Starting small one guy shop idea needed...

[Johnson]

What is the most used machine in your shop...or most important that made you into a REAL shop? I am outfitted with a portaband, oxy torch, MIG, TIG, ARC, drill press (benchtop), 12 disk sander, Horz bandsaw, banch throatless shear 9", metal chop saw, sawzall, drills, hand grinders, bench grinder, plasma cutter....and tons of hand tools. Any benders brakes or shears I should be looking at? Do you use them or need them that often? WHat tool is a must that I am missing? Thanks for the input.

[MuttonHawg]

I'm asking myself a similar question, though you're already far better equipped than I am! I'm trying to figure out a way to free up more space in my garage to accumulate tools. A portaband is next on my list.

Depending on the nature of what you're planning on doing, perhaps something to roll or bend tube might be useful. I've been eyeballing the stuff over at swagoffroad.com for some roll-your-own tools and Harbor Freight tool mods for press brakes and tubing roller/benders (got the URL from Jody at weldingtipsandtricks.com - he's welded up a few of their kits). I don't really need a tubing roller or hydraulic press brake, but I'm trying to find an excuse (and the space!) to get/modify/build one.

[geezer]

What is the most used machine in your shop...or most important that made you into a REAL shop? I am outfitted with a portaband, oxy torch, MIG, TIG, ARC, drill press (benchtop), 12 disk sander, Horz bandsaw, banch throatless shear 9", metal chop saw, sawzall, drills, hand grinders, bench grinder, plasma cutter....and tons of hand tools. Any benders brakes or shears I should be looking at? Do you use them or need them that often? WHat tool is a must that I am missing? Thanks for the input.

A REAL SHOP,,,,dunno what that means...you can never have enough or enough space for it,, I got my new mag drill the other day,,,need one of those like a second @$$ hole,,,but I have one and I won't be looking on the Utube at them..got my own now..Coffee Pot no shop is a real shop with out one of those,,,I use my little 4x 6 bandsaw a lot,,,more than I though I would...good tool to have...other than that,,,tools come as you need them,, gear pullers,,drills and taps,,,lathe, milling machine etc etc it takes time and it all adds ups over time..a good bench vise is a must,,you will use that a lot,,

[everlastsupport]

I agree with Geezer. You need the basics to start then add as you need. Let the projects pay for them. The little 4x6 and chop saw get used a lot, cutoff wheels to razor blades seem to be on the consumable list each month.

Odd tools, HF has a double cut saw that is cheap and will save you some time as well. The coffee maker does green tea here

As you grow old, you try to figure how you can move it all some day if needed, then older you realize you have to pass it on. My kids know how they all work so covered there.

Also, space has always been an issue for me.

[Johnson]

A REAL SHOP,,,,dunno what that means...you can never have enough or enough space for it,, I got my new mag drill the other day,,,need one of those like a second @$$ hole,,,but I have one and I won't be looking on the Utube at them..got my own now..Coffee Pot no shop is a real shop with out one of those,,,I use my little 4x 6 bandsaw a lot,,,more than I though I would...good tool to have...other than that,,,tools come as you need them,, gear pullers,,drills and taps,,,lathe, milling machine etc etc it takes time and it all adds ups over time..a good bench vise is a must,,you will use that a lot,,

By real shop I mean one that gets a job and has the right tools to make money and finish it right. How important is jigging and a nice thick table to you guys. Jody looks like he has a nice setup. Most of my tools are found off Craiglist for dirt cheap and over the last 15 years has started to add up The mag drill looks cool, never used one though. I want to try and start my own welding business someday and want to be ahead of my game. Thanks for the advice.

[DaveO]

tools come as you need them

Acquiring on CL for cheap is a great way to start. At some point it becomes a question of having the space to store it all- it can become a self-fulfilling dream and a game you play in your mind: Look how much I saved on this! even though you may never use it. I'm with ya on wanting to be prepared for anything that walks in the door, maybe an idea would be to keep a cash reserve in anticipation of a customer call that says "I've got a messed up such and so, can you repair it" and you can say Yes because a trip to a LWS or Lowes or Home Deep gets you the right tool, and the customer helps pay for it.

