What kind of welder to get?

HarryJM

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Hey everyone,

I’m in the process of converting my 10’x14’ backyard shed into my workshop and currently researching what kind of welder to buy. I currently do not have power and plan on having a 30 amp panel installed.

So as usual first question will be “what kind of welding are you planning on doing?” and that can be answered with a little of my background and future plans.
In my mid-20’s to mid-30’s I worked as a motorcycle mechanic and was fairly proficient with acetylene and arch welding and one winter I had a full time job TIG or MIG (not sure) welding galvanized. Now, in my very early 70’s I work in the IT department of a trucking company and plan on retiring in within a few years to start my metal working phase of life. So far I have purchased a Logan 10” lathe, Burke 124 horizontal end mill with vertical attachment, Craftsman/Atlas power hacksaw, and a Craftsman 150 drill press.

I can think of several hobby type projects where a welder would be useful to have such as building a: lathe steady rest, drill press slow speed attachment, bench belt sander, etc.

My understanding is that there are several common types of welding:
Arc
MIG
TIG
Flue-core
Acetylene

So what kind of welder did you buy, why did you buy it and what do you use it for?

Price wise I would like to keep it under five hundred dollars.

Thanks in advance for your help.
Harry
 
First piece of advice is to bump your power up. 30 amps for a shop is a bit too light.

I will leave the advice on what welder to get because I am not much good at staying within budgets.
 
I agree as to your electrical power, 30 amps is too little; better 50, best 100A; that would cover any welding machine(s) that you might want now or in the future. I'd focus first on a MIG machine, then one that could do TIG and stick; acetylene is good to have too. Budgets ?????????? not in my vocabulary.
 
I agree, more power. 240V 30A will run one, maybe two things if I'm lucky. And that doesn't include lighting, climate control, etc.. If I were to run a sub-panel to the shop area, it would be 100A then I would just do branch circuits as needed. I've blown a 40A breaker when I was doing something else and forgot to turn off the compressor.

I own two welding setups. Oxy/Acetylene and MIG. For welding, I only use the MIG. Gas welding is annoying, but it's nice for cutting. My MIG is a Lincoln SP175 I believe, it's a 220V machine. I run it with the common CO2/Argon mix and solid wire. I can do 1/4" steel without issues with it. Much more and I would have to do V-grooves to get good penetration.

If I were buying today, I would still get the MIG. The gas I got mostly for cutting and plasma cutters have come down in cost so much that I would likely skip gas can get plasma. There are some decent stick/TIG machines out there that might be interesting as well. Particularly if I were to want to weld a lot of aluminum.
 
I need TIG for the heat control/small weld capability, and AC/DC so I can weld aluminum. I have my eye on the digital one on the Eastwood site.

If I can ever afford to buy it. ;)
 
Simple answer, I like my Hobart Handler 140. Its 110 volt powered, and is a good quality made in USA mig welder. It’ll run right at 500$. It has a lower duty cycle, but for a hobby guy, you have plenty of time grinding, cutting, and setup, that gives you plenty to do while welding. Good machine. I’d like to add a TIG welder down the line for welding aluminum and maybe someday stainless.
 
Since you know how to weld with Oxy/Acetylene that is the first thing I would get. (I have Oxy/Acetylene, mig and tig welders with life experience similar to yours).
You can weld about anything with the Oxy/Acetylene that you can with the others, maybe not as fast or as pretty but it should hold together fine. On top of that you can cut, heat to bend, case harden, temper and anneal,and suck on the oxygen for hang-over relief. You can usually find a good complete set in local buy&trade sites. Be sure to check with your supplier about their policies on tanks (sometimes they make you re-certify which is very expensive). Get a good name brand that your welding supply supports. Victor is hard to beat.
 
At $500 I'd Say the Hobart as mentioned above would fill the bill. I picked one up last year because of the 110v, for portable use. It's a nice little machine, and does pretty much anything my big one will. If you get a spool gun for it later, you will have the option of doing aluminum, and tri-mix gas for stainless. Like Mike said above Oxy/Acetylene would also be an option, but getting setup for $500 is going to be tough. Mike
 
i have several machines but back when i had them at my shop i bought a hobart 185 for the house. great little machine.
the 140 fits your budget but i would still go with the now 190.
everyone should also have o/a in my opinion but it takes a skill set that most today do not want to learn. (the skills transfer to tig and mig tho')
AND if you have the skills you can do A LOT with a henrob 2000
 
f you don't plan to weld regularly, and aren't building something where the weld is either critical, or involving thick steel, I agree that the Hobart handler, or the equivalent Lincoln are a good choice. Either flux core welders or stick welders can sit in a corner and not cost a lot to store (although your stick electrodes may go bad if exposed to damp. Mig welders, Tig welders or gas welders involve storing tanks. Some of that equipment is pricey as well, and may require more use to keep your hand in. If you intend to do brazing, or heat straightening, or some such, you might be better off with an oxy acetylene rig.
 
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