7 fabrication tools that belong in your garage

[Hagerty]

You're more likely to replace a part than to repair it, but at some point your DIY journey will require you either to create something from scratch or to modify a piece for the perfect fit. Welcome to basic fabrication. It's a wonderful thing to practice and become good at.
https://www.hagerty.com/media/maintenance-and-tech/7-fabrication-tools-that-belong-in-your-garage/

[hyperv6]

I would include a set of sheet metal shears.

[JGeske]

If you can afford/justify it, a proper **bleep** rusty patches on a restoration.

[JGeske]

Ok, why did this site put BLEEP in my comment? I had a part in there about a **bleep** and avoid cutting your hands.

[JGeske]

OMG the comment section is censoring the perfectly innocuous name of a tool. Come on Hagerty, what is this!

[Sajeev]

@JGeske it's a software glitch and I am getting technical people on the case! Keep on bleeping commentating don't let the glitch bleep around with what you bleeping want to say! 

[JGeske]

Thank for the heads up! I was simply trying to name a certain power tool that can be used as an alternative to **bleep** which is close in spelling to the tool.

[TG]

I found that hyphenating words like s-h-o-r-t works - s-h-o-r-t is apparently on the bleep list

[Snailish]

Grinders and welders can throw hot bits that will melt into your glass and/or plastic, or light your garbage can on fire.

Fire blankets come in a variety of performance specs. The cheap ones are okay when you are not cutting torch blasting directly onto them. Even an old cookie tray can save your floor/driveway from torch cutting damage.

Fire extinguisher handy if you are grinding, chop sawing or any tool-with-flame.

[BMD4800]

3M welding paper.

Fire blankets too. I actually have a couple asbestos ones in a plastic bag. I’m really not sure why, maybe because they were free.

I have way fire extinguishers at every entry into the garage and two next to the welder.

[audiobycarmine]

ALL fantastic tool suggestions, Kyle, and most can be used even when not "fabricating".

I love your inclusion of Cardboard... who of us, as children, didn't already find innumerable uses for what would otherwise be thought of as trash.

[cole]

And works good for old motorcycles that still leak some.

[barfle]

Definitely a big piece under my old VW beetle.

The joke is that they don’t leak, they mark their territory.

[DaveA]

I would add a rivet gun. I was surprised to find out how many items were riveted on my old car, and how many more could be fixed using rivets.

[JGeske]

Also, using rivets to temporarily hold a patch in place before welding conveniently also leaves holes to weld through.

[JGeske]

I should have added, "once you have ground the rivets off."

[barfle]

Pop rivets and duct tape - vital for any fab job.

[DUB6]

We could go on and on, I suppose, but the items listed in the article and comments so far are certainly valid ones.  A couple of basic "fabrication tools" that are vital, though, and that without them, even the cardboard is only 10% useful: a ruler and a pencil.  Now, the commenters can jump on about the various versions of "ruler" and different types of marking devices.  But I submit that if you are going to snip, cut, file, bend, drill and otherwise fabricate anything, you need to start with measuring and marking some stuff!  😎

[Snailish]

and scissors and/or exacto knife to sculpt that cardboard!

Bonus: the exacto knife can sharpen your pencil.

[DUB6]

Man, there are some brilliant people on this forum.  I mean, they are sharp!  Cutting edge thinking!  😊

[Swamibob]

That funny right there... "Cutting Edge Thinking.. " 🙂 I tell you what.

[DUB6]

Being funny was the point...   😋

[Oldroad1]

Breaking down a good cardboard box can go along way as an aid for radiator core protection. Put a thick sheet of cardboard in front of the engine side of the radiator core and adhere it with 2 sided tape at the corners. It will protect those zigzagged ribbons of thin aluminum that heat sink the tubes and the tubes themselves from heavy engine parts that we all know are a direct threat for making fatal contact with a delicate radiator core. Not to mention tools or even your hands can do damage as well.

[Kyle]

This is a great tip.

[gtokdx1]

Cardboard is my first choice in Creepers!!!!

[PlumCrazyChris]

Those accordion style, foil-backed bubble wrap windshield sun-blockers work well too, for those of us down south. That's a mouthful!
Seems like there is one in every car I own.

[BMD4800]

I get a thick **bleep** tape. Good stuff. Much better on my joints as I rapidly approach 50

[BMD4800]

Foam

Insulation

With

Tape

On

Edges

[BMD4800]

Stupid A.I.

I hope you all get trapped in your Tesla’s at Carl’s Jr.

[Sajeev]

@BMD4800 stupid indeed, but tech support is working on it. Please keep on posting and I will try to make this bleep more entertaining for all of us. 

[DanC]

Thank God you didn't suggest duck tape and a crescent wrench.

[JGeske]

I only buy metric crescent wrenches, never that SAE stuff! I keep them next to the board stretcher and the blinker fluid.

Also, don't hate on the tape, it is a handy 3rd hand to temporarily hold bits and pieces for welding (or keeping bolts and screws near where they came from or for labeling wires), even if some use it in place of a proper repair job. Just remember, "Duct tape is like the Force, it has a light side and a dark side, and binds the universe together."

[plank]

Where I live most guys call duct tape chrome!

[C7W289]

A dremel tool with the cutoff wheel. A drill press really is nice if you can squeeze it in your budget and garage. It drills nice and straight, but mostly it pushes harder so drilling metal seems easy.

[BMD4800]

Press is a must. An affordable mill is even better. You’d be amazed what can be done with affordable mills and lathes.

The purists will say Bridgeport…but few have one.

[Tinkerah]

I am among those fortunate few but often suggest a bench top lathe/mill combo machine. Even the cheapest import version will open up a new world of capability.

[DUB6]

You must have a pretty big garage!  😁

[4RenT]

At least a pretty big bench top!
B^)

[Tinkerah]

It's a decent size two-car garage and it's extraordinarily congested. All my machines are fully tooled and powered up but there's no room left for any bench work. You might be impressed with how much equipment you can cram into a space if you don't insist on a path through it all.

[speedsmiles]

Excuse me but these are basic **bleep** sander.

[BMD4800]

Artful use of profanity combined with the ability to **bleep** into the garage, should be #1.

[Bird52]

gloves and safety glasses would be a plus also.

[jean]

i would suggest a set of high quality drill bits like viking ultra bor not those crummy dewalt ones.

[Tim2]

And if you have a 50 year old vehicle like me,a large cardboard box is always placed under it to catch oil drips.

[Rider79]

Number 8? A good friend with all these tools, AND the knowledge to use them, in exchange for pizza and beer!

[MoparMarq]

Cardboard is underrated. Two other uses: (1) As a template it's great, but going further, as a means to create a bracket or mounting for some other part. Make it in cardboard first to ensure that you have the dimensions/flanges/fitting right before making it in **bleep** mid-pipe/driveline in the hatch area while doing an engine swap.

[MoparMarq]

**bleep** ? (**bleep** tires/radiator/...

[Sajeev]

@MoparMarq fear not, we are looking into this problem. It's not you, its us. 

[4RenT]

Well, I hope you get the bleeping bleep bleep fixed!
I'm getting bleeding bleep reading all these bleeping comments!
The bleeping sooner, the bleeping better!
B^)

[gpsuya]

Re: "The next step from this MAPP torch would be a full oxy/acetylene setup."
Actually, the next step up is a "Turbotorch", which uses air & accytlene. They come with various size nozzles, depending on the application. You can't cut with it, but it will get hot enough to easily braze.