welders such as 3-1

[Jameymik]

hey guys im looking into buying my first welder-i have done enough welding in my past to know what im doing (kind of) such as stick and MIG welding- i am looking at buying a 3-1 welder for TIG stick and plasma cutter but i was curious as to what is a good model and such-ive seen the small inverter style ones and i was wondering if this type of welder will work for what im doing my winter project is a motorcycle and im building my own frame and sheet metal and i was wondering if this type of welder would work for such a purpose or if it is not big enough. thanks in advance and any advise would be much appreciated.
Jamey M.

[Timberwolf]

Just like junk they sell on late night TV, anything that is cheep, slices, dices, mixes, grates and does a hundred other things tends not to do a very good job of any of the intended functions. Also they tend not to last and end up in the garbage can.

If funds and space are limited, then maybe you can put up with lower quality goods that may or may not do as good a job. But building a bike is not cheep, the cost of the welder is only part of it in the big picture.

Assuming it is a street bike, what you doing about certifying the frame and getting a VIN for it? I have wanted to know how guys making customs handle this issue.

[makoman1860]

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

Just like junk they sell on late night TV, anything that is cheep, slices, dices, mixes, grates and does a hundred other things tends not to do a very good job of any of the intended functions. Also they tend not to last and end up in the garbage can.

If funds and space are limited, then maybe you can put up with lower quality goods that may or may not do as good a job. But building a bike is not cheep, the cost of the welder is only part of it in the big picture.

Assuming it is a street bike, what you doing about certifying the frame and getting a VIN for it? I have wanted to know how guys making customs handle this issue.

In Wi the DOT inspects the frame for geometry and workmanship, then gives it a VIN number, built as a "homebuilt" or "owner built" vehicle. It has to meet all of the aplicable safety laws when finished, and undergo an inspection and riding test before its given the OK by the state. At least thats the short version of the LEGAL way to do it, other people skate around the system. As far as the welding machine.....I had a 3 in 1....skip it, not worth the trouble...you can build the entire bike with a torch if you like. I never liked cutting sheet metal with a plasma if I was going to form it, it seemed to harden the edge of the part. Your going to want a torch anyway for sheetmetal work, maybe you could then farm out the frame welding if you were uncomfortable with it.

[Timberwolf]

Interesting, don't know if that is possible up here, even if you could find a way jam it sidways through our over regulated system, finding reasonable insurance would be near impossible. Insurance is really clampling down on vehical modifications here. With some companies you raise or lower the vehical and let them know and they walk away from you or bump the price so high you have no option but to walk away from them.

Also the men in blue are clamping down hard on street raceing 50 km or 30 MPH over and they take your car for a while and you face up to 10 grand in charges. So this too is puting the breaks on anything that looks custom or modded for raceing. Think too if your vehical looks at all custom it gives them probable grounds to pull you over and start checking things.

[GiantTechGuy]

Originally Posted by makoman1860

In Wi the DOT inspects the frame for geometry and workmanship, then gives it a VIN number, built as a "homebuilt" or "owner built" vehicle. It has to meet all of the aplicable safety laws when finished, and undergo an inspection and riding test before its given the OK by the state. At least thats the short version of the LEGAL way to do it, other people skate around the system. As far as the welding machine.....I had a 3 in 1....skip it, not worth the trouble...you can build the entire bike with a torch if you like. I never liked cutting sheet metal with a plasma if I was going to form it, it seemed to harden the edge of the part. Your going to want a torch anyway for sheetmetal work, maybe you could then farm out the frame welding if you were uncomfortable with it.

What brand machine did you have and what were your problems with it?