Hamish,
> ). I have an adequately sized space
> in a garage in which to work, which is a new experience. I have
> a reasonable amount of experience in what I want to do in the
> restoration but almost no experience of decent surrounds in which to
> do the work.
Having a big enough enclosed space is a big plus - its usually really
unpleasant to have to do thissort of work out in the open... Be sure to
get as much lighting as you can (if you get too much, you can
always yank a couple of bulbs, but its a major pain to either put up with
dingy lighting or having to install
more lights at a later date... Painting the walls white also helps...
> I need to go from garage corner to workshop suited to various
> restoration tasks - welding, mechanical repair, dismantling and
> reassembly. I'm looking for any advice or tips on how to go about
> setting up a workshop - have not been able to find any good info
> in the library (any pointers to suitable books appreciated).
Easy enough - check out the following books:
Shop Savvy - Roy Moungovan
Metal Fabricator's handbook and Sheet Metal Handbook by Ron (and sometimes
Sue) Fournier
Welder's Handbook - Richard Finch (great book for the occasional welder...)
Hopefully somebody else will (again) post the titles by that small aircraft
fabricator dude - last time I
checked a couple of the books were out of print, but supposedly available
from the association that
published them (you can tell I forgot the names and titles, huh?...)
> - workbenches - I want to build one from angle/box iron as an initial
> project. Any advice (size/shape/surface material/plans/etc)?
I'm sure somebody else will say more about this - get the surface where you
want it (elbow height?).If you use a heavy plate of steel for the deck, you
can use it for a welding surface (you have another
surface you plop on top for stuff that doesn't want to sit on steel) - you
can weld your parts to it for
setup and just take the grinder to the surface to clean it up...(though it
might be better to have a separate
welding bench...).
I've recently become enamored with putting stuff like work benches on
casters - just be careful about
the type and placement of the caster so that the workbench doesn't become
"tippy" (my "main"
workbench has a lockable, 1000 lb swivel caster in each corner - works
great...) - if you go this route,
be sure to put swivel casters in each corner - it makes the thing much more
useful (I hate the "back
up, aim it, discover I missed, back up again" routing I have to do with my
rollarounds...
Another thing to consider about benches is what kind of vise to get - If
you need a small one, fine, but
consider getting a big brute as well - I finally got a big Wilton and
haven't regretted spending the money...
> - air tools - what size compressor is needed to run drills/grinders
> without having to wait for the compressor all the time.
Grinders suck a LOT of air - I have a couple of electric grinders and a
smallerair compressor - just make sure you get as big an air tank as you
can on the
compressor
> - any advice about converting the empty space into a suitable area.
see lighting comments above - you might also want to run lotsa plugs around
the wall above theworkbenches (if it will be messy there, use an outside
cover on the plug...) - be sure to have GFIs for
all of these - and don't forget the fire extinguishers (have several...)
> - 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.
Hmmm - I tend to just buy Craftsman hand tools - not as nice as Snap On,but
at least you can get them replaced/find parts for them without having
to chase down a truck...
For electric tools, I like Dewalt, Milwaukie (though I do have a black and
decker sawzall,drills,etc.,) - for air tools I tend to have cheap ones (I
don't really
seem to use that many - you may want to buy the cheap and nasty ones
first to see what you'll really use), though I did buy a decent Ingersol
Rand
impact wrench (the plastic bodied one - its really a little brute...)
> - Hand tool storage - what is a good way to store various tools.
Rollarounds work - probably everybody has an opinion here...
> - 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.
If you're doing body work and don't have Godlike welding skills, I'd
recommendgoing to some sort of electric welding (actually, going to TIG
would be the closest
to gas welding (I personally either stick (arc weld with consumable rods)
or TIG
weld most everyghing - I get a better job than if I use a MIG welder(I'm
too impatient to
fiddle with the current and wire feed rate to get a nice weld), but most
other
people love MIG welders, so YMMV...) - and If you go to electric, get one
of the new
"instant on" eyeguards - it makes things a lot easier...).
Hopefully somebody else will comment on gas welding setup costs (I've only
got a little
1/2 hour bottle setup I use mostly for heating things up for bending - I've
not used it to
cut anything since I got my plasma cutter, and I usually arc or TIG weld,
so...)
> - 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?
most of the bigger outfits (miller, lincoln, etc.,) make these - usually
get getwhat you pay for with welding gear though...
I'd be wary of that amount of power though - a good sized compressor will
probably suck more power than that (especially at startup) - I would guess
that you'd need to investigate getting a bigger/separate service or a
generator
of some sort if you plan to be running all these interesting tools...
I've got 100 amps of 240 plumbed to my shop, and use most of it
(especially when TIG welding...)...
Oh, I see you're in New Zealand - in that case, YMMV on the vendor
recommendations....
Good Luck,
rkg
(Richard George)
> Even if you only want to answer a couple of these please send me
> an e-mail as it will go a long way to relieving my ignorance :-)
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Hamish
>
> --
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