> -----Original Message-----
> From: shop-talk-owner@autox.team.net
> [mailto:shop-talk-owner@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of Trevor Boicey
> Sent: Monday, August 17, 1998 2:06 AM
> To: Hamish Hubbard (and Ode)
> Cc: shop-talk@autox.team.net
> Subject: Re: Setting up shop
>
>
> > - 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.
I have a compressor similar to what Trevor describes and find that it works
fairly well for spraying, but it clearly isn't enough for serious
sandblasting (in case you contemplate that). It is also probably not enough
to run a high end sander but as I have electric sanders that hasn't been a
limitation yet. It keeps up reasonably well with my 1/2" drill and die
grinder. Still, it would be nice to have a larger stationary compressor. If
there's any way, consider putting the compressor outside somehow so you
won't have to listen to it.
> > - 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)
Definitely get a good spray guy. I find that my 3/8 air ratchet is by far my
most frequently used tool, followed closely by the 1/2 impact wrench. I also
have a 1/2 drill, a 1/4 die grinder, and an air chisel. I would think about
what you're likely to use most, get better quality tools for those, then for
the rest, cheap like what Trevor suggests. Mine are mostly the
Cambell-Hausfeld "professional" line, sort of medium quality. Not as high
quality as Ingersol-Rand but above the cheap mail order stuff. I got most of
them on sale at various times, so didn't pay that much. The only one I'd
seriously consider upgrading at this point is the spray gun; I wish I'd gone
for a top end HVLP setup and will whenever I get to the painting stage
again.
On the hand tools, I don't know what's available there, but anything with a
local presence and lifetime guarantee should be ok. Where I live, Sears
Craftsman fits that pretty well; they're not the very best tools available
but they are good, and if I break one, I can get it replaced with a 15
minute drive even on a Sunday afternoon, no questions asked. If you can be
patient, shop around, and wait for things to go on sale you can save a lot.
For example, I recently found one of the Sears 434 piece mechanics tool
sets -- basically every socket they make from 1 1/4" down, standard and
deep, 6 and 12 point, as well as the equivalent metric sizes, plus a set of
8 points, plus hex keys (socket drive and regular), plus SAE and metric
combination wrenches, ignition wrenches, assorted other wrenches, a hacksaw
and a pile of screwdrivers -- on sale for $225 (normally $499). It was at a
small town sears store, I asked the guy why so cheap, and he said that Sears
has a policy of not keeping anything in inventory more than a year, and he'd
have that set for 14 months so had been told to get rid of it. So I bought
it then sold my son the stuff that duplicated what I already had - we both
came out ahead.
> > - 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 is probably right about this, you can probably save some money and
probably get by just fine with just a MIG. I have gas and stick, but tend to
borrow a MIG from a friend when I need to weld much thin stuff.
There was a pretty good discussion about setting up shop as well as about
benches in the list archives from early 96 at:
http://www.team.net/html_arc/shop-talk/9601/threads.html
Here are some URLs that you might also find interesting on this topic:
http://www.ultimategarage.com/design.html
http://www.vettenet.org/garage.html
http://www.easy.com/goodwrench/shed.html
Good luck,
Tw
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