Millermatic 252 exo cart

admin

I got a shiny new Millermatic 252. It comes with two dinky handles on the front and nothing to hang your cords on. The 252 is replacing a Millermatic 180 that I had a on a cart with lots of drawers...which I really liked. So my plan for this machine is to get some storage. Anything beyond that is bonus.After much beard scratching and staring at the machine, I decided to replace the tank bracket and mount to it and the running gear axle. I designed a replacement tank bracket with recessed for square tubing. The bracket is laser cut 10 ga stainless 304 which I had laser cut and then I formed on my CNC press brake.

The vertical members are 1-1/2" x 11 ga square stainless 304. I had to notch one leg to clear the power and gas inputs. And the other leg a hole so I could replace a short factory screw with a longer screw through the tube.

Because the machine has a massive side cover that flips up, I had to make the shelf support clear that. It's quite a ways up there. But with the big diagonal gussets, the thing is pretty solid.


Reply:The top shelf has plenty of room to put my Hypertherm plasma cutter on it. I like long power cords so I can drag the machine around the shop. Normally I replace the factory power cord on the machine with a 30' cord made from 6 AWG SOOW cord. I this case I decided to make double outlets on the cart and then just plug in both unmodified machines. So I designed another formed stainless piece that tucks into the vertical tubes and has cutouts to accommodated raised industrial covers as normally used on 4" square boxes. Splitting the 6 AWG power to both outlets stumped me for a bit. I don't like wire nuts, so I was heading towards expensive Polaris connectors. But then I remembered c-taps and I even had them on hand and the proper crimper for them. They are a copper c that splices a 6 AWG tap wire on to a 6 AWG run wire. I used three of them. You can see the c-tap on the green ground wire. The two hot leads have the same thing, just insulated with some heat shrink. After the photo was taken, I re-identified the white wire as red to indicate that it isn't a neutral.

Below the outlet block there is a wire mesh cord grip to provide extra pull out protection for the long power cord. And there is a spot to keep a wrench handy for changing bottles.

And the result is two rock solid NEMA 6-50 receptacles with 30 feet of cord.


Reply:To make room for the cover to open, I put drawer slides for a side opening drawer. I haven't finished designing that drawer yet. I am thinking that it will actually be two or three drawers.  The whole stack will slide out sideways and then maybe from there drawers can slide out the front. I have more parts going to the laser cutter in a few days, so will do this pretty soon. Drawer is 24" wide and 12" deep. Drawer slides are rated for 270 lbs.

Front view:

Back view:

Besides the drawers, I need to cut the top for the plasma to sit on. And add some tie down straps for the plasma. Then I need to actually weld it up. Right now it is just tacked. The big gussets make it really strong. I can sit on the top front end. But none-the-less I will probably completely overweld it and then get mad at myself for crummy looking out of position TIG welds. But that's how I am.Right now it seems nice and stable. We'll see how it is with another 150 lbs of drawer and plasma and what-not on it.
Reply:Nice cart mods. I like the idea of the outlets on the cart with just the single 30ft power cord to plug in. Are there any worries of drawing too many amps and tripping a breaker with that setup if you have your plasma cutter and 252 on at the same time?Current machine: Miller 211Past machine(s): Hobart Handler 190“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants” - Thomas Jefferson
Reply:

Originally Posted by Deadsquiggles

Nice cart mods. I like the idea of the outlets on the cart with just the single 30ft power cord to plug in. Are there any worries of drawing too many amps and tripping a breaker with that setup if you have your plasma cutter and 252 on at the same time?
Reply:The post disappeared, but somebody asked for a press brake video:This isn't a part for this cart. And it is one of my employees, not me. But here is my press brake bending 1/4" stainless 304. We are working off the end of the brake so we can form a tricky little part. It is an Accurpress 7606. 6ft bed and 60 tons. It's got Accurpress' basic CNC control so we can control back gauge location and bend depth. Basically to set the machine we load the dies and figure out how far down the punch goes to make the desired angle. Get it dialed in and you can make very precise and repeatable bends. It is relatively easy to make very closely fitting parts. I design everything in Solidworks on the computer and have my flat parts laser cut. By carefully bending them I have almost no gaps to fill.
Reply:Great shot of the plug wiring. I was looking to do the same thing for my Mig/ Tig cart. I was unsure of how to do the wiring for the boxes. I too will only be running 1 machine at a time but switching those plugs is a pia. Thanks. Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
Reply:

