What else do I need with my welder?

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I am about ready to buy my Lincoln 175HD from the Home Depot.  It comes with some wire, a mask and the basic stuff I need.  I have a 20% off coupon to use for a one time purchase at the Home Depot.  So, I'd like to get everything I will need all at once so I can use it on my 20% off coupon!  I know pretty much zilch about welding.  My plan is to buy the welder and figure it out from there.  Do I NEED some kind of table to weld on?  Does it have to be metal?  Can you use wood as a jig for certain things?  I'll be sure to get some welding gloves.  What else should I buy that's available at the Home Depot?  What exactly do you build a welding table out of?  Thanks!  MattMatt in OKCLincoln 175HD
Reply:See the post by Ed W a few days back in this section (Gen Wld Quest) regarding what tools do you need.  There are some good ideas there and he is in a similar situation just getting started.Hobart 140 Handler w/ gasHyperTherm Powermax 380 Plasmaoxy/acetylene
Reply:Originally Posted by KC10ChiefWhat else should I buy that's available at the Home Depot?
Reply:You need a helmet and gloves.  The supplied mask (hand shield) in most of the Lincoln 'kits' means you have to hold the mask with one hand and then do everything else with the other hand.  I like to try and guide the torch with two hands whenever possible, my welds are much better that way.Want fancy?  Get an auto-darkening helmet.  Don't want to spend quite that much, then get a standard helmet.Before going wild with the buying, check the fine print on the coupon and make sure it isn't a 20% off on just one item.You need a helmet, gloves, wire, safety glasses, and the welder to weld.  Some 'nice' things to have that make your life easier are:- some wire brushes to help clean the metal before you weld it,- a hand-held angle grinder, a 4 1/2 inch one is just fine and pretty standard,- brushes, cup wheels, cut-off wheels, flap disks, grinding wheels, etc for the grinder,- extra contact tips for the torch, in various sizes,- an extra nozzle or two or three in both MIG and flux-core varieties for the Lincoln (saves when you botch a nozzle and the stores are closed or you don't want the interruption of having to run to the store)- clamps to hold things while you weld them together, C-clamps are standard or some Vise-Grips with the 'pincer' jaws or some all-metal bar clamps for bigger things,- a tool box to store all the little gadgets and parts,- extra wire in different sizes and types for different jobs,- a square and a level and a soapstone marker,- a way to cut the metal you use, can be a hack-saw or a band saw or cut-off wheels in the grinder or a metal-cutting circular saw blade (and maybe the circular saw to go with it) or a chop saw,- extra blades for your metal-cutting tool(s),- electrical supplies if you have to put in an outlet for the welder,- a heavy-duty extension cord with the appropriate ends to connect the welder to the outlet,- some metal to actually weld (HomeDepot has some basic plain steel, but it is a LOT more expensive to buy it there than from a steel or scrap yard),- a reference book on welding, something with pictures and words and projects as well is nice to have,- a fire extinguisher,-etcDo you -need- a welding table?  Nope, you can weld on the ground.  But a welding table can make your life easier.  You -can- use wood to jig and fixture things sometimes, but remember that wood burns a lot easier than steel and welding steel makes the steel HOT!Simple welding table is just a plate of metal on some sort of stand.  Don't weld metal on a wooden table, unless you like scorch marks and burned sections on the table or really want to use the fire extinguisher right away.
Reply:Dont forget a vice.  And Id make the fire extinguisher the highest priority, then a grinder, then your helmet gloves and glasses, then your clamps then your book.  Get some nozzle dip.  Make your extension cord, Go 6 gauge SO cable 3 wire (flexible) and buy your ends seperate.  Its cheaper and you can use it on a heavier welder if you ever get one (a local electrical supplier is better than home depot for this kinda stuff).  Id stick with the electrode wire that came with the welder first until you use up the spool, get some extra contact tips and maybe a nozzle (I havent torched one yet).  Then go out and get all the other nick nacks.  I recommend a portable band saw to start (I luv mine).  If I needed to, Id clamp it in a vice and use it like a vertical (it was a little akward, had to hold the button in but it worked).  I used a workmate with a 3/8 inch plate on top to weld on, it worked really well (Ive since made a 'welding' table).Cant wait to see some welds!  Good luckVarious GrindersVictor Journeyman torch200cf Acet. 250cf oxygenLincoln 175 plus/alpha2 gunLincoln v205t tigLincoln 350mpEsab 650 plasmaWhen you can get up in the morning, Its a good day.Live each day like its your last.
Reply:Originally Posted by DoolittleDont forget a vice.
Reply:One thing to skip at Home Depot, Lowes or the hardware store is steel.  They charge 2 or or 4 times the price of the steel yards.  You need to check several suppliers as even there the prices can vary quite a bit.  Scrapyards are the best place to shop for some " practice " steel.DennisThermal Arc 185-TSWMillermatic Challenger 172VictorO/AAtlas Craftsman 12 by 24 LatheEsab PCM-875Wholesalem Tool Mill-Drill
Reply:I just went through the whole deal myself.  Learned a few things...Gloves are insanely cheap. ($10 if that)Good helmets can be had on the cheap if you get a normal hood.Earplugs go a looong way.6010 and 7018 rods are good friends.Dont wear ANY synthetic fibres.  I repeat, none.A reference book is a godsend.A fire extinguisher is a godsend.A good welder is a blessing, and Ive been blessed!If $ is tight, you might want to just get onto stick welding (SMAW) for now and plan to work up to MIG/TIG.  A cheap way to get started.  Plenty to learn about!  I second the metal yards.  Ask for the scrap pile, and be ready to spend hours browsing!  Try to get a couple bits of 1' sq steel 3/16" or 1/4".
Reply:A lightweight welding jacket is a nice addition; you won't be needing full leathers but just flame retardant, available in welding supply stores but probably not home depot, sorry. If the helmet they supply with the welder is the type with a short handle it isn't sufficient as moonrise said, that's for your wife to watch over your shoulder with. Get a cheap flip down. Other than that you have an expansive shopping list here, 'nough said. Good luck!If you don't have the time to do it right, then you definitely don't have the time to do it over.
Reply:Leathers are nice, but a Carhart jacket (key: non-synthetic fibres) would do you just fine.Just spent the money on a Optrel Satellite, and MAN what a marvelous product!  Made HUGE gains in my welding today.ThermalArc 185MillerMatic 180 w/ AutosetVictor Cutskill Oxy/AcetyleneThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 38and spite!
Reply:I don't know if it's in your budget... but I would find it pretty hard to get along without my Oxy/Acetylene rig.  I mostly use it for cutting and heating/bending, with the occasional brazing or gas welding job.  I have a plasma cutter too... but given a choice between one or the other, I would definitely choose the O/A setup both for economics and versatility.    Personally, the O/A setup would be the first piece of welding equipment I would buy.  Like I said, it's just a versatile piece of equipment.  You can cut, weld, braze, and heat with it.Anyway, just remember... no matter how many tools/toys you end up with there will always be plenty more that would be nice to have.   Have fun and let us know what all you end up with.  It's gonna be like Christmas!Work HARDER, not smarter! ------------------------ Miller Bobcat 250Millermatic 251Lincoln Precision TIG 185Hypertherm PM 600Hobart 135 HandlerOxweld 400 FlameMaster