Sad, found welders, cant afford :(

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My wife and I are saving real hard to buy a house at the moment, so that doesn't leave much moneys for toys / tools I really need to get off ebay, and stay away from it. I just found 2 AC /DC tig welders at pretty reasonable, if not cheap, pricesCig transtig: its still got 3 days to go, so who knows how much it will go for.Lincoln Idealarc 250/250:Looks like a great welder for $550.Oh, and I don't have 3 phase When we do have a house, I'm going to begin formulating a way to get some serious power to my shed (which I may need to build first also). 3 phase gear always seems to go cheaper, i guess because most people don't have it at home.
Reply:House is far more important than toys because (paid for) house = freedom to do with it as you wish (if you are in a rural location).Any tools which don't make money can wait. My strategy was "buy less-expensive house, buy tools to renovate house, renovate at reasonable pace without paying attention to fashion or dumbfook TV shows, and pay off mortgage as fast as possible". It works. Do it. You can buy toys after you are out of debt. The payoff is Very Nice.
Reply:Amen! If owning a home is something you and your wife want, stay focused. There will always be welders.  There's only one of your wife, and the home you make for yourselves is far more important.Think of your home as the base.  It will be your "slate" to do with as you and your wife wish, and once you have the space, you can add tools that fit and make sense for what you have and want to do.Good luck!
Reply:You guys are right, owning our own home will be awesome. It will be great to be free of the burden of renting. Of course that burden gets replaced by the burden of a mortgage, but at least the house will be ours to do as we will.I'm sure there will be other opportunities like these in the future, and then, I'll hopefully have somewhere I can plonk that big welder, lathe, mill... and all the other toys I dream of owning, and not have to worries about moving it all again in another year or 2
Reply:Meantime, STUDY home inspection and renovation and electrical codes and plumbing and learn everything you can about purchasing homes LONG before there is money on the line.Knowledge is power and will save you money and keep you from getting skrewed.You will be Very Happy you did..
Reply:Good idea Farmall. I'm reading what i canIts amazing how much goes into buying a home.At the moment, trying to skimp and save money as fast as possible. Trying to get some weekend work at my old job too, but that's not looking so good at the moment.
Reply:Hey Stiffman, I'm down in Melbourne, time to buy a house as the market is depressed and houses aren't selling too well, but keep your expectations on the modest side for a starter and you'll have enough for the "goodies" too......just as the guys say.....concentrate on getting the bricks and mortar......the rest will follow.All those welder bargains on Ebay now will also get back on Ebay in a couple of years time.I don't have 3 phase either, but I invested in one of those phase converters with enough current to run a 3 HP motor, costs about $2,000, and haven't had a problem with power needs.Now I'm replacing all my single phase motors with 3 phase as they're so easy to control with a VFD, and a small VFD bought on Ebay cost me $150 for a 3/4 HP capacity model. Ian.Last edited by puddytat; 06-04-2012 at 04:28 AM.
Reply:yea, we are aiming to buy a house that we can afford to pay off and live in on one wage, but its going to be difficult.That way, my wife can stay home at least for a while when we have kids and all.Its hard in this day and age though.I guess for now, while interest rates are pretty low, that will be an advantage too, but they don't last forever.As for power, toys and sheds, I'll have to dream until we have a house, and a shed. 3 phase would be awesome. phase converters like you mentioned are always an option for motors and such. save save save is the name of the game now. As I mentioned before, I'm trying to get a bit of weekend work, thinking of expanding my options and take any kind of weekend job. If only I could get paid to weld. that would be a blast.... lol I'm going to try to convince my wife I need a bottle of argon for my birthday. That will keep me happy and occupied for a while, since I've gathered all the other pieces to do some basic DC tig welding with my inverter!
Reply:Originally Posted by stiffmanyea, we are aiming to buy a house that we can afford to pay off and live in on one wage, but its going to be difficult.That way, my wife can stay home at least for a while when we have kids and all.Its hard in this day and age though.