.cgi?action=openalbum&albumid=9980121727059

John www.ghiaspecialties.com

Thu Jul 15, 2004 9:41 am

if its a automotive shop.... 220 is over kill on the welder..

Thu Jul 15, 2004 7:15 pm

Nope, 220 is fine for an auto shop welder. The larger, more expensive welders usually have higher quality and better features. A bigger unit will let you do frame work and things like roll cages or push bumpers easily. I'll admit mine is overkill but the price was right. My big TIG is capable of 450 amps wide open but has a 5 to 45 amp range available. The bigger welders also have a much better duty cycle at lower currents. If I could, mine would let me weld continously at 150 amps. I am not necessairly dissing the little ones, I have a Lincoln 100 that sees plenty of action also. :wink:

Fri Jul 16, 2004 5:55 am

Have to agree with the Big Unit on the amperage. The bigger units run smoothly at low voltage. They can be dialed in to join 24 gauge just fine. The wire feed motor on my big Panasonic unit is of better quality, better design, etc. than my little Lincoln 110v unit......it feeds the wire smoother with less jambs or birdnests (read: pain in the ass). My main knock on the little units is on the subject of thicker metal. You need to preheat the metal when welding anything over, say, 1/4" thickness, to get adequate penetration. Otherwise you get a "fingernail" surface weld that looks strong but ain't deep enough to hold (check your weld before putting them to work!!!). Moreover, the 110v unit hit their best penetration using AC polarity and fluxcore wire.....what a mess that makes vs the mig process!!!

If you find a 240v unit at a good price (used?) you should look at it as good option.

Fri Jul 16, 2004 6:51 pm

I wanted to add that building your own compressor can be done but could be tricky for a novice. With a bigger unit, you are talking a 7 or so HP motor, heavy duty belt drive. fan, a special motor switch or even a mag starter. Lots of stuff to consider. Even if you buy one, grab the tank as a surge tank anyway. I bought a used 200 gallon tank very cheaply recently. I feed it with a regular air hose out of the compressor tank and take my air out the other end. It has really helped cut down the water in my lines. I also have a 1" impact gun that uses like 25 cfm for a few special jobs and it runs a lot better than it ever did before

Sat Jul 17, 2004 12:16 pm

Big Jim is right,

Second to volume is the compressor size and horsepower of the motor. I just got done doing a ton of research end ended up "wimping out" and buying an Ingersoll Rand compressor. I've used a lot of compressors and know what I was looking for. DO NOT buy the cheaper, no name and Campbell Hausfeild compressors. Even if they have a better warrenty, the parts are crap and you'll have more problems in the long run.

Get a motor with at least a 2 capacitor 5HP rating (REAL 5HP, not 'peak'). It should have 2 starter solenoid looking things on top.

Get a compressor with 2 stage pump, one piston larger than the other, Perferably V-configuration but mine is side by side. Cast Iron is best, but Iron lined Aluminum is fine cause it disipates heat better, not just Al though, it must have the Iron liner for strength and durability. 80 Gallons is fine, but if you can add more to it than that, the more the better. I do a lot of sandblasting and DA/grinder work...The thing still runs at about 80% duity cycle even with my 60 gallon tank and 50' of line. A 2nd tank is my next step.

Good luck,
-Bobby

Sat Jul 17, 2004 7:11 pm

VWBobby, I recently bought a second tank on eBay. I only paid $35 for a used 200 gallon tank. I had to drive a couple of hundred miles to pick it up but my wife and I made it a nice overnight trip and ate in a great steakhouse on the way. The seller said he has seen several tanks sell and they are usually in the $100 range or less. Look around for one close to you, freight would be a killer. My second tank has really helped cut down water in the lines.

Sat Jul 17, 2004 7:28 pm

I have access to old propane tanks, you could use a "420" which is a 100 gallon upright tank. I believe they are hydro-tested to 250 psi or so. You can flush them out with methanol which helps dissipate the odor. They're all ready tapped for 3/4 and 1" IPS. Anybody tried this?