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Chapter 4
Setting Up Your Welding Shop

IN THIS CHAPTER

❯❯ Selecting and setting up your welding location

❯❯ Making sure you have all the necessary equipment

If you want to succeed with any welding endeavor, you need to cover two bases: location and equipment. You can’t get very far with welding – particularly good welding – if you don’t have the right kind of setup, from the building itself to the tools and other gear you need to equip the space properly.

Some folks who are new to welding think they can simply clear out a space in their garages, buy a welder from an online retailer at a deep discount, and start making high-quality welds in no time. Not so fast! You need to think through all the requirements necessary for a welding space that allows you to do good work and do it safely. And when you’re talking about welding equipment and tools, you need to make sure you have all the basics (and maybe a few extras as well).

In this chapter, I tell you how to get set up for welding. I start by filling you in on the details of how you can identify a suitable location for welding. No two welding methods or jobs are the same, but even with all that variety, all good welding sites share a number of characteristics that you need to maintain if you want to ensure a productive and safe working environment. After that, I move on to a discussion of welding equipment, which you need to choose carefully so you end up with gear that fits your welding needs.

Choosing a Location

You can’t find too many hobbies or jobs that are more versatile than welding. Welders with lots of experience are able to make welds in some pretty amazing places (underwater and in space, for example). But if you’re just starting to weld, you can get set up in a relatively simple, straightforward way. You don’t have to have a massive, state-of-the-art facility for your welding endeavor; you really just need to make sure your welding space has a few basic features, including the following:

❯❯ Adequate lighting: Like all other trades, welding requires ample lighting so that you can clearly see what you’re working on. Make sure your welding space has plenty of light, whether that’s natural, electric, or some combination of the two.

❯❯ Flame retardant floors and walls: Many welding tasks create sparks, so you certainly can’t fire up the old welding machine in a room with shag carpeting and wallpaper. Instead, try to find a space that has, for example, concrete floors and cinder block walls (or something equally resistant to catching fire).

❯❯ Large doors: If you’re going to be welding any large items, you need to be able to get them into and out of the welding area safely and smoothly. Keep in mind that you may limit yourself in terms of the range of welding projects you can tackle if you can’t fit certain items into the space. A large overhead or roll-up door is necessary if you want to work on bigger projects indoors.

❯❯ Sufficient electrical service: Welding machines and other equipment used in cutting, grinding, and welding can use quite a lot of electricity, so be sure that your welding location is properly serviced. Generally speaking, you should be in good shape if you have 220 single phase service (the kind of electrical outlets you use to plug in an electric clothes dryer) or 110 single phase service (the kind of outlets located all throughout your home, used for plugging in lamps and small electrical appliances) with 20-amp circuit breakers. (Those are some of the most common circuit breakers out there.)

❯❯ Ventilation: You can read more about safety-related issues like ventilation in Chapter 3, but for this part of the discussion, just make sure your welding space is properly ventilated so that you (and any other people nearby) don’t suffer any negative health effects from the gases and smoke that welding can produce.

Deciding how much space you need

The amount of space you need in order to weld safely and successfully is always important. Because of the potentially hazardous nature of many welding processes, you need to make sure you have enough space; otherwise, you put your health and the quality of your work at risk.

Many people who are new to welding assume that they can set up a little welding shop somewhere in their home. (A garage or shed is usually the first choice.) That can be okay, but only if the space you’re considering fits the criteria in the preceding section and also doesn’t compromise your safety. (Be sure to read Chapter 3 carefully if you have any doubts or questions about the safety precautions you need to take before you begin welding.)

Be sure that the space you’re welding in doesn’t contain any flammable material located within 35 feet of the actual welding area. That may sound like a large distance, but you may be very surprised (in an unpleasant way) how far sparks can fly when you’re making some welds.

