Your list of must have shop equipment

[gerno]

Looks like soon I'll be moving out of the duplex I'm in and into a house with a full 2 car garage and a nice little 25x30 shop in the back yard. It's a little ways away from the fun of downtown Austin so I also want to be sure I have all the tools to play with. No use in buying it and not being able to use it.

As of now I have many of the basic tools but am curious what tools you guys have that I should consider purchasing and rating by most important first. My budget for new tools will most likely be ~10-15K which I know can go very fast. If there is already a thread with this info let me know. I searched for a bit but did't find anything specific.

What I think I have, stuff has been stored for ~2 years now so hard to remember

Large roller box full of hand tools.
1/2" and 3/8 impact guns
Decent smaller Harbor freight press
Bead blast cabinet
Lincoln 155 MIG
Thermal Arc Fab 250 MIG
Metal chop saw (with a blade, not abrasive)
2 floor jacks
Lots of 3 and 6 ton jack stands
2k winch to pull cars in and out of the shop
double flaring tools and small tube benders
Engine hoist
Multiple angle grinders
Cheaper bench grinder
A couple cheaper vises
Small 30 gallon compressor that's too slow and noisy
Harbor freight solvent tank

Things I am considering to purchase

Large 220v ~80 gallon compressor
Build some nice solid steel tables
Tubing bender - most likely JD2 but open to suggestions
Tubing notcher - not sure what brand
Plasma cutter
Belt/Disc sander
TIG - I have no idea how to use it but really want to learn....
Some kind of crane system in the shop to keep from getting more hernia's
Lathe - thinking 6"x 3ft or so
Mill - either small bench top or used large one
Stomp Shear - used 3 ft or so
Decent bead roller
Metal Bandshaw
Dimple dies
Smaller metal break
Lift - Possibly, debating if it will take too much room
Smaller CNC Plasma table - thinking could also use to make some side $$
English wheel
Planishing hammer
Shrinker/Stretcher
Alignment tools
Race scales
???????

[Sieg]

Originally Posted by gerno

Things I am considering to purchase

*Large 220v ~80 gallon compressor
*Build some nice solid steel tables
Tubing bender - most likely JD2 but open to suggestions
Tubing notcher - not sure what brand
*Plasma cutter
*Belt/Disc sander
*TIG - I have no idea how to use it but really want to learn....
*Some kind of crane system in the shop to keep from getting more hernia's
Lathe - thinking 6"x 3ft or so
Mill - either small bench top or used large one
Stomp Shear - used 3 ft or so
Decent bead roller
*Metal Bandsaw
Dimple dies
Smaller metal break
Lift - Possibly, debating if it will take too much room
Smaller CNC Plasma table - thinking could also use to make some side $$
???????

* = must haves IMO

I just acquired a 34" x 110" 3/8" plate work table on casters and it is a real luxury.

A 1x42 belt/disc combo sander for small stuff is priceless and one of my most used tools. I'd really like to have a 12" disc also.

A horizontal mitering bandsaw is another tool I use frequently, more than the 9" cold saw and one can't replace the other.

Plasma cutter is a must IMO, doesn't get used a lot but it's a little tool that does big things and is just fun to use.

Regarding a hoist - maybe a larger fold up cherry-picker would suffice?

What about a small painting area? That's one thing I don't have that I need frequently!

Fair warning - You're going to run out of space fast. Draw a floor plan and start doing an equipment layout with reasonable clearance allowances and a good free work space and prioritize from there.

[dontlifttoshift]

BurrKing.

You're already out of space with that list unless you are working on the car in the driveway.

[BMR Sales]

You said a Lift depending on space. My lift is the best thing I have ever bought! Mine (Rotary 4 Post) is bolted to the floor, but they make a Caster kit so you can move them around.

[gerno]

Originally Posted by Sieg

* = must haves IMO

I just acquired a 34" x 110" 3/8" plate work table on casters and it is a real luxury.

A 1x42 belt/disc combo sander for small stuff is priceless and one of my most used tools. I'd really like to have a 12" disc also.

A horizontal mitering bandsaw is another tool I use frequently, more than the 9" cold saw and one can't replace the other.

Plasma cutter is a must IMO, doesn't get used a lot but it's a little tool that does big things and is just fun to use.

Regarding a hoist - maybe a larger fold up cherry-picker would suffice?

What about a small painting area? That's one thing I don't have that I need frequently!

Fair warning - You're going to run out of space fast. Draw a floor plan and start doing an equipment layout with reasonable clearance allowances and a good free work space and prioritize from there.

Good call in the layout and running out of space. I understand that as well. I haven't closed on the property as of yet so it will be some time while I brainstorm. My thought on the layout was since it has 3 doors on the front I would really only use the middle door for cars and have the other 2 bays for work areas. I can store my car in the actual garage.

Most of your items were part of my priority list. What bandsaw do you have? Do you need the smaller belt or would a combined disc/belt sander with the wider belt also work ok for what you do?

Originally Posted by dontlifttoshift

BurrKing.

You're already out of space with that list unless you are working on the car in the driveway.

