Am preparing for welding soon. Previously I've used a 115mm angle grinder to cut out metal but I expect this too be too awkward on small areas and tight access.

What do some of the experienced welders on here use?

Thanks

David

Sorry David, couldn't resist

I thought this was a long term project?- At this rate it will be MOT'd by Christmas!

This inexperienced welder uses a recirculating saw and/or an angle grinder with cutting discs.

The saw is lovely but very noisy if neighbourly relations are an issue, creates no heat, make's accurate cuts easier and can reach places discs cannot.

But the discs are fast and therefore more fun.

You're welcome to borrow either for a test or come and try..

Most Easterly Pandas said:

View attachment 125733



Sorry David, couldn't resist

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Love it!

andyholli said:

I thought this was a long term project?- At this rate it will be MOT'd by Christmas!

This inexperienced welder uses a recirculating saw and/or an angle grinder with cutting discs.

The saw is lovely but very noisy if neighbourly relations are an issue, creates no heat, make's accurate cuts easier and can reach places discs cannot.

But the discs are fast and therefore more fun.

You're welcome to borrow either for a test or come and try..

Click to expand...

Cheers Andy! So you can choose between noisy or fast - excellent!

I use grinder with thin cutting disc and metal tin snips

Angle grinder; no guard and 1mm cutting discs. Always wear eye protection in case the blade 'bursts'. Great fun for the wife picking bits of fibre disc out of my forehead though.

snips, grinder, die grinder, and i got a little air nibbler thing from aldi

you can get peal off face mask for men in asda or home bargains, that pulls burnt stuff from grinder out of skin

i have 3 hand tools that i use, 2 tin snips, (big pair and a small pair) and some wonderful things called "nibblers". they cut out a small chunk of metal, they are fantastic for getting into a rust hole and nibbling away at it until you get rid of all the rust.

to cut sheets i just use the big pair of tin snips held in the vice...

I use a 4 1/2 grinder with 1mm cutting discs and a cheap Sealey dremel with some decent cutting discs on it, it is very useful for getting into tight areas and corners etc. I also have a Black and Decker power file which I would not be without now, it is really good for grinding down welds in tight areas aswell as removing surface rust and tidying up edges after cutting. It does get through alot of belts however, but it means you can do a much better job. Ofcourse I also have some trusty tin snips and I have found a sharp chisel and hammer can sometimes be good.

Thanks guys - couldn't have asked for better answers! Am off to do some online shopping/browsing when I get chance. Thanks again.

David
If you can get them l/h and r/h aviation tin snips are brilliant as they don't distort the metal like old fashioned tin snips.
Dave

My go to tool is tin snips but they have a habbit of bending stuff I don't want bent, angle grinder for larger cuts and I use a Air nibbler for cutting shapes and hard to get to areas.
With the nibbler you have to be careful on the tidy up as it leaves sharp pointy shapes of metal all over the floor. Great for puntshring motorbike/bike tyers and I expect cars

goodgirl156 said:

My go to tool is tin snips but they have a habbit of bending stuff I don't want bent, angle grinder for larger cuts and I use a Air nibbler for cutting shapes and hard to get to areas.
With the nibbler you have to be careful on the tidy up as it leaves sharp pointy shapes of metal all over the floor. Great for puntshring motorbike/bike tyers and I expect cars

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For my Panda I think this should do the job....

Stihl saw and a 20lb sledge, that's all you need