When you’re considering a potential space for your welding work, think hard about the kinds of items you plan to work with. Is your space big enough to allow you to move those objects around without banging into other projects, your tools, or – worse yet – your body? Keep in mind that the equipment you’re working with may very well be heavy, sharp, and/or hot. Those aren’t the kinds of items you want to be trying to manipulate and move in a cramped environment.

Another important factor to consider is the amount of space your welding equipment takes up. Most welding machines – more about those later in this chapter – are only about three feet by four feet, but you may end up eating up quite a bit of space after you factor in all the other gear and supplies you need. Be sure to allow plenty of room for your equipment, or your welding projects may suffer from a cumbersome and disorganized workspace.

Contemplating indoor versus outdoor

Sometimes the welding project you’re working on dictates the location in which you’re forced to work. If you’re welding a big piece of equipment that has broken and become immobilized outdoors somewhere, you may very well be forced to do your welding outside. If that situation (or something similar) arises, don’t automatically think that it presents a difficult challenge. Welding outdoors can actually be just as enjoyable and productive as welding in an indoor welding shop, and in some cases even more so. Indoor and outdoor welding each have a number of advantages and disadvantages you want to bear in mind when you find yourself in a situation that allows you to make that choice on a particular welding project.

When you weld indoors, you often have the advantage of regulating the temperature in the building. That can be a huge plus, as anyone who has been forced to weld outside in the sweltering heat of summer can attest. You can also control the lighting to fit your needs and the needs of the job, and when you weld indoors, your equipment isn’t exposed to the damaging effects of the weather.

However, welding indoors isn’t all positive. No matter how big your welding space is, some jobs just don’t fit indoors. Welding inside a building can also be more difficult if you’re doing the kind of welding that produces an unusually large amount of smoke and dangerous fumes. Your indoor welding space has ventilation, of course, but chances are your indoor ventilation system isn’t as good at whisking away the fumes and smoke as a spring breeze can be when you’re welding outside.

As you can imagine, the biggest challenge presented by outdoor welding is the elements. The weather can wreak havoc on the quality of your work and the integrity of your equipment. Precipitation can make welding unnecessarily dangerous, and forget welding successfully when the temperature is below 40 degrees Fahrenheit if you don’t preheat the materials. And even sunshine, which is usually a pleasant part of welding outside, can pose a problem: Sometimes direct sunlight makes certain types of welding helmets function poorly. (Read more about welding helmets in Chapter 3.) Finally, if you’re welding outside where other people will be present, you really need to set up a safety screen so your audience’s eyes aren’t harmed by the welding process if they happen to look at it.

Equipping Your Welding Shop

You’d be hard pressed to find a skilled trade or craft that doesn’t require some specialized equipment, and welding is definitely no exception. But hey, you’re talking about joining metals, not making ham sandwiches, so I’m sure it comes as no surprise that you need some specific gear in order to get the job done right. You can get a look at some of the necessary equipment in Figure 4-1.

In this section, I let you know what kind of general equipment you need for a welding project. Keep in mind that plenty of other types of gear are necessary for certain kinds of welding, and I tell you about those tools and materials in the parts of this book that dig into the details of specific welding types. (For example, you need certain items for flux core arc welding that you don’t need for the other kinds of welding, and I cover those specific items in Chapter 9.)

FIGURE 4-1: A well-equipped welding area setup, this one for stick welding.

The most important welding equipment you’ll ever own is your safety equipment. I don’t cover that information in this section, so be sure to flip to Chapter 3 so that you understand everything you need to stay safe and healthy as you weld.

You have plenty of options when you’re looking to obtain your welding equipment. A lot of different manufacturers are producing tools and materials now; if you do a quick Internet search for a chipping hammer – one of the most basic welding tools – you find dozens of options from many different suppliers in a range of prices.

So which equipment is right for you? In many cases, you can let your budget be your guide; look around (at hardware or home improvement stores, on the Internet, in welding catalogs, and so on) at the various options and find some that fit both your needs and your price range. Then, to narrow your choices, read some online reviews of the various products and talk to knowledgeable salespeople at the retailers you’re considering. If you have friends, family members, or co-workers who weld, pick their brains about the tools and materials they use.

