What welder for building a mill?

[slider32]

Hi, been lurking for a bit, First post.

I am interested in building myself a small mill, I haven't 100% decided if it will be a bandmill, or a chainsaw mill on a track, but that decision will be sorted out later.

Right now I need to figure out what sort of welder I should buy.  I have an extremely limited budget, so I will not even be entertaining thoughts of high end gear.  Being in Canada also means choices are a bit more limited, and prices are generally higher.

I have done stick welding in the past, so I am familiar with it, but the compact size of the small mig/fluxcore machines is attractive, along with their electrical requirements.

The Lincoln MIG Pak 140 is currently on sale at Canadian tire for $499 but this is the absolute top of my price range, Ideally I would rather spend half of that, and have some money left for steel to build the mill.

For anyone who has done the DIY mill thing, what did you use for a welder?

[Magicman]

First, Welcome to the Forestry Forum.   

I have both a Lincoln stick and a Hobart MIG.  Without question, I choose the MIG.  (I have never built a sawmill.)

[york]

Hi and welcome.....
I also have an Lincoln stick and the Lincoln 180 mig...nothing wrong with the Hobart line of welders either,you can see them at tractor supply.....

[mad murdock]

Welcome slider32!  If you already know stick welding, I would suggest "stick"ing with it ;) especially if you are on a budget, since you already have the buzz box, you can spend the money towards other things like hydraulics on the mill, or what have you.

[woodworker9]

Welcome slider32!  If you already know stick welding, I would suggest "stick"ing with it ;) especially if you are on a budget, since you already have the buzz box, you can spend the money towards other things like hydraulics on the mill, or what have you.

I wholeheartedly concur.  Why would you want to throw more money at equipment when you already have stick welding capabilities?  I weld a lot in my work, and I have both stick and mig welders.  Everything you're going to be welding on a mill is going to be laid out right in front of you, so why not just use the stick welder?  If you were going to have to be a contortionist, or hang upside down, or something crazy in a tight space, the mig gun is ideal, but for simple fabrication work, laying a bead with a stick welder is is going to be quite sufficient. 

It doesn't sound like you would use it much for anything else, as you sound like a very occasional user.  Spend the money on hydraulics!.....or something else you need.

[slider32]

To be clear, I don't currently have a welder.  I have used stick welders in the past at work so I know how to use one.

[kelLOGg]

I didn't build my mill but I certainly extensively modified it and a trailer for moving logs..all with a 40 year old Century AC stick welder. Sawmilling requires heavy steel so I didn't need the capability of welding thin (<0.125") stuff.
Bob

[Magicman]

You may consider a used welder.  There is nothing wrong with pawn shop hopping.

[Larry]

I have a Lincoln stick welder and a Hobart 187 mig.  With your budget concerns I would stick with a Lincoln buzz box stick welder.  They are often on craigslist here right at $150 and sometimes cheaper.  I bought my Lincoln 35 years ago and have used it hard with zero problems...well I did have to squirt oil on the fan bushing a couple of times.

My reasoning is the Lincoln 140 mig doesn't have enough amperage to insure proper penetration (and strength) on heavier steel used for bandmills.  Especially for somebody new to mig.  I'm sure some will scream it has plenty of power.  They can indeed lay down an impressive bead but ask em how many welds they have cut open to check there penetration?

[Tree Dan]

A used stick welder would be good for you since you can stick weld.
The Can tire machine that your looking at will do the job too.
Have fun with your mill build... and welcome to the forum

[WmFritz]

Like Larry, I bought a Lincoln buzz box about the same time as he did. I got many projects and repairs done with that unit. I bought a a Miller 150 twenty years ago and the buzz box hasn't been used since. I've kept it around in case of a cast iron repair, but none have come around.

I used mostly 3/8 steel in my mill build, which is about the limit for my 150.

[uler3161]

I'm definitely more of a MIG guy. I have a Miller 210, but that's outside your budget. I second the idea about going to the pawn shops. And my opinion is to stay away from the flux cored wire feeders. I've never been able to weld good with the little one we bought. We had a nice smaller Hobart MIG when I was in high school. Everyone wanted to use it. It was a good machine.

[thecfarm]

I use flux core,but I don't have a place to weld inside. I thought,maybe wrong,that's it's hard to weld out in the open with gas,without putting something around the welding area. I have a Lincoln that runs off 220. I wouldn't give it a thought about using it to build a sawmill. I had one that used 110.

