Welding Tips and Tricks

First post and first MIG project. So, there's some lousy welds and some warping. But, overall I think it turned out ok. I wanted to have a permanent place for my chop saw so I didn't have to crouch on the floor or drag out the saw horses. So, here it is. I made the plate under the saw adjustable in case I end up getting a different saw down the road. I used nutserts to make the elevation variable in order to keep everything level.

Looks nice, welcome to the forum.

I have a different approach to miter saw stands. I haven't found a commercially available one that works for me. They are too fiddly, too heave and don't have any space for tools and cut lists without getting in the way of cutting. I have a variety of miter saws and limited space to store stands for each one of them. I also do a variety of tasks from classic wood trim to cabinets which require different saw setups. My solution are 60" x 20" tables on card table legs. These tables are light to move and can also be used for other purposes such as outfeed tables and light work benches. They are all the same height and made of wood so you can gang them up and even screw them together if you want. When I use them with a miter saw I make flanking wings out of plywood U channels. I make them in various lengths, widths and height off the deck to suit the tasks I do and particular saw that I'm using. They fasten to plywood cleats screwed to the table.

A setup with 2 4' lengths is self supporting on the table. For longer lengths I have stands made up out of 1 1/2" black pipe with a 4" long 4x4 angle iron bracket drilled to accept screws welded on the end. I slide this pipe assembly over a scaffold screw jack and I have an adjustable leg for my saw bench. I also have rolling carts for the bigger jobs. I've disassembled them because I don't do the big jobs any more. I built a really big one (4' x 12') for a long term care hospital that had miles or wooden base and handrails in the corridors. I loaded up material, installed a vise and rolled it down the corridors then onto the elevator for the next floor. The casters locked and it was heavy so it made a work bench for the 3 carpenters on this task to do sub assemblies while still leaving the saw open.