If you’re looking to buy some welding equipment and you’re worried that your budget isn’t going to cover all the items you need, don’t be afraid to investigate used options. You can find good quality used equipment from online retailers and also at auctions.

Making sure you have the basic hand tools

Some of the tools you need for your welding projects are basic hand tools. Several of these items are pretty common, so you may very well already have one or a few of them in your toolbox now. If you don’t, though, you’re going to have to get your hands on them, because you can’t do without them.

With hand tools used in welding, try to stick to metal (not wood or plastic) construction because of the heat and sparks involved. Metal tools hold up and perform better over the long run.

Following are the basic tools you need, some of which are shown in Figure 4-2:

❯❯ Ball-peen hammer: Ball-peen hammers are used for striking chisels and punches. They’re also handy for straightening metal. The rounded head is used for peening, which relieves the stress in a joint that you’ve just welded. You can pick up a good ball-peen hammer at a hardware store for around $15.

❯❯ Chipping hammer: A chipping hammer is a specialty hammer you use to remove excess material (called slag) from your welds. Chipping hammers come in a range of sizes, but they’re typically a foot long and weigh about a pound. If you’re buying a new chipping hammer, you can expect to spend between $10 and $30.

❯❯ Crescent wrench (12 inches): Keeping a 12-inch crescent wrench on hand when you’re welding is always a good idea. It fits the majority of the nut and bolt sizes you encounter in welding.

❯❯ Level: A level is necessary to make sure the pieces you’re welding are at the correct horizontal or vertical position and also to test the accuracy of completed projects. Make sure you have an extremely durable level because they take a lot of abuse.

❯❯ Pliers: You definitely need a good pair of pliers for welding, and the run-of-the-mill pliers most people have in their toolboxes don’t really get the job done. You need slip joint pliers (pliers that let you increase the range of their jaws) with compound lever action to handle hot metal. You can also use tongs. Depending on the size of the pliers and the number of bells and whistles involved, you can expect to spend anywhere from $7 to more than $20.

Pliers or tongs are great for picking up hot metal. Grabbing pieces of hot metal while wearing your leather welding gloves can be dangerous, but it also hardens the leather, making the gloves less effective (and less comfortable) over time.

❯❯ Soapstone or silver pencils: You can’t use regular pencils or pens to write on metal, so you need to use soapstone or silver pencils. You can find both at your local hardware store for only a few dollars.

❯❯ Steel square: The steel square is a durable tool that you can use to keep your project in square during assembly. It’s essentially a right angle made out of steel, with one side 16 inches long and the other side 24 inches long. The face side of a steel square has a ruler that marks whole, half, quarter, and eighth inches. The back side is divided into whole inches, halves, and quarters.

❯❯ Straightedge: A straightedge is a must for drawing straight lines, transferring measurements, and double-checking for straightness. After all, nobody wants a crooked weld.

❯❯ Tape measure: You have to be able to measure and mark your materials to cut at the right dimensions, so a tape measure is a must. Luckily, tape measures are one of the most common tools out there. You can handle most jobs with a 25-foot-long, 1-inch-wide tape measure.

❯❯ Vise grips: These wrenches are combination tools that function as pliers, wrenches, portable vises, and clamps. They aren’t intended to replace box-end wrenches because of the damage they do to the fittings you’re working on. Most people prefer to also have a pair of pliers (as mentioned earlier in this list) in addition to vise grips.

Never use vise grips on nonferrous metal, which is metal that doesn’t contain iron. Vise grips can cause quite a lot of damage to nonferrous metals.

❯❯ Wire brush: You use wire brushes to clean up welds after you’ve chipped away at them. I recommend getting a brush with a nice long handle. If you want to kill two birds with one stone, some manufacturers sell a combination chipping hammer/wire brush. You can get a good wire brush for $10 to $20.

FIGURE 4-2: A typical ball-peen hammer (a), chipping hammer (b), crescent wrench (c), level (d), steel square (e), and straightedge (f).

