outfitting a shop

[fun4now]

when you get ready to buy your welder and O/A setup don't go cheap. you are going to have them a long time, get good ones so you only have to buy once. even if that means buying one now and another later..

as for goodies for the shop i agree its an on going never ending thing. but for starters, keep a list of the stuff you find your self using most now at the shop. this will give you an idea of what you want first. i started with 1 4.5" grinder and now have 4. they come in handy. i do a lot of quick cutting with saws-alls. its a quick way to cut stuff down to a workable size if you buy stock in 8+ft sizes. after that you can make exact cuts to suit the need without having to handle the 8 ft. piece.

[fjk]

you don't say what you are going to do -- from the original
post, it looks like you're planning on general home/hobbyist/etc
stuff and not planning on setting up a commercial operation
(if you are doing some sort of commercial operation, ignore
the rest of my post :-)

- as is often said, buy the best tools you can. sooner or later
you will spend the money - it's really just a question of
how much $ you throw away before you buy the good stuff...

- personally, after getting "the basics", i've just bought tools
as/when i've needed them for specific tasks. i have limited space,
and this way i don't fill it up with stuff i don't need/use.
(and i encourage my wife to encourage me to fix things which
require me to get some tool I want

- don't forget storage
- cart/etc for the welder, o/a, etc
- first aid kit!
- wire brushes, slag hammers, etc
- i've found it's just plain easier to keep a separate set of
essential hand tools with my welder -- wire cutters,
large wrench, etc. saves running around looking for things.
- extra hood/gloves/etc -- a neighbor always seems to want to come
over and watch...
- lots of c-clamps, vice-grips (real ones), and those neat 1-handed
jobs. all in a few sizes & shapes.
- shop vac & trash can -- a clean shop is one that's fun to work in.

- as you're in a garage, you may want some additional work lights.
the two 100w bulbs way up in the ceiling just won't cut it :-)

- if the garage is not detached, a vent fan

f

[Craig in Denver]

More on fjk's shop light idea. Get the newer T8 fluorescents. I have two 4' fixtures side by side. One has the old T12's (1 1/2" diameter tubes) the other is the newer T8's (1" dia. tubes). They're both 6500k rated. The T8's are unbelievably brighter! The light of 6500k (both sizes) is much whiter than 4100k; which I think look yellow. The T8's start quicker, much less cold sensitive.

OBTW: You can't put T8 bulbs in T12 fixtures, it's all about the ballasts.

IIRC: The reason they're brighter; the T12's operate at about 3600 cycles, the T8's run closer to 10,000. And the T8's are only 32 watts compared to the T12's 40 watts. It's amazing what they can do with electronics.

[MAC702]

T-5's are starting to drop in price, too. Brighter and more efficient still, but T-8s are still where I would go at this point. Don't use fluorescents for task lighting at rotating machinery, though. Sometimes the strobe effect is the right frequency to make it look like it's not moving.

[Craig in Denver]

Don't use fluorescents for task lighting at rotating machinery, though. Sometimes the strobe effect is the right frequency to make it look like it's not moving.

Many years ago, a motorcycle mechanic friend told me they used the fluorescents to check the tach accuracy on bikes. IIRC: at 1200, 2400 and 3600 rpm, it would look like the magneto was stopped.

[cpbeattie]

Scott,

I am also building a new shop for hobby welding in the "art" category. My planning includes a Mig welder--probably a Millermatic 180 with a spool gun for aluminum. I also agree with the posts that gas is essential if just for easy bending of materials and braze welding. I plan an getting a very good hydraulic-lowering horizontal band saw from Grizzly tools v. a chop saw. A band saw makes very clean angled and straight cuts. I am a little afraid of the sparks from an ordinary chop saw setting my new place on fire. They do make a "cold cut" chop saw (about $500) but the blades cost over $100. I don't know how long the blades last either. Yes, yes--get 2 fire extinguishers. That's the first thing I got. I also plan on getting a plasma cutter for fabrication work. I will probably get the Miller that cuts up to 3/8 in. I doubt if I'll ever cut anything that heavy but at least the capacity is there. Not sure about stick. In the first place it is very dirty. I have put in a 24" x 24" fan to vent the shop but don't know if even that will do the job. So that's my take. I expect to make some mistakes but hopefully I can recover. I got 50 C-clamps and vise grips from a welder that quit the business. I paid $30. A good deal. Chuck

[FusionKing]

Scott,

I am also building a new shop for hobby welding in the "art" category. My planning includes a Mig welder--probably a Millermatic 180 with a spool gun for aluminum. I also agree with the posts that gas is essential if just for easy bending of materials and braze welding. I plan an getting a very good hydraulic-lowering horizontal band saw from Grizzly tools v. a chop saw. A band saw makes very clean angled and straight cuts. I am a little afraid of the sparks from an ordinary chop saw setting my new place on fire. They do make a "cold cut" chop saw (about $500) but the blades cost over $100. I don't know how long the blades last either. Yes, yes--get 2 fire extinguishers. That's the first thing I got. I also plan on getting a plasma cutter for fabrication work. I will probably get the Miller that cuts up to 3/8 in. I doubt if I'll ever cut anything that heavy but at least the capacity is there. Not sure about stick. In the first place it is very dirty. I have put in a 24" x 24" fan to vent the shop but don't know if even that will do the job. So that's my take. I expect to make some mistakes but hopefully I can recover. I got 50 C-clamps and vise grips from a welder that quit the business. I paid $30. A good deal. Chuck

If yer worried about sparks from your chopsaw then you might re-think the plasma cutter while you are at it as well.

[fun4now]

If yer worried about sparks from your chopsaw then you might re-think the plasma cutter while you are at it as well.

good point, the plasma is going to threw not only lots os sparks but small to med. sized blobs of molten steel. you might consider a 4'X4' or 4'X8' pice of 16 or 18 gage steel plate to put under the cuting station.