Welding Tips and Tricks

What brands of welders do you guys have in your shop?

I have

Miller
Hobart
AHP
Everlast
Klutch

Miller, hypertherm and Airco at school and Lincoln on the farm. I've realized somethings in these endeavors though. I like Lincolnshire lower end tigs but not their larger machines and vice versa with Miller. I like millers small mig machines but not their large machines and vice versa with Lincoln.

We have :
3) Miller SW250, Dynasty 700, Regency 250, 2)Bobcat 250
3) Lincoln PowerMig 255, 350
AccuShear
AccuPress
Pirhana
Bailiegh cold saw, tube coper, hand miter shear
Hypertherm plasma cutter
DeWalt and Hilti grinders
Walter line finishing tool
Horizontal band saw (large, don't know brand)
Drill press (digital variable speed with tapping setting)
20" vertical disc grinder
various die grinders, hand drills, cutoff tools, etc.

Miller, Lincoln, AHP, and Tweco

A Lincoln mig and a PRC stick/tig.

Airco
Miller
Lincoln
Thermal Arc
Thermal Dynamics
Century

Thermalarc 185 tig (& stick) (2 of these, , )
Lincoln 180 dual mig
Hypertherm 45 plasma cutter
2 mixed sets o/a welding gear - Victor Rego Uniweld +
Craftsman angle grinders (all ooold, 30 + yrs) Craftsman drill press, sanders etc
Milwaukee portaband (2), Sawzall & ½" drill motor
oold Ryobi 14" chop saw
About 50 diff brands of sockets, ext's, ratchets, wrenches etc
2 old cars, 1950 MB 170d & 1964 Porsche Cabriolet (<- factory hardtop, baby!)

What I do NOT have is very much room left, , , , , ,

-c-

Miller Legend AEAD 200le
Miller HF250D-1 w/ RCF-23 pedal
Tec 429 tig torch
Millermatic 130
chicago 90 wire feed
propane forge, I have done damascus forge welding in
85 lb power hammer, 60 ton forging press
2 sets oxy acet bottles and torches

Home. Thermal arc 186. Lincoln 210MP. China 50 amp plasma

Work truck
Miller & Miller

All Lincoln. Eat that! Haha!
Just kidding. I've only got two machines and one of them is a Lincoln 225 tombstone that everyone probably has one of. The other is a 210 MP. Love it!

HTP 221
miller 250 syncrowave
miller 140mig

A current observation. We aren't so attached to brands as most make it out to be. Everyone makes it seem like we can only buy one brand. It seems like most of us mix brands or have one of everything and like each and it depends more on process for preference. That's kind of neat to me that we don't buy only one brand.

Most of the places I e worked used either Lincoln or Miller but the place I'm at now uses Esab. I've not found too many major problems with any of them. Some of the machines were old models too and worked fine.

I have Miller/ Everlast/ Longevity/ Hypertherm machines.

Lincoln 180 using flux core only. --Hypertherm 30 Air --- Wen 5/8 variable speed drill press ---20 ton air operated press---2 ton cherry picker/engine hoist --Evolution 380 14in dry cut saw --Homebuilt air compressor ( 35 years ago ) and a pile of grinders -drills-air tools -wrenches -vise -clamps -anvil etc. etc. Then homebuilt stuff --layout and welding and cutting tables- set of 4 work stands adjustable from 30in to 4ft with various inserts --twin screw adjustable movable roller stock supports for cutting table and drill press --cart for welder and plasma --shop air cleaner etc, etc, No wonder my wife wonders why it took a few years to set up my shop so I like it. Other than paying for it buying the basic power tool part is fairly easy and quick --it's designing and building the support infrastructure so you can actually use the tools efficiently that takes the time. Best job I ever had!!

Farmwelding wrote:A current observation. We aren't so attached to brands as most make it out to be. Everyone makes it seem like we can only buy one brand. It seems like most of us mix brands or have one of everything and like each and it depends more on process for preference. That's kind of neat to me that we don't buy only one brand.

i can agree with you there

Farmwelding wrote:A current observation. We aren't so attached to brands as most make it out to be. Everyone makes it seem like we can only buy one brand. It seems like most of us mix brands or have one of everything and like each and it depends more on process for preference. That's kind of neat to me that we don't buy only one brand.