Choosing a welding table

You need a very sturdy, reliable surface to use as a foundation for welding practice as well as many of your welding projects, especially the smaller jobs. The best option is a welding table. Don’t try to use a normal table or work bench, because the wood or metal construction will soon be spattered with (and probably burned by) welding materials.

A good welding table includes a steel top and angle iron or sturdy pipe for legs. (Check out the welding table in Figure 4-3 to get a feel for what one looks like.) Your local welding shop can build you a welding table, or you can buy one at a hardware or home improvement store. The table size you need is determined by the size of the projects you plan to work on. I recommend getting a table that is ⅜ inch thick, with a top that is 36 inches by 48 inches. Expect to spend at least $50, and remember that after you get the hang of welding, you can make your second table instead of buying it.

FIGURE 4-3: A typical welding table.

Be sure that you can adjust the height of your welding table, or be certain before you buy it that you can be comfortable working at the table. You don’t want to have to bend down or stretch to use the table.

Selecting your welding machine

One of the most important pieces of welding equipment you buy is your welding machine, the apparatus that provides the energy you use to make your welds and complete your welding projects. The machines come in many types, sizes, and prices to fit the needs of any welder. You can find inexpensive machines for small shops and projects, and expensive, more powerful welding machines for big shops and huge projects.

One of the most important considerations you need to keep in mind when you’re deciding which welding machine to acquire is the type of welding you plan on doing. Welding machines are available for all the various types of welding: stick welding, mig, tig, and more. (You can read more about the various types of welding in Chapter 1, and in the chapters that make up Parts 2, 3, and 4, where I dive into the details of each welding type.)

Welding machine basics

Following are a few welding machine considerations that you can keep in mind when you start thinking about the type of machine you want to buy for your shop.

❯❯ Power source: Be sure to purchase a welding machine that fits the electricity power source that you have available. Most household or small shops have only single phase electricity available.

❯❯ Current: Welding machines are also sometimes classified by the type of current they require. Some machines use alternating current (AC), which is an electrical current that flows back and forth at regular intervals in a circuit. Other welding machines use direct current (DC), which flows in one direction.

❯❯ Duty cycle: Welding machines are rated on duty cycles, which indicate how many minutes out of ten the machine can run continuously at its maximum amperage output. (Most welding machines have an output of at least 200 amps.) A welding machine’s duty cycle is based on the manufacturer’s recommendation. For example, if a 200-amp machine is rated with a 60-percent duty cycle, you can use it continuously (and safely) for six out of ten minutes when you have it set to produce an output of 200 amps. You can get a constant potential (CP) welding machine that maintains a constant flow of electricity, which results in a 100-percent duty cycle.

❯❯ Material type and size: Some welding machines can weld just a couple of different types of metal, and others can weld a huge range. You should also keep the size (thickness) of the metals you’re welding in mind. If you’re welding materials that are less than ³/₁₈ inch thick, most welding machines are powerful enough for you. If you’re welding thicker metals, you may want to get a machine that can produce more amperage.

New or used: Which welding machine is right for you?

After you understand the different types and classifications of welding machines (see the preceding section), you need to decide whether to buy a new machine or one that has been used.

The advantages and disadvantages afforded by new and used welding machines are similar to what you’d expect for most other types of machinery or equipment. New welding machines have no wear and tear, and you can often buy one with a warranty that helps protect you if the machine (or part of it) happens to break down soon after you buy it. Plus, new machines come with instructions that can be extremely helpful for a beginning welder, whereas used machines often no longer have the directions. On the downside, new machines are almost always more expensive than comparable used models. New stick welding machines typically cost at least $400, and mig welding machines are often twice that amount. A brand new tig welding machine can run you $1,200 or even more, depending on the size and features of the machine.

If you want to buy a new welding machine, you can find them at larger hardware and home improvement stores, welding supply stores, and through online retailers.

