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Tips, Tricks, and Tools for the Home Metal Fabricator

TOOLS OF THE TRADE!

CNC Plasma Cutter Baileigh PT-22 — Getting the new plasma cutter set up! Had to figure out how to get my air compressor up 8ft onto the mezzanine (it was interesting for sure). I also got the plasma table fixed and added a video for knowing which kind of proximity switch to buy PNP or NPN […]

Part 2 2×2 CNC Plasma Cutter

October 12, 2021 in TOOLS OF THE TRADE! tagged 2×2 / 4×4 / 4×8 / Baileigh / CNC / Custom / Cutter / DIY / Fabrication / Metal Fabrication / Plasma / PT-22 / PT22 / Repair / Setup / Shop / Table / Water Table by Paul

CNC Plasma Cutter Baileigh PT-22 — So it begins. A new chapter in the shop saga. I have wanted a CNC plasma FOREVER and recently found one on Marketplace and drug it home! Check out the full post for more details on the process and what it took to get it working.

Part 1 2×2 CNC Plasma Cutter

September 19, 2021 in TOOLS OF THE TRADE! tagged 2x2 / 4x4 / 4x8 / Baileigh / CNC / Cutter / DIY / Fabrication / Plasma / PT-22 / PT22 / Repair / Setup / Table / Water Table by Paul

How to add Locking Scaffold Wheels to Anything — Mobility is key when setting up a shop. I don’t want to be stuck with a certain shop layout. Recently I discovered how awesome scaffold wheels are and how useful they are on workbenches and tables around the shop. Check out the post to see how easy it is to […]

Why Scaffold Wheels are Awesome and How to Add them ...

March 14, 2021 in FABRICATION PROJECTS / MISCELLANEOUS / TOOLS OF THE TRADE! tagged Add / Caster / Lock / Mobile / Move / Removable / scaffold / Shop / Table / Wheel by Paul

How to repair a vice that is sloppy and won't tighten — A quick writeup today on a broken Wilton vice that a buddy gave me. Apparently it was headed for the scrap pile because it was broken. Turns out it was just a 5 minute fix. Read more to find out what it was and how you can fix yours.

How to Fix a Vice that won’t Tighten or Swivel

October 22, 2020 in FABRICATION KNOWLEDGE / MISCELLANEOUS / TOOLS OF THE TRADE! tagged 656 / 676 / A / Bench / HD / Pony / Swivel / Tekton / Tighten / U / Vice / Wilton by Paul

Steps to building a pole barn — This was a tough one to figure out. The first place I started was calling pole barn builders. Seems like the logical place, right? Well it turns out there is a lot more to it than just getting a builder because they aren’t the general contractor…YOU ARE!

Part 2 Building a Pole Barn – Who is responsible ...

June 25, 2020 in 30x48 Pole Barn Shop Build / Shop Tours! / TOOLS OF THE TRADE! tagged 2 post lift / Breezeway / Garage / House / Pole Barn / Post Frame / Shop / Welding by Paul

The Ultimate Guide to Auto Darkening Welding Helmets — Check this post out for the ultimate guide to selecting and purchasing an auto darkening welding helmet. Welding helmets are critical for the safety of any DIY metal work, whether you are welding or plasma cutting. Without a good welding helmet, you can cause eye stress, skin burns or even […]

The Ultimate Guide to Auto Darkening Welding Helmets

June 19, 2020 in FABRICATION KNOWLEDGE / Shop Safety / TOOLS OF THE TRADE! tagged Antra / Auto / Battery / Darkening / Grinding / Helmet / MIG / Shade / Solar / Stick / TIG / Welding by John

Front Winch Bumper Build with Receiver Hitch for Suzuki Vitara Chevy Tracker — Time to add more reinforcement and an aluminum skidplate to our custom DIY winch bumper build! We also discuss lot of tips and tricks along the way.

Part 5 – Front Winch Bumper Build with Receiver Hitch ...

June 5, 2020 in FABRICATION PROJECTS / Suzuki Vitara/Tracker 'PJ' / TOOLS OF THE TRADE! tagged 13000 / 9500 / Chevy / Fabricate / MIG / Off Road Winch / Offroad / Suzuki / Tracker / Vitara / Winch / Winch Mount / ZESUPER by Paul

6 Types of Clamps for Home Metal Fabrication — Let’s talk clamps. Specifically those used for DIY home welding projects. Here is a list of 6 different types, what they are, and how to use them.

6 Types of Clamps for Home Metal Fabrication

May 2, 2020 in FABRICATION KNOWLEDGE / TOOLS OF THE TRADE! tagged Bar Clamp / Bench Vice / C Clamp / Cleco Fasteners / DIY / F Clamp / Fabrication / Speed Clamp / Spring Clamp / Vice / Vice Grip / Welding by Paul

Step by Step: How to Rewire a Trailer with Lights and Electric Brakes — Check out a step by step guide to rewiring a trailer end to end with new lights, wires, and a junction box. LOTS of pics included.

