Another welding cart

admin

Cutting the steel...I was rolling the welder around on a hand truck..I strted by building the base which in retrospect may have been a bad idea. After completing the cart I kept thinking I should have built the sides first.It was difficult to get the uprights pieces perfectly square. A large welding table would have been super helpful here because i would have been able to fit everything really well before welding it.They look close here but were not square enough...To make the cable holder, I used 1/4" rod. For the small "U" pieces, I cut 5" lengths and set each one in the fully opend vice and hit it with a hammer to bend it.  For the larger arcs, I just bent them by hand against my knee making several small bends.Here's the cart, upside down, cleaned, primed and drying:I used 3/4" plywood for the shelves to avoid purchasing steel. I sanded the wood and applied 2 coats of a semi-gloss ployeurethane that I had sitting around in the garage. The stuff was pretty old but I filtered it to strain out a few chunks. I waited 24 hours and sanded before applying the second coat, so they're both very smooth to the touch.The bottom shelf is held in by the caster bolts. The middle shelf is only held in by gravity.I had 4 casters already in hand, so I used those.  Unfortunately all 4 are the swivel type. I made the cart 2 inches wider to account for this and give more stability in the event that all 4 casters were turned in toward the middle of the cart.I will post the last 6 photos next...Milermatic 211
Reply:I borrowed design elements for this cart from other carts I found in Google Images. I like the wood-on-metal look and I like the way the plywood fastens underneath the angle and provides support for the wheels.My father gave me a hard time for not using a top shelf. I ruled out a top shelf early on in the design of the cart primarily because I didn't want tools bumping up against the welder, scratching it, and impeding acess to the door.  Also, a shelf would allow dust to settle right by the air intake which would allow crap to be pulled right into the machine. This isn't a huge deal but it seemed like a small reason to omit a top shelf.The whole frame is made from 1" x 1/8" angle except efor the handle which is square tube.The cable holder is attached ath the front of the cart. Normally it would go on the side, but I wanted to keep the cart's footprint as compact as possible.  The holder holds all three cables: MIG gun cable, ground, and power cable.  The radius of the holder is pretty wide to avoid kinking the MIG cable.I attached a hook (also made of 1/4" bar) and two tabs that will hold the chain for the gas bottle in the future.  The welder simply sits on top of two inverted 1" x 1/8" angle bars.  The bars are positioned so that the welder's feet sit down in the bars.  At this time there is no mechanism to fasten the machine to the cart.The paint is not a 100% match, but it's great enough-Here's the paint I used. I found it at Ace Hardware:I learned a great deal building this thing. Primarily:- Metalworking is like woodworking in that you can't fudge things and expect it to work out square.- Next time I will weld 100% of the thing before doing any painting. On this cart, I added a few things after painting it, and it was a pain to go back and grind off paint and then re-paint the welded areas.Last edited by Ken4444; 01-16-2011 at 12:53 PM.Milermatic 211
Reply:Nice cart and i love the way you made the cable holder.Miller DVI2Lincoln Precision Tig 225Thermodynamics Cutmaster 38Everything else needed.
Reply:Originally Posted by jamlitNice cart and i love the way you made the cable holder.
Reply:Turned out real nice. Good work.
Reply:Great effort. Thanks for sharing and showing the color match so well with the cart/welder/can of paint.Regards,RobGreat Basin WeldingInstagramBlue weldersRed weldersMy luscious Table DIY TIG Torch cooler
Reply:I like it , may be the paint I had a bit of trouble with a top heavy cart, small  casters and cracked floor--------------------------------------------------------------www.becmotors.nlyup, I quit welding.. joined welder anonymous
Reply:Nice design. If guys are worried about top heavy, get something heavy like plate or a keep a scrap bucket on the bottom shelf. Or in his case, the cut-off saw should help. I like bigger wheels as well but my cart did not come with bigger wheels. Might have to change that one day.That cable holder is a good idea. You wont kink your liner with that. Paint looks sweet too!Last edited by oxygen454; 01-16-2011 at 03:53 PM.
Reply:To tie the welder down, a simple bunjie cord would work as a temp solution.  A more permanent solution would be weld a flat strap between the angle pieces, then a short flat strap up to the cover screws on the welder.  Then it's tied to the cart solid.The casters are ok in the front, but you might consider something like lawn mower wheels in the back that don't swivel.  Won't add much to the width & will be much easier to move about & control the direction.MarkI haven't always been a nurse........Craftsman 12"x36" LatheEnco G-30B MillHobart Handler 175Lincoln WeldandPower 225 AC/DC G-7 CV/CCAdd a Foot Pedal to a Harbor Freight Chicago Electric 165A DC TIG PapaLion's Gate Build
Reply:Sweet build. Lot better than mine. Here is a link to mine http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=48529  We are on our way to being farmers! Our site is always under construction so check back often for updates.  http://www.philosophyfarmstyle.com/
Reply:I think we need a section for welding carts lol A TON of threads on them and they all look great!
Reply:love to cable  holder.nice jodDaye
Reply:Great job on the cart! I was a little worried about there being no top shelf until I saw how the feet sit in those crossmember pieces of angle iron.  I did a cart out of 1x1x1/8" myself and I can relate to this part:It was difficult to get the uprights pieces perfectly square. A large welding table would have been super helpful here because i would have been able to fit everything really well before welding it.
Reply:Looks good. Looks like another proud owner of a miller 211. I hope to have one in my shop soon.Ya gotta spend money to make money!
Reply:Where are the photos???Only post #10 has a photo but no photos of the welding cart in post #1 or #2???AWS certified welding inspectorAWS certified welder
Reply:Limited engagement.  Looks like they got deleted.Regards,RobGreat Basin WeldingInstagramBlue weldersRed weldersMy luscious Table DIY TIG Torch cooler