New workshop welding furniture

[Qubis]

Hi
Please can anyone advise best Mig to buy.
I am setting up a new workshop in East london and intend to start making my own furniture designs. I will need to weld 3mm box and 12mm round for my first project. What Mig should I get? The welds will be visible on some pieces - and I'm not very experienced! - so want machine that will help not hinder! Prices seem to vary hugely!
Thanks
Qubis

 

[cumbriasteve]

Are you using a MIG at present, have you considered an MMA inverter? although for standard of finish it would tend to be a MIG and for furniture very often a TIG set up.

I would suggest being not very experienced is a bit of a handicap if selling your products to the public, you are probably aware of this and also realise the impact that a failed weld may give your finances in todays claim for everything culture.

Is it essential to use 12mm solid bar? steel tube would look identical, cost less, would require less power and less distortion giving heat input to weld to the box section, you could then probably manage with a set in the 150 to 180 amp range. GYS. Portamig, Oxford, Tec Arc and R-Tech are some of the more common and popular one's.

Any photo's of similar projects to your plans, this may help members provide information with a greater degree of accuracy.

Also what power supply do you have? how much welding per day when in full flow ? have you a set budget?.

 

[Richard.]

I'm guessing if this is furniture the surface finish and appearance would need to be very good. Mma would be my last choice for this. Although the thickness u say is in its range perfect you still have a degree of finishing with regards to slag, possibly traps and definitely spatter which also comes with mig too. It's a tig job all the way as far as I'm concerned unless there are any specific details you forgot to mention that would deem tig unsuitable/impractical.

 

[Kent]

Loch 252 control pro with argoshield light for erw tube and 0.8 wire
Set the power and it will set the wire speed up
Great feed 4 drive rollers
It's not cheap mind but it will get you doing neat with minimum spatter quicker as a non experienced operator

 

[Rrunnach]

and I'm not very experienced! Qubis

I have trained many artistic metal sculpture people and, as has already been mentioned and your own admission, you are not experienced. I would advise you focus some time and money on welding training course, then move forward with your plan. Remember, it is not all about welding, there are design aspect too.

We have this in Edinburgh http://www.edinburghsculpture.org/what-we-do/ brilliant new facility, where much can be learned, is there something similar where you are, maybe google will help??

Good luck.