Affordable Fabrication Tools

It's only a Sawzall if it's made by Milwaukee. Regardless, if you only buy one cutting tool, a reciprocating saw (aka saber saw) is the one to own. Stick with the name brands like DeWalt, Milwaukee, Porter Cable, and so on. The name brands generally have better bearings and motors and last longer. Look for something in the 9-12 amp range with a keyless chuck for quick blade changes. We found several top quality reciprocating saws at our local Lowes for anywhere from $90-$140.

We know plenty of guys who are content to grab a $20 Harbor Freight 4 1/2-inch angle grinder and just run it until it dies. However, for continuous heavy-duty use and ease of operation, nothing has come close to our DeWalt paddle trigger grinder. Ours is an older version, but the newest model is even better. We found the 11,000rpm, 10-amp 4 1/2-inch grinder for $89 at our local Lowes. A little shopping on the internet could probably knock $10 off that price.

A 4- to 8-inch bench vise should be on your shopping list 'cause we don't know what we'd do without one. From holding stuff you're cutting, to welding, to bending, if you can dream it, your vise can probably do it. If possible, get one with the additional V-shaped jaws for holding round tubing. We found several styles available at our local hardware stores for $40-$100 depending on size, burliness, and features.

A chop saw is an extremely useful tool, especially if you're cutting a lot of tubing. We've used 'em for cutting everything from plate steel to axle tubes. Higher end models like those from Hitachi or this DeWalt feature niceties like quick release clamps and quick angle adjustment. But at almost $200, if you can stand to go more bare bones, Harbor Freight Tools offers its version with pretty much the same motor as the other models. You'll need to use a 17mm wrench to adjust the cutting angle and the base is a little cruder, but we routinely see them on sale for $49.99 at our local Harbor Freight.

If you find yourself building a lot of little brackets, boxes, or anything requiring a flat sheet of steel with a bend in it, this Williams Lowbuck Tools plate brake will make a clean bend in 6-inch wide plate up to 1/8-inch thick. And it'll bend 2-inch wide plate up to 1/4-inch thick. At around $220 it'll only take a couple jobs to pay for itself.

The Williams Lowbuck Tools tubing notcher is a classic design that makes quick notches in tubing, but the average 4x4 enthusiast should really consider if it's for him. On the plus side, the notcher doesn't heat the tubing, it makes clean cuts, operation is quick, and you can generally run the same cutting die for more than one size tubing. On the minus side it's $325 and you can only notch the end of a tube, so if you're trying to pierce a tube for a mount it won't do it. Also, you're limited to 0.134-wall mild steel or 0.095-wall chrome-moly, so if you work with 0.188-wall or thicker you'll need a different notcher.

Believe it or not, an air compressor is one of those fab tools that almost becomes essential once you own one. They make it possible to run die grinders, sanders, cutoff tools, and any other number of relatively inexpensive handheld pneumatic cutters, sanders, or drills. And they're a necessity for any decent plasma cutter. As for size and power, go as big as your garage can accommodate. You won't regret it later. This Craftsman Professional 2-stage compressor represents one of the higher performing options for running on 110-volt household current and can be had for around $460.

For the upper echelon fabricator interested in some serious aluminum, mild steel, chrome-moly, and pretty much any other metal, modern inverter-based TIG welders offer huge performance in small packages. Three of the top dogs on the block are the Miller Dynasty 200 DX (approximately $3,500), the Lincoln Inveritech V205-T (approximately $3,450), or Thermadyne's Thermal Arc 185TSW (approximately $2,550). Any of these machines offer any feature you could want from pulse operation to 115/230 input voltage. Prices were found on the Web and represent ready-to-run packages with foot control, torch, regulator, and so on.

You can look at elaborate air-over-hydraulic benders if you like the fancy. Or, you can check out the cheesy ones that use cheap dies and a little bottle jack in a rigged up jig. But if you want professional quality at an affordable price, step up to a quality manual bender like this $295 Model 3 bender from JD2. Other quality mechanical benders are available, such as the Model 4 bender from M-Tech Supply, or the Pro Model 105 from Pro Tools. Any one of these benders represents a top quality fab tool that will allow you to crunch out pro-quality cages and fab work without kinking the tubing or compromising strength. Die sets are sold separately and are offered for a wide variety of tubing sizes and types.

A more familiar tubing notcher in the 4x4 world is an example such as this $215 TN-100 from M-Tech Supply. Similar notchers are available through other manufacturers. Notchers such as this use simple bi-metal hole saws and can cut at angles up to 50 degrees. As an added bonus, there's virtually no limit to tubing wall thickness and you can use this type of notcher to pierce tubing from the middle and not just on the ends. Ours has served through nearly half a dozen cage builds and dozens of other fabrication projects and still cuts as straight and true as the day it arrived.

If you want to zap through steel like butter, you'll be hard pressed to find a better tool with which to do it than the teeny little 18-pound Miller Spectrum 375 X-treme plasma cutter. From its inception it was designed to be user-friendly including the built-in water separator, to its low-slag operation, to its 90-120 psi compressed air input operating range, to its ability to drag the tip directly on the work surface. It'll easily cut 3/8-inch steel, can sever 5/8-inch steel, and will only ding your wallet to the tune of roughly $1,160.

While relatively few enthusiast actually need the power of a Lincoln Power MIG 255 like the one in the photo, one of the best bangs for your buck in the MIG welding world can be found in the 180-amp, 230-volt machines offered by Miller, Hobart, and Lincoln Electric. These moderately sized welders offer loads of versatility and the ability to weld anything from sheetmetal to axle housings. We poked around on the Web for some prices and came up with a Miller Matic 180 for $805, a Hobart Handler 187 for $698, and a Lincoln Power MIG 180C for $785. Any one of these will serve the average enthusiast for a lifetime.

If you get all dizzy and confused reading about all the functions offered in an advanced TIG welder like a Dynasty 200 DX, but still want the ability to easily TIG weld steel or aluminum, check out Miller's latest creation. The Diversion 165 is an inverter-based TIG welder that focuses on ease of use and simplicity of setup. The unit is so new we literally had just enough time to unpack it and shoot this photo before our story was due. Highlights include fan-on-demand, high-frequency starting, AC/DC for use with aluminum, advanced square wave, and a super-simple setup. Basically, flip the toggle to choose between AC or DC and spin the amperage knob to the proper setting based on the thickness of the material. Look for a full story on this little $1,200 TIG package soon.

Of all the cordless drills we've destroyed and of all the cheapie 110-volt drills we've toasted, our trusty Milwaukee Magnum Hole Shooter has served admirably through inconceivable abuse for nearly 10 years. Go for the 1/2-inch chuck model with the 5.5-amp motor. We see them all the time for under $100 in tool stores in our area.