Tools You Can Build at Home

The art of car crafting can be traced all the way back to those earlyenthusiasts who weren't afraid to dive right in and build what theycouldn't buy. Today, there seems to be a kit for just about any projectyou can contemplate, but there's still a place for those hardy soulswilling to build stuff cheaper themselves.

Fabricating usually entails fusing metal. In the old days, that meantusing an AC stick welder. The problem with stick welders is that they'realmost impossible to use for joining thin sheetmetal. About 20 yearsago, the welding companies hit upon the idea of building affordable MIGwelders that run on common 120-volt house current for thedo-it-yourselfer.

The term "MIG" is an acronym for "metal inert gas" welding whereelectrical current is fed down a thin, flexible wire instead of a large-diameter stick. All quality welding requires a process that will purgeambient air from around the weld puddle to create an environmentconducive to good penetration and prevent inclusions, which are holes orvoids in the weld. Stick welders use a flux material that melts,creating a protective covering over the molten puddle of metal until itcools. Once cooled, the flux can then be chipped away to reveal the weldfor inspection.

MIG welding replaces the flux material with an inert gas (either carbondioxide or a mixture of argon and carbon dioxide) that is introducedaround the weld puddle during the welding process. MIG welders use aflexible sleeve to direct the metal wire onto the welding surface. Thegas is transported between the inner and outer sleeves and introducedaround the work surface. This means that a typical MIG welder must alsohave a separate high-pressure gas bottle and regulator. Budget versionsof basic MIG welders use a flux-core wire that eliminates the need forthe high-pressure tank, but these require cleaning the flux from theweld once the weld cools much like a stick welder.

The unit we chose to do our homespun welding is this Craftsman 120-voltMIG welder. The welder comes with it's own portable cart and is ready touse as a no-gas welder using a flux-core wire.
The unit we chose to do our homespun welding is this Craftsman 120-voltMIG welder. The wel

The key to any home-welding project is to create sufficient weldpenetration to ensure that the two pieces being fused are permanentlyjoined. A good weld will result in significant heat penetration intoboth pieces of metal. This heat creates a bond that is strong enoughthat the welded portion is as strong, if not stronger, than the parentmetal.

The best way to learn basic welding technique is to sign up for an adultextension class at your local school if one is offered. At the veryleast, we'd recommend significant practice before attempting to buildany tool or component that could be dangerous if the weld failed. Sooutsource those major chassis modifications until you become proficientwith your welder. But that said, don't shy away from replacing thoserusted trunk floorpans just because the job looks too difficult. That isone of the first tasks we took on with our first home MIG welder, and intwo weekends of methodical work, we had a completed job that was veryrewarding.

We recently had a chance to experiment with a new Craftsman home shop120-volt MIG welder. The welder offers enough power to weld up to3/16-inch plate and even thicker metals with multiple passes. Ratherthan just play around with it, we decided to dive into a couple ofspecialty tool projects for our shop that we could actually use. Wecranked out an engine perch for a small-block Chevy out of one 10-footlength of 1-inch square tubing. We also duplicated a simple engine liftplate out of 1/4-inch-thick square plate. Finally, we made a locking barfor our next 12-bolt rearend buildup using another 5-foot length of1-inch square tubing along with a small chunk of steel plate that'sdrilled for the pinion flange.

MIG welding can be a lot of fun, and it won't take you long to come upwith all kinds of ideas for projects, tools, and widgets you can create.Craftsman tells us that you can even convert this welder to MIG-weldaluminum with proper changes to polarity and a different shielding gas.We haven't tried that yet, but this just adds to this little welder'sversatility.

Parts List
Component	Source	PN	Price
MIGwelder	Craftsman	0920569	$299.99
Shielding gas kit	Craftsman	0920171	79.99
Helmet, autodark	Craftsman	0920743	99.99
Twin Cutter	Craftsman	0926829	179.99

To make this unit work as a complete gas MIG welder, which is the bestway to go, we added a shielding gas kit and a bottle containing amixture of carbon dioxide and argon that we bought from our local Airgaswelding supply house.
To make this unit work as a complete gas MIG welder, which is the bestway to go, we added
One of the slickest ideas that has come through the welding industry isthe auto-darkening helmet. These helmets allow you to see your work withthe helmet down, but the glass instantly darkens when the arc strikes.At first they were very expensive, but now you can get one of thesehelmets from Craftsman for $100.
One of the slickest ideas that has come through the welding industry isthe auto-darkening

The key to making any welding job easier is to properly configure thewelder for each task. There are two controls on the front; one is thevoltage setting and the other is the wire-speed control. Higher voltagesand a faster wire speed are for thicker metals.
The key to making any welding job easier is to properly configure thewelder for each task.
We also bought one of these new Craftsman Twin Cutters. This baby blaststhrough steel like it was wood. We used it for trimming 1/4-inch plate,and with its counter-rotating carbide-tipped blades, it performed thecut in a matter of seconds! The Twin Cutter slices through steel,aluminum, plastic, copper, wood, and just about anything else you canthink to cut, and it creates a smooth finish when the cut is completed.It shoots some serious hot sparks, but this cutter is amazingly fast.
We also bought one of these new Craftsman Twin Cutters. This baby blaststhrough steel like
For our first welding job, we chose something simple. To set up a GM 10-or 12-bolt rearend, we needed something to hold the pinion flange whiletightening the pinion nut. So we drilled holes in this flat 1/8-inchplate to match the four small holes in the pinion flange and a largehole in the center for the pinion-nut socket. Then we welded this plateto a 5-foot length of 1-inch square tubing. Now we have a solid lever tohold the pinion when torquing the pinion nut.
For our first welding job, we chose something simple. To set up a GM 10-or 12-bolt rearend

For our engine perch, we started with a 10-foot length of 1-inch squaretubing and cut four lengths to create the base that measures 16x24inches as shown. We squared the corners by duplicating the diagonaldistances inside the rectangle and tacked it together.
For our engine perch, we started with a 10-foot length of 1-inch squaretubing and cut four
The rear horizontal legs are 103/4 inches long and bolt to the bottombellhousing bolts. Next, we cut the two front legs with the upperportion at 45-degree angles and welded short lengths of 3/16-inch plateto them with 3/8-inch holes for the bolts.
The rear horizontal legs are 103/4 inches long and bolt to the bottombellhousing bolts. Ne
After tacking the whole stand together and rechecking that it all boltsup, we welded one edge at a time, moving around the perch to preventheat buildup that could cause it to warp. When we were all done, we shotsome black paint to prevent rust and it was ready to use. This perchwill bolt up to big-block Chevys as well.
After tacking the whole stand together and rechecking that it all boltsup, we welded one e

Our pal Tim Moore built this perch with wheels for his small-block Fordalso using 1-inch square tubing and surplus casters.
Our pal Tim Moore built this perch with wheels for his small-block Fordalso using 1-inch s
Here's the schematic for the Chevy engine perch design. The specs shouldbe self explanatory. Note that the front and rear cross bars for thebase are placed on the ends of the 22-inch long base legs. This perchwill mount either a small-block or big-block Chevy. If you have anengine with a deep-sump pan, you might consider increasing the height ofthe four legs to create more room.
Here's the schematic for the Chevy engine perch design. The specs shouldbe self explanator
The disadvantage to these large rectangular perches is that they take upspace when not in use. Moto-Feet makes these slick individual legs forboth small-block Chevys and Fords that are very space efficient. We gotours from Jim Grubbs Motorsports in Valencia, California.
The disadvantage to these large rectangular perches is that they take upspace when not in