Hamish Hubbard (and Ode) wrote:
>
> I'm about to start some serious car restoration work (as opposed to
> tinkering out on the driveway). I have an adequately sized space
> in a garage in which to work, which is a new experience.
Congrats! I moved from an apartment to a house with double
garage a few months ago, and my car productivity is just
so much higher.
> - workbenches - I want to build one from angle/box iron as an initial
> project. Any advice (size/shape/surface material/plans/etc)?
I'll pass this one as I have no workbench in my garage. It
would be nice but at this time I need the full 20x20 for
parking.
Related to the below though, if you buy a horizontal air
compressor make sure your desk is big enough so the compressor
can go under it to save space.
> - air tools - what size compressor is needed to run drills/grinders
> without having to wait for the compressor all the time.
Is a 220V compressor acceptable?
I wanted portability so I bought a 120V 5hp 26 gallon
compressor, which is about as big as you can get in 110V. I
haven't used it a whole lot and I don't have all the tools, but
from what I read when shopping, that size should be acceptable
for most things. Spraying is right on the edge so I might
have to do a bit of waiting. Most sanders would put over
the edge and would probably require a lot of waiting.
If 220V is acceptable, get one that can do over 10cfm
at 90psi and that should cover just about everything.
> - Tools. (Sockets, screwdrivers, panelwork, air/electric tools etc).
> What are some names of "can't go wrong if you buy this" brands. I'm
> tired of cheap sockets that wear out in a few months, especially ones
> that look the part but aren't.
Related to air tools (since I have them on the brain lately) I
followed some advice I heard a few times. The price of "cheap" air
tools is many times less than the price of good ones. For this
reason, it makes sense to buy a whole shop full of cheap air
tools to start, and then replace the cheap ones with good ones
when you really notice it's failings.
Since you can get a cheap widget for $20 or a good one for $150,
it's a risk worth taking. I've been told that after a few years a
lot of people still have a lot of the $20 tools that are either
acceptable or used so little that the shortcomings are worth
putting up with.
(spray guns are the exception to the above rule, cheap ones
can directly hurt the quality of the results, unlike say, a
cheap impact wrench)
> - Gas welding - I have done some gas welding, but if I want to go into
> a shop and buy a complete setup for doing automotive panels and some
> box tube/angle iron construction what do I need to ask for and what
> would a good setup cost.
> - Spot welding - For the restoration I am doing a dedicated spot welder
> is appropriate (I have researched this). What are good brands/prices/
> duty cycle. Home wiring here in New Zealand is 240V at 10 amps - is
> this sufficient?
For the above, I would highly suggest getting a MIG welder
instead of both of those. You can pretty much weld everything
with a MIG welder.
I have gas and MIG, and I only use the gas rig for
cutting. MIG is just so much easier and more predictable. I
suppose you could get really good at gas welding and produce
good results, but with the MIG you can produce consistent
quality every time after a few hours practice.
Gas welding very thin metal takes a lot of practice
and is prone to warpage and such from the great heat. Again,
some people can do it but to me it's like tying a cherry
stem into a knot with your tongue, great skill, impressive,
but not useful. MIG it.
As for spot welding, I use my MIG for plug welding which
is effectively the same thing except for the before-grinding
appearance. You drill a hold in the top panel, press the
panels together, and weld up the hole welding it to the
back panel. Effectively a spot weld, also without the
need to have the access you need with a spot welder.
--
Trevor Boicey, Ottawa, Canada.
tboicey@brit.ca, http://www.brit.ca/~tboicey/
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