SHOP EQUIPMENT

The following is a sample of some of the more popular and important equipment and tools we use to do the things we build.  Have questions about anything you see, send your questions in and we promise to answer them.  Everything you see we bought, so I'll let you know straight up want works and what don't.  Also, if you found something you thing we would appreciate, drop us a line and let us know about it.

This is the Complete Hydraulic 10,000lb 2-post lift.  It works very well and was easy to install.  Also pictured are several axle stands and a 2-stage transmission jack good for 3-tons.  The oil container is good for 18 gallons, all came from Complete Hydraulics.

Wheel balancer

Tire Changer

Complete Hydraulics's 4-post 10,000lb lift.  The Miller Bobcat gas welder w/18HP Kohler engine is a sweetheart, so is the plasma cutter sitting on top of it, it's good up to 3/4" thick steel.

The material rack in the back ground is sweet, it will hold 20-tons of steel!  Here it's pretty much empty, but we generally have it filled up with a sizable assortment of tubbing, flat steel and channel.

Blue steel cabinet is for bolt and nut assortment, we generally carry every size from 5/8" down in grade 5.  We have additional storage area for grade 8 and Stainless Steel assortments, also Metric.

This is our Multi-purpose lift.  It's built from 4" square tube and has a 6" I-beam mounted on top, with twin electric lifts.  This thing is used for everything from UN-loading trucks to lifting frames on and off the welding table. It allows us to test fit engines in and out of the frames with ease, it can do just about anything!

My favorite area, the WELDING AREA!  This is where all the fun takes place.

I enjoy all phases of building a street car.  The planing, sketching, assembly and countless hours just thinking, but the metal work is my favorite.

This is a Williams Low-Buck tubing botcher, it works great and is a huge time saver.  You can buy different dies for the different tubing diameters, and they change pretty quick, usually there is a 4' round tube handle on the end of this botcher.

Our small but very useful band saw, it's a 7" x 12" saw.

Our welding table is 40" x 162" and is made of 4" channel and 3"x 5"X-1/4" angle iron.  It's sturdy enough for anything we need to do.  All the way around the perimeter I mounted 2" square receiving tubes, just like a hitch, so we can easily mount and dis-mount adapters.  We also have a full line of positioners and stands to hold just about anything, you will see them latter on when we start on the 33's frame.

This is a handy little saw, called the Evolution.  It eats steel!  Not shown is a smaller unit called the "Slugger" it's made by the same people but is hand held like a circular saw, and loves to eat steel.  Great for cutting flat plate, you can purchase them at www.vansantent.com, which is Van Saints enterprises Trick Tool site.

This is a nice small plasma cutter, good on things up to 1/4"  

Here is the BEST welding machine I have ever had the pleasure of using. It's the Lincoln SP-255, and it will weld all day long and perform like a champ.  We bought this one new in 1996 and haven't had a single problem!

Here's are 20" drill press with a 6" vise and 8" x 12" cross slide.

This is one of my favorite tools....the tubing bender!  It's a model 4 bender from Van Saint Enterprises with hydraulic power.

Your looking at the most expense part of a tubing bender...the DIES.  We can bend round tubing up to 2" and square tubing up to 1-1/2" with this bender.

Every piece we cut has to be smoothed out, so sanding and grinding equipment is a must.  Here are 2 pieces we use all the time, the 6" x 48" belt sander and a 6" grinder with wire wheel.  These are simple Sears Craftsman tools you can get locally and they work great.

Of-coarse you will need plenty of hand tools, these are just two of the four tool chest we use that are stuffed with the good stuff.  I use 95% Sears Craftsman tools, they work great, feel good in your hand (there smooth series) and I can easily return them if one fails, which is a very rare occurrence.

Tools not shown but vital to what we do are 4-1/2" side grinders, we have 6 and would be lost without them.  Levels, squares, straight edges, micrometers, tape measures and dividers are all used often, so get yourself ones that feel good in your hand and are accurate.  I like the small tape measures when fitting up and welding things, there's no sense using a 25' tape when all your measurements are under 5 foot.  The 12 or 16 foot tape measures are my favorites, also stick with one tape for the project you will get more consistent measurements if you do.

Up-Dated 10-28-07

Our new Lincoln TIG Welder, The Precision TIG 275, W/water cooler and my Home Made storage rack.

You just can't beat a new welding helmet, especially when it's a Miller Auto-Darkening "ELITE" Model.

Necessary Supplies:

Welding hood: This is the most important single item when welding, it is there to protect your eyes from the damaging rays of the weld process.  Invest in a quality welding hood, I like and use the auto-darkening hoods, they almost eliminate the chances of getting flashed and really improve your welding.  Don't take any chances with your eyes, you only have one set!

Welding Protection:  I lumped all the welding gear into one big category, since you really need most every piece of protection gear when welding.  First and foremost is the welding gloves, get yourself a comfortable pair you will be using these all the time and comfort goes a long way.  I avoid the large overstuffed welding gloves, They cut down one the feel, and I like to know and feel what it is I am doing.  For me the thiner gloves work the best.

Jackets, long sleeve protectors, hats, bandanna's and jeans are all part of the personal protection.  Where what is comfortable, it goes a long way in helping you make quality welds.  Make sure the welding jacket is loose enough, I can't stand to be tight in my shoulders when welding.

Eye Protection: There is just no excuse for not wearing good eye protection.  There is just too many grinding, drilling and sanding operation to not wear your eye protection.  Now days there are many different and even cool styles of eye protection, you don't have to settle for the plain black rim glasses if you don't want to.  Find yourself a good comfortable set of glasses and get several pairs, and remember to wear them.

