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I can divide my life into two distinct segments: the time before I owned a welder, and every day since. When I bought my first pickup, a 20-year-old Toyota with a rusty frame, my welder made it roadworthy. When I started my blacksmith business out of my grandparents’ garage, I used my welder to build a forge out of scrap metal. And when a neighbour needs a railing fixed, it’s my welder he wants me to use to fix it – usually for free.

My great-grandfather was the first welder in my family. He started out running a welding shop, and later, during World War II, a school named Wicks Welding in Queens, New York. In his day welding required a complicated set-up of machines and gas tanks that looked like they belonged on the set of a bad sci-fi movie. Whereas the usefulness of welders hasn’t changed a lot since then, the technology has. Now welders are accessible to anyone, regardless of skill, and you don’t have to break your back or the bank to use one.

We tested eight of the best new entry-level welders. They can be plugged into a normal electrical outlet and run without any gas tanks using a process called flux-cored arc welding (see opposite). And when you’re ready to buy some tanks, they can also be run as MIG welders. These four were our favourites.

A / Lincoln Electric 140

LIKES: Using this machine felt like welding with a paintbrush. It’s smooth, powerful, easy to use, and reasonably priced. You might be tempted to get Lincoln’s 125HD and save 20 per cent of the price, but don’t. The 140 lets you work thicker materials, and can also be used for MIG welding. DISLIKES: Not as heavyduty as the Miller or Vulcan, so better left in the workshop than taken to the job site.

B / Vulcan Migmax 140

LIKES: Harbor Freight’s new line stands against the best welders available. Sturdy construction, easyto-use automatic settings, and a wide range of applications. DISLIKES: As a new product, there’s no history of performance.

C / Hobart Handler 130

LIKES: Great welding arc, especially on thicker steel, combined with a useful Ez-mode with automatic settings, means a consistently stress-free experience. More compact than the competition and a good price point. DISLIKES: Limited accessories, such as extra welding wire or gas gauges (for those looking to also run MIG) compared with the competition.

D / Millermatic 141

LIKES: Great power and a well-earned reputation for top performance makes Miller a sure bet. Heavyduty and able to handle a wide range of projects. DISLIKES: Expensive, and set up more for MIG welding than flux.

MAKES 3 ½ CUPS 2 cups Dijon mustard ½ cup sriracha ¼ cup toasted sesame oil ¾ cup maple syrup 1 tsp fresh minced ginger 1 tsp salt HOD MET H EAC FOR IPE REC Whi sk ts ien l. red bow ing in eth er era te tog rig Ref unt il ry. ive del THE CARD Attach an index card with your loving To/from; on n the back, handwrite e this recipe, which works beautifully with all three sauces.

5.

MAKES 4 ¼ TO 4 ½ CUPS 1 ½ cups creamy peanut butter 1 cup unseasoned rice vinegar ½ cup light brown sugar ¾ cup soy sauce ¼ to ½ cup water, depending on desired consistency 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil 2 Tbsp chilli garlic sauce 1 Tbsp minced ginger smoked pulled pork Popular Mechanics Chen recipe by Raymond 1 cup coarse ground 1 cup kosher salt, • Rub: Combine garlic cup granulated paprika and ½ to about pepper, ½ cup kg, fat trimmed butt, about 3,5 • 1 boneless pork 5 mm depth tops. in a smoker rub. 2. Smoke the butt with the : 1. Liberally cover Recommended ( for 3 ½ hours. at 105 degrees oven to or charcoal grill wood.) 3. Preheat hickory, and apple pan a blend of maple, roasting and place in a Wrap butt in foil easily, 105 degrees. 4. shreds oven until meat water. Finish in necessary. along with 2 cups as final cooking time ½ hours. Adjust about another 2 one hour. Allow to rest for

Mark Melonas makes custom furniture and sinks, often out of concrete.

D I R E C T I O NS

Cut out two identical rectangles (or stars, hearts, or any other shape you want) of felt to the desired size with scissors. Measure the perimeter of one of the rectangles, then cut a 25-mm strip of felt to that length. This will form the edge of your dish.

Sew the top and bottom pieces to the felt edge and the ends of the felt edge together [ Fig. A]. The heavier the thread you use (or the more times you go over your stitching), the more visible the stitches will be in your final product.

Cover your work surface with wax paper. Mix about 1 cup epoxy. Put on gloves and brush the epoxy on to the felt shape until the felt is fully saturated [ Fig. B]. As the epoxy hardens, pull on the corners of your pattern to remove wrinkles and determine its final shape. Let the epoxy dry.

Use a light sandpaper to knock off any pilly fibres; then add a thin layer of paste wax to smooth the surface.

Put your hardened pattern on a disposable piece of melamine or 6-mm plastic. Use the hot-glue gun to glue the dish to the plastic so it’s facing right-side up. Cut strips of cardboard so they are about 15 mm taller than your pattern, then use them to form a barrier around the pattern. Hot glue them to the melamine and to each other to create a liquid-tight barrier.

Mix up the Mold Star and pour it slowly over the pattern until it’s to the top edges of the cardboard [ Fig. C]. Let it cure, then remove the cardboard.

Pull the mould off of the pattern and flip it over so the open side is facing up. Mix the cement and pour it into the mould [ Fig. D]. Shake and tap the mould to remove air bubbles.

If you want to add a little colour, rub pigment or paint on to the surface and buff it off with a rag before sealing. When dry, remove the dish from the mould and seal with acrylic tile sealer or paste wax.

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1 6

1 MATERIALS LIST

25-mm round-head wood screws 6 mm lauan or similar plywood 6 mm x 75 mm x 600 mm poplar or similar boards piece of 50 x 100 mm scrap, at least 750 mm long balls (40 mm) tennis, practice golf, or nerf-gun balls)

TOOLS

table saw and 80-tpi blade mitre saw drill 50-, 62,5- and 75-mm holesaw bits wood glue tape measure rafter square

but there’s no need to get fussy about placement. As long as you mark both boards with identical spacing, everything will line up.

Clamp the target board to a piece of scrap wood for a cleaner cut. Use a drill and the holesaw to bore holes in the target board [Fig. B]. Use the same holesaw for each vertical segment of the board, making sure the holes are centred between the lines. Glue the spacer strips to the target board and let the glue dry for an hour.

5

Apply a band of glue on top of each spacer strip

and press the back-

[Fig. C]

board into position. Place a weighted object on the board to hold it down while the glue dries.

Glue the stop board to the bottom of the spacer strips and let the glue dry for 15 minutes.

Use a mitre saw to crosscut two 50 x 100 boards to 375 mm, then to cut a 56-degree angle on the end of each piece to create the legs.

Attach the game board to the legs with the round-head wood screws