Metal Fab Info

[J*E*E*P]

I have been thinking (for a while now) about starting to do/learn metal fab. I plan on starting small (back yard) and maybe take it a little bigger come (semi) retirement time. I'm interested in building the usual jeep stuff - bumpers, tire carriers, rock rails, skids. Nothing fancy but functional. May expand if all goes well come retirement.
I do plan on taking courses via NSCC but I am looking for any info ie. books, links, etc that would help me learn about equipment, welding, cutting, metals, metal tube types, tube bending. I have found some good links here but searching the net gets frustrating. All info greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[HardKorTJ]

i learn't a lot by just doing, i bought a stick welder and started from there. its all experience.there is a lot of good books out there on "how to" like welding, bending, and cutting.... i think i seen a few at Canadian tire. but you can take some welding courses at nights and on weekends.

[J*E*E*P]

Thanks. Your right it will all come down to practice but I was thinking...
First learn the theory behind metal, tubes, welding. ($)
Second take a course. ($$)
Third buy a welder - stick or MIG, etc... ($$$)

I will check out CT and Chapters over the holidays.

[Creepy]

don't buy a stick welder, get a good gas mig. you can get going with a mig, angle grinder and a chopsaw. i prefer bandsaw and plasma, but you don't need it. you need safety gear. hearing protection, full face mask, gloves, welding helmet.

BusyBee has how to books as well. your not looking in the right spots on the net. it is littered with ideas.

www.pirate4x4.com buy a redstar for $20, you can search anything.

you need TALENT. you get better with EXPERIENCE.

i went to school for 3 years in mechanical engineering technology.
learned about materials selection, strength of materials, mechanical design, hydraulics, welding, machining, CAD/CAM, etc, etc.

start taking courses! i've been fooling with this stuff for 10 years, on top of machining jet engine parts for a living, to get to the point where i'm bending tube and have a decent rep for making stuff that won't bust. i work with metal everyday.

your thinking retirement.....it is a ballbusting, hard labour, dirty, noisy, expensive pastime. you don't make much on return for your labor, and steel is more expensive everyday. by the looks of your attached garage, the wife will put up with it about 1/2 your first project. you need a spot to work!!

and it's rewarding as hell rolling a project out the shop the first time.

all that said, get a gas mig and an angle grinder and get to work.

[davidson]

Whatever you decide tim i would like the cliff notes because i am interested in learning the same thing.

[Creepy]

see the thing about this is you have to do it yourself.

no one is going to hold your hand.

everyone finds it intertesting, and looks fun, and thinks they can make money off it.

do one set of rockrails on a XJ and see if you think the labour and equipment outlay was worth the $300 you can charge b4 someone thinks it's too much.



it's like that "$1000 for an intsalled lift!!??" post from last week.

[J*E*E*P]

Thanks Jan - I think. ;D mechanical engineering technology
was that at NSIT? I took electrical engineering technology their.
Couple things going for me - I am a hands on type and have done quality work in other things, been interested in metal working for some time now and have done some minor metal work - loved it. This will be for personal enjoyment - thoughts of making any $ at it is just me getting ahead of myself.
Things against me - your right, the garage but I do have other options their plus good chance we will be moving again before retirement time.

Thanks again - see where I go with it.
PS Pirate4x4 been acting up lately?

[gonejeepn]

Tim with some luck there will be a shop sitting in my yard in 5 years times. until then we'll have to make do. take the courses, get the skills, and we'll make jeep parts ;D i plan on have'n the mig and chop saw come spring(already have the grinder).

[Creepy]

the course i took was at UCCB, now CBU. it was a co-op program, 3years.
different from the nsit courses.

but anyway, good luck with the fabbin dreams! it's an attainable goal for sure.

[Dr. Burkeee]

I was disapointed with the courses they offer at the nscc. Theres a stick only class in metro and a stick and mig couse in pictou. When I was on work term in ontario a few years ago I took night classes at their community college in machining and welding. The welding class was stick, o/a, mig and tig. I'd take the same class over again just to have the chance to sit and burn metal for one night a week and practice with the different processes some more.
As far as welding goes, it takes one sesson to be told how to do it right, it takes another for the 'rules' to sink in, and then its just practice till you dont suck. Which will take awhile.

[Creepy]

yeah, not sucking is a whole different world than being a good technical welder. ;D

it is a highly skilled vocation.

it takes little effort to learn mig, you just need lots of practice.

the execution of a nicely fab'ed unit for your Jeep has a lot more to do with design than pretty welds. you can get away with a lot on a trail rig you never could in industry.

a lot of people think something is well built just cause it exists. it is there b4 their eyes and is heavy. must be good.

design takes precidence over welding. a birdshit looking weld is still strong enough with a decent design on a bumper, within reason.

weld fitment and material choice, along with design considerations for mounting and towtabs are more critical than having your welds look pro.

a lot of "fab work" is done in your head b4 the tools come out.
its the design that fouls up most. you can be a kick-ass welder, but be poor in design.

like a racecar driver isn't neccessarily a good mechanic.

[Hawkes]

a birdsh*t looking weld is still strong enough

I'm almost at birdshit level with a stick. Got my dog doo certificate already. I'll be quotin' ya chopshop. ;D

[HardKorTJ]

i dont do much light welding that why i started with a stick, i still use the stick for anything 3/16th and thicker, but dont get me wrong, i like my mig, but i can weld with the stick alot better cuse i do it most of the time.fitment is key to a good weld, but haveing the surfaces preped is important also and you will read that if ya start by looking at a few books. welding is one of them learn by doing things (for me anyway)

[Creepy]

"design takes precidence over welding. a birdsh*t looking weld is still strong enough with a decent design on a bumper, within reason."

let's get that quote straight!!!

[2XS]

one thing, there is no shortcuts to becomming a good fabricator. it takes lots of practice, mistakes, and planning to end up with a good end product. as jan said, alot of the time, your labor will be for free because of the cost of all the other materials,but the satisfaction of knowing that you built it, is great.