The Build–Cost–Sell method: 100+ welding plans that sell, each with the cut list, the steel cost and the selling price, plus a pricing calculator and a selling plan, so you can build your first piece this week and turn that welder in your garage into extra income from neighbors, coworkers and Marketplace buyers.

“…everything costs money and I'd like to make some to support my welding addiction.”
“People don't even see the welds. They are buying the shape and color and function.”
A store-bought fire pit is stamped thin and made overseas. A hand-built piece is heavier, made to size, and people buy it like a gift. Garage welders report selling a 3'×6' table for $1,000 to $1,300 on about $300 of material, mostly to people nearby, by word of mouth. The steel costs a fraction of the price. That's the gap you fill.
“The work that makes the most money IMHO isn't the stuff you make and then sell - it's the stuff that someone else asks you to make for them.”
Garage welder · on where the money is
Prices: what garage welders report selling tables, wine racks and gates for on the WeldingWeb forum. Material costs vary by area and by steel prices.
Every fall the same thing happens. People start looking for a gift that isn't another gift card: a fire pit for the backyard, a wine rack for the in-laws, a sign with the family name on it. They ask 4 to 6 weeks before, because they know a custom piece takes time. The guys who get those orders post their first piece before anyone asks.
Enough time to build your first piece this weekend, take one good photo and line up your first holiday orders before the rush, with gift season running all the way to December.
You already have the welder, the grinder and the Saturdays. The Method turns them into extra income, one piece at a time.
Not the 40-hour sculpture nobody can afford. The fire pits, tables, garden gates and wine racks that sell every season. Every plan tells you what it sells for.
Most of the quick sellers take 1 to 4 hours. A Saturday morning, a couple of evenings after work. You decide how many orders you take.
About $90 of steel, $6 of wire, gas and discs, $9 of high-heat paint and $20 to have your yard roll the band. That's about $125 in, $250 out. The calculator shows you what to charge, so your time never goes for free.
$27 for the Method and about $40 to $70 of steel for your first piece. After that, take a deposit first and buy the steel after.
There's no off-season for backyards, birthdays and Father's Day. There's always someone who wants a piece built by hand, and doesn't own a welder. That's extra income in every season.
🏡 New homeowners · 🎂 Birthdays · 🍺 Man caves · 🐴 Farms & ranches · 🌳 Gardeners · 💼 Coworkers · ☕ Local shops · 🪵 Woodworkers · 🎁 Retirements
$40–150One evening each, and people buy them as gifts. You build a few, post them, and take them to work or the craft fair.
$250 and upThe pieces people order. Higher price, a deposit up front, and the customer tells you the size he wants.
Everything you need to turn your first pieces into extra income.
Start-up cost: about $40 to $70 of steel for your first piece.
Open the Method and build your first piece. If it isn't for you, send one email within 7 days and we'll refund you in full. No forms, no hard feelings.
They were exactly where you are before the first piece.
Steve ›
Marco ›
Greg ›
Illustrative conversations based on what garage welders share online. Individual results vary.
One evening. Check your tools against the list. Then start with a horseshoe wine rack or the fire pit ring: they're the ones people ask for most.
About $40 to $70 of steel from the supply yard. Follow the cut list, tack it square, weld it out, and take one good photo in daylight.
The calculator gives you the price. Post with the template, first to people who already know you: neighbors, coworkers, your church and local groups.
Take a deposit, buy the steel with it, build it and deliver it. Then post the next one.
That's it. One week. And just like that, your welder is extra income.
Every one of these is a plan inside, with its steel cost and its selling price.
Flame fire pit$250
Coffee table$350
Garden gate$300
Drum grill$400
Wine rack$65
Boot rack$100From the first cut you make to the first piece you sell.
Most plans online are a photo and a guess. That's why so many builds end up out of square and back on the grinder. Here you start with the tools you already have and a plan you can actually read.

Organized by what people buy, not by joint type. Quick sellers for one evening, furniture, garden pieces, grills and gifts. Every plan shows the dimensions, the cut list, the steel it takes, the time, the cost and what it sells for.

A frame that pulled out of square, a table that rocks, a weld full of pinholes. Every garage welder has scrapped steel over one. Here you fix each one without starting over, with a clamp, a square and a photo that shows how.

