David

I’ve spent the last decade bending metal in my garage, building everything from roll cages to custom exhaust systems. After testing 10 different tube benders across hundreds of hours of fabrication work, I can tell you exactly which ones earn a spot in your shop and which ones will leave you frustrated. The best tube … Read more

I spent the last three months testing English wheels in my shop, working through aluminum motorcycle tanks, mild steel patch panels, and even a stainless aircraft fairing. After flattening more than 200 square feet of sheet metal across eight different machines, I can tell you exactly which ones deliver clean compound curves and which ones … Read more

I’ve spent the last three months testing chop saws in my workshop, running everything from 1/4 inch steel plate to 3 inch round tubing through each blade. When welders and fabricators ask me what the best chop saws for metal are, I tell them the answer depends on what they’re cutting and how often. A … Read more

I have been running a small fabrication shop for nine years, and the day I switched from abrasive chop saws to a true cold cut saw, my cleanup time dropped by roughly 40 percent. That is the promise of the best cold saws for metal cutting: cooler workpieces, fewer sparks, no burrs, and blades that … Read more

Shopping for the best CNC plasma tables for metal in can feel like picking a partner for a long-term relationship. You are committing serious money, your shop space, and your weekends to a machine that has to turn steel, stainless, and plate into clean parts. After spending 60 hours comparing 8 different CNC plasma tables, … Read more

A magnetic drill press for steel is a portable drilling machine with an electromagnetic base that locks onto ferrous metal surfaces, letting you drill clean, precise holes at any angle or orientation. We spent the last three months putting 8 of the most popular models through structural steel, I-beam, and thick plate tests so you … Read more

I have spent the last three months testing plasma cutting tables in real shop environments, and I want to save you the research time I burned through. The best plasma cutting tables for shops balance cutting area, frame rigidity, and plasma cutter compatibility without blowing your entire tool budget on consumables. This roundup covers eight … Read more

Rebuilding an engine without a stand is like doing surgery on a patient who keeps standing up. After pulling my first small block Chevy onto a piece of plywood and wrestling with it for three weekends, I bought a proper rotating engine stand and never looked back. If you are shopping for the best engine … Read more

Grease-covered parts, oil-soaked bearings, and stubborn grime are the daily reality of any working garage. A reliable parts washer turns hours of scrubbing with rags into minutes of hands-free cleaning, and the right one will pay for itself in solvent savings alone. After spending three months in our shop testing cabinet units, benchtop models, and … Read more

I remember the first time a body shop owner showed me his old spot welder. He pulled it out from behind a stack of MIG machines, plugged it in, and within seconds fused two pieces of sheet metal together. The weld was cleaner than anything my MIG could produce on thin auto body steel. That … Read more