Step by Step: How to Rewire a Trailer with Lights ...

February 28, 2020 in DEEP THOUGHTS / FABRICATION KNOWLEDGE / FABRICATION PROJECTS / MISCELLANEOUS / TOOLS OF THE TRADE! tagged 3500 / 4 Way Plug / 7000 / Brakes / Electric / LED / Rewire / RV Plug / Tandem / Trailer / Wiring by Paul

DIY Mounting Scissor Jack Inside Engine Bay Using Grip Fist Clamps — We all have that ‘thing’ that we don’t know where to store in our vehicles. Whether it be a fire extinguisher, shovel, lug wrench, rifle, etc. In my case I needed to relocate my scissor jack. Quick Fist clamps to the rescue! Rubber clamps in just about any size to […]

How to Mount Anything Anywhere Using Quick Fist Clamps

February 13, 2020 in FABRICATION PROJECTS / Suzuki Vitara/Tracker 'PJ' / TOOLS OF THE TRADE! tagged Axe / Fire Extinguisher / Flashlight / Jack / Mount / Power Tank / Quick Fist / Rifle / Rubber / SAW / Shotgun / Shovel by Paul

DIY Gas Tank Lift Relocation- Vitara Tracker without Body Lift — Every once in a while you find a tool that you think ‘wow, that job would have sucked without that tool’. This Rivet nut tool is one of them! I recently (almost) finished my fuel tank enclosure from 14 gauge sheetmetal that I assembled exclusively with rivetnuts. As of now […]

What is a RivetNut / Nutsert tool and how do ...

January 30, 2020 in FABRICATION KNOWLEDGE / TOOLS OF THE TRADE! tagged Aluminum / Carbon Steel / Crimp / Hand Riveter / Metric / Nutsert / Rivet Nut / Stainless / Standard / Thread Setter / Threadsert by Paul

Diamond Cutoff Wheel Lenox MetalMax — I am always looking for better and safer ways to do things. I came across these Diamond 4.5″ metal cutting wheels and thought I would try them out. Read more to see how they performed!

Tools of the Trade! – Diamond Cutoff Wheels

November 2, 2019 in FABRICATION KNOWLEDGE / TOOLS OF THE TRADE! tagged 14" / 4.5" / 4" / 6" / 7" / 8" / Angle / Circular Saw / Cutoff Wheel / Diamond / Grinder by Paul

Tools of the Trade: Sheetmetal Nibblers — Cutting out complex shapes in sheetmetal is challenging. Luckily some specialty tools are available to help us out! Read more for details on sheetmetal nibblers, how they work, and full write-up with pictures of how to use them!

Tools of the Trade: Sheetmetal Nibblers

January 6, 2019 in FABRICATION KNOWLEDGE / FABRICATION PROJECTS / TOOLS OF THE TRADE! tagged Aluminum / DIY / drill / Nibbler / Sheetmetal / Sign / Tig Welding by Paul

DIY Shop cleaning and organization; installing extension cord reels — EVERY shop struggles with organization and cleanliness. Here is a motivational story on how I cleaned my DIY Metal Fab shop up and got organized so I can rock some projects in 2019!

Year End Shop Cleaning Plus How to Install Retractable Cord ...

December 29, 2018 in FABRICATION KNOWLEDGE / MISCELLANEOUS / Shop Safety / TOOLS OF THE TRADE! tagged Cord Reel / Efficiency / Garage Organization / Safety / Shop / Shop Cleaning / Trip Hazards by Paul

Safety Tips for using Metal Fabrication Tools - LeClaire Manufacturing — I am definitely not perfect but I always try to take any extra safety precautions that I can think of before doing any potentially dangerous tasks, and you should too. When I sit down and think about it I realize I have a lot to lose and there is no shortcut […]

Safety Tips for Using Metal Fabrication Tools

November 17, 2018 in FABRICATION KNOWLEDGE / Shop Safety / TOOLS OF THE TRADE! tagged DIY Fabrication Safety / Fabrication / Home / Home Shop Safety / Metal / safe / Safety / Tips / Tools / Working by Paul

DIY Guide to Grinding and Cutting Wheels — What is the difference between a grinding and cutting wheel? Masonry wheels? Diamond wheels? Flap disks? Fiber Disks? Read more to find out!

DIY Guide to Grinding, Cutting, and Sanding wheels

October 16, 2018 in FABRICATION KNOWLEDGE / TOOLS OF THE TRADE! tagged Cleanup / Cutting / Disk / Flap / Grinding / Sanding / Welding / Wheel by Paul