Trying to choose a Welder

[John Scane]

Yea it's not exactly woodworking equipmenty but I will use it to make furniture. Which welder would you choose ? I'm going to buy a new welder and i am not sure which I should get ? Anyone have any ideas ?

http://www.millerwelds.com/products/mig/millermatic_135/

OR

http://www.mylincolnelectric.com/Catalog/equipmentdatasheet.asp?p=7082

Basically between a Miller and a Lincoln
Thanks

John

[Allan Johanson]

They're both great brands and you'd probably be happy with either. I'm just a hobbyist welder, but I settled on a Miller 175 and I love it. The 175 is a bit of an oddball from the pro point of view, because it needs 240V and it's too underpowered for thick aluminum welding. But for a weekend warrior like myself, it's just fine. These small MIG welders are great for sheet steel and misc brackets and you'll enjoy using them.

One thing that really helps is to buy a quality auto-darkening helmet. One with adjustable shade values and delays. I love mine. I never got really comfortable with the old flip style.

You'll also need some other misc things like gloves, nozzle dip, diagonal side cutters to snip the wire, those large red magnets to hold metal at 90/45 deg are handy, as are some dedicated clamps.

I forgot to mention that you might want to buy a slimline cartridge respirator that will fit under your welding helmet. Some welding fumes can be very toxic (like galvanized metal - try to avoid that stuff or at least grind off the zinc).

I also use a small 4.5" grinder and a wire cup to clean up the metal both before and after welding. And, being a hobbyist, I have been known to make the odd really ugly weld. Bring out the grinder for those. :rolleyes:

Your first project should be to make a welding cart. If you are part Tim Taylor then you might make something like mine. Thick tubing, aluminum diamond plate for shelves, and room to store two tanks (for aluminum and steel). I could probably park my truck on it. :D

Cheers,

Allan

[John Scane]

Wow thansk for all the info. I like that cart. I've done a decent amout of stick welding but I taught myself and have never really learned the "right way "...if there is such a thing. Anyway Mig welding is totally new to me so Thanks for all the info.


John

[Bill Lewis]

I've got a Hobart 175 (current model is 185). I bought the Hobart at a local Tractor supply. Around Xmas time, they usually have a package deal that includes a cart, gloves, auto-darkening helmet, tools, gas bottle and regulator, wire spools etc. for a really good price, but they still had one in the store about a week or two ago.

I believe that Hobart is owned by Miller now. My unit has a Miller gun.

Given the choice between the Miller and Lincoln, I'd go with the Miller. Miller is the top brand. Welders are like any tool, buy as much as you can afford. My welder also requires 240V and so far has plenty of power for what I have done with it.

Mig welding is probably the easiest welding to do. To get the cleanest welds though, you'll want to use the gas bottle.

[Tony Falotico]

I have the Millernatic 135, it has done everything I've ever needed. I bought mine used from a Miller dealer, been happy with it. Don't use it very much, but when I do it works great.

I second Allan's statement of One thing that really helps is to buy a quality auto-darkening helmet. Makes a lot of difference.

[Dale Rodabaugh]

I have been looking around myself,for a small MIG welder.Both the Lincoln and the Miller look pretty good.The Miller is quite a bit more money,because they use a copper transformer,compared to the alluminum transformer in the Lincoln.If you are going to use it a lot the Miller would be the best choice,but if it is just going to be used occasionally The lincoln would be OK.hope this helps.:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[Robert Grady]

I would go with the Miller also. That is all we use in the mechanical piping company I work for. Very durable machine. Also I would stay away from the auto darkening hoods. Not a single welder in my company will use them because you do get a split second flash at the start and over time this will damage your eyes

[Bill Lewis]

From what I've heard, the pinch rollers (for feeding wire) mechanism on the Millers are much better than any other made.

Not to get in a big debate over the helmets, but for hobbiest/homowner welding with little or no experience, they are the best way to go. BTW, I've never noticed a flash, even a lighter spark will darken it.

When they first came out, The guys in our welding shop didn't really like them either. Now most of them use them.

[Rick Lizek]

Mostly a woodworking background but did a fair number of years in Metalsmithing and ahve used gas, mig and tig. Tig is the ultimate but you need to learn gas welding first. I have a small Miller mig and access to a larger one but oxy-acetylene is the most versatile to have around. You can cut, heat to bend, silver braze and stick together a wider variety of metals with the least changeover. You can braze cast iron, weld copper and aluminum and so much more. Mig is the easiest but if you do only steel it's ok. I'd never give up my gas torch. I hardly ever use the Mig these days. I do a lot of silver brazing of brass hardware for furniture and use my table saw and a negative hook blade to cut it.

The auto darkening helmets are fine and do work well. I've never heard of anyone getting flashed. I've had mine for 10 years now.

