Welding Tips and Tricks

Hello:

Like most here, spent many hours watching Jody's tips, so finally decided to take the time and join up....

Really started welding at a very young age, growing up on a farm a long time ago, even took a welding Vo-Tech course, but my real job was the military.

Severely wounded in Iraq with spinal cord and head injuries that damaged my sight an motor skills, so learning to weld all over again. Have trouble with pain, so welding is very soothing and distracting.

Just moved to a new location with a new shop, really just an open horse barn for now, but have big plans on coverting it into a wheechair centric metal, wood, and automotive shop. It's about 42' x 65' so have the room, only limited by my limited budget and imagination

Warm regards to all,
Andy

Welcome, Andy!

Welding can be relaxing and frustrating at the same time, but it is addictive.

You'll find a few members here who work from wheelchairs for various reasons, and I'm sure they'll be happy to share what has and has not worked in their own shops, and be equally interested in what you find as you set up your shop.

Steve S

Thanks Steve:

Lucky in the fact that I'm not confined to my wheelchair at this point in time, but it's been part of my lifefor the last 8 years....standing up" wears on me quickly, and I'm certainly a fall hazard, plus a wheelchair is required for any distance, which amounts to about 90% of the time.

Old shop was about 1/3 the size of my new area so my concept(s) there required a multi-phasic design/build process, wheelchair centric, but for a multifunctional space many invivo vs in vitro experiences over the past 10 years, so I've learned much. Spent a lot of time thinking about tool/user interface(s), the user "arc of use", the xyz, both standing and sitting, of each tool, and what happens when the tool and/or user position(s) is changed.....

The above is convoluted and hard to follow, so suffice it to say--have a complete understanding of the problem, with a very limited understanding of the solution.....moreover, my budget and intelligence has even greater limitations

That's why I'm here, to steal the intellectual properties of others, because I have none of my own


Andy

Andy...Thanks for your service and welcome! I am always impressed by people with handicaps who press on and are determined to live when people with no real impairments go on disability to get a free ride. Its awesome to see you carry the torch of PRIDE when so many people have lost it. I have to say that Jody attracts the best people to this site.

Welcome to the forum and thank you for your service.

Tubal wrote:Thanks Steve:

Lucky in the fact that I'm not confined to my wheelchair at this point in time, but it's been part of my lifefor the last 8 years....standing up" wears on me quickly, and I'm certainly a fall hazard, plus a wheelchair is required for any distance, which amounts to about 90% of the time.

Old shop was about 1/3 the size of my new area so my concept(s) there required a multi-phasic design/build process, wheelchair centric, but for a multifunctional space many invivo vs in vitro experiences over the past 10 years, so I've learned much. Spent a lot of time thinking about tool/user interface(s), the user "arc of use", the xyz, both standing and sitting, of each tool, and what happens when the tool and/or user position(s) is changed.....

The above is convoluted and hard to follow, so suffice it to say--have a complete understanding of the problem, with a very limited understanding of the solution.....moreover, my budget and intelligence has even greater limitations

That's why I'm here, to steal the intellectual properties of others, because I have none of my own


Andy

You're welcome. You are completely welcome in our community.

Over time you'll meet the people I suggested, who can share what they can of your experience, and how it relates to their lives.

Steve S

Andy,
Welcome to the family. Thank you for your service. I am interested on what you have planned for your shop. We ALL will be here to help with planning and ideas in any way we can.
-Jonathan

Appreciate the "thanks for service" from everyone--had 19 years 6 mos and 22 days of active duty when retired, 28 years of total service, enlisted in the Reserves prior to college....so the military was my life for a long time.

Jonathan:

Will be talking about shop design a lot, need concepts from anyone with a good idea, and real world solutions from others that have overcome limitations...however the funds are not avalible at the moment to work on the shop.

Sold our old house because it is in a Federal flood zone and we could not use a grant we have access to from the VA to help build a handicap bedroom and bath...long frustrating story.

Anyway we found an old stone farmhouse to restore, and that's sort of a dream come true for my wife, she is my fulltime caregiver, so she needs a few "dreams come true" sort of thing.

Was able to set up a 300 amp service to the main house and run the cables for a sub panel to the new shop out of the current budget...

My current situation has also availed a new to me trailer design.

Have an old Bronco that has a wheelchair lift in the back so it's often used to lift a welder and haul it to wherever I need it....causes some issues, in that welder in back, leaves no room for power wheerchair, and it takes time and effort to load and unload tools ect..

So got me to thinking, what if I had a trailer designed to haul my Idealarc and oxy/acet set up with swing out tool boxs and fold down work tables on the side, built very low to the ground, and with room to haul a power wheelchair in the back?

Sort of a portable shop....maybe even subdivided with woodworking on one side and metal on the other? Does not even have to be road worthy, and don't think it really needs to be all that big, if designed right of course.

Hope the concept is explained well enough to get a mental picture? I'm sure someone has already done a design/build on this type of concept, have just not come accross one yet in my research....

Anyway, I think this rolling shop concept can be done with limited funds, it would help if I could find a donor trailer, have been searching Craiglist daily, just not found anything cheap enough yet.

Know there are a lot of clever individuals here so I will be reaching out for ideas....

Thanks again,
Andy

welcome to the forum
glad to have you as an active member
craig