[performance]

Start with just getting you a Harbor freight bender. I'd recommend an iron worker. Northern tools carries a cheap one. But the "best buy" in an iron work is an Edwards.
You need a good 20 ton press (you can probably fashion your own...as I am working on my own). A cherry picker serves as an extra employee. Jack stands help get things off the ground.

But if you can't go first class....a lot of old, mechanical presses, shears and benders are all around. I bought a 3 x 3/8" capacity mechanical bender for 25.00 a dozen years ago. People have offered me 20 times or more what I paid for it. Said no...because I made a bunch of money with it and it still works as long as my arms do.

[agent4573]

Maybe I missed it, but what kind of shop are you trying to open? Do you do automotive fabrication or iron works like rought iron gates? It sounds like you have most everything you need, but knowing what shop you have would probably help. Also, you asked if jigging is important, and I think absolutely yes. You dont always need a huge table to jig and straighten things, but having at least a few good squares, angle finders, etc helps alot when trying to get stuff where you want it.

[Johnson]

Iron worker looks liek a solid way to get that edge obove most garage shops. I have seen a couple videos on making DIY benders and I might go that route.

Agent4573 - I would be taking on everything....thats what I TRY and currently do. Airplane parts, classic cars, tables, birdhouses....anything for a buck. I'm trying to get through school and pay my way out of debt. Just seeing what others "could not live without" type of thing. Once I switched to GTAW I know I will aways need one to keep up. The things left on my list so far are a spindle sander, shear, brake, ironworker....the big toys. Those may take years to find the right deal and save my money. I just like to dream I guess....

[geezer]

Iron worker looks liek a solid way to get that edge obove most garage shops. I have seen a couple videos on making DIY benders and I might go that route.

Agent4573 - I would be taking on everything....thats what I TRY and currently do. Airplane parts, classic cars, tables, birdhouses....anything for a buck. I'm trying to get through school and pay my way out of debt. Just seeing what others "could not live without" type of thing. Once I switched to GTAW I know I will aways need one to keep up. The things left on my list so far are a spindle sander, shear, brake, ironworker....the big toys. Those may take years to find the right deal and save my money. I just like to dream I guess....

No harm in having a dream,,,but this stuff costs and can add up quickly,,,,example,,,need to make some 1/4 inch square holes in a shaft,,,ordered a square hole broach,,,usually runs about $100 in the US,,,add postage about 20 bucks,,,made the mistake of ordering it locally,,,final cost to me $200.00 + GST,,,that's Canada for you everybody wants to make a buck and usually at my expense...square holes cost much more than the round ones...lol..lets hope I don't break it...I fiqure the 6 holes I need are close to 35 bucks a hole not counting my time..bad dream...

[MuttonHawg]

Start with just getting you a Harbor freight bender. I'd recommend an iron worker. Northern tools carries a cheap one. But the "best buy" in an iron work is an Edwards.
You need a good 20 ton press (you can probably fashion your own...as I am working on my own). A cherry picker serves as an extra employee. Jack stands help get things off the ground.

But if you can't go first class....a lot of old, mechanical presses, shears and benders are all around. I bought a 3 x 3/8" capacity mechanical bender for 25.00 a dozen years ago. People have offered me 20 times or more what I paid for it. Said no...because I made a bunch of money with it and it still works as long as my arms do.

Holy cow - those iron workers are awesome. How is it I've never seen those before? Downside - I have a new machine to drool over. Upside - one of those would free up alot of space over getting all the OTHER shop presses/benders/shears I'd been wanting. Lucky (?) for me, they're priced out of my range so there's no threat in my buying one anytime soon! But I could see how one of those, especially a well-maintained cheaper used one, could be a huge boon to a small fabrication shop - the capabilities it offers open up tons of possibilities!

[Johnson]

Check out how to make a brake press from a 20 ton harbor freight press. Lots of videos on youtube about it...including one from Jody from weldingtipsandtricks. They look nice. And cheap too!

[everlastsupport]

On the press brake, search our forum. We had a run om them for a bit.

The HF one can be bought cheap and welded up to make a fair press as well. The bottle jack will set you back $40+

If you have a welder and some channel scrap you can build one.

[willida]

I don't think you mentioned, but a good two stage compressor is hard to live without.

