New welder selecting first tools (not just welder)

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Hello All,I am new to welding and have taken about 6 hours of classes. I only plan on being a hobby welder but I specify fabricated projects pretty frequently in my job. That being said, I have the opportunity to spend some money on my first tools but I wouldn't mind some advice on where to start. So far my list of projects include (after some more practice anyway):•Welding table•Steel planters for my house (1/4" weathering steel plate)•Cart of some sort•Various pieces of furniture for the house from square tube mild steel (1/8 or 3/16)•Decorative pieces of sculpture using weathering steel (for now)•Brewing rig (stainless)•Bike rack for truck hitchAs you can see, its a hodge podge of tasks. My initial thoughts are going with an AC/DC stick welder, dry cut saw, and a O/P setup for cutting, 5" paddle angle grinder and associated safety equipment. I got some time on both a stick welder and a MIG and while I can definitely see that MIG is a bit easier to stick stuff together, SMAW seemed a bit more "simple" in a lot of ways. My concern with stick is that I will be doing a lot of fabrication type work on stuff thinner than 1/4 which seems to be more in MIG territory. The ability to eventually try a scratch start TIG was another pro for the stick if I wanted to get into that.Additionally, I'm rethinking the torch in favor of a plasma cutter due to the fact that they seem like they might do better at cutting refined shapes (grill grates, lighting pieces etc.) and that my nearest gas supplier is a 30+ minute drive. The ability to heat though would be missed.Does anyone have any thoughts they could share? My budget can be flexible but I'm trying to keep things decently reasonable. Thanks!
Reply:That is an open ended question so the best advice I can give you is to try to buy the best that you can afford in a particular class of tool.   In the long run you will save a lot more money even if they initial purchase price of the tool is a lot more.  If that means you cannot get all the tools you want so be it eventually you will acquire them over time.  The other suggestion is if you are limited in finance for particular tool it is better to buy a good quality used tool versus a brand-new cheaply built tool within the same price range.
Reply:some of the plasma cutters have built in air compressors and filtration. if not included, an adequate, clean, dry air supply will be needed for a plasma cutter. they are so damn handy to have.get a mig welder with regulator and gas bottle. skip the stick welder. that is for the ranch or structural work where ugly but solid is the norm. MIG with gas will let you see your progress as you get better and can make solid and attractive welds that are not covered in messy flux.get something that has 240v power. lincoln or miller or even hobart. 180a at the minimum. dry cut saw cant be beat for hobbiest. stick with milwaukee or makita or even dewalt. skip all the cheap offbrand crap like harbor freight or evolution. they are junk tools.
Reply:Yes it is open ended. I'm not so concerned with brand as so much which major tools to purchase first. I'm not experienced enough to know what will be most handy how often. Grinder and dry cut saw seem to be a given. Thinking Makita and Bosch for those respectively. More so my concern lies with "I dont mind stick and got ok with it but I know it doesnt make super pretty welds and a lot of my stuff will be light structural" as well as "torches are super handy but if I want to do any decorative grating or lighting work, a plasma might be a better tool" Been looking at the Hobart 235 AC/DC and 180 or 210 (refurbished) if I went MIG. I could probably get away with the Hobart 250ci plasma with built in generator but it probably wont handle 1/4" (although, thats a pretty minor portion of the work I'm describing)Thanks!
Reply:So what is your budget for just a welder?
Reply:To do aluminum and stainless thou want a plasma. Also nice for gouging.   But OA torch is really the only option for heating if you need that.Tiger Sales:  AHP Distributor    www.tigersalesco.comAHP200x; AHP 160ST; MM350P,  Spoolmatic 30A; Everlast PowerTig 185; Thermal Dynamics 60i plasma.  For Sale:  Cobra Mig 250 w/ Push-pull gun.  Lincoln Wirematic 250
Reply:Basically my overall budget around $2,500 would be tolerable. Saw, grinder and misc tools/protective stuff will eat up 650 out of that. The rest would be the budget for a welder and/or other cutting/whatever tools. A new 235 AC/DC is about 500-550. Refurbished 210MVP mig is about $730. I could go higher on the welder but I would probably have to forgo plasma.
Reply:If you are set on a stick welder, buy used. Half or less price, and they seem to last forever. 2500$ isn't a lot when a decent plasma alone is 1500$+.
Reply:The Tweco 211i is $841. With rebate, superb machine, and Northern Tools 375 plasma $665. Is a great hobbiest cutter.Thermal Arc 210 - Tweco 211I - Cutmaster 52
Reply:With your budget here is what I would do.  Get a  great 4.5" grinder and a Ryobi Chop saw (179 at home depot) spend the rest of your money on your welder on whatever process you choose.   You could get a fabricator 252i for 1700.