[goose63]

 

  Welcome slider32 to the F F
I dident build my mill but did build then trailer under it


 
its a 110 ac welder think I paid  $450 for it don't like the flux core I use hard wile with argon gas it dose a real good job up to 3/8 inch stuff

[tjhammer]

welcome slider 32 I have a Lincoln portable gas also a mig and a buzz box I built a mill with mostly the use of the buzz box  you can pick up a used one reasonable, every time I have a little job to do I go for the buzz box  because its easy to set up,  luck on whatever you decide to build ???
tj

[Banjo picker]

I personally use a Miller 225G , but I also have a little Lincoln mig machine.  I had a 110 buzz box years ago, it did a pretty good job for a little money... The mig I have uses gas but it still won't do what you need done... To get a mig to build a mill you will have to spend quite a bit of money.... On a limited budget, go with the buzz box.  Banjo

[scsmith42]

Welcome Slider, and best of success to you with your planned sawmill build.

Re welders, I think that you're putting the cart before the horse so to speak with trying to buy the welder in advance.  My advice to you is to determine the design for your mill, the materials it will use, and then determine which welder is the most suitable for welding those materials / thicknesses.

I own two stick welders (including an engine driven one), two MIG's,  a TIG, and Oxy-acytelene welding equipment, and I choose which one to use based upon the project needs - not the opposite.

[Corley5]

Pretty hard to beat a Lincoln Tombstone ;D   I don't have a MIG but sure would like one  ;D

[Dave Shepard]

I bought a tombstone at an auction for $25 years ago. A tombstone is a Lincoln IdealArc model. They are a great welder. I would try to find a DC stick welder, the old ones, like the tombstone, are great, and usually very cheap. I don't care for the "buzzbox" welders, especially if they are AC only. They generally don't have very good adjustment.

[downsouth]

I have a miller bobcat 225 gas stick machine. And a Lincoln mig 220v I'm not sure of the amps,maybe 160?  I don't really remember.
  The little Lincoln will weld 3/8 no problem. I would weld thicker material with it ,you just have to bevel your iron a little and lay down a few stringers.
  The mig is a lot faster and cleaner with less grinding and chiping. (I'm talking about a novice stick welder,not someone who welds everyday)
  I use the mig for almost everything . The stick machine I use as a generator.
  Like someone said,get started buying stock and cutting to length. Have a plan first. You may be able to pre cut a lot of stock then rent a machine for a weekend here and there.
Welcome to FF and good luck.

[drobertson]

It depends on the thickness of your beams and cross members.  MY Hobart 140 goes to around 1/4" stuff, and as one previously mentioned, stay away for the flux core, more cost, good for windy conditions,(kinda) but the stick would be the way to go, if you can run a bead.  The price of all filler rods and spools are getting out of control so this is another factor, on top of getting a lease or buying a bottle of 75/25.   Good joints are as you know the most critical.  Sounds like fun, just not doing it on a tight budget, very doable with time and patience.

[ozarkgem]

I like mig but your budget sounds like stick to me. I would not go with a 110 unit. I don't think you will get the penetration you need. A used buzz box will do a good job for you. I have 2 buzz  boxe's , Miller 44g portable and a Hobart Mig. I use them all depending on the job. But if I had to have just one it would be a stick.

[Hilltop366]

Welcome slider32, I'm just down the road a few hours in Yarmouth Co., lots of good tips on welders here, will you be welding inside or outside?

I have had a Lincoln AC 225  (also on sale for $299 @ can tire) for years it has served me well but given a choice a DC welder would be nice for stick. The 120 volt Mig I got a few years ago works well with gas (no big fan of the flux core) on the thinner stuff and will do the job on 3/16 or 1/4" steel but it will be pushing it to the upper limits of it's duty cycle.

The handiest thing that I bought a few years ago was a auto darken helmet.

[sawmilllawyer]

Lots of great advice given above. Picked up an auto dark hood this summer and wow what a difference it makes. I can locate where I need to weld with ease as opposed to the old No. 9 or 10 lens where you can't see until the arc is struck.  Also a stick welder can be picked up very reasonable at a garage sale. I have two Lincoln tombstones, picked up the last one for $45.00 at a garage sale. A thermo-arc portable on a trailer powered by a 20 hp Honda and a Lincoln MIg. Mig is great on thin stuff but Go with the stick.

[JB Griffin]

I have a older (around a '96 model I think)Century 220v 160 amp mig I pick up from the local gunsmith after he gave up trying to weld aluminum with it and bought a tig for $200 runnin flux core right now as I don't have a bottle right now, and a ancient Marquette 180 amp AC "farm welder" thats so old it don't have a knob or dial to adjust the amperage you pull out the work lead and move it up or down a hole or two to make it run hotter or cooler.

A used 160 amp or bigger mig would be my choice, but I wouldn't over a stick machine at all. If you end up with an AC stick machine look for Forney 7018ac rods with BLACK letters on them they run almost as smooth as 7018 runnin reverse polarity DC, the red letter 7018 AC rods not so much.

Just my 2 cents but I am NOT a pro welder at any stretch. ;D