Some of this is based on my own limited experience. Some is based on research I did on various manufacturers, suppliers, youtube videos and numerous blogs. I also have a few books which have been extremely helpful.
- Machine Shop Essentials - Questions & Answers
- Second Edition, Frank Marlow, PE
- Welding Essentials - Questions & Answers
- Expanded first-edition, William Galvery, Frank Marlow
- Welding Know-How - Tips & Techniques of Master Welders
- Frank Marlow, PE with P.J. Tallman
Regarding this post, one observation I want to make is that some tools usefulness is dependent upon the types of projects you intend to work on. It very hard to make general recommendations due to the number and/or type of variables involved - things from user skill/training, material differences, availability of supporting materials/parts, storage/usage space, portability, etc. I am trying to focus on a more hobbyist view but I admit that several items listed are very unlikely to be found in a hobbyist workshop.
My relative cost info is very rough. Since many of these technologies/items I don't own, it is harder to provide accurate estimates without lots of extra research. I am saying these are best guesses / educated guesses depending. Feel free to disagree or disregard; I'm sure many folks have much more experience with most of the items.
- Items in green I use now - a general progression once I bought a welder and likely what many others start out with.
- Items in orange I am evaluating with the hope of picking one as being the most useful.
- Items in yellow I deem highly usable but due to cost need to save up for. I may have a specific vendor/model in mind - will comment if known.
- Items in purple are on a wish list but likely unobtainable unless I can move from hobby to business.
| Cutting action | |||||||
| Saw/slice | Abrasive | Non/low-contact | Initial cost | Ongoing cost | Cut Quality (general use) | Best Use | Notes |
| Hacksaw | $ | $ | low/medium | Small finishing cuts, parting off, straight line | Get a good arm workout | ||
| Metal snips | $ | $ | low | Getting forearm workout | Maybe ok for some short/easy cuts but I found much to dislike otherwise | ||
| 3" High Speed Cut-Off Tool (pneumatic) | $ | $$ | low | Non-cosmetic cuts, not overly thick; ok on flat stock | Need decent air compressor. I tend to destroy blades with under-supported work (pinching). | ||
| 4 ½ angle grinder | $ | $$ | low | non-cosmetic cuts, not overly thick; ok on flat stock | I tend to destroy blades with under-supported work (pinching). | ||
| 14” abrasive chop saw | $$ | $$ | low/medium | straight/small miter cuts on bar/tube/angle | |||
| Electric shear | $ | $ | low | ~18+ gauge sheet metal | Tons better than snips. Variety of vendors/capability/cost | ||
| Jig saw | $$ | $ | low/medium | flat material was ok; must be WELL secured. | I found thick angle iron painful to cut this way. Make sure you are not setup with any type orbital action. | ||
| Metal cutting circular saw | $$$ | $$ | low/medium | plate/sheet, relatively straight | |||
| Dry cut saw | $$$ | $$ | medium | straight cuts;bar /tube /angle | user skill and maybe other factors appear to play a good sized part in how well this works. | ||
| Metal cutting band saw | $$$ | $ | medium | General use, small curves possible depending on material/thickness/saw style/blade type-size | Larger foot print is a downside. Vertical/horizontal or combo models available. | ||
| wet SMAW rods or specialized rods | $ | $ | very poor | making ugly holes/cuts | emergency use | ||
| Oxygen lance/burning bar | ? | ? | poor | very thick materials | burning bar can penetrate concrete; high oxygen consumption | ||
| Air Carbon Arc cutting | $$ | $$ | low | sever items; great for gouging | Need decent air compressor | ||
| Oxygen / Acetylene cutting torch | $$$ | $$ | medium | Best above a minimum thickness; curves/shapes fairly simple; can cut very thick material | Not for aluminum/stainless steel; completely portable | ||
| Plasma Cutter | $$$$ | $ | medium/high | Hand held < ~1.5” or so;easy curves/shapes | Any electrically conductive metal/material; need a decent air compressor. Need very dry air supply. | ||
| Wire EDM | $$$$$ | $$$ | very high | higher end, professional detailed cuts/shaping | It is possible that this can be done at a hobby level but would take some decent skills to build. | ||
| Water jet | $$$$$$ | $$$$ | very high | higher end, professional detailed cuts/shaping | The high pressures make this pretty infeasible for hobby use | ||
Regarding an abrasive cutoff saw, dry cut saw and band saw; I am torn on that mainly due to space. I think a band saw would provide the most flexibility but I am running out of space fast. I have a couple other items which I would love to acquire at some point which may require the remaining space so I am just letting the decision sit for now (& save for plasma cutter). Maybe I will find a job which will provide the spare cash for a larger garage :) Or maybe some folks will want to put some money together for a shared off-site workshop; maybe start something like this TechShop.
