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have to have tools

43K views 47 replies 37 participants last post by  1fastfx 
#1 ·
after learning quite a bit from the file thread recently posted, i was curious as to what tools YOU use the most on a daily/weekly routine. i am slowly building up my tool collection and since the file tech thread i realized i might be on the wrong track as to which tools to aquire first.

here is a quick list of what i plan on getting and the order i plan on purchasing them....

1.vise/clamps
2.dremil(always seems to be something i can use one for)
3.mig welder
4.torch set
5.drill press
6.band saw

obviously i would like to already have all of these tools, but due to having a few buddies that could help me out previously i never got around to it. it's easy to not purchase tools when you need a bike part, and your friends tools will help move that along. i know how to use them all, within reason, so that isn't an issue.

it seems the tool i need most often is either a vise or a welder......
 
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#6 ·
and "dead blow" hammers too...

I advise "borrowing" or befriending the dudes with the larger/more expensive tools 'till you can afford them yourself... and be sure to RESPECT their tools...
 
#5 ·
Vices are great and you can never have enough clamps. A decent work bench is a must have to mount the vice on. yeah, I know you can use a stand for the ice but ya need a nice bench anyway.

A Mig welder would be at the bottom of my list... I've already got torches and a TIG is what I'd really like to add before a MIG. Honestly at this point I have no desire for a MIG welder...

I have a little airpowered tool that's basically a Dremel. I've never used it. In fact I think I have a Dremel somewhere too... it was my dad's.

Full size drill press is nice. Recently bought a metal cutting band saw and that's a handy little unit. Should have bought one years ago.

The one tool I wasn't sure I'd use much and now love having around is a lathe. Yeah, it's a bit over the top for basic shop tools but damn they come in handy.

Another tool I like having around is a buffing wheel for polishing aluminum.

EDIT rereading this I realized an air compressor is on the list too...
 
#8 · (Edited)
for working on motorcycles-
as well as the ones above,
angle grinder
10, 12, 14, 17mm wrenches/sockets
I agree that a MIG is less useful than an oxy/acetylene or TIG especially where small, very pretty welds are highly desirable but I won't be selling mine. I use it almost every time I work on something, to tack or modify some random thing or even stitch.
 
#10 ·
speaking of hammers....a couple rubber mallets or brass hammers are great for tapping things together without putting dents all over.Easy outs & tap & die set nice to have in the tool box too.It will be a good idea to buy even 1 or 2 high quality tools at a time than a set of sub par shit.
 
#11 ·
i use a grinder with a cut off wheel on it daily. its better then the band saw ive got but thats only because its older then me and i cant get parts for it anymore. the grinder also gets into places you cant get a saw. along with that a good welder. tig if you can afford it!. good hammers yeah thats a must. dead blow, ball peen, brass, body shaping hammers. just about every kinda hammer you can get. now if youre suicidal youre gonna buy a triumph or something else old and british. now you gotta go buy a whole new tool set called witworth. the most insane tools ive ever seen 7/16 is bigger then 1/2!! and a set of 8 cost me 85 bucks!.

bottom line is ive got something like 40 grand in tools. about once a month i need something i dont have. welcome.
 
#14 ·
i built a good sturdy bench a couple of months ago. i definately forgot to put a bench grinder/polisher on the list, cause i plan to get both the vise and said grinder/polisher at the same time hopefully. i have most basic sockets and even some more specific types of sockets for automotive fixes here and there as well. i have plenty of various hand tools i have collected over the years as well. where i am starting to look now is into the larger tools. definately forgot about an air compressor though.... any idea on size i should look for? plan on eventually getting an air tool here and there, so i figure it should have to hold a certain amount to really pay off.

got an angle grinder, sawzall, jigsaw, and a scrollsaw. still need to pick up a cordless drill as well.
 
#15 · (Edited)
i think the only reason i haven't looked into tig is simply due to ignorance about it. i have dabbled in mig a bit, and seemed to catch on really quick which seems like a purchase i know i can immediately use. all of the reading(skimming) i have encountered on tig made me fearful of dipping into that without some sort of technical advisor there. i plan on taking some tech classes next year as well to finally get some sort of grasp on machining/welding to use for personal gain. maybe putting off the welder until then would be more realistic to see what suits me best.

as for buddies tools, i am always the guy that returns the tool before expected in the same condition it came. nothing more annoying than having to hassle a friend to get a tool back. especially one you happen to need in the middle of a ongoing project. plus i buy the guy lunch/dinner/beer and provide retarded entertainment as well.
 
