I’m in the process of planning additional tools that might be useful once I get my table. I have all the standard welding paraphernalia, a portaband, vice, etc. I’m getting a large horizontal bandsaw from a friend that will need to be restored, not that any of those things translate to sheet metal per-say. I also have a large disc sander, a 4" belt/disc sander combo (for wood only?), sawzalls, pedestal grinder, drill press, and I guess most tools that aren’t metal fab specific.
I know I’ll make decorative items, and I have a sandblast rig, powdercoating system, and a couple of cheap HVLP guns.
I will also make utility items, brackets, holders, etc., so I’ll need to bend things. What to start with? Just a 30"+ brake, or a press? Does anyone use a sheet roller much?
I’m also thinking about a dry-cut chop saw and/or the Milwaukee 8" dry-cut circular saw. Both? Neither? (I have an abrasive chop saw and it is my least favorite tool ever, I’d rather work on a running jet engine.)
Are there any pieces of support equipment that I should prioritize for purchase and those that I shouldn’t bother with; what are ya’lls thoughts? A Bridgeport and a metal lathe have been on the list longer than a plasma table, but they’re out of my cost range right now with a Pro and a Hypertherm on order.
What about junk food items (things you should always have if you want them) nuts and bolts of a specific size, wire, punches, etc.? (That question is more about organizing the buckets and coffee cans of stuff I have rather than purchasing new.)
The 4" belt/disc sander can be used for metal as well as wood, plastics, etc. As for additional tools, just purchase tools as projects require them. The only thing right off that might be handy, the circular saw for breaking down sheet material without removing your plasma from your table.
The most useful things to me are my milling machine and horizontal bandsaw. Without those two my days would be a lot more difficult. Also a good set of 4" air grinders. Electric grinders will beat you up real quick.
I have a 20 ton shop press with a finger brake press kit from swag offroad. I also have the arbor plates and the flat die kit, which is what I use 95% of the time now.
Also have a 36" sheet metal brake from harbor freight, which I have used when I need sharper bends.
I have a 220v mig welder, and a tig welder.
A nut rivet tool can be handy, if they make sense for your parts.
With angle grinders, I have recently switched to cordless grinders. I haven’t touched any of my 4 corded grinders since the day I made the switch.
On the subject of sanders, a 5 inch random orbital sander can be handy, this is another tool that I made the switch to cordless with.
A magnetic work holding chuck is on my list of tools to buy, to hold my parts while I sand/grind them. They can be had for under $200 on amazon.
And on my dream/wish list is a threaded stud welding gun…
You’ve got a good list going… One of my favorite new additions is a 20 ton press, air/hydaulic, with SWAG heavy duty finger brake kit. When I get a bigger shop I’d like to build a 50" with 2 or 3 20ton air/hydraulic jacks and get the SWAG kit.
Last week I picked up a ring roller that is pretty useful for decorative and functional stuff. I also picked up a tubing roller primarily for rock crawler builds but it’s great for so many other projects. I used it to roll a 4 ft ring from a 12.5’ piece of 1.25" tube for a fire pit and I’ll use it for an RV gate here soon when I add a set of square dies.
The two tools on my soon-to-buy list are the magnetic work holding chuck Mike_C mentioned and a good set of dimple dies. And some day it would be cool to have a slip roller.
I’m a fan of the SWAG press brake & HF 20-ton press with their air-hydraulic pump instead of the manual one. Both heavy duty & gooseneck dies.
I got my arbor plates by getting some 1 1/2" scrap steel plates from one of my metal suppliers. No sense paying markup & shipping on those heavy chunks of steel
Very true, my supplier sells precut 1"-2.5" thick plate in 6x6, 8x8, 10x10 etc. Those arbor plates from SWAG are extremely expensive for what they are. I picked up 12x12 1.5" for $38 each.
I also have and love the Swag finger brake with air hydraulic press, It rocks! the magnetic chuck is a must in my opinion no marks on the sheet metal and parts don’t fly across the shop $125 on ebay. Dimple dies are useful as well as press dies . Once you figure out your product plan it will be easier to build your tool box to fit your needs. I have a powder coat gun and oven as well, you just need to work what you can with the space you have … everything has a footprint… the last thing i would suggest is a good blast cabinet gets parts ready for powder coat. Harbor Freight works well with modifications look on Youtube. Good Luck and have fun …
@bobbysixguns Thank you, I did not realize that (thought it was like a bandsaw), and went and bought some zircon belts last weekend. I also ordered the Evolution R255sms+ today. ($229 at Home Depot, but I bought mine from my local Praxair, who gave me a better deal.)
just purchase tools as projects require them
This is my greatest weakness. I come up with a new project every 30 seconds. I built (most of) a forge last weekend, I don’t know for what yet.
@custommetalmke oh, if wishes were horses… One day I’ll find a killer deal on a Bridgeport. I picked up a bucket of nice air tools at an estate sale two weekends ago for $5, I think there’s one grinder in there.
