Tool Question

[JeepJunkie]

1. How many volts would you say would be good for a cordless drill? 18? 24? or would you say skip the cordless drill and get a drill press?

2. Is a 4 1/2 agle grinder a good size? mostly ill be doing small fab stuff for now.

3. Chop saw, how many amps? and it seems 14 inch is pretty popular so i think ill being getting that size. What brands do you guys and gals have and how do you like them?

4. any other tools that you cant live without when fabbing your own stuff....besides a welder

[JeepJunkie]

oh yea also lookin for a good set of drill bits. Any reccemedations?

[Dukes69]

Hey Brett, I'm going to move this. I think it might do better in the fab section.

Anyway. What is this stuff for?

A Drill press is better then a cordless drill. Make sure you get a vise. Cordless drills have their place, but I wouldnt use one to try and fab stuff.

4-1/2 is good. I have a 7 inch, but never use it. Also, I would add some flapper abrasive discs to that. They grind and finish in one operation. I love UM!

Chop Saw. NOT HARBOR FREIGHT . . . and actually this goes for any other tool. I have a 14 inch Rigid (home depot brand) its 15 amps, I think and kicked ass. UntillI bought a horizontal bandsaw. Now it sleeps in the corner.

Other tools: tape measure, square, degree finder thingy, clamps, and some other stuff I cant think of.

[Dukes69]

oh yea also lookin for a good set of drill bits. Any reccemedations?

If costco has a set, buy those. Then if and when you burn them up, take them back and get new ones.

[JeepJunkie]

Hey Brett, I'm going to move this. I think it might do better in the fab section.

Anyway. What is this stuff for?

A Drill press is better then a cordless drill. Make sure you get a vise. Cordless drills have their place, but I wouldnt use one to try and fab stuff.

4-1/2 is good. I have a 7 inch, but never use it. Also, I would add some flapper abrasive discs to that. They grind and finish in one operation. I love UM!

Chop Saw. NOT HARBOR FREIGHT . . . and actually this goes for any other tool. I have a 14 inch Rigid (home depot brand) its 15 amps, I think and kicked ass. Untill I bought a horizontal bandsaw. Now it sleeps in the corner.

Other tools: tape measure, square, degree finder thingy, clamps, and some other stuff I cant think of.

movin it is fine, i was thinking about putting it here in the first place but i dont know why i didnt...

got a vise, i had a feeling drill press was the answer. i guess cordless would be more of a contractor/construction thing.

4-1/2 angle grinder any brand that i should stay away from? other than harbor freight(im pretty much done with them since the spring compressor incident)

So the Rigid chop saw and 15 amps. Isnt rigid kinda pricey? oooooooo bandsaw although i wont being doing stuff big enough to make a bandsaw useful...yet

square?? got clamps tape measure pencils sharpies markers whatever all that.

oh yea what about a bench grinder? or can i do pretty much everything i can with a bench grinder as angle grinder?

[paulhead]

I've been building up my garage the last 2 & half yrs, my first one (came with MAMAHEAD ). I got an idea for my basic needs , love tearing down my vehicles 'cause I go out and buy new tools for what I need to do.
4 1/2inch angle grinder is enough for me, Milwakee floor jack, BIG crow bar, bench grinder enroute, lights, the basics.

[goodtimes]

I have a 14" milwaukee chop saw, won't buy another one. Strait up POS.

Won't buy another milwaukee angle grinder either.....POS motor....Metabo is much better, smoother operation, quieter, lasts 3x as long (so far anyway....it keeps on going) better all around. You'll probably have to order Metabo on-line, you won't find them in your typical home improvement stores. Don't forget the sanding disks (that Dukes mentioned), and some abrasive cut off wheels for it (the thinner the better).

The vice Dukes refers to is not a bench vice, it is a drill press vice, get one, they are very handy.

If you really want cordless, go with Metabo, or find a OLD milwaukee (pre 1995), but don't expect the batteries to last very long when working with steel. I use a ancient 12 volt cordless for tapping small holes, countersinking, knocking sharp edges off, etc., that way I don't have to constantly swap out the various bits/taps/countersinks/etc on the other drills. But it rarely gets used for actual drilling.

A hand drill (corded) is great to have, and indespensable with fab work. A drill press just doesn't work when you have something that can't be clamped on the drill table.

For drill bits, forget the cheap crap--you get what you pay for. If it isn't made here (USA), forget it. Remember, if you get a cheap set from Costco, you can always get a replacement, the problem is that when you burn it up a 9:00pm friday night when you are 1/2 way through your project, you have to wait until the next morning, then get your butt out of bed and go down to Costco (or where ever), exchange it, go back home, and then resume your project. Just get a good drill bit, take care of it, and save yourself the headache. As for what kind of drill bits.....HSS work great for fab work (since you will be using mild steel for 99.9% of the projects), no need for TiN coating, carbide bits, etc., unless you plan on doing production work, or need to drill stainless (or other hard material).