Used welding machines can be a good route for people who are just starting out with welding and don’t want to sink a lot of money in a new machine. You can find quality used welding machines for half the cost of a new machine. The good news is that most welding machines don’t wear out or become ineffective unless they’re mistreated or maintained poorly.

If you want to buy a used welding machine, you likely have three options:

❯❯ Auctions: Equipment or general auctions in your area can be a great source for used welding machines. Call ahead or look through auction listings to see whether any welding machines are up for bidding.

❯❯ Welding supply stores: Many welding supply stores offer incentives for welders to trade in their used welding machines when they’re looking to buy a new machine. The stores then sell the used machines, sometimes after carrying out some basic maintenance or making any necessary repairs to the machine.

❯❯ Individual sellers: If you have friends or family members who weld, you may ask them if they have a used welding machine that they’re interested in selling in the near future. That’s a good situation because it means you know the seller and are probably familiar with how he treats his equipment. (Although if that relative is your reckless Uncle Bob, you may want to think twice.) You can also find individual sellers looking to sell used machines in classified ads or through online listings.

If you’re interested in buying a used welding machine, be sure to require the seller to turn on the machine and produce a weld bead (deposit of filler metal from a single welding pass) for you. That basic operation check can help you avoid buying a worn-out or broken machine.

I know it seems obvious, but I’m always surprised at the number of people who buy a welding machine only to get it back to their shop and realize that the cables are too short for the projects they plan to work on. Be sure to check a welding machine’s cable length before you make a purchase!

Stick welding machines

Stick welding is one of the most widely practiced welding techniques. (You can read all about stick welding in Chapters 5 and 6.) One of the biggest reasons for stick welding’s popularity is the fact that it’s inexpensive – in fact, the equipment used in stick welding is the least expensive of all the electric welding processes. Stick welding machines include the machine itself, as well as the welding leads, ground clamp, and electrode holder (see Figure 4-4). That’s all! If you’re going to be doing any stick welding and you want to get your hands on a stick welding machine, the big choice you have to make is whether you want an AC or DC machine.

❯❯ DC: DC stick welding machines give you a continuous flow of electricity, and they make it easier to produce good welds because they give you a higher level of control.

❯❯ AC: AC stick welding machines have one very important advantage: price. AC stick welding machines are the cheapest welding machines you can buy, and they require little or no maintenance. However, they can be a little harder to work with than DC machines, especially for new welders.

FIGURE 4-4: Typical stick welding machine.

Mig welding machines

Mig welding machines are more complex than stick welding machines and include a welding gun, a spool of electrode, an electrode feeding unit, a power supply, cables, hoses, and a cylinder of shielding gas. (Flip over to Chapters 9 and 10 for more on those terms and other mig welding details.) You can check out mig welders at your local welding supply store, and you can also get parts (like refills for your shielding gas cylinders) there as well.

Mig welding machines (see Figure 4-5) are designed to weld a range of materials, including steel, stainless steel, and aluminum, to name just a few. However, if you want your mig welder to work on a variety of metals, you have to buy a few attachments. A mig welding machine without any additional attachments can weld steel, but if you want to weld aluminum, for example, you need a spool gun. Want to weld stainless steel? You need to change your shielding gas cylinder. Your local welding supply store can tell you all about what you need to change on your mig welder if you want to take advantage of the machine’s versatility and work on many different metals.

FIGURE 4-5: A mig welding machine.

Like the other types of welding machines, some mig welders are more powerful than others. The power you need is determined by the thickness of the metals you plan to weld. If you’re going to be welding materials that are more than ⅜ inch thick, consider buying a more powerful mig welding machine.

Some manufacturers are now producing mig welding machines that are self-setting. You just have to dial in the thickness of the material you’re welding and the machine sets the amperage level on its own. Pretty slick!

Tig welding machines

Tig welding machines are the most versatile of all the welding machines. With a tig machine (see Figure 4-6), you can weld all ferrous and nonferrous metals. Most tig machines allow you to change polarity (the direction in which the electricity flows), and that allows you to weld a wider range of materials.

