Tools that are essential to own.

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donsrods

Well-known member
Joined
May 11, 2007
Messages
10,476
Location
fort myers florida
A member PM'd and asked what tools I felt were essential to own to do basic metal shaping and cutting, so I thought it might be a great subject where we can all toss in our personal favorites. I looked over the various subjects and this TECH section seemed to be the only place that fit, but if Bob wants to move it somewhere else, please do so.

The short answer is, every new tool you buy will always be "How did I ever live without this one all my life ??" Each new tool just makes life so much easier and your work so much better. I drool when I see the guys on those hot rod shows using a computer controlled laser cutter that they simply make a drawing of a part and the machine cuts it out perfectly in a minute, but most of us will never see one of those in our lifetime. So, here are some basics as I see it.

1) A good 3/8 electric drill. I have a couple of cordless drills and use them a lot, but I still drag out my 3/8 drill when doing a lot of holes or in thick steel as it has more torque and no batteries to run low.

2) Next step up would be a 1/2 inch drill. You won't use it as much as the 3/8, but it comes in handy when using a hole saw or for drilling really big holes.

3) Then comes a drill press. Even one of the less pricey ones like Harbor Freight sells is great to have. It will drill neater, more accurate holes than you can ever do holding a drill, and it will do them quicker. With the sour economy these show up on Craigslist used all the time.

4) Drill bits.. We like the DeWalt pointed tip ones that come in the yellow box. Lowes and others sell them in various sized packages, and they are not only fast cutting but they are very accurate and don't "walk" on the surface of the steel like some others. I also like the gold high speed ones that HF sells, for the money they are surprisingly good and they last a long time.

5) 5 inch disc grinder. COULD NOT LIVE WITHOUT IT. The Milwaukee and other high end ones are a good value, but we also have a couple of the ones HF sells and again, for the money, they work fine. We use mostly 50 grit discs on them, which even Home Depot carries, and it is invaluable for cleaning up metal and shaping stuff.

6) A good vice. I have actually broken a couple of cheap cast iron vices when they snapped on half on me, so now I have an big old steel one that I bought at a garage sale for $ 50 years ago. I use it all the time and can't imagine not having it around. I have seen some good Wilton and other brands at swap meets lately for $ 50 to $ 100, which is a good price.

7) A steel welding table. Even if you don't have a welder yet, a good, solid steel welding table is a terrific place to clamp down steel to cut and grind it. Ours is nothing special, just a piece of 1/2 inch thick steel plate that is 2 x 4 feet, and some steel legs and a lower shelf welded to that. Every time I am at the shop I find myself heading to it to lay out some piece of work, or to grind something.

8) Bench grinder with a grinding wheel on one side and a wire wheel on the other. Also show up used all the time, but even the cheaper ones are ok for the money.

9) Air compressor. Such a great piece of equipment to own. You can run air tools, spray paint, and blow off stuff with it, and the bigger the better. We now have a 3 cylinder one in our shop but for years and years I only had a 20 gallon 1.5 hp Sears portable and built a lot of cars and boats with that one. HF has them on sale all the time and while they are not the top of the line they work fine for what you pay. Used ones can also be found and can be a good deal.

Ok, I will quit there and let others chime in with what basic tools they like. Hope this helps some of the guys who are just starting out.

Don
 
1. variety of vice grips and vice grip C clamps is a must have
2. combination square
3. couple good drop lights
4. several ratchet straps HF is fine 1" or 1-1/4" what ever they are
5. 3 to 4 extensions 25' the 50's are usually too long anyway
6. wire cup brush for the 4" grinder Don mentioned
OK, I'll let someone else join in :eek:
 
Hand tools like the typical wrench sets and sockets sets, are a investment that pay off in the long run provided you go with middle of the road or better quality. Generally, cheap, ill fitting, poorly made from sub grade material tools will get you hurt, period. They spread out under the strain, become odd sizes (some people call that metric[ddd) and will cause injury as they bend, break, or slip. Aside from the physical injurys, and problems that arise from using them, the fasteners get rounded corners, chrome and painted finished are damaged, and you just screwed up some costly parts. Buy the best you can afford, and that are appropriate for the job.
 
