donsrods
Well-known member
A member PM'd and asked what tools I felt were essential to own to do basic metal shaping and cutting, so I thought it might be a great subject where we can all toss in our personal favorites. I looked over the various subjects and this TECH section seemed to be the only place that fit, but if Bob wants to move it somewhere else, please do so.
The short answer is, every new tool you buy will always be "How did I ever live without this one all my life ??" Each new tool just makes life so much easier and your work so much better. I drool when I see the guys on those hot rod shows using a computer controlled laser cutter that they simply make a drawing of a part and the machine cuts it out perfectly in a minute, but most of us will never see one of those in our lifetime. So, here are some basics as I see it.
1) A good 3/8 electric drill. I have a couple of cordless drills and use them a lot, but I still drag out my 3/8 drill when doing a lot of holes or in thick steel as it has more torque and no batteries to run low.
2) Next step up would be a 1/2 inch drill. You won't use it as much as the 3/8, but it comes in handy when using a hole saw or for drilling really big holes.
3) Then comes a drill press. Even one of the less pricey ones like Harbor Freight sells is great to have. It will drill neater, more accurate holes than you can ever do holding a drill, and it will do them quicker. With the sour economy these show up on Craigslist used all the time.
4) Drill bits.. We like the DeWalt pointed tip ones that come in the yellow box. Lowes and others sell them in various sized packages, and they are not only fast cutting but they are very accurate and don't "walk" on the surface of the steel like some others. I also like the gold high speed ones that HF sells, for the money they are surprisingly good and they last a long time.
5) 5 inch disc grinder. COULD NOT LIVE WITHOUT IT. The Milwaukee and other high end ones are a good value, but we also have a couple of the ones HF sells and again, for the money, they work fine. We use mostly 50 grit discs on them, which even Home Depot carries, and it is invaluable for cleaning up metal and shaping stuff.
6) A good vice. I have actually broken a couple of cheap cast iron vices when they snapped on half on me, so now I have an big old steel one that I bought at a garage sale for $ 50 years ago. I use it all the time and can't imagine not having it around. I have seen some good Wilton and other brands at swap meets lately for $ 50 to $ 100, which is a good price.
7) A steel welding table. Even if you don't have a welder yet, a good, solid steel welding table is a terrific place to clamp down steel to cut and grind it. Ours is nothing special, just a piece of 1/2 inch thick steel plate that is 2 x 4 feet, and some steel legs and a lower shelf welded to that. Every time I am at the shop I find myself heading to it to lay out some piece of work, or to grind something.
8) Bench grinder with a grinding wheel on one side and a wire wheel on the other. Also show up used all the time, but even the cheaper ones are ok for the money.
9) Air compressor. Such a great piece of equipment to own. You can run air tools, spray paint, and blow off stuff with it, and the bigger the better. We now have a 3 cylinder one in our shop but for years and years I only had a 20 gallon 1.5 hp Sears portable and built a lot of cars and boats with that one. HF has them on sale all the time and while they are not the top of the line they work fine for what you pay. Used ones can also be found and can be a good deal.
Ok, I will quit there and let others chime in with what basic tools they like. Hope this helps some of the guys who are just starting out.
Don
The short answer is, every new tool you buy will always be "How did I ever live without this one all my life ??" Each new tool just makes life so much easier and your work so much better. I drool when I see the guys on those hot rod shows using a computer controlled laser cutter that they simply make a drawing of a part and the machine cuts it out perfectly in a minute, but most of us will never see one of those in our lifetime. So, here are some basics as I see it.
1) A good 3/8 electric drill. I have a couple of cordless drills and use them a lot, but I still drag out my 3/8 drill when doing a lot of holes or in thick steel as it has more torque and no batteries to run low.
2) Next step up would be a 1/2 inch drill. You won't use it as much as the 3/8, but it comes in handy when using a hole saw or for drilling really big holes.
3) Then comes a drill press. Even one of the less pricey ones like Harbor Freight sells is great to have. It will drill neater, more accurate holes than you can ever do holding a drill, and it will do them quicker. With the sour economy these show up on Craigslist used all the time.
4) Drill bits.. We like the DeWalt pointed tip ones that come in the yellow box. Lowes and others sell them in various sized packages, and they are not only fast cutting but they are very accurate and don't "walk" on the surface of the steel like some others. I also like the gold high speed ones that HF sells, for the money they are surprisingly good and they last a long time.
5) 5 inch disc grinder. COULD NOT LIVE WITHOUT IT. The Milwaukee and other high end ones are a good value, but we also have a couple of the ones HF sells and again, for the money, they work fine. We use mostly 50 grit discs on them, which even Home Depot carries, and it is invaluable for cleaning up metal and shaping stuff.
6) A good vice. I have actually broken a couple of cheap cast iron vices when they snapped on half on me, so now I have an big old steel one that I bought at a garage sale for $ 50 years ago. I use it all the time and can't imagine not having it around. I have seen some good Wilton and other brands at swap meets lately for $ 50 to $ 100, which is a good price.
7) A steel welding table. Even if you don't have a welder yet, a good, solid steel welding table is a terrific place to clamp down steel to cut and grind it. Ours is nothing special, just a piece of 1/2 inch thick steel plate that is 2 x 4 feet, and some steel legs and a lower shelf welded to that. Every time I am at the shop I find myself heading to it to lay out some piece of work, or to grind something.
8) Bench grinder with a grinding wheel on one side and a wire wheel on the other. Also show up used all the time, but even the cheaper ones are ok for the money.
9) Air compressor. Such a great piece of equipment to own. You can run air tools, spray paint, and blow off stuff with it, and the bigger the better. We now have a 3 cylinder one in our shop but for years and years I only had a 20 gallon 1.5 hp Sears portable and built a lot of cars and boats with that one. HF has them on sale all the time and while they are not the top of the line they work fine for what you pay. Used ones can also be found and can be a good deal.
Ok, I will quit there and let others chime in with what basic tools they like. Hope this helps some of the guys who are just starting out.
Don