FIGURE 4-6: A tig welding machine.

Tig welding machines and stick welding machines are somewhat interchangeable with a little modification. Stick welding machines can be used for tig welding if you buy and add on a number of attachments, and vice versa. If you’re planning on working on both tig welding and stick welding projects, I suggest buying a tig welding machine and also purchasing the attachments – a stick welding electrode holder with a lead and plug on the end that matches the machine – that allow you to use it for stick welding. It’s easier to make a stick welding machine from a tig machine than the other way around.

If you want to read more about the ins and outs of tig welding machines, check out Chapters 7 and 8.

Considering a few accessories for your welding shop

As with most types of equipment, you can add a few bells and whistles to your machine in the form of accessories. These items can make your machine easier to use, so you may consider whether one or more of the following are right for your setup:

❯❯ Cable holder: A hook mounted to the side of the machine that you can use to hold your lead and ground cables, cable holders help keep your work area more organized (and safer).

❯❯ Cup holders: I know it’s hard to believe, but you can now get cup holders that mount to your welding machine. Just make sure your drink has a lid.

❯❯ Storage: You can get small drawers for some welding machines now that can helpfully store the various small parts that you need when welding.

❯❯ Welding machine carriage: These carts have wheels that make moving your welding machine easier. They’re almost always made of steel, and you can buy one for about $200. That seems like a lot, but some welding machines weigh more than 100 pounds, and spending $200 for a cart is much cheaper than spending twice or three times that amount at the chiropractor’s office!

These accessories aren’t really necessary for you to own, but they are handy things to have. For information on even more tools and accessories that you may want for your welding shop, see Chapter 19.

In addition to the basic tools, welding table, welding machine, and welding machine accessories I discuss in the preceding sections, this section lists several other tools and pieces of gear you may want to buy and have on hand when you’re getting ready for a welding project or setting up your shop. You can find all these items at welding supply stores or hardware/home improvement stores.

❯❯ Air compressor: If you’re going to be using any pneumatic tools, you need a good air compressor. Cost: $160.

❯❯ Anvil: An anvil is a good tool to have around when you need to hammer or straighten out a large piece of metal. (It’s also useful, of course, if you’re a coyote and you’re trying to kill a roadrunner.) Keep in mind that you can also use a large, solid, secured piece of metal (a railroad rail, for example) in your shop in place of an anvil. Just don’t go pulling up train tracks to save money. Cost: $150.

❯❯ Creeper: A creeper (shown in Figure 4-7) is a small platform with wheels that you can lie down on and use to roll around. Creepers are helpful when you need to get up under something. Cost: $30.

FIGURE 4-7: A creeper.

❯❯ Drill press: I think having a good, small drill press on hand in the welding shop is extremely handy. Be sure you have plenty of good bits that fit the press. Cost: $100 to $1,000.

Don’t buy a drill press that’s too large or expensive for your needs. Bigger isn’t always better.

❯❯ Grinder: Grinders are useful for grinding down rough surfaces. If you get a grinder, make sure to also pick up some ferrous and nonferrous grinding discs that fit the machine. Cost: $85 to $125.

❯❯ Hacksaw: Hacksaws are extremely useful for cutting metal. Cost: $8 (includes a package of blades).

❯❯ Portable welding curtain: These items (see Figure 4-8) are usually made of vinyl, and they can help to shield bystanders from the dangerous rays created while welding. Cost: $10.

❯❯ Vise: Consider mounting a small vise to your welding table. It can be very helpful when you’re trying to work on small projects that are tough to manipulate while welding. Cost: $25.

❯❯ Wall clock: It may sound simple, but having a clock mounted on the wall is a much easier way to keep track of the time while welding than having to take off your gloves and push up your sleeves to check your watch. Welding is fun, and time flies when you’re having fun, so why not have an easy way to keep track of it? Cost: $3.

FIGURE 4-8: A standard portable welding curtain.