Welding Tips and Tricks

A while back I bought a warehouse cart to repurpose into a welding cart for my MIG and TIG machines.


I cut it into pieces so it was easier to store till I got at it.


Tonight I started by cutting the shelves apart so I could preserve the rounded corners. I then welded the narrowed parts back together.
Went pretty well.




17 volts
230 IPM
.024 wire.


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thats a tall weld.
i would be inclined to increase volts a bit and pick up the travel speed.
try and get a flatter weld so you don't have so much to grind off.

tweake wrote:thats a tall weld.
i would be inclined to increase volts a bit and pick up the travel speed.
try and get a flatter weld so you don't have so much to grind off.

Thanks @tweake I’ll try that.


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Major progress on the cart tonight.
Put the upright and shelves on the base.


Cut up the remaining parts of the original cart to make the supports and upper side guards/handles.


Just need some racing slicks!

This is the most involved project I’ve designed and welded. Very happy with how it’s turning out.

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You're making strides now David! In looking at those pictures, I'd like to ask: what kind of material is this?

av8or1 wrote:You're making strides now David! In looking at those pictures, I'd like to ask: what kind of material is this?

Thanks! I’m having a lot of fun.
It’s 1” x 1/16” wall square tubing.


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DavidR8 wrote:Thanks! I’m having a lot of fun.
It’s 1” x 1/16” wall square tubing.

And what is the material? Good ol' carbon steel? It looks too clean and shiny for that. What process are you using? I seem to recall mention in your thread of MIG, but it wasn't clear (to me).

Keep up the work!

av8or1 wrote:

DavidR8 wrote:Thanks! I’m having a lot of fun.
It’s 1” x 1/16” wall square tubing.

And what is the material? Good ol' carbon steel? It looks too clean and shiny for that. What process are you using? I seem to recall mention in your thread of MIG, but it wasn't clear (to me).

Keep up the work!

Whoops! Yes it’s run of the mill carbon steel that’s been zinc plated.
I’m using my Millermatic 130 to stick it all together.
Got some very helpful pointers from the good people here. Took my beads from shameful to not embarrassing.


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Minor progress tonight.
Cut up more of the original cart.
Took a length of 1x3 from the base and used it as a crossmember to support the tank shelf.
Used some of the sheet metal and made a floor for the tanks.


Cut some of the ‘wire’ mesh (it’s 3/16” thick) and filled in the back of the top shelf.



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DavidR8 wrote:Whoops! Yes it’s run of the mill carbon steel that’s been zinc plated.
I’m using my Millermatic 130 to stick it all together.
Got some very helpful pointers from the good people here. Took my beads from shameful to not embarrassing.

Ah ok, well I hope you're grinding off the zinc prior to welding it.

Looks like it's coming together...details though: what are the dimensions? How long did you make the rear shelf to hold the tank(s)? How many tanks are you planning for this cart? What sized tank(s)?

av8or1 wrote:

DavidR8 wrote:Whoops! Yes it’s run of the mill carbon steel that’s been zinc plated.
I’m using my Millermatic 130 to stick it all together.
Got some very helpful pointers from the good people here. Took my beads from shameful to not embarrassing.

Ah ok, well I hope you're grinding off the zinc prior to welding it.

Looks like it's coming together...details though: what are the dimensions? How long did you make the rear shelf to hold the tank(s)? How many tanks are you planning for this cart? What sized tank(s)?

Oh yes, zinc is definitely being ground off

I’m using two 110 cu ft tanks, one is argon for the TIG, the other is C25 for the MIG. They are 7.5” in diameter, or 15” together. I made the cart 18” wide to allow for tank hold down brackets.
My TIG is 22” deep so I made the top shelf 24” deep.
The MIG is smaller at 19” deep.
The base is 18” x 30”, a bit of a compromise as I wanted to use the material I had on hand.

I’m having second thoughts about the space under the lower shelf though.
Right now the TIG shelf is the same height as my welding table. When I put casters on it it will be another ~5” taller.
So I might take a few inches of the bottom of the upright so I can lower it a bit.
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Just about finished the cart.
Was given some awesome tank straps so didn’t have to use ratchet straps.
All loaded up. Still need to add the drawer, cable hangers and some rod holders.








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Awesome job, David. Thanks for sharing the build.
gramps

BillE.Dee wrote:Awesome job, David. Thanks for sharing the build.
gramps

Thanks Gramps, I really appreciate that!


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Glad to see it come together David!

av8or1 wrote:Glad to see it come together David!

Thanks, it was fun to design and create.


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