Work-site:  Every welding area should have a fire  extinguisher handy!  Keep a metal garbage can close by to throw all trash away and use the lid to cover the can.  This keeps the sparks out of the can which can cause a fire, and by throwing away the trash the work site remains clean and clutter free.  I like to also dis-guard all waste material as it is cut or ground off, this keeps hot pieces away from your feet and helps eliminate potential trips or falls.

Keep your Equipment Clean and in Top Working Order:  This is something I notice many people don't do.  Bottom line is your working with equipment that has consumable parts, weather it's a MIG welder or Plasma cutter, they need attention after use.  I always go over my MIG welder's gun after each project, and if I have to do alot of welding I may have to clean and service it during a project.  You should have a good size assortment of the consumables needed for each piece and type of equipment.  The typical MIG gun will need a good cleaning after each use, it may or may not need a new Liner, diffuser, contact tip or nozzle.  These are all item that wear over time and should be inspected after each use.  Get yourself a good set of MIG welding pliers, they are very handy and are great time savers.  The quality of your welds are directly effected by the state of your gun, keep it in tune.  One way to greatly increase the life of the gun parts is to use nozzle dip, simple dip the tip of the nozzle into the tub when heated, and the nozzle will stay much cleaner when in use, thereby extending the life of the affected parts.

C-Clamps, Vise-Grips and Positioners: When welding it is important to have an assortment of clamping and positioning type tools.  I use a extensive assortment of C-Clamps, Vise-Gripes and specialty positioners to hold the work in position till I can tack it.  There are also magnetic positioners that are offered that do a great job of holding the material in place, but they are limited by design and holding power.  Every welder will need an assortment of C-clamps, Vise-Grips and both magnetic and non-magnetic holders.  Buy quality clamps and in several different sizes.

Grinders: You will need an assortment of grinders (sizes) and grinding media.  The most common grinder I use is the 4-1/2" side grinder (Sears Craftsman Professional Series), I have several (6) and Just keep them handy loaded with the different types of grinding and sanding media so I am not constantly changing things out, instead I just pick-up the grinder loaded with the head I need.

Grinding Disk: These are great for general clean-up and welding preparation.

Sanding Disc: I seem to use these the most, they come in grits from 25 to 220 and allow you to trim or clean-up the work piece in a fast but very controlled way.  Much more forgiving then a grinding wheel, as you can chose the grit you need as the project progresses.

Flap Disc:  Another great tool to use when cleaning up weld splatter or modifying a part.  Much more controllable then a grinding wheel, and last longer then a sanding disc, but they do cost more also.

Cut-Off Wheels: Great for cutting out sheet metal, or making exacting cuts in a part.  Cheap to buy, and easy to use.  You will need a air operated cut-off tool or a die-grinder.

 Drills and Drill Bits:  Every fabricator is going to need a drill,  I would recommend getting a 1/2" variable speed hand drill from a brand name such as Milwaukee, Dwelt, or Porter Cable.  I use the Drill press the most, It's just faster and more Accurate, but you can get buy with a hand drill till funds allow you to purchase a drill press.  I use a Sears Craftsman 20" multi speed drill press outfitted with a 6" milling vise and a 8" x 12" compound sliding table.  The combination works very well, but would only work on a substantial drill press table as the vice and table weight over 200lbs together.

Drill Bits: I use the industrial drill bits, they last 3 to 4 times as long as ordinary bits.  I buy all bits from Bis co of Florida a industrial supply store.  They have a web site, www.bicsofl.com . We also purchase all are Stainless Steel from them.

Saws:  You are going to need a saw of some sorts, you can go with a hand saw like the Evolution Slugger, or a band saw like the one pictured above.  It's a Sear Craftsman I picked up some 12 years ago, and still works great, we use it all the time.  For the money, it's a best buy in my eyes.  There are also hand held band saws like the ones Green lee, Milwaukee or Porter Cable make, all are good saws but I would get the Milwaukee one.

my Steel:  This is something that can greatly effect the cost of a project.  If you live in a more populated area you may be lucky enough to have several metal suppliers to choose from.  If not, then you will be forced to either buy from the local supplier or travel to a more reasonable supplier, it will just depend on your relationship with the local supplier.  Look around and try to find a supplier that is willing to work with you, many don't like selling to small time users and really jack-up the price to compensate themselves for the time and trouble.  I use American Metal Supply, they have a web site, www.americanmetalsupplyco.com and my local suppler seems to want to work with me on both small and large orderer.  I usually keep a pretty good supply on hand, but special projects will call for added steel that you may not normally carry.  If you have to travel to find a supplier, I would suggest saving till you can afford to buy a pretty good supply of the common sizes, this will get you a better deal on the steel and make your travel more affordable.  When I talk about steel, I also mean Aluminum as well, my supplier handles both as well as brass and bronze.  If you decided to transport your steel yourself, be prepared steel is heavy and the weight adds up fast.  Steel angle will come in 20' or 40' lengths, and round and square tubing will come in 18' to 24' lengths, depending on what you purchase.  If you cannot transport long lengths, then be prepared to cut them on site, or have them cut by the supplier.  My supplier will cut and shear for a very reasonable fee, so I buy alot of sheet steel and just have them shear it into the sizes I need, for me it's much better then fighting with a whole Sheet of steel just to save a buck or two.

Aluminum: I generally use aluminum as trim, but it depends on the project.  If you do buy aluminum, make sure the piece isn't blemished and take the time to make sure it survives the trip home.  They do sell aluminum with a protective cover, but be wiling to spend more for it.