Tools for tubes, Tube notchers???

Ed ke6bnl · November 28, 2006, 03:45:36 AM

Quote from: "Crosley"C9....... thanks for the info.

So the $40.00 hole saw type tube angle cutter from HF is not worth the effort?

I have this chassis tube kit I bought from Jegs 1 year ago..... plenty of cut and formed ( bent) tubes that I need to fish mouth / fit together and weld.

I will be MIG welding this kit since I sold my old Linde TIG machine .

I got the hf hole say tyr and it works great up to about 40* angles with good hole saw blades it worked perfect for us. 1.5 x .120 tube. There maybe better ones but I was stisfied for the last job we did for my boys front bumper grille.

tomslik · December 03, 2006, 10:27:06 AM

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Pipemaster-Pro-Kit-w-case-9-sizes-3-4-to-1-3-4_W0QQitemZ130055032609QQihZ003QQcategoryZ107061QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Crosley.In.AZ · December 03, 2006, 11:50:06 AM

Quote from: "Rex Schimmer"Why would you sell a TIG? and then use a "mud gun" i.e. MIG Good for making trailers and welding "angle iron" TIG is for makine hot rods and race cars.

Rex

My experience with a TIG is limited. I bought the old machine to learn and I never did.

mayb a new machine will be in my future?

1FATGMC · December 03, 2006, 12:53:49 PM

Quote from: "Crosley"My experience with a TIG is limited. I bought the old machine to learn and I never did.

maybe a new machine will be in my future?

Tony that has been my feeling, but the desire to be able to weld aluminum and stainless has me looking.

If I can find the money I've narrowed it down to either the Lincoln Precision 225 (this just replaced their 185 amp model )or the Miller Syncrowave 200. Both are in the $1700 to $1900 range delivered plus the bottle $200-$300 (ouch).

I don't know much about the Tigs, but a salesman says that the pulse circuit in these could really help us guys that don't weld much with getting better welds. He said the Miller was more adjustable as to the current at the top and bottom of the pulse, but harder to use by someone who doesn't weld all the time. The Lincoln has adjustability, but also and "auto" mode where the machine will help adjust the pulse and get us welding faster especially with aluminum.

The down side to these two is that it looks like 1/8 to 3/16 is the max. realistic working thickness. They have air cooled torches which he says isn't all that bad for us since we aren't doing production, but can be converted to water cooled.

Here is a link to a comparison and a couple other links about them:

http://content.lincolnelectric.com/pdfs/products/literature/e3372.pdf

http://www.millerwelds.com/products/tig/syncrowave_200/

I just ordered a plasma cutter from these guys and I'll see if they are good doing business with:

http://www.weldersource.com/litigwe.html

The plasma cutter I just ordered (looks like they make the Miller Spectrum 375, but the consumable won't interchange. A guy that sells both says the Hpertherm's consumables don't get contaminated as easily, but Miller wanted to sell the consumables so had Hypertherm make them so they wouldn't interchange):

http://www.weldersource.com/070075.html

I would like to weld intercooler ends, tanks and such for my truck and the lakester along with hopefully the headers, so if the tigs above won't work for that I'll have to pass as I can't move up to the $3000+ ones. Also the ones above need a 50 amp circuit and I'm wired for that now, but not for larger.

If anyone has any experience with either of the above tigs I would like to hear it or about one that might do what I need.

c ya,

Sum

Crosley.In.AZ · December 03, 2006, 07:08:04 PM

I bought a plasma cutter from Indiana oxygen IIRC...... After a few minutes at a setting of 24 amps on the cutter my 20 amp 110 volt circuit would blow.

So I took my 220 volt extension cord.... Added on a 110 volt outlet to it. Now I feed off a 50 amp circuit for the plasma cutter

one of the first items i would build could be a water tank for a torch with water cooling.

I used a plastic 5 gal bucket and water fountain pump on my last TIG machine. Crude , but it worked

Or buy a cooling system off ebay .......

I try to keep my cash spent for new tools under 5k a year

river1 · December 03, 2006, 08:14:05 PM

Quote from: "Crosley"

Or buy a cooling system off ebay .......

yup that's where i bought mine, i got mine for $235, the guy's handle was stinkywilly. it took some adapting but nothing a guy building a salt racer couldn't handle.

another advantage to water cooled is the torch head is smaller, useful for tight access. next time you come down this way i'll let you give my machine a whirl.

later jim

1FATGMC · December 03, 2006, 08:36:59 PM

Quote from: "river1"...another advantage to water cooled is the torch head is smaller, useful for tight access. next time you come down this way i'll let you give my machine a whirl.

later jim

I've been warned about the problem of getting into tight places with the torch head, so that is good info.

Tony I'll give you $20.00 for your plastic water bucket, fountain pump set-up

.

Don't know when I'll be down Jim, I miss seeing you guys, but not the traffic down there

.

c ya,

Sum

donsrods · December 03, 2006, 09:42:30 PM

Quote from: "Rex Schimmer"Why would you sell a TIG? and then use a "mud gun" i.e. MIG Good for making trailers and welding "angle iron" TIG is for makine hot rods and race cars.