Originally Posted by billwood437

Great shot of the plug wiring. I was looking to do the same thing for my Mig/ Tig cart. I was unsure of how to do the wiring for the boxes. I too will only be running 1 machine at a time but switching those plugs is a pia.
Reply:Got some drawers designed and cut. To make room for the side hood on the welder to open, the drawer stack slides out the side. I have a drawer on top that has really tall front and back, which make up the sides for two drawers that slide out the front.

I always forget that forming pans on a press brake is a little tricky. Ended up scrapping one of the two bottom drawers by bending it wrong. So will try again next week. Hopefully this weekend I can sneak out to the shop and get the front opening drawer slides and one of the drawers installed.


Reply:Nice looking cart.

Originally Posted by kb0thn

I think there are wire nuts that can do three 6 AWG wires as well. But like I said, I dislike wire nuts. If I can't go with a compression fitting like this or a lug, I'll typically go right to big power distribution terminal blocks.
Reply:After a very busy summer at work, I am trying to get some personal projects clogging my home shop out of the way. Yesterday morning and this morning before work, I "finished" the cart. I've have the formed drawers sitting for months. Just needed to weld them, add drawer slides, and assemble the whole thing.Welding the drawers. Just little welds along the seams. Don't need to over weld it.

Welding cheap Amazon drawer slides onto the side panels. Using the 123 blocks for spacing them 1" from bottom edge and 3" inside to inside spacing between.

Slides to drawers. No preparation. Just melt the zinc plated steel drawer slide into the 304SS drawer. Good enough. Had a fan blowing at my head to keep the nasty zinc smell of death away.


Reply:Plenty of weld. We aren't building a rocket ship here.

Attached into cross slides.

Drawers installed.


Reply:Front opening drawers for frequently accessed stuff.

Whole chest of drawers slides to the right so the panel on the welder can be opened.

Drawer on top sized to fit two rolls of wire.

On to the next project!
Reply:That's very cool and very nicely done. I think I will copy the start of your idea - the tube frame loop at high level with the cable holders. I'm sick of wrapping up MIG cables and that way I'd get away with 2 loose loops for the gun, and keep it away from the rest of the machine (currently I drape the cables around the front of the machine and it really annoys me)Murphy's Golden Rule: Whoever has the gold, makes the rules.
Reply:Great looking cart, on mine I have both Mig and Tig wired into a box with one cable going to the wall plug.  I would have put the welder on the top, mine the Tig is on top easier to see and adjust setting. Different strokes thing.

DIY CNC Plasma table USB BOB Price THCHypertherm 65Everlast PowerTig 255 EXTMiler 180 Mig13" metal latheMill/ DrillECT, ECT,
Reply:Looks good.  I’m sure it is nice having a break to bend the drawers.  Did you CNC plasma cut out the sheets?Lincoln, ESAB, Thermal Dynamics, Victor, Miller, Dewalt, Makita, Kalamzoo.  Hand tools, power tools, welding and cutting tools.
Reply:

Originally Posted by Munkul

(currently I drape the cables around the front of the machine and it really annoys me)
Reply:Not to be negative, but that is starting to look top heavy/tippy?Miller Multimatic 255
Reply:

Originally Posted by Louie1961

Not to be negative, but that is starting to look top heavy/tippy?
Reply:

Originally Posted by N2 Welding

Looks good.  I’m sure it is nice having a break to bend the drawers.  Did you CNC plasma cut out the sheets?
Reply:

Originally Posted by acourtjester

Great looking cart, on mine I have both Mig and Tig wired into a box with one cable going to the wall plug.  I would have put the welder on the top, mine the Tig is on top easier to see and adjust setting. Different strokes thing.