Welding Tips and Tricks

I am building a cart for 2 MIG welders.......anyone have any ieas or photos they could post ???

Have no ideas ... never tried it ... but it sounds like fun ... U can do it! GO FOR IT!!!

not too fancy but here is what I did...

Actually, I drew up a nice project for a mig cart - made of wood! I've been a woodworker for about 41 years and got tired of paying alot of money for simple welding I neede done. So I took welding at a community college and got my cert. I said "Why not"? There is no danger of sparks ingniting this, for the cart is set back far enough away. It also allows me to add drawers on the bottom for tools, wire, and whatever. When I suggested the idea to the woodworking forum, they freaked! "You can't do that! Mig carts are supposed to be metal". In any case, I already bought the wood and have the plans. If you interested, I'll post it. By the way, the picture of that red one is really nice.

Nothing all all wrong with a wooden cart.

Hardwoods are harder to ignite, and look better stained and/or clear-coated, and there are a number of readily available fire-retardant penetrants and paints available for added security.

I'd avoid unfinished softwoods, though. Spatter can fly a long way and stay above the kindling point for a surprisingly long time.

Anyone who takes a serious look around their shop will be surprised by the number of flammable things within range of weld spatter, cutting spray, and grinding sparks.

OSHA regulations for construction require the designated firewatch to remain on duty for 30 minutes after all hot work is completed. It's a good idea, no matter how "fireproof" your shop seems to be, to spend some cleanup and relax time there after you've finished. Of course there should be an ABC fire extingusher present, and if you weld magnesium or other metals capable of self-sustaining cumbustion, you'll need the appropriate extinguisher (Type E, if I recall), as water and ABC's might as well be gasoline for a metal fire.

My 4 cents (started as two, but my mind wandered ).

Steve

Otto, thanks for the kind words.

I wanted to add my 2 cents on using flame retardant penetrants on wood for welding because I use them quite a bit and have found one that works exceptionally well. I've always plywood or particle board sheets for welding tables for many reasons. They are easy to setup and take down and they can be configured in an infinite number of ways to meet any project. You can screw in locator blocks wherever you need them and you can cut holes for hard to reach places to weld. They are also lighter and cheaper than steel tops, you can set them up anywhere with some sawhorses.......blah,blah,blah...

But they are flamable, not in a sense that they will easily ignite into a roaring inferno, but a piece of slag can smoulder for a while on them. I use a product called Fiber-Shield that I'll spray right on the table with a Hudson Sprayer (any garden sprayer will work). The retardent is available from ......http://www.fiber-shield.com/

We also use this product to flame retard stage curtains. We've even used it to flame retard Metallicas onstage quick change booths for their concerts. If you've ever seen a Metallica show, there are plenty of explosions! If they trust the stuff...

That is so cool! I saw the web site you had posted and will call them tomorrow to see where I can get it. I can use MDF and treat that as well. Great info, thanks again.

MDF works great for welding tables. It's nice and flat and it absorbs the flame retardant pretty easily. I've used MDO before too,which is very nice for layouts,but it's a little more expensive, I believe.

Steve,

That makes sense! MDO should make for a nice, crisp pencil line that stays put much better than soapstone on a metal table. (Though there's a trick for that-- Hairspray!) I like the idea of being able to easily put a hole wherever you need it.

I'll bet the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store has it for way cheap, too!

Steve

There's even a Smooth Primed MDO that we used to use that worked really well for layouts, but we had to stopped buying it. One of our guys got a really bad rash after pushing it through the table saw. He was allergic to whatever was in the primer when it came out as dust from cutting. I've never seen anything like that before with any type of sheetgood I've ever used, not even the prefinished sheets that are sprayed with laquer.

I wasn't sure if I had posted a picture of my welding cart. Works great. Now I'm looking for an argon bottle. I think a friend of mine has an extra one he might let me have. It's all half lapped. Very strong. no nails.