There are some exceptionally good hobbyist grade welders available for dirt cheap.

This is incredibly important, but so easy for hobbyists to overlook. I had been buying metal at hardware stores and online for a while (I wasn't using much thankfully). I wanted to build a nicer welding table and needed thicker metal than I could find at usual sources. I tracked down an metal supplier locally. They cut some of the pieces to size for me and then helped load the plate into my truck. I went to pay and was bracing myself for the total. It was about 1/5 of what I was expecting. I was amazed at how much I had been overpaying. They get all my business now.