Regarding a plasma cutter; I have been considering both the Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 42 and the Hypertherm Powermax 30xp. It is a hard decision from the cost differential. There is a large amount of pro-Hypertherm user reviews out there and it seems like they have their act together (Jim Colt from Hypertherm posts lots of very useful info in various forums). From a hobbyist perspective though, is the initial cost differential worth the longer consumable life (it seems) and maybe a bit better support? I'm certain that the commercial users get great support from Hypertherm but I am less certain from a hobbyist perspective of the support differences - I don't expect them to show up in my garage to help me figure out some need/problem I have. At the same time, I do know that Hypertherm is made in USA. I have seen numerous folks comment on finding a used item but at the same time - people indicate that many good quality used items retain their value so you pay near retail but may not have any warranty available. Tough decision and I don't know anyone with units so that I can determine what is best for me. Additionally, I am still in the "experimenting" stage so "best for me" is not easily defined (if at all) - I know I want to clean cut 1/4" mild steel and maybe stainless and aluminum - but not sure how much thicker I would go (probably not much..).
[Update] Ok, as I review the Powermax 30xp further, I lean more toward it. There seem to be reports of repeatable good consumable lifetimes and few problems. I don't see as many reports on the TD equipment. I will have to see what my local welding supply places sell - I would like to know there is a local repair option for some of the more expensive equipment. If I ever build a CNC plasma table, it sounds like I could still use the Powermax 30xp (just no machine torch and capacity pretty low for CNC work).
Here are the hole making and forming type items.
| Item | Notes | My take | Cost |
| Hand held drill | Pretty much a standard for anyone doing any type of home/hobby work. Different size chuck and styles; corded/cordless options as well. Better for thin or softer material. | Consider more of a given than a requirement. Complements a drill press. | $ |
| Drill Press | fast/flexible setup; fast turn-around; relatively small foot print | To get nice plumb holes, a good quality drill press really comes in handy. I just got a 50-60 year old drill press from my father and the quality is much higher than a Harbor freight version. Craigslist is your friend – reasonable deals can be found. | $-$$ |
| Hydraulic press | Bending, pressing. Various extras allow creating box pans and such. Some cross over with an Iron worker but is generally more of a complement. | Presses can be found at reasonable prices on craigslist sometimes; quality, capability and features can vary significantly. Tooling may add a lot to total cost depending on what you are doing. Could use for ornamental art, vehicle maint, help with creating drawers and carts, etc. I'd recommend 20-50 ton capacity. | $-$$ |
| Milling machine | Ability to do more than just make holes (compared to to drill press). Groove/slot and larger cuts. Slower setup and turn-around. Complements a lathes functions. | A vertical knee type Bridgeport clone is likely the most flexible machine you can choose. Many options; DRO, power down feed, power axis, full CNC. I would enjoy a Lagun but I think I have a better chance of finding an affordable Sharp or Wells-Index. There are a number of other good brands but these are the ones which seem to be a good value and seem somewhat common. Tooling is a very large cost to account for and should not be underestimated. | $$$ |
| Metal Lathe | Turning, threading, complements a mills functions. | I don't really have any particular need for a metal lathe at this time. It would likely take a larger/longe item to push me to need a lathe. | $$$ |
| Iron Worker | shear, press, punch, notch, bend. Typically flats, angle, rounds, tubing. For some operations, this is much faster than using a drill press or mill. | Part of me would really like to get an iron worker. I can envision using it to work with ornamental art and lot of other things. The cost and size are a deterrent though. | $$$ |
Here is a quick list of lots of useful "little" stuff - lots of it depends on what you are doing. Low precision (maybe metal artwork) versus high precision (such as engine parts) makes a large difference in selecting items. Browse an online site like use-enco to see a huge selection of items available.
| Cleaning | Coating | Hammers | Work Holding /control | Measuring /alignment | Punch/ marking | Holes /threading | Misc |
| Sand paper | Foam brushes | Welding | C-clamps | Tape measures | Center punches | Tap and die set | Extra Lighting |
| Acetone | Paint brushes | Ball pein | Bar clamps | Calipers | Transfer punches | 135 degree drill bits; HSS/ Cobalt /etc | 120v & 220/240v 1 phase outlets |
| Mineral spirits | Spray cans | Standard | Spring clamps | Micrometers | Pin punches | Extension cords | |
| Files | HVLP sprayers | Mini-sledge | 4+” vice | Wiggler tool | Cold chisels | Storage carts | |
| Dremel w/burrs | Vise grips | DTI's | Layout fluid | tool boxes | |||
| Die grinder | Angle clamps | sine bar | Soap stone | cutting fluid | |||
| Angle grinder w/variety of wheels – dedicated purposes | Toggle clamps | Machinist square | Markers | safety equipment | |||
| 6” Grinder | Work tables | Height gauge | screw drivers | ||||
| Belt Sander | Angle plates | Feeler gauge | wrenches | ||||
| Sandblaster | Parallels | Gauge blocks | metal snips | ||||
| Parts washer | Saw horses | Thread gauge | |||||
| Cleanup magnet | Straight edges | ||||||
| 1-2-3 blocks | |||||||
| Rotary table |
This is really just a very short survey of stuff related to welding/machining. I really enjoy working with this type of stuff but it is a major black hole for $. Definitely need to set limits. There are many days I wish I could find work that combined my software development skills with metal working skills. Can keep wishing but won't hold my breath - for now this makes a nice stress reliever from the existing day job.
Hoping someone find something helpful or entertaining in all this.
Wishing you a blessed day.
Scott
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