Rex

Where the h*** did you ever get this idea? Tigs have one advantage.......the welds can be a little nicer looking. but in the hands of someone who knows how to weld, a mig can produce strong, good looking welds. Even the old arc welders used by someone who knows their stuff can be a great way to join two metals together.

Every chassis we build is migged and I would defy anyone to find a better weld by any means. This is what happens when new stuff comes out, suddenly the things that have been working for years are no good.

I had my one roadster frame built by a guy who teaches welding, and I wanted him to mig it, because that was the buzzword at the time. He laughed, and did it with an arc welder, and the welds look like they were done on a welding machine.

It is a real slap in the face to all the guys who use a mig to make a comment like that.

Don

Crosley.In.AZ · December 03, 2006, 10:24:50 PM

the roll cage in my 69 Camaro ( built years ago) was stick welded. The guy was dang good is why I had him do it with my Miller buzz box I bought in 1975.

donsrods · December 03, 2006, 11:13:16 PM

That is exactly my point. All of these are acceptable means of joining two pieces of steel, and it really comes down to the skill level of the welder.

Here is a picture of our "mud gun" mig welded '29 frame.

Don

1FATGMC · December 03, 2006, 11:19:56 PM

Quote from: "Crosley"the roll cage in my 69 Camaro ( built years ago) was stick welded. The guy was dang good is why I had him do it with my Miller buzz box I bought in 1975.

I did all the frame work on 1FATGMC with a used $75.00 buzz box. I didn't trust the small 110 Miller I had at the time even though it was rated to do 1/8 inch.

Now that welder just sits in the corner with the 220 Miller Mig I have now. Even if I was able to get a tig I'll bet 90% of my welding would still be with the mig. I love it.

I know Rex and I'm sure the comment was not meant to put anyone down that uses a mig or a stick welder.

c ya,

Sum

dragrcr50 · December 03, 2006, 11:36:48 PM

Quote from: "Crosley"C9....... thanks for the info.

So the $40.00 hole saw type tube angle cutter from HF is not worth the effort?

I have this chassis tube kit I bought from Jegs 1 year ago..... plenty of cut and formed ( bent) tubes that I need to fish mouth / fit together and weld.

I will be MIG welding this kit since I sold my old Linde TIG machine .

crosley, We have used a harbour freight nother with carbide tipped hole saws 6.00 ea for about 6 years now and we have done many mild steel cages nhra certified to 7.50 with it. it has never failed us ...i am gooing to bu another just because i cant belive it still works as much as we have used it... Sumner saw it when i did his lakester bars...

sirstude · December 04, 2006, 09:34:54 AM

Sum,

I know what you mean, I have had a Miller 35 for better than 20 years now and used the daylights out of it. I bought a Lincoln 175 TIG when I sold the coupe (10 years ago) and probably have not run it for 15 minutes. Keep wanting to play with it, but when push comes to shove out comes the Miller. I did buy a small Hobart for the tin work, and I sure do like it. I mounted it on top of the Miller so both are handy and share the same tank. I have put off using the TIG for so long the Argon has all seeped out of the tank and I need to get a refill.

Doug

Rex Schimmer · December 04, 2006, 11:00:46 AM

I certainly agree that if you are a very experenced welder then it probably doesn't matter what kind of welder that you use. I have worked in a number of places where we were welding very heavy material, anything under 1/2 inch was considered sheet metal!, and the welders of choice were, sub arc, stick and mig becasue you could lay down lots of metal in a short time, and the guys that did the welding were extremely good and their welds all looked perfect, but for everything that is done on a hot rod I think that a god TIG is the weapon of choice, certainly my choice. Beautiful welds, great strength, the ability to weld aluminum, everdur rod for doing very thin sheet metal and the ability to do single pass 1/4 to 5/16 fillets in one pass so that covers making trailers too.

I think that people use MIG instead of TIG because it is 1. Easier, 2. Cheaper, 3. Faster. All of which I agree with but no way can you compare the control of TIG when butt welding some 20 ga body panels or making aluminum tanks or radiators. I bought my old AIRCO 460 amp unit from North American Aircraft Surplus Sales back in 1983 and it has a few excentricities but it does everything I want and makes beautiful welds.

Still a TIG guy!

Rex

Rex Schimmer · December 04, 2006, 11:00:52 AM

I certainly agree that if you are a very experenced welder then it probably doesn't matter what kind of welder that you use. I have worked in a number of places where we were welding very heavy material, anything under 1/2 inch was considered sheet metal!, and the welders of choice were, sub arc, stick and mig becasue you could lay down lots of metal in a short time, and the guys that did the welding were extremely good and their welds all looked perfect, but for everything that is done on a hot rod I think that a god TIG is the weapon of choice, certainly my choice. Beautiful welds, great strength, the ability to weld aluminum, everdur rod for doing very thin sheet metal and the ability to do single pass 1/4 to 5/16 fillets in one pass so that covers making trailers too.

I think that people use MIG instead of TIG because it is 1. Easier, 2. Cheaper, 3. Faster. All of which I agree with but no way can you compare the control of TIG when butt welding some 20 ga body panels or making aluminum tanks or radiators. I bought my old AIRCO 460 amp unit from North American Aircraft Surplus Sales back in 1983 and it has a few excentricities but it does everything I want and makes beautiful welds.

Still a TIG guy!

Rex