@Mike_C I’m thinking the press is the next purchase. I have a few rivet guns, they look similar, can I just buy the rivet nuts or do I need to get the whole kit? Ditto on the grinders and sander; and a mag holder has been on my Amazon wish list for a few months. It’ll probably get higher on the list as I start to do more grinding, I mean welding.
@OffRoadDevilDog and @jamesdhatch I’ve also considered building a press because of the width and the cheap, cheap scrap metal all around here. Good to know I’m not overreaching.
@ everyone - excellent suggestions and information, thank you. A finger brake press and mag plate are what I was leaning towards as the next purchases. Since I’m building a forge, I’m also looking for some sort of anvil - I’m thinking of making one from a train car wheel.
I’ll make a post in the main forum once I’ve played with it to let everyone know my thoughts on the Evolution saw.
I have the evolution saw and absolutely love it but to me it’s one dimensional. I use my portaband a lot and my plasma cutter (hand held). The evolution is messy. It throws chips everywhere - but the big plus is that it is very very beefy. It will chew through stuff with the right blade and set up. I bought the aluminum, steel and multi purpose blade. Albeit not cheap either.
A palm sander, cordless is nice to get a unique finish on some metals - in my opinion a little better than some disc sanders of the air variety.
I also love my rotary tool and deburring tool. Great for cleaning up metal afterwards.
Get lots of five gallon buckets. I grab one or two every time I head to the big box stores, I usually use these for acid washes and clean washes. And I’m always picking up spray bottles for acetone and the like.
@Gunny0628 Thanks for the suggestions. The Evolution saw is still in the box in the living room, I haven’t even gotten to look at it yet because… @custommetalmke is a bad, bad man. (Probably not, but I have to blame this on someone. )
I found a Bridgeport at an estate sale. It was refurbished by a “cutting corners-type” company and the purchaser never used it. It had been sitting outside in the shipping crate for 4 years in the Texas weather. The refurb apparently consisted of not wiping it down or cleaning out the metal shavings, then painting over 4 layers of paint on a 1963 body, and adding power feeds, DRO, power drawbar, variable speed head, one-shot system, E-head, rotary and tilt tables, 12" riser, etc. All the bells and whistles really, so I couldn’t pass it up. It looked terrible with the amount of rust on it, but I’ve managed to find the original metal under there.
The quill is completely locked up (head was upside down in the weather all that time), but the motor is good. For the past month, I’ve spent every moment I’m not working my real job on tearing it down and cleaning/restoring it. I dropped off the body for powder coat today, I have an idea their estimate is going to double after they look over the machine. (I overheard, “So much taping” and “Man, this is a big job.”)
There is still so much work to be done besides coating, but there you go, I now have a Bridgeport. Wishes are crazy, gone wild horses that have to be given lots of patience and love to bring back to life. I was the little girl that dragged home every poor creature that needed a home and love; I guess some things never change, but at least I’m not a crazy cat lady. Although I heard there was a guy with a bunch of Tigers that is in jail? And they’re within driving distance?
@Gunny0628 It’s also good to know that all the spray bottles and buckets I’ve bought to work on the Bridgeport will have a use afterward. I think the PepBoys one may be a collector’s item now though.
Wow, that’s a pretty impressive arsenal. Where do you work? Based on the tools that you have at your disposal, I think that a good circular saw will definitely not be superfluous. Especially if it is a compact version that will be convenient to work with and can save you a lot of time and save you from unnecessary effort. I have been using the Rockwell Compact Circular Saw for a long time and I can say that this saw has a very ergonomic design and it is the most comfortable of the saws I have worked with. It is in third place on this list https://trimthatweed.com/best-compact-circular-saw/ and perhaps the appearance will not tell you much, but the mass and shape make it really good.
I use the bridgeport & metal lathe pretty much every weekend (purely a hobbiest with a weakness for tools!)
I got one of the ebay 2" belt grinders, 2hp 3 phase with VFD. The speed you can swap belts is really nice. I usually leave a coarse belt on, but I can go down to 400 grit when needed. Swapping belts is less than 30 seconds.
I picked up a welding table like the arcflat langmuir sells, that has improved the accuracy of my welding projects immensely.
I couldn’t live without the horizontal bandsaw. I got some 4" round stock a while back and being able to set it in the saw and do other stuff for 20-30 minutes while it cuts is very nice.
I picked up a used doall vertical bandsaw which is a really handy tool for random cuts. I didn’t think I’d use it much, but I use it as often as the horizontal bandsaw.
I have the swag non-finger break and a grizzly 48" finger break. I find I like the grizzly for anything thin enough for it, much faster and easy to bend just a little more to hit the angle you want.
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on tearing it down and cleaning/restoring it. I dropped off the body for powder coat today, I have an idea their estimate is going to double after they look over the machine. (I overheard, “So much taping” and “Man, this is a big job.”)
I think the PepBoys one may be a collector’s item now though.