#16 ·
#1 spirotron.... to debur my parts....
#2 Hot tank ....To clean off my greasy engine stuff.....
# 3 bridgeport with DRO for repeatability...
#4 Huge lathe to make spun hubcaps, and tiny wheel spacers....
#5 A big assed shop press (like 70 ton....) to make my fender braces......
#6 Binks spray booth so I can paint perfect every time....
#7 PARK truing stand so my DUI bike rolls straight
#8 Craftsman air comperssor, so I can blow the dust away
#9 harbor freight motorcycle lift... so I can get it up....
#10 radio shack gift card so I can wire all my jap choppers...... LUKESTER
 
#18 ·
Get a compressor about 3 sizes up from whatever the cheapest one is. Hopefully it will be 90psi / 10cfm or better, with a big tank. Even if you don't think you will use it much, you probably will. I've got an el cheapo at home (sticker rated 7.5 cfm, really about 6) that I only really use for dusting / cleaning and the odd rattling off stuck bits. Even then it constantly runs, driving me and the neighbors nuts. I have to stop for a beer while it refills, and we all know where that leads.
 
#21 ·
I've got one of those little magnets on the telescopic antena-type thingy, I use it all the time. I'm constantly dropping shit into places I can't reach. My bikes are usually so f'ing greasey and grimy shit just sticks, it won't bounce and hit the ground. It's like playing that little kids fishing game, but not as fun and with more cursing.
 
#22 ·
I work in an automotive machine shopand I would say one of the first tools you should get is an impact driver and as many accesories as possible. Trying to remove frozen rounded shity old fasteners without one is a pain. I would also reccomend a set of left handed drill bits and extractors and practice using them. Belive it or not but one of the most common jobs in our shop is removing broken bolts and heli-coiling stripped holes for people. Also when drilling out broken bolts learn to stop if gets bad I charge twice as much to weld up F$^$#ed up holes and retap them or to use the bridgeport to mill out broken easy outs people break off. Other than that beer,hammers, and a good socket and wrench set,buy the best you can afford.Craftsman tools built America, but snap-on took us to the moon.
 
#24 ·
Seems like a good list to start. Personally, I prefer TIG to MIG for this kind of work. I've said it before, flea markets are a great place to find hand tools. Good USED AMERICAN hand tools. Don't buy that garbage grade Chinese junk. Also, check around for local auctions. Sad to say, but a lot of factories and small shops shut down and auction off the equipment. I bought a Do-All Bridgeport knock-off (American made) for $700 at a local auction, along with about 200 lbs of assorted hand tools. I've seen both MIG and TIG welders go for 300-500 bucks...nice ones too. Lots of finger brakes and even DiAcro rotary punches. Look up a few local auctions and bring home your own shop. Betcha even find a refrigerator for all those beers.

Oh yeah, +1 for the Snap On Digi torque wrench...
 
#25 ·
Grinders, bench mount and angle grinder with a 4.5"rock
Workbench with good big vice
1/2" drive holeburner with lots of drill bits
hacksaw with good metal specific blades(not the shitty ones that come with it)
Hammers-lots of sizes
Clamps
Air compressor with cuttoff wheel, die grinder and DA

I think you can get by without the torch, drill press, and welder for a bit with this stuff. That's all I had for a while.

The welder was next on my list, but make sure to get the gas setup right away. I used that flux core shit for awhile and when I switched to gas, I realized I should have done that sooner.

On the drill press, saw and torch, these are pretty expensive items that can often be found really cheap at the right time in pawn shops and yard sales. Keep a liitle cash aside and keep your eyes peeled! I got my drill press for $10.
 
#28 ·
i will be getting a mig, flux core is too much cleanup for me. i can weld fine with it, but all of the prep you do to weld, only to have the weld shit back on the surface again...


"no matter how many tools you have you never have the one you need"

true, but if you never get any new ones, you won't get shit done on your own. i am just tired of having to schedule in some sort of fab work i want to do. i just want to walk in my garage and finish an idea through the day. not have to stop and figure out how to finish it in the next week or two.

all of the tools i am looking at, are mainly going to be used for bike fab and such. not much of a car guy as far as making some neato part instead of a replacement you can purchase.
 
#30 ·
It doesn't seem like to many are putting an emphasis on an air supply . I'd say get the biggest compressor you can afford / manage . I got a nice Craftsman job , 60 gallon and I use it every day . Mostly for non bike related shit too . I already had a 220 outlet wired into my garage so It was just a mater of hooking up a plug to the power in and firing it off .

Honestly I use this more than any one item in my garage other than my 14v cordless drill ( thanks Fredo ) . . . my air tools have zero lag time , and that makes using them much more effective , so I use them more .

Here's what mine looks like , it was about $500 or so and I can't live without it .

 
#33 ·
It doesn't seem like to many are putting an emphasis on an air supply . I'd say get the biggest compressor you can afford / manage . I got a nice Craftsman job , 60 gallon and I use it every day . Mostly for non bike related shit too . I already had a 220 outlet wired into my garage so It was just a mater of hooking up a plug to the power in and firing it off .

Honestly I use this more than any one item in my garage other than my 14v cordless drill ( thanks Fredo ) . . . my air tools have zero lag time , and that makes using them much more effective , so I use them more .

Here's what mine looks like , it was about $500 or so and I can't live without it .
i'd have to check with the landlord to see if a 220 outlet is okay to have installed....
 
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