Not sure I can afford the Burrking without blowing my complete budgety. It looks terrific but what is the real advantage in one of those vs a combined belt/disc sander?

I know space will be very tight. The list was more for overall thought. I'd love to have it all but understand both budget and space will not allow. This is why I am asking for other people's opinions. One advantage is there are 2 out buildings on the lot as well. One is designed to house the air compressor with 220v wired already. The other I may set up for part storage or the cleaning tank or perhaps a paint booth as Sieg brought up. Not sure.

Originally Posted by BMR Sales

You said a Lift depending on space. My lift is the best thing I have ever bought! Mine (Rotary 4 Post) is bolted to the floor, but they make a Caster kit so you can move them around.

I'm still very much considering a lift but I need to check the overall layout first. Do you prefer the 4 post vs an offset 2 post?

[dontlifttoshift]

Originally Posted by gerno

Not sure I can afford the Burrking without blowing my complete budgety. It looks terrific but what is the real advantage in one of those vs a combined belt/disc sander?

Versatility. It takes 5 seconds to change a belt and I can grind a radius in a piece of 3/8 plate or put a brushed finish on a stainless exhaust.

Disc sanders I have never seen a use for, maybe a big 24" one would be nice but they tend to create too much heat which kills the abrasive right quick.

[Sieg]

Originally Posted by gerno

Good call in the layout and running out of space. I understand that as well. I haven't closed on the property as of yet so it will be some time while I brainstorm. My thought on the layout was since it has 3 doors on the front I would really only use the middle door for cars and have the other 2 bays for work areas. I can store my car in the actual garage.

Most of your items were part of my priority list. What bandsaw do you have? Do you need the smaller belt or would a combined disc/belt sander with the wider belt also work ok for what you do?


Not sure I can afford the Burrking without blowing my complete budgety. It looks terrific but what is the real advantage in one of those vs a combined belt/disc sander?

I know space will be very tight. The list was more for overall thought. I'd love to have it all but understand both budget and space will not allow. This is why I am asking for other people's opinions. One advantage is there are 2 out buildings on the lot as well. One is designed to house the air compressor with 220v wired already. The other I may set up for part storage or the cleaning tank or perhaps a paint booth as Sieg brought up. Not sure.


I'm still very much considering a lift but I need to check the overall layout first. Do you prefer the 4 post vs an offset 2 post?

Here's my bandsaw: http://metal.baileighindustrial.com/...d-saw-bs-712ms
I use the cold saw for a lot of the miter cuts I make as they are usually small scale.

The 1x42 is an older Delta combo belt/disk that I've had since '89/90 I wouldn't be without, I originally bought it for golf club fab and repair work. It just lacks the size and power needed for automotive/steel fab.
This is almost identical: http://www.jettools.com/us/en/p/j-40...-sander/577003

The BurrKing 2" belt would be a wonderful luxury! Personally I'd buy a 12" disk before the 2" belt. The Jet 12" disk/belt combo might not be bad less expensive option: http://www.jettools.com/us/en/c/meta...s/300?filter=1

What I do for a makeshift small parts paint 'both' is I keep a larger cardboard box that I split the seam so it folds up flat, in use it looks like this:




My 'new' fab table, it's moved over to where the Camaro has just enough space to park and be able to walk around it:

[BMR Sales]

Originally Posted by gerno

I'm still very much considering a lift but I need to check the overall layout first. Do you prefer the 4 post vs an offset 2 post?

I have a 4 Post with a Jack Bridge, so I prefer the 4 Post.

Certainly 2 Posts have their advantage of being able to do Suspension, Brake & Wheel work

[GregWeld]

Put my responses in RED....

Originally Posted by gerno

Looks like soon I'll be moving out of the duplex I'm in and into a house with a full 2 car garage and a nice little 25x30 shop in the back yard. It's a little ways away from the fun of downtown Austin so I also want to be sure I have all the tools to play with. No use in buying it and not being able to use it.

As of now I have many of the basic tools but am curious what tools you guys have that I should consider purchasing and rating by most important first. My budget for new tools will most likely be ~10-15K which I know can go very fast. If there is already a thread with this info let me know. I searched for a bit but did't find anything specific.

What I think I have, stuff has been stored for ~2 years now so hard to remember

Large roller box full of hand tools.
1/2" and 3/8 impact guns
Decent smaller Harbor freight press
Bead blast cabinet
Lincoln 155 MIG
Thermal Arc Fab 250 MIG
Metal chop saw (with a blade, not abrasive)
2 floor jacks
Lots of 3 and 6 ton jack stands
2k winch to pull cars in and out of the shop
double flaring tools and small tube benders
Engine hoist
Multiple angle grinders
Cheaper bench grinder
A couple cheaper vises
Small 30 gallon compressor that's too slow and noisy
Harbor freight solvent tank

Things I am considering to purchase

Large 220v ~80 gallon compressor

Be sure to understand the CFM produced and at what air pressure! That's the most important metric of a good compressor!


