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What would you buy?


LandyManLuke

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Afternoon all,

It was my birthday last week and relatives abroad would like to buy me a present, trouble is i've been asked what I'd like. I've been given a budget of £200.

So far i've been thinking about either a roller tool chest, or an air compressor.

Does anyone have any other ideas? it's been quite hard trying to find things for that sort of figure, that are up to the job, and not overly expensive, if you know what i mean?

Cheers

Luke

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What are you into? :huh:

If it's tools - how about a chop saw, drill press, decent crane, contribution towards a decent welder/plasma/compressor, nice socket set? Depends how much fabrication you intend, and where you're starting from..

Perhaps it could take the sting out of any upgrades you had planned? (i.e. parts). How about a disc handbrake, and use the change for fish-and chips, for example. Megasquirt - just for fun?

Sorry, a bit ambiguous, but...

If you're not into building your own junk, how about some turd-polish from Scrap-iron? That and a can of orange paint - you're good to go!

I miss fish and chips... :(

Al. :ph34r:

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Scrap-Iron aren't getting any of it, thats for sure!

looks like £200 is only just half of a decent MIG set, and far too much for a nice grinder.

There are a few compressors around for that sort of money, I don't know exactly what to look for, for that sort of money its 2HP 8 CFM and 115 PSI, is that up to running most tools and ok for spraying?

The other idea was a rolling storage chest to hopefully organise myself a little bit, rather than having stuff all over the place..... :rolleyes:

Bobbing and king cabbing a range rover is a project i'm aiming to get off the ground, so that gives you an idea of what i'm after.

I'm in the process of moving away from home and setting up on my own, so i've left behind a Mig, pillar drill, chop saw, grinders, compressor and to say im missing it all is an understatement.

Cheers

Luke

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some reversing aids!

Are you sure that's not a typo? ;)

You can get a pretty decent MIG for that if you shop around. Save your pennies for a good compressor, 400 quid 13.5 cfm 100 litre, buy too small and you will always be waiting (and cursing) for the bottle to charge using even a half decent rattle gun.

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Hi, Niall, Any decent websites for migs at decent prices?

btw, got a new touchscreen so should have the ITX up and running in the 90 again soon.

Luke

Good news, hope the insurance coughed up.

This one from Machine Mart looks pretty good value if you are looking at MIG, a little over budget including the VAT and a bottle, or this one being a bit more conservative, you can't really go wrong with Clarke stuff.

Or this Ferm Inverter if you prefer stick, you can always upgrade to TIG later and again Ferm have a good reputation.

Then there is always the Auto welding mask, amaze your friends with that and a Bic lighter if you don't have the welder B)

Isn't it wonderful to have such choices :D Happy belated Birthday by the way :)

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I think if I were setting up my workshop again, the order in which I would buy stuff is:

Pillar drill (used, Meddings probably, G&M Tools in Sussex)

Decent set of drill bits (Dormer or Winzer Wurth)

Bench Saw (Axminster Tools)

Mig (Probably used or eBay)

Grinder (Bosch or Hitachi - last one came from Homebase)

Battery Drill (DeWalt eBay)

Selection of nuts & bolts (Winzer Wurth)

Trolley Jack (3 ton - Halfords Speed Lift not too bad)

Bench grinder/linisher (Screwfix) - Learn to sharpen drill bits & save a fortune!

Compressor (Screwfix or Machine Mart - nothing too big, add an extra reservoir)

Air Tools (A B Tools (Market Drayton - have a stand at billing))

Lathe (something like a Myford from G&M Tools) Although this is a relatively big purchase - now I would not be without one!

Plasma Cutter (www.johndavies.co.uk - good for most welding & cutting stuff)

People seem very keen on air compressors - but although I do use one, it is far from my most useful tool. Might be worth considering a battery impact gun instead at this stage - far more use and protable!

Si

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Afternoon all,

It was my birthday last week and relatives abroad would like to buy me a present, trouble is i've been asked what I'd like. I've been given a budget of £200.

So far i've been thinking about either a roller tool chest, or an air compressor.

Does anyone have any other ideas? it's been quite hard trying to find things for that sort of figure, that are up to the job, and not overly expensive, if you know what i mean?

