Thanks for all your help. I tried everything else, even got a better bit and better cutting oil with no luck. As for as the brushings go they are already removed so I'm going to weld it our have someone weld it. I'm gonna look into prices for both so I guess my only question now is what is a good torch for this job. I don't own one and just song some research to decide on cost. Lower cost is obviously better but want tip make sure it can handle the job. Any brands/types you guys recommend?