What to buy in a welder......

[Dozernut]

I have a little Hobart LX stick welder that I like really well. Its not too expensive (about $275) and is a good home model. I also have the Lincoln Weldpack 100. It is a good welder that is fun to use and great for thin metals.
A lot of people buy their welder but don't think about accurate cuts on their metal. I have a Dewalt metal chop saw (very noisy) and it does okay cutting metal, but it leaves a ragged cut edge that needs cleaning up. My favorite saw is my Jet band saw (very quiet). With the Jet I can put in my piece of metal, start the saw, then go work on something else. When it is done sawing, a finger on the saw head pushes the switch off. The clang of the cut piece falling on the floor alerts you the cut is done. This is a very basic saw and not meant for production work, but is great for the home shop.
Buy the best tools that you can afford, it will save you money in the long run. Be safe , have fun!

 

[Tractors4u]

Wow Dozernut, we have a lot in common. Komatsu dozers, Lincoln Weldpak 100's and metal cutting bandsaws! I really like my Weldpak 100. As a witness to what you can do with it, look in this forum at some of the things I have built, especially the pulverizer. And ditto what Dozernut said about the bandsaw. I had one of the chopsaws that used an abrasive blade. They are load and you have to hold the thing down while it cuts. On the bandsaw you put it in the vise, turn it on and walk away. Very clean cuts and you can set it to cut angles. Mine is a cheap one from Harbor Freight. I think it was like $140. Attached is a picture of it.

 

[botaman2]

I have a lincoln 225 (stick) that I have used for 31 yrs. great little welder. I recently bought a Miller 175 mig,really like it so far.The ability to weld real thin material,slag free is kind of nice. The 175 is rated to weld up to 1/4"in a single pass,but I have welded 3/8"with good penetration. The cost of operating a mig is more expensive,gas,tips,wire.The initial cost is also much more than a stick.If cost is not an option,I would go with the mig,because of the versatility,and quality of weld.The welds also look pretty!

 

[Junkman]

Money is no issue...... I am going to ask the wife to pay for it!!!! I'm retired...... she works...... I play on tractor...... she works....... Isn't this the way it should be?????

 

[40Kchicks]

Junkman,
Last year I bought an ESAB multimaster 260. It is a multi process welder that does stick, mig, and tig. It excels at stick and mig. I’ve used several stick machines and this it the smoothest I’ve ever used. The mig is really nice for getting those big jobs done fast. I use it a lot and have been very satisfied. Cost was about 2K.

 

[gsganzer]

"I am going to ask the wife to pay for it!!!! I'm retired...... she works...... I play on tractor...... she works....... Isn't this the way it should be?????"

Don't get too cocky or we'll tell your wife how much fun you're having "playing" on the tractor. I'm sure she can find some more "productive" tasks for you. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I got my wife to buy our tractor. Apparently I made a good argument, because she bought off on the idea pretty easily. I still don't understand how she bought it, but I make the payments. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[Junkman]

I jokingly tell all of our friends that her father pays me $100 weekly to keep her...... when the payments end, out she goes. Let see..... 25 years x 52 weeks = 1300 x $100 = $130,000 ............... heck, I better ask for some more money... it cost me more than that in 25 years..... LOL....

 

[RonR]

We're getting way ot.

I married my wife as her dad has a ski boat. Got the best wife in the world, and now I own the ski boat--it's almost 40 years old.

Guess I'll keep the wife too.........

Best wishes,
Ron

 

[mahlers]

For general around-the-house and bodyshop work, you can't go wrong with a good MIG welder. And, if you get a portable one that runs on regular house current, you'll thank yourself a million times over. It's nice to be able to drag the welder and extension cord (good extension cord - 10 guage) to your job site.

I have a Hobart Handler 135 flux-core and gas MIG setup. It's an excellent system - you can weld with it right away using flux core wire, or you can run a tank of Argon/CO2 and really do a nice job (and be able to see what you're doing). It is the heaviest-duty system that you can still run on regular household current. It comes with everything you need to get rolling. The best deals on it are at Northern Tool and Sears. Sears was offering the whole setup plus a rolling work-cart for $449 a little while ago. Norther tool is also $449 and they offer free shipping on that unit. Check it out, you might like it. I've used it for just about everything imaginable.