ZooJunkie said:
The cost of a MIG welder will be about $350, and a tube bender will be about $200-600 depending on which bender you get.
Those prices are on the optimistic side if you ask me (which you didn't, but I'll share anyway :sombrero: ).
To do much work, this is (imo) the basics.
Welder--200+ amps, $1500 (assuming MIG) + gas and tank
Welding hood--free - $250, depending on what you get--auto-darkening is super-cool to have.
Bender--$300
Stand and handle for bender--$50 for materials to build your own
Die sets--$250 each size (how many sizes do *you* want/need?)
Tube notcher--$200
Hole saw for notcher--$7 each size
4.5" grinder--$125
Abrasives for grinder--$30 +/-
Hand drill--$50
Drill bits (not chinese)--$25 - $150, depending on what you get
Files (various)--$50
Assorted clamps--$25 - $50
Decent protractor--$20
band-saw--$125+
--OR--
Chop saw--$125+
--OR--
Cold saw--$1200+ blade
(you could get by without these, but any one of them will make life much nicer)
The items below are optional stuff...but really do come in handy.
*Torch set--$300 + gas
*Plazma cutter--$1200+
And of course then there is all the sheet metal stuff....
Yes, it can be done cheaper...but with tools, it is cheaper to do it right the first time than it is to do it wrong the first time and then right the second time. I learned my lesson with a cheap welder. It worked OK for a year or two...but I was really limited in what I could accomplish with it. In the end, I bought a much nicer machine, and sold my "cheap" welder for about 1/2 of what I paid for it.
Some things you can find ways around (borrow tools, pay someone to bend tube then take it home and weld it up, avoid bends completely and use angled joints, etc), but my main point is that fabrication will nickel and dime you to death. I have so much money tied up in fabrication stuff in the garage that gets used so rarely, it will probably never pay for itself. Seriously, I probably have between 5 and 6 grand worth of fabrication tools in my garage. All told, they have built a couple of bumpers, a few skid plates, a roll cage, various mounting brackets, etc. (ok, some of the tools I used to use at work too....). But I consider what I have to be the "basics". For my vehicles, I have built probably $1500 worth of "stuff" with that $5000 worth of tools.
So, finally, here is my advice on the subject. If you are building your own bumper to save money and nothing else....forget it (unless you have the tools already, or know someone who will lend you the tools). It will cost you more for the tools than it will to pay someone else to do the work. If you enjoy burning metal and making sparks...well then view it like any other hobby. Your enjoyment and satisfaction may be worth the cost of the tools. It was for me.
) It's just something to consider.