Obviously a welder and a plazma cutter are cool too. A porta-band (portable band saw) is about useless for this type of work, get a good horizontal before the portable.

Oh, and NEVER, EVER understimate the usefullness of a good set of sharp hand files! Don't just toss these in a drawer and expect them to stay sharp! You need to care for them like a good set of cutlery, protect the edges from damage, and even a "decent" set of files will last for years and years and years.

[rick]

HF now has a "slightly better" chopsaw that is $119 (I think that was sale price?). I bought it because it seemed to be built considerably better than the cheapo they have been selling for years. I bought the lifetime warranty deal for $25 so if it ever breaks, I just take it in and get a new one. So for $145 I have a lifetime gaurantee. So far I have only cut a few pieces with it, but it seems ok. For the $160-$200 that you can buy a good one at HD or Sears, I have one with a gaurantee. I will not use it much, so I think it will serve it's purpose. We'll see.

I second goodtimes on the hand drill. I would recommend a heavy duty 1/2" drill. I have a Milwaukee and love it. You have to buy a good one though, not the bottom end Mil as goodtimes mentioned, as Milwaukee has cheapened up their base tools considerably.

I second the advice on drill bits - buy the best set you can afford. You will be amazed at how easy (or difficult) a job is depending on the quality of bit. Also, be sure you use cutting fluid! This is essential to keep the bits healthy. If you don't you will be out a set of expensive bits in a hurry.

[JeepJunkie]

ok well i decided ill wait on the drill press, i figured it would be easier than the hand drill. today i bought an agle grinder(makita) for 49.99 already been using it for my sway bar discos and it seems to work great. also bought a drill bit, since i didnt have the right size and let me say...there is nothing like a brand new drill bit. WOW huge difference over the ones id been using, some of them couldnt even start the hole in the metal. new one(7/16) blazed through 2 stacked pieces of 3/16. So i will definately be getting a GOOD set of drill bits. and ill make sure to get some drilling oil. the drill i have is a 3/8 chuck so ill have to survive on that. Its pretty new works fine.

Goodtimes; is the milwaukee chop saw the one that is all red? i used one of those and it seemed fine although what i was cutting was only conduit, it also looked kinda older so maybe it was back when they were better?

looks like my next project after making my discos will be fixing up a utility trailer and selling it. any ideas on a price for a 8ftx4ft steel trailer with a wood floor and side panels?

[goodtimes]

Goodtimes; is the milwaukee chop saw the one that is all red? i used one of those and it seemed fine although what i was cutting was only conduit, it also looked kinda older so maybe it was back when they were better?

Yup. I have the all red version. The motor pulls pretty good, but the damn thing will not cut strait. I have tried 4 or 5 different brands of abrasives, Sait is about the best I have found, but it still doesn't cut worth a damn. It is fine on thin stuff (conduit, thin wall tube, etc), but as soon as you put in a thick piece of anything (and by thick I mean anything over 1/8"), the abrasive starts to wander. It is bad enough that I simply will not use the chop saw. I will mark it and cut with either a grinder (with appropriate cut off wheel) or the plazma cutter and then go back and clean it up with the grinder. Some day I'll be rich and will buy a cold saw....

[Guest]

OK as far as chop saws go the HF is not a good idea , I have a Bosch saw I think it pulls 18 amps , good saw ! remember your saw is only as good as the blade , if you really want a Nice blade buy a Norton it will last you 5 times longer . we blow through 3 of the cheap ones in a week .

Drill bits ; buy Hanson hss bits the work really good and dont lose the temper when you re sharpen them .

[goodtimes]

I have not had good luck with Norton cut off wheels (in the chop saw). They wander pretty bad (worse than other brands). The French manufactured wheels (Norton) are better than the Chinese manufactured wheels (again, Norton brand).

[JeepJunkie]

ok cool, thanks for the input peoples. i am going to start my own little mini business. After workin for a friend of mines dad he gave me a little utility trailer, so basically im going to be hauling peoples crap to the dump decided i sorta want some hard work...lol i know sounds crazy, but i really need something to do to get me off my lazy butt, and a lot of the times i cant go wheeling so for now its junk hauling. trailer is a 4'x8' and i built up the sides with 4 vertical braces that go up 3ft and then plywood that goes up 2 feet and then at the top of all the suppoorts around the trailer is a 1x4.

oh yea all that was just to tell you ill be makin money soon and then shortly after will be lookin at tools to buy with your fantastic suggestions!



oh yea, i didnt read the box when i bought my angle grinder and its only a 4" which i guess was a stupid thing on my part, but hey it works fine for what im attempting to do.

[Guest]

I have not had good luck with Norton cut off wheels (in the chop saw). They wander pretty bad (worse than other brands). The French manufactured wheels (Norton) are better than the Chinese manufactured wheels (again, Norton brand).

I buy the American made Norton wheels , Not a problem . What thickness Blade are you using ? if you buy the thin ones the get pretty scary at speed .
JIM :{>