i havent ever done any bending, and i havent ever done any welding but i want to begin learning how by building some sliders a cage etc.....i want to build it out of 1.7" Hrew pipe...will the harbor freight $99 bender be ok for this size piping? i dont have too big of a budget i just want a welder that can weld the piping and a bender to bend it...what all do you guys reccomend?

1st thing I would do.....type "MIG welder" and "tube bender" into the search.

And....... a "pipe" bender is just that....PIPE BENDER. That POS from HF-- IT IS NOT A TUBE BENDER. I repeat...IT IS NOT A TUBE BENDER.

Quality cages are made from tubing (preferably DOM)

Pipe is good for bringing natural gas into your run-down trailer.:flipoff2:

I cant believe yoiu have that many posts on pirate and didnt know wha tkind of answer you were gonna get on this post :shaking:

I wouldn't suggest "learning" to weld by building a cage. I wouldn't have wanted to trust my life to my beginner welds.

you coul also get some info from the tech in the bending 101

the harbor freight bender will crease dom tubing and fawk it up. and i will advise against build a cage first time out. especially welding it. if possible do like i am going to do. i will tack the whole thing together and then remove from my rig and get a buddy who's a welder to do the final welds. also a welder will be $800(for a good 110 unit with a tank) to a couple grand for a 220 unit.

i got my 220v lincoln 175 pro mig welder for like $650. it comes with everything you need except for the tank and a good mask. i'm also about to order a pro tools 105HD bender. i've never built a cage before but i'm about to give it a try. if you've never welded anything before, make sure that a cage isn't the first thing you try. make a welding cart or something. that's what i did. by the time i was done.. my welds were looking great.

Dont waste your money on cheep/learner/get by tools. Spend your cash right the 1st time and buy something that will last 20 years and definetly be up to the tasks you want them to. My choice would be a miller 175 mig and a pro tools 105 or jd2 bender. Any 175 mig will be fine for basic 4x4 projects, i wouldn't waste your cash on a 110v mig.

When I first started out I bought a harbor freight bender. I made alot of money off that bender but it is only worth $99 . The bender will bend your material but it will put dents in the metal where the rollars touch the metal. I would recamend that you spend your money right and buy a JD Square they cost a little bite more but they are well worth the money. They are also alot easier to use.
I sware by the Lincoln name there is so many different machines that you can buy. I would make sure that what ever machine you buy will cook at least 175. There is even a machine that you can install on your vehicle I love this welder. Mobiarc make this welder and they are even comeing out with a mig that goes on it in a couple of months.

I wouldn't suggest "learning" to weld by building a cage. I wouldn't have wanted to trust my life to my beginner welds.


X2- I wouldnt even consider welding a cage until you have some significant experience building stuff you life dosent depend on...

practice practice practice and do lots of destructive testing on your welds...just cause it looks good dosent mean its joined properly, scary.. :rolleyes:

Also, if your welder is sporting any less than 175 output amps, your nuts considering trying to weld something together your life might depend on.

I made the mistake of buying a 'high end' 120V mig just to find out in a week later that it didnt meet my needs. currently im running a Hobart Ironman210 with a Lincoln 135P (my first ill fated purchase) as a backup (actually all its used for anymore is sheetmetal and exhaust) and ornamental decorative thingies the wife makes for the house :grinpimp:

First off I completely understand the need for the 220V machines. I'll be moving into a duplex with a single car garage, in other words no 220 access in there. My question is, do you know much about the Miller DVI machine (it can either be 110 or 220 machine going from 30 to 175 amps)?