[Johnson]

i don't have a two stage but scoreed a nice single stage MAC one on Craislist last summer that was broke. Fixed it for free That should work for now. I think my next step is the DIY pressbrake, looks cool.....

[jameslo]

Old thread, but I'll add my .02

One of the best tools I've bought, and one I kick myself for not buying LONG ago every time I use it is a Northern Tools brand dry cut metal saw. Looks like a chop saw with a steel blade with teeth (like a crosscut blade).

Unlike the abrasive saw, this blade doesn't flex. When you cut 45 degrees, it's really 45 degrees, and it's a straight cut.

The metal cuts clean and can most often go straight to the welding table. There is no having to grind it back into a workable state, ending up grinding away some of the length you needed.

Few if any sparks, the metal is not red hot coming off the saw, and it can cut big stuff as easily as the little stuff.

It's not $89 like a chop saw, though. It's around $300, and the replacement blade is $100, but I've had it for 3 years now using the original blade, and it's as steady as a rock. If it died today, I'd go get another one just like it.

[joshuab]

The ultimate answer depends on exactly what kind of shop you're opening. I've always thought a mag drill with a set of annular cutters would be really nice. I can never justify the cost, because I'm not a pro, but if a customer was footing the bill, it seems like it would make up for itself in time and hassle pretty quickly. If you don't need to make holes in thick steel very often, maybe not so much worth it, though.

CNC plasma table (or laser or water-jet if you like) is pretty sweet--and from what I hear, if you can drum up work, pretty easy to pay it back. Not much additional labor babysitting it especially if you have torch height control, and you can run jobs for customers to keep the machine making money while you're doing other stuff. I have a friend who has started a small business doing laser-cutting/etching of acrylic and wood, and he gets as much work as he can handle. If you are handy, you can fabricate your own table for the most part, and save a lot of money. A CNC plasma table will also really step up the quality of your own fabrication, since you can cut out nice curves and custom parts that would be difficult to make by hand, or that wouldn't look nearly as professional.

[jameslo]

Another affordable must-have is a cabinet-type sand blaster. It's a real time saver, and they are on Craigslist at giveaway prices.

The good thing about buying them used is that there's almost nothing that can go wrong. It's a box with a blast gun and gloves. Worst case, you get a new blast gun from Northern and you're in business.

[geezer]

The ultimate answer depends on exactly what kind of shop you're opening. I've always thought a mag drill with a set of annular cutters would be really nice. I can never justify the cost, because I'm not a pro, but if a customer was footing the bill, it seems like it would make up for itself in time and hassle pretty quickly. If you don't need to make holes in thick steel very often, maybe not so much worth it, though.

CNC plasma table (or laser or water-jet if you like) is pretty sweet--and from what I hear, if you can drum up work, pretty easy to pay it back. Not much additional labor babysitting it especially if you have torch height control, and you can run jobs for customers to keep the machine making money while you're doing other stuff. I have a friend who has started a small business doing laser-cutting/etching of acrylic and wood, and he gets as much work as he can handle. If you are handy, you can fabricate your own table for the most part, and save a lot of money. A CNC plasma table will also really step up the quality of your own fabrication, since you can cut out nice curves and custom parts that would be difficult to make by hand, or that wouldn't look nearly as professional.

At a certain point in your life cost means nothing,,,Mag drill, anular cutters. cnc plasma table, lathe ,milling machine,,,got all of that stuff,,,,and more,,,have a 250EX and cooler collecting dust,,,Problem is,, by the time you can afford and get all that hobby stuff,,you are too old to play with it...and most of the guys I used to play with and do stuff with are dead from old age...but I keep pluggin on,,,buying stuff I will never use or need..should have had it all when I was younger...

My point is: if you want a welder,,,start a shop or what ever,,,buy it,,,start it,, ,or get it,,,,and don't worry about the cost,,,don't waste your time,,,cause the time you have is limited..Learn to treat yourself right,,nobody else will..

[joshuab]

At a certain point in your life cost means nothing

I ain't there yet, although I'm not starving either. It's not just the cost of the tool. If I really wanted it, I'd end up getting it sooner or later. Saying, "I can't justify the cost," is just short-hand for, "There's just a lot of other things that I want more, that I spend money on first."