4" grinder with a variety of wire brushes, flap wheels, cutoff discs. absolutely the most used tool in my shop short of the hand tools.
Buy some cheap grinders so you don't have to swtich discs.
I also do construction so I bought some heavy grinders, the 7" toolshop brand from menards didnt hold up to cutting wheels, truck frames, and the diamond blade i used to score out an opening in a brick wall>
I went out and bought a 7" and a 9" milwaukee i can get parts for those.
My 4" makita has been used and abused is going on 12 years old and is still going strong it is my core grinder.
body hammer
Slapper spoon
ball peen
plastic mallet round one end
3# short handled maul for bumping and as a dolly
universal dolly
chisels (rounded not sharp) for creasing
some wood working tools for cutting blocks to shape against
like he said some kind of table to clamp to or a chunk of metal for a beating edge
Vice- to hold pattern dollys
You can make dollies any shape out of any old scrap iron just make sure they are smoooooth
good set of left right and straight wiss brand snips. Lots of brands only a couple good ones look for them at a drywall supply if not at your lumberyard.
set of torches and tanks- for cutting, for removing fasteners, for shrinking and annealing, for welding, oxy acet is the first welding process your trained on in school not the fastest or the best but can weld anything and it teaches the right way to hold a rod and work a puddle.
Working with sheetmetal your going to rip it and it's going to have holes you need to be able to weld it up.
If your using a mig make sure you have easy grind wire... the 90,000 psi stuff is like trying to grind down a bearing race.
Some chunks of brass or copper to back up holes with when filling them in with weld
Good fan... it's going to get hot you want to enjoy it.
cardboard and masking paper for patterns
straight edge
tape measure
sharpies
dual action sander or DA
******* file and sanding longboard for running over work to check highs and lows
 
ear plugs! dust masks! and get 2 face shields one in green for oxy welding/cutting, and one in clear.. and some safety glasses with side sheilds
Welding gloves... and if you have to take the guard off your grinder for any reason... dont wear thin sissy gloves....the really thick ones and make sure you wear a leather apron and always keep the plane of the blade pointed somewhere the blade isnt going to hit you if it breaks.
get some cotton ironworkers caps to cover your head.. they cover all of your head and you can put your safety gear on right over them.
The leather apron will keep the doctors from pulling grinding wheel chunks and metal fragments out of your belly.
FUBAR...It happens... alot.

Another safety item kinda weird but it works.... stocking cap (not to be worn with fire or sparks)
When under the car after going bald on top I found i bumped my head alot...HAAAARD.
The stocking cap makes up for your loss of whiskers, wear it loose like poppa smurf and you'll feel the crossmember coming before your head slams into it.
I have been seen wearing a stocking cap in 100 degree heat while under a car
 
Step bits - the ones from HF have lasted me awhile as long as you drill a pilot hole first.

Cutting oil - to make your drill bits last a lot longer!

Grinders - I have a 7" and two cheapy 4-1/2" grinders. One usually has a flapper sanding disc on it and the other a cut off wheel. The 7" usually has a wire wheel or a cut off if I need something deep.

Dremel with a cut off wheel - it's small and sometimes it's the only thing that fits.

Hacksaw - when accuracy counts.

Vice-Grips.

More Vise Grips.

C-clamps - good solid ones.

Drawer full of hammers and punches. My favorite is a 4Lb maul.

Aviation Tin Snips - they're like the cutting tool equivalent of vise-grips.

Picks - I have a set from HF - good for scribing stuff and, well, picking at stuff.

Eye protection, lots of cheap leather gloves, and a fire extinguisher.

Sockets - I use HF impact sockets (but not on my impact!).
 
Yep... here's one of my fav tools!

BoB
 

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Harbor Freight has the best deal going on those unibit drill bits. 3 for about $9 on sale all the time. Other places get $ 10 or more for one bit.

Don
 
All great stuff and diffently the stuff you need....

since we all go to different extremes in our building some will have much more and some much less.... obviously..... my guess is that we all started with the basic set ups discribed by Don and have expanded with our builds and our skills..... but the basic stuff in the first few posts are a must have...JMHO....
 

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