I know I'm new here, but I feel I need to chime in... as this is what I do now.
Life long builder/fabricator. I've done nearly everything else, from fiberglass/carbon fiber, casting, foam carving, vacuum forming... let's just say I've got tools for days. I actually got bored with woodworking and really wanted to go down the rabbit hole and challenge myself. Metal is the obvious choice.
Let me be the first to tell you that it's not a cheap hobby to pick up. But it's what I wanted to do, and so I attracted opportunities that afforded me the ability to re-invest in my shop and myself. It's a great time to be alive, and even a better time to be a fabricator! The tool options are out the window! But there are also tons of really cool tools that can really do quite a bit with very little money.
I know exactly what you are wanting to build, and I too have made some rustic stuff using pallet wood and bare metal. (Before we get too far into this, let me show you a secret to getting the bare metal look without having to paint the metal, but also keeping it from rusting =
http://www.jaxchemicals.com/jaxshop/shopexd.asp?id=41 also check out their other stuff, they even have a rust preventer. And lastly check out the line from
http://permalac.com/html/Metal.html)
OK, some tools to make your life easier when venturing down the avenue of metal work.
MiG welder is a good place to start. So is a stick welder. But then again you'll want to TiG when you feel adventurous. If you need to brush up on your skills, I highly recommend buying the DVD set of Welding Tips and Tricks. Or subscribe to his YouTube channel. Covers everything you'll ever need to know about welding, other than just you getting helmet time on your own.
Best MiG welder to start with, hands down is from Eastwood. They have a MiG 250 rig that can allow you to weld up to 1/2" plate with proper grinding and prep, plus if you get their spool gun you can MiG aluminum. This unit has a 60% duty cycle at full amerage, and a no nonsense exchange/replacement warranty that's 3 years long! The unit is only $800. Also, you'll need to invest in getting a large bottle of CO2/Argon gas. I got my bottles off craigslist, took them down and exchanged them for full bottles. Now refills are less than $60. If you think you are going to want to weld stainless, you need a separate bottle that's called tri-mix.
But I almost forgot the best part about the Eastwood welder... it's dual voltage! So if you don't have a dedicated 50 amp 220v fuse, no worries... the unit works great on 110v. Which means you can take it with you and use it on site or with a generator.
Best TiG unit for the budget minded, is AHP AlphaTIG 200X 200 Amp IGBT AC DC Tig/Stick Welder. Guess what, it's also dual voltage. It will allow you to TiG weld aluminum on 110v with the AC function. Plus it gives you that stick welder option as well. Oh, and it's usually for sell at Amazon for less than $700. Make sure you get the one that says it was made in 2015. Again, you'll need a dedicated bottle of gas for TiG welding as well. It's typically 100% argon. (Unless you want to dabble with helium mix)
But to start out, you can't really beat the specs on those machines. You will not outgrow them very fast.
Don't forget to get a plasma cutter. Makes your life wonderful. But I don't really have a recommendation on one of those other than an Hypertherm. They are over 3-4 grand for the one I want. I still don't have one of those. My plasma cutter is part of an import 5-in-1 welder that I got a long time ago and it works fine for my needs at the moment.
For metal cutting, I will suggest a 15" cold cut saw. I got the one from Evolution, and it's awesome! I actually bought a grizzly metal cut band saw, and I sold it in favor of the evolution. Stay away from chop saws with their abrasive wheels. They are dirty as all get out, and the wheels can explode. Plus it heats up the edge of the steel you are cutting and work hardens it. Also, there's a hidden gem at Harbor Freight... it's the metal cut circular saw #69702. It's the real deal, and can cut 1" plate steel almost as easily as a regular circular saw can cut wood. If you plan on cutting aluminum, I highly suggest that you get a dedicated chop saw or at least a dedicated aluminum only cutting blade for your existing saw. Do not mix them. They cut perfect and leave a machined edge. Also, you cannot use the larger 15" metal cutting saw blades on a faster spinning chop saw. It's the wrong speed and has less torque. Get a saw that's made specifically for that. There are several brands, Jancy, Fien, Evolution, Milwaukee etc... I feel that the Evo is the best value in terms of specs and price. Some day you can work up to getting a real cold cut saw that uses cutting fluid. It's not a bad idea to have a Milwaukee portable band saw. There's a great mini table stand for it at SWAG Off Road, that really makes it versatile in the shop.
Not that you can weld you will need to be able to bend and form the metal. There's all kinds of bending. I am going to eventually get a Piranha Ironworker, and larger hydraulic mandrel tube bender. But I'll tell you what I've got for now that can do those functions for a fraction of the cost.
First get yourself a Harbor Freight 20 ton press. Then head on over to SWAG Off Road, and get his heavy duty finger brake press kit. That makes your press brake rather useful for so much stuff. Upgrade the press brake's 20 ton cylinder to the air powered one. Much easier to use that way. While you are checking out SWAG, buy one of his hulk tubing roller. I've got the original set-up that had you alter the harbor freight roller. I also invested in many of his die sets. They are invaluable.
Then there's a cool little mini iron worker of sorts... it can be found over at metalcraftusa. It's their Pro XL line. It does all sorts of little things. From punching, bending, rolling shearing small stuff.
For tube bending, (less than 2") there's this great little bender from England at useful-tools.co.uk. It's an actual mandrel bender! Tight radius bends, even in aluminum. Nothing is in it's price range for it's capabilities. And I've got several types of tube benders. If you need a little more umph, and want to stick with one company's tubing dies, JD2 has the nicest products, which allows you to grow into their larger hydraulic line-up.
Since we are talking about tubing... there's a cool end notcher that is a must have. I ended up choosing the TN-250 from Baileigh Industrial. They have lots of cool stuff too.
If you are into sheet metal, well... the benders, shears and brakes are all fine from Grizzly. Basically, unless you step up to Tennsmith, made in USA type stuff, they are all the same, just painted different colors. However, there is a really cool sheet bender that comes from Baileigh, it's a magnetic sheet bender. Uses an electro magnet to hold down the top die. Which means you can bend all sorts of cool things that the other style benders will limit you. It's only $2300, and can bend 16 gauge, but I know it can bend smaller sections of 14 gauge form experience. For sheet metal welding, grab that 220v spot welder from HF. It's actually a decent machine with a lot of capability. And it's really fun to zap stuff together!
That's about all I can think of to get you started. There will always be more and more stuff that you somehow "need" and it's never ending. But I can say, that you need to invest in as many clamps and vice grips and angle blocks as you can. You can never have enough clamps. Funny... it's what we always used to say in woodworking, that still applies to metal. Just different styles of clamps and hold downs. Get yourself a decent welding or fabrication table. The heavier the better. Hint... 1/2 plate isn't thick enough for the long haul.
Oh one last thing... forget using a drill press. Invest in a Mag Drill. Trust me on this. You can get a pretty good one for around $350 on Amazon. The nicer ones start at $800. Other ways to make holes are punching. That's the preferred method of hole making in metal. Punch when you can, drill when you have to.
Good luck!