The pieces people order from October to December. Horseshoe Christmas trees, stars and reindeer, rebar ornaments, stocking hangers, grill tool sets and signs with the family name. The season that pays the most gets its own module.

A written quote with a deposit line gets a yes faster than a number said in the driveway. Fill in your shop name, print, done.

What to post, what to say and what to charge to get your first orders from people who already know you: neighbors, coworkers, local groups and Marketplace buyers.

What happens after the first piece.

“My part time fabrication business started as a hobby and got kinda serious when I made enough to buy more and more equipment.”
Garage welder · part-time fabrication
“My default is a 3'x6' table and those usually run $300 in materials. I sell them anywhere form $1000-$1300 ea.”
Welder · on his picnic tables
“a little dog gate 55”x 26”. I will make $225 above materials and shop cost. Probably spent 5-6 hours total so around $40/hr.”
Retired welder · on a custom gate
“I've sold everyone I have made, everyone loves them. One guy has sold 3 for me after he bought and used his.”
Welder · on the BBQ pits he builds
“I have no problem charging $100-150 for a bell. This weekend I sold 6 bells for an average price of $125.”
Welder · sells at craft shows
“Makes me want to start up something myself so I can pay for a nice tig and a bigger mig.”
Hobby welder · on selling his work
“The hard part is figuring out how much to charge and/or where to sell.”
Welder · on starting a side hustleReal words from garage welders online, not from buyers of this method. Results vary.
No. This is a digital method: you get instant access to every plan, guide and printable the moment you pay. Nothing is shipped, so there's no waiting and no shipping cost.
If you can run a bead with a MIG or flux-core welder, yes. Module 1 covers the tools, reading a plan and tacking a frame square. Start with the quick sellers: a wine rack or a fire pit ring is a great first piece, and both sell. If you've never welded at all, take a local intro class first, then come back.
Yes. The plans are picked for what sells, and each one tells you the cut list, the steel cost and the price. Most experienced welders buy it for the selling part: the calculator, the gift pack and the 30-day plan.
Think of it as extra income, not a salary. It depends on your hours. If you keep about $125 a piece, 2 pieces a month works out to about $3,000 a year, and gift season runs higher. Results are not guaranteed and depend on your effort, prices and area.
People who want something built by hand and don't own a welder: homeowners, new neighbors, people buying a gift. Hand-built fire pits commonly sell for $150 to $400 depending on size and finish, and custom tables for more.
You start with people who already know you: neighbors, coworkers, church and local groups. You show them a finished piece or a photo, and you take a deposit before you buy the steel. The kit gives you the exact posts and messages, so nothing sits in the garage.
Neighbors and word of mouth, Facebook Marketplace, local groups, craft fairs, farmers markets and small local shops. The Sell-What-You-Weld Kit shows you where to start in the first 30 days.
A 120V MIG or flux-core welder, an angle grinder, a chop saw or cut-off wheel, clamps, a square and a tape. Most plans use common square tube, angle and flat bar. Every plan lists exactly what to buy and what it costs.
You can find photos. Free plans are scattered, often missing measurements, and they never tell you if a piece is worth building or what to charge. The Method gives you 100+ plans in one place, each with its cut list, steel cost and selling price, and you're allowed to sell everything you build from them.
Because a plan is only useful if you can build from it. Every plan here has its dimensions, cut list, materials, cost and selling price, and they're picked for what people buy. A thousand drawings without measurements won't put a single piece in a customer's yard.
Yes. Everything you build from the Method is yours to sell, at craft fairs, online or to anyone you like. Only the plans themselves can't be shared or resold.
The photos on this page are illustrations that show the kind of pieces in the plans. Inside, every plan is a technical drawing with its dimensions and cut list, so you know exactly what you're building.
The Method sticks to pieces a garage shop can build well: no trailers for the road, no stairs, railings or anything load-bearing over people. Always use the safety gear and ventilation your welder's manual asks for.
The quick sellers take 1 to 4 hours each, and most guys build on a Saturday morning or a couple of evenings. You decide how many orders you take.
No. You can sell as many finished pieces as you want, but the plans and printables are for you. Sharing or reselling them isn't allowed.
Yes. Checkout is secure, everything arrives in your email the moment you pay, and you're covered for 7 days.
Your purchase is covered for 7 days. Open the Method, build a piece, and if it isn't for you, send us one email and we'll refund you in full.