Reply:For a chop saw I recommend this one: http://www.harborfreight.com/power-t...saw-61481.html I've been really happy with it. If you have the space I found it really handy to bolt it down to a piece of plywood (had to drill holes in the saw's base) and use some scrap lumber as a stop block when making repetitive cuts.My "collection":Homemade Stick WelderVictor O/A TorchAC 225Ideal Arc 250HF 90 Amp Flux CoreHF Mig 170Solar 2020 Plasma CutterPower i-Mig 140EHarris O/A torchHF Dual Mig 131140STAlpha Tig 200x
Reply:RE dry saw vs. abrasive saw - Since I want to do some furniture type stuff (mitered joints, specific length) wouldnt an abrasive saw be questionable as far as getting good fit/accuracy?As far as the Tweco 211i or 252i. Very interesting option as far as giving me multiple methods. Sounds to me like it actually does an ok job at all processes - just not amazing at any of them. MIG is sounding more tempting even though it seemed more clunky in practice. That could just be an experience thing, though.
Reply:Not that it makes a HUGE difference, but for fabrication I prefer a grinder with an on/off "switch", not a trigger. Sometimes you're going to want to hold the grinder in funny angles or make very accurate cuts and it's tough to do if you are forced to hold the grinder in a certain spot to hold the trigger down. I have a bosch that I particularly like because it is variable speed and can accept dust collection attachments, but was about $130-150 from what I remember, almost double what a lot of the cheaper name brand grinders go for. Like someone else already mentioned, I would stay away from Harbor Frieght for powertools. You can get a brand new dewalt 4.5" angle grinder for about $60. Regarding the drop saw, I'm not a big fan with using them for any miter cuts that need to be very accurate. Especially if you have a cheap one. No matter how easy you go, the blade likes to walk, and your carefully measured and laid out cut now has a bit of a skew. I like to use horizontal bandsaws for those. But regardless of the cut, most of the time you should give the edge a little prep after the cut anyway.
Reply:I'm all for used, just make sure to try it out before you buy.  You can do a whole lot of work with a 4.5" grinder, 180a MIG and a OA torch.  Those three would be first on my list, and I don't think you'll have problems staying under your budget even if you buy all new.  Good luck.  My best advice is to buy one tool at a time, decide what you want/need it to do, and buy it.  You don't have to buy the cheapest or most expensive, just buy what you need and you think it'll last.  If you outgrow it, you'll be able to sell it for a fair price.
Reply:Shop smart and maximize your dollars. For example, yesterday I had an email for 25% off orders of $300+ from Zoro Tools. That's a fair sum off of a nice Millermatic. DeWalt 28402 grinders are decent for the money. I recommend getting 3 of them - wire wheel, grinding wheel and a blending disc. You'll wear yourself out changing between those three on one grinder. Skip the plasma for now. An abrasive saw and good used o/a torch will cut the world in capable hands. I also say go for the mig with a bottle of C25.  On the furniture builds I bet you'll end up liking 14 ga tubing vs 11 ga or 3/16. 14 ga is stout and a heckuva alot easier to play with. A good mig with .025/.030 wire will be the cats meow.
Reply:Thanks all for the input! I have pretty much been convinced that I should look into MIG as the right starting point. Found a sale on a new Hobart 210MVP that could be a good option. $830 including shipping. With a miller torch (Toughcut), the same Makita dry saw, buying the Oxy and shield tanks, grinder or two and safety gear I'm close to my budget. I'll probably need to figure out what steel is going to run me too I guess  I think this will give me plenty to learn where I want to go with things in the future.
Reply:I saw you listed a "welding table."   Build your own.  It's fun, great practice and easy once you get started.  Draw one out on paper, measure, buy four leg casters, steel and you're set.A Liberal is someone who lives in a gated community with private security,  but says that a boarder fence won't work and people don't need guns for self protection.
Reply:Update: Thank you everyone for the feedback. I decided to squeeze out a bit more cash as well as shop local. I now have a new Millermatic 211 MIG, Series 30 torch, Oxy and C25 tanks, helmet and a few other things. I took advantage of the rebates for Miller. I'm waiting to see if there are any deals for Black Friday before buying the rest but I'm very excited to have my setup mostly nailed down! First step will be a welding cart.Last edited by kellanv; 11-15-2015 at 12:32 AM.