Cheers

Luke

Luke

Why not take Claire away for a "dirty weekend" instead. lol

John

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Thanks Si, useful post.

Got a few things on your list already.

Any ideas on where to pick up decent second hand MIGs? not amzingly keen on Ebay, don't trust it as i haven't really used it, visous circle i think.

Cheers

Luke

I did well with my welder from eBay. It is a butters 175A unit which was virtally unused. It was listed in the wrong category (Musical Instruments :huh: ). Anyway, I made the bloke an offer and got it for £200. admittedlty I had to go up to kiderminster to get it, but I havn't seen a butters 175A single phase unit for anything near that price since - you just have to keep your eyes open!

Mark

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well assuming i don't break anything.....

He!

"Come on lets go for a last ride round."

"No, I haven't broken anything, I don't want to risk it!

"Go on, you know you want to."

"Ok."

15 minutes later......

"Why is there a large lump of steel hanging out your tyre Luke?"

"Oh."

:lol::lol::lol:

Nope, you'll not break anything. ;)

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I did well with my welder from eBay. It is a butters 175A unit which was virtally unused. It was listed in the wrong category (Musical Instruments :huh: ). Anyway, I made the bloke an offer and got it for £200. admittedlty I had to go up to kiderminster to get it, but I havn't seen a butters 175A single phase unit for anything near that price since - you just have to keep your eyes open!

Mark

Is that a good welder then?

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Is that a good welder then?

Well, I think so! :D Butters mostly make industrial stuff, so they ought to know about welders. There were certain characteristics I was recomonded to look for when buying a welder

- Get a decent Amp rating

- get a decent duty cycle

- get one with a euro plug on the torch, so you can always get spares and/or replace with an off the shelf item

- get one which takes full size reels.

- get one which uses proper bottles - it's much chaper in the long run.

This one ticked all the boxes, and so far I have never managed to get the themal cut-out to kick in. I am generally very pleased with it.

Hope that helps, sorry for the thread hijack! :rolleyes:

Mark

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No, it's all good!

What amperage would people suggest for LR work?

From chassis welding, steering guards etc etc to lighter work as well.

I can't remember what the one at home is.

Ta

Luke

Luke, please don't quote me as an expert! I bought my welder as a result of reading lots of stuff on here (well the old forum actually) and talking to people I consider to be experts!

Personally, I think a decent 150A machine will do most landy stuff. The important thing isn't necessarily the Amperage. The Duty cycle will give you a much better idea of the quality of the machine, specifically if you compare at a standard value - eg duty cycle at 100A.

I got the 175 machine cos a) that was what was available and B) the cheapo hobby stuff dosn't usually go up that high, so it should be a decent machine!

Incidentally I would steer clear of certain of the hobby type stuff. Not from experience, but from advice of numerous people...

Cheers

Mark

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I'd concur with the advice about the Euro plug and a good industrial torch but I'm not so sure about the merits of getting a big gas bottle. They're awkward to find or rent and, unless you're doing a lot of welding, I found the regulator on mine leaked sufficiently that it'd be empty 6 weeks later when I came to do another 'quick job'. If you treat the little bottles as disposable and keep a stash, problem solved.

But then, my welding's awful so...

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I'd concur with the advice about the Euro plug and a good industrial torch but I'm not so sure about the merits of getting a big gas bottle. They're awkward to find or rent and, unless you're doing a lot of welding, I found the regulator on mine leaked sufficiently that it'd be empty 6 weeks later when I came to do another 'quick job'. If you treat the little bottles as disposable and keep a stash, problem solved.

But then, my welding's awful so...

I have to disagree with this. I don't think getting a welder which only takes disposable bottles is good advice at all. They are MASSIVELY in efficient in terms of cost, and with any reasonable amount of welding you'll be forever changing the thing.

It's very easy to get an account for a decent size gas bottle at BOC or wherever.

Problems with your own regulator don't mean it's a bad idea in principle, it just means you've got a carp regulator, or not fitted it correctly. If you are worried about leakage when not in use, you can just shut the valve on the bottle itself.

If you buy a welder, get it with a removeable euro torch, a smoothly adjustible power setting (not one with 4 or 5 distinct power settings, but more like a volume control which can be finely adjusted), capability to take 'big' gas bottles, a good duty cycle, and as high amps as you can get.

Al.

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