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Rounding out my tools list is a slightly less cheap Ryobi 4.5″ angle grinder from the local Big Orange High Performance Superstore (Home Depot), a metal square, long-reach wood working clamps, 90/45 degree magnets, a bench vise, and a C-clamp. I prefer the Ryobi angle grinder as the ‘Freight models seem to make your hands go numb from excessive vibration harshness. The assorted clamps and magnets needed to complete the job are also nice. Vice grips may also suffice for many jobs, but their clamping range is limited. The vice will be useful for holding hot metal things, and the square is nice since I don't want to make a random polygon.
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Probably the most-used tool in my repertoire, the 4.5″ angle grinder is a cutting and finishing machine. If you've never used a flap disc like the one finished here to grind metal, get one. The experience is near rapture compared to the regular solid grinding wheels.
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The bench vise is also a well-used tool (as evidenced by its many scars). One that can rotate and has pipe jaws on the opposite side are especially useful. Make sure to reinforce whatever workbench you have it mounted to, as a heavy vice will shred the workbench under it with regular use.
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A square. It makes things square.
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| A long-reach clamp, welding magnet and C-clamp help hold the workpiece together before it's tacked. |
Our materials list is short too. Just a pile of 1/8″ flat stock mild steel, and some fancy wrought iron trim pieces and tabs to make it look like a trophy (we want Martin to feel like a winner, after all). Often times, buying plate steel is expensive when you buy it as one large piece and cut it up. A more cost effective method is to find flat stock in the width and thickness you need, and buy it by the inch or foot. In our case, I bought four 12″ lengths of 4″ wide by 1/8″ thick flat stock for the sides, two 4″ lengths of 4″ wide by 1/8″ flat stock for the ends, and some 1″ wide by 1/8″ thick flat stock scraps for practice. Buying the metal this way did two things to make my life easier: I had perfectly straight lines from the foundry, and I could use the giant band saw at the metal supply store to make some pretty good 90 degree cuts instead of trying to do it at home. Most places will give you one or two cuts per piece for free anyway. Bonus.
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| Sourced from BevMo, a local Credit Uniion, and the local metal supply store, our materials for this project were pretty simple. Buying 6″ wide flat stock cut to length on the metal supply store's gigantic band saw saved money and effort. |