[Jim Becker]

Based on comments over the years from folks...I'd choose a Miller if I had the choice. (I may do that one of these days...it's a tool I don't have but can see some interesting project possiblities around the property)

[Ralph Barhorst]

I would recommend either the Miller 135 or the Hobart. They are both built by Miller Electric and are pretty much identical in performance. You can probably get a better deal on the Hobart from Tractor Supply.

A 115 volt version will be fine for welding thin material.

Before I retired, I was in the welding business for 32 years as an engineer designing welders and I am familiar with these welders as well as the Lincoln welders.

If you are making furniture with the welder then you should make sure that the welder has the capability of using shielding gas. I would recommend a small diameter solid wire, either .024 or .030 with argon gas or a mixture of argon and CO2.
Good luck with the welding.

[JayStPeter]

I have a welder on my "short" list of tools. My plan is a Miller or hobart 175/185. My understanding is that the Hobart is made by Miller, but has some cheapened features. When I asked "like what?", the only answer I could get was there are some plastic pieces in the feeder that are metal in the Miller. There was more to the answer when I asked about Lincoln. But, if I found a great deal on a Lincoln, I'd get it.


Jay

[Bill Lewis]

Jay, this is exactly what I have heard. So far I haven't been at all disappointed in my Hobart 175, and I can get basic parts and stuff for it at TSC, on weekends.

[Allan Johanson]

Re: Hobart vs Miller

I'm not sure of the features on current models, but when I was looking the Hobart had 4 heat settings and the Miller had infinitely variable heat settings. The variable heat is more desirable but perhaps a more experienced welder can comment here as to how much?

Re: auto darkening helmets

I know of welders who worry about the initial delay, and I really can't fault them for their concerns. But they weld all day, every day. I weld once in a blue moon. But I do like my eyes so I bought the best helmet I could find at the time. It will darken in 1/25000 of a second. Some only darken in 1/16000 of a second and I opted for the fastest one. This was years ago though and I haven't checked out current models.

Re: where to buy

I prefer to buy my welding gear from a local welding supply store rather than maybe save a few bucks by buying online. Those guys are a wealth of information and are worth maybe paying a little more. Keep an eye for sales or for returns when a person "underbuys" a welder and finds the 120V model to be underpowered for them. You can save some bucks that way.

Cheers,

Allan

[Alan Mikkelsen]

I've done a lot of welding over the years. (Retired farmer). I'd encourage looking at the 175 amp units, too. You won't need the power often, but if you don't have it when you really need it, it can be a real problem.

[David Siniard]

Just to comment on the auto darkening helmets, I work for an auto manufactuer and weld about 5 to 6 thousand welds a shift and have yet to have a prob with the auto darkening helmet. But at the same time you get what you pay for. If you buy a cheap helmet then you get burned..

[John Scane]

Hey Thanks Everyone.

I was leaning toward the Miller for the reasons that most people said. I can get it for only 10 bucks more than the Lincoln so I think that's what i'm going to do.
Thanks for all the help.

John

[Greg Narozniak]

I have a Hobart 135 and have been very happy with it. I bought it on a n internet deal for $400 shipped although I do not remember where it was from. If $$$ was no object I would have bought a Miller (from what I have read they are just made better) but the hobart has done everything I have asked and never complained.

It's a very nice tool to have when you need it.

[Keith Outten]

I bought the Hobart 140, I wanted the portability of a 110 volt mig machine. I also own a very old Miller 225 stick welder that is indestructable.

[Rob Russell]

I have a Lincoln 130T, which is a 240v machine. I got it used and it's done everything I've needed. An autodarkening helmet is on my list of things to get. Flipping the old helmet up and down, for a newbie trying to learn to weld, is one hassle I would have liked to do without. Definitely get a machine that can handle gas.

[Mike Kelly]

I have the Miller 175 and love it. I have no other reference, but it works like a champ. It may be nice at times to be a bit more "portable" with a 120V unit, but again it is the trade-offs or capacities that you need to look at. Some fence installers plugged their 120V cheap Lincoln welder in my 15A GFI circuit on my back porch with a 100' extension cord and welded up a fence with no problems. I thought the circuit breaker would let go, but it didn't. Here are a few projects that I finished with my Miller.

[Keith Outten]

Mike,

Someone else besides me does scroll bending here at The Creek, where did you purchase your bending tools from?

[Mike Kelly]

I took your suggestion and ordered the Harbor Freight bender. It was on sale for $99 when I got it. I also got the Master Punch and Shear tool from Metalcraft. It has been real handy for accurately cutting the steel. I also have a 14" Ridged abrasive cut off tool that is real handy also, but it is not as clean (steel dust) as the shear. Thanks for the ideas.