Ha! Nice pun.

I've never really been campy about what was better, mainly because I noticed that when you go somewhere to work, there really isn't a choice. You simply use what is there at that work position.

HTP and Miller.

Lincoln Idealarc 250
Forney C5 arc welder
Forney victor torch
The start of another victor torch rig.
Dewalt abrasive saw
A few cheap grinders

I currently have a Miller Dialarc 250 HF tig/stick welder, a Miller 211 mig, a Lincoln Weld-Pak HD flux core wire machine, and a Chicago Electric 40 amp plasma cutter...

I also have 3 oxyfuel torch rigs, 2 are Victors, the other is a Smith, I think, (I acquired it as part of a bulk lot of welding equipment almost 2 years ago and haven't even unpacked it to check it out)...

-Bear

Lincoln Squarewave 175
Lincoln Ranger 250 GXT
Lincoln SP 125
Lincoln Idealarc250
Miller XMT304
Miller Suitcase X-Treme 12VS
Millermatic 200
Hypertherm 85
Torchmate 4x4
Cincinnati Mill
Atlas 12 inch lathe
Atlas small horizontal mill
Shop built guillotine bender
" " Plate roller
20 ton press
And a friendly little mouse who keeps me company when I am here late at night

Parker Metalworking TIG/Stick
Miller plasma
Victor O/A
Harris O/A
Milwaukee portaband
Bosch and Dewalt right angle grinders (2-3 of 'em, keep a wire cup on one, cutting, flap disk, etc. on the two Dewalts)

Whatever brand of tools I end up finding deals when there is a need, and no glaring faults warning me away from.
Had a Lincoln SP135+ MIG until an acquaintance had great need for MIG, and I hadn't been using MIG in a while.

DrDogwood wrote:Lincoln Squarewave 175
Lincoln Ranger 250 GXT
Lincoln SP 125
Lincoln Idealarc250
Miller XMT304
Miller Suitcase X-Treme 12VS
Millermatic 200
Hypertherm 85
Torchmate 4x4
Cincinnati Mill
Atlas 12 inch lathe
Atlas small horizontal mill
Shop built guillotine bender
" " Plate roller
20 ton press
And a friendly little mouse who keeps me company when I am here late at night

Atlas small horizontal mill!
Now your making me drool! I've been loking for one for a while, I have the lathe and shaper.

Tom Osselton wrote:

DrDogwood wrote:Lincoln Squarewave 175
Lincoln Ranger 250 GXT
Lincoln SP 125
Lincoln Idealarc250
Miller XMT304
Miller Suitcase X-Treme 12VS
Millermatic 200
Hypertherm 85
Torchmate 4x4
Cincinnati Mill
Atlas 12 inch lathe
Atlas small horizontal mill
Shop built guillotine bender
" " Plate roller
20 ton press
And a friendly little mouse who keeps me company when I am here late at night

Atlas small horizontal mill!
Now your making me drool! I've been loking for one for a while, I have the lathe and shaper.

The little mill sets mostly idle since got the Cincinnati But it still gets used for the odd little job
I forgot the Makita carbide cold saw and horizontal band saw
I was building a lot of small Backhoe buckets for A while so I built the plate roller it will bend 37" of 3/16 plate around a 12" die

My shop is mostly a woodworking shop, with one part near the garage port for metalworking, usually I have it so I can roll out my metalworking stuff on the concrete infront. I got a single welder, a 23 year old Kemppi Minarc TIG 300A, DC only stick and tig combo that I retrofitted with a CK torch and homemade pedal. Before that I had a cheaper older kemppi stick welder.

I buy and use almost exclusively old quality machines, usually requiring some renovation. My oldest machine is my woodworking bandsaw which is anywhere from 60-70 years old. Future purchases would be a better drill press, preferrably something like a swedish Arboga or Strands, an older cast iron jointer/planer combo is also in the cards. But I got a small aluminum one that I am making do with.

I would someday like to expand into the smaller room in my garage, once I have built a whole new storage to put the stuff I currently store there into. Then I'd like to put a metal working lathe there perhaps. Maybe a swedish blomqvist (a metric southbend clone)