Build some nice solid steel tables
Tubing bender - most likely JD2 but open to suggestions
Tubing notcher - not sure what brand
Plasma cutter

I RARELY use my Plasma Cutter - so far it's a waste of money.


Belt/Disc sander

TIG - I have no idea how to use it but really want to learn....

TIG is a must in my shop! Once you TIG you'll rarely MIG



Some kind of crane system in the shop to keep from getting more hernia's


I use chain hoists and the cheap furniture dollies from Harbor freight -- and I use my engine hoist for all manor of moving stuff!



Lathe - thinking 6"x 3ft or so
Mill - either small bench top or used large one

My Mill/Drill (Jet) is used all the time. I'm not MAKING parts -- I'm modifying them. While I'd love a real Milling machine -- it's just because I want one - not because it would get used.


Stomp Shear - used 3 ft or so
Decent bead roller
Metal Bandshaw

Don't wimp out on Bandsaw! I bought a Wilton -- it was a POS... finally bought a good one from Baileigh Industrial and now think about all the time I wasted trying to baby the Wilton POS along.



Dimple dies
Smaller metal break


Make sure it's a BOX AND PAN brake...



Lift - Possibly, debating if it will take too much room


Without a doubt - the single most used piece of equipment in my shop! Saves time - saves effort - makes me WANT to do things on the car - and I can do them BETTER than laying on the floor rolling around on a creeper! Once you own one you'll never work on a car without one again.




Smaller CNC Plasma table - thinking could also use to make some side $$

It will never happen. Don't bother.



English wheel
Planishing hammer
Shrinker/Stretcher
Alignment tools

Toe plates can be made... I just had the Mustang aligned and set up at a pro NASCAR race shop -- two things I noticed! They DO NOT USE AIR TOOLS -- and the alignment was all done by hand with simple tools and tape measures etc. Not a laser in the house... They had a bump steer gauge... Toe plates... and some other simple gauges.

Race scales
???????

[Graham08]

Hi! This is my first post here...been lurking for a while. Great site!

Anyway, I've been heavily into fabrication and have been collecting tools and equipment for about 12 years or so. Mostly I build pavement sprint cars and supermodifieds. You have a great list of stuff there. A few things I've learned and would probably do differently if I had to to do it all over again are:

1. You can fabricate almost anything in the way of brackets with a drill press, vertical band saw, and a belt grinder. A drill press was one of the first pieces of equipment I bought, and I have had a couple since. I tried only having a milling machine for a while when I downsized to an attached garage, and I work a lot better having both. When you just want to poke a hole in something, or you're doing second ops like reaming or countersinking a drill press is much faster than doing multiple setups in the mill for simple stuff.

I have a Kalamazoo 2" x 48" belt grinder, and I should have bought it long before I did. It's no Burr King, but it is a quality piece that I use pretty much every time I'm in the shop.

I also have an old Walker-Turner 16" metal cutting vertical band saw. Again, it was something I should have bought long before I did. This greatly simplifies making tabs and brackets.

2. You're right on the air compressor. It opens a lot of doors up in terms of using air tools. My bender is air over hydraulic, and having the right compressor makes it so much nicer to use. I have 5 HP Champion that puts out something like 19 cfm at 90 psi. I don't have to wait for the compressor to catch up when running the bender anymore!

3. The bender and notcher sort of go together. JD2 makes nice stuff. I had a manual Model 3, and upgraded to a Model 4 when I was doing a bunch of bending 2" x 0.120" DOM for paying work. Definitely look at a hydraulic upgrade because you can put your bender on wheels instead of having it bolted to the floor. If you can afford it, an electric/hydraulic setup is really nice, but if you have a good compressor, the air/hydraulic system works well, too.

I've had a couple different notchers. My current setup is Baileigh's TN-250. I really like it. It has done everything I've asked of it and works great if you're doing a lot of notching around bends.

3. I made a lot of stuff with a 9" South Bend lathe. They're still out there for reasonable prices, and are about the smallest "real" machine I've run into. I later upgraded to a 13" Sheldon, which mostly gained me speed because it's a more powerful, rigid machine. A lathe would probably be my first addition after the band saw/drill press/belt grinder combo if I was doing things over because there's always something round that needs a hole in it and the ends square to the sides.

4. As far as sheet metal equipment goes, I made a lot of stuff with a set of Milwaukee electric hand shears and a 3' Harbor Freight brake. I later added a 4' x 14 gauge Chicago box and pan brake (well used) that was a major improvement in capabilities. After I finished building my new shop, I lucked into the right deal on an 8' x 18 gauge Niagara jump shear. If you're looking to get a shear, don't get anything shorter than 4 feet. Sheet metal normally comes in 4' wide sheets and one of the handiest things about a shear is the ability to cut large sheets down to a manageable size...which you can't do with a three footer.

5. I got a lift in a trade, and I wasn't real wild about it. Man was I wrong! Definitely one of the handiest things in my shop. I have a two post Eagle that needs nearly all of my 13' ceiling height. There are tons of lift discussions over on Garage Journal.

Good luck with your purchases, and congrats on the new shop! Sounds like you need to consider an addition.