Welding Tips and Tricks

Now that I have two machines and two bottles, I really need a new welding cart. AND I wanted something with larger wheels that would roll over cables and cracks alot easier, part of my driveway is layed with brick and morter, so the small casters on my old cart were a nightmare

Anyway, the top is 26x36" 1/4" steel, the tubing is mostly 1.25" square tubing 1/8" wall, and a bit of flat bar and angle iron. Good thing I made the casters bolt on, after I loaded it up with weight, I found that the pneumatic casters I had didn't really work so well, so I switched them out for some larger semi-soft solid rubber wheels. And compared to my old cart, since this one is considerably wider, I wanted to also make it taller, so that working on things while standing up, I'm not stooping over all the time. And if I want to sit down, I have a stool that's high enough to sit down and still work on the same height table.

Drawers and places to hold things are a must, my garage is small, and my hope is to keep everything welding and grinding related on the cart. And to make matters worse, my garage is kind of full right now, with stuff that normally isn't in there. Parts for other people's vehicles and projects that we haven't had time to finish and clear out of there, it's getting tight!

It's mostly finished now, but here's the progression. Now, I'm just going to use it for a few weeks and see if there's anything I need to add or modify, once I'm fairly happy with it, I'll remove everything and paint it.

Tungsten grinder on the side, flashlight holder, angle grinder holders, power strip, and other stuff. I debated on putting my bench grinder and small bandsaw mounted to the side of the cart, but I figured they would probably just get in the way more than anything, and they would take up my valuable table top realestate. (not to mention making all kinds of metal dust all over the cart!) So, they will be mounted on a work bench or stand elsewhere.

Looks awesome! I like it a lot.

Nice looking cart , really like the casters too !
Scot

real nice space saver. I'm always looking to at least a two-for out of
what i build and you just trumped any idea i have turned into a shop fixture.
great job, good planing.

motox wrote:real nice space saver. I'm always looking to at least a two-for out of
what i build and you just trumped any idea i have turned into a shop fixture.
great job, good planing.

Thanks

I can't take credit for most of the ideas, they are all pretty simple, but periodically have been looking around on the web to see what other folks did on their carts, and made mental notes of what I liked and what I didn't like about other carts. That, combined with what I learned on my first smaller cart (like the casters being to small, and welded on!) this was the result

The one thing I did wrong, and I didn't realize it until I had the frame already made, is that I originally intended to have the drawers up higher, and stacked all on one side (there's another set of 2 drawers on the opposite side). But then I realized with them right up against the top, I wouldn't be able to get any clamps in very far, so no long clamps. So... I dropped them down a bit and moved the other ones to the other side. Fortunately the cart was just wide enough to fit both sets of drawers without having them stick out So, it didn't end up all bad, but now when the cart is pushed up against a wall, I won't have simple access to the other drawers. So I'm just going to keep things in those other drawers that I really don't use all that often.

You like that 20v 4.5" cut-off saw?
I've got two of the 18v ones and thinking of switching over to all 20v tools?
You like it good?
Quality, battery life and bog down power?

~John

AKweldshop wrote:You like that 20v 4.5" cut-off saw?
I've got two of the 18v ones and thinking of switching over to all 20v tools?
You like it good?
Quality, battery life and bog down power?

~John

The dewalt (yellow) angle grinder? Yes, I do like it! It's not as powerful as my corded (Makita I think? It's a green color) angle grinder, but the dewalt works well for prepping metal. If I need to really bear down and grind away some material, then I whip out the corded grinder. Under a hard load, the corded grinder definitely can keep faster RPM and fling more sparks and remove more metal. So if I know I need to remove alot of material, I grab the corded grinder. But if I just need to prep some fresh cuts for welding, the battery grinder is nice, no cord to worry about.

I cannot compare it to 18v dewalts, since most of what I have is 20v. I have a drill, an impact, and this grinder that all share the same battery. I have 2 batteries and 1 charger. The only 18v I have is an old drill from my father's garage, and the battery is so old and well used that it doesn't hold a charge very well (which is why I stepped up to the 20v batteries, they don't cost much different, and I needed more battery tools anyway, so might as well switch!) I still do use the 18v drill (as you can tell, it's on top of the cart in the last photo there!) But only for light drilling, heavy drilling I pull the fresh 20v battery drill, or preferably the bigger 1.5hp drill press. Looove the drill press

Even though the corded grinder is more powerful, I find myself using the battery powered grinder quite often. When I just need a little edge or burr broken here, or a bit of mill scale removed here or there, or when I need to run out to a buddies truck at the end of the driveway and cut something real quick. I initially got it thinking I would just bring it along on offroading trips incase something needed to be cut for a trail repair, or to just make some cool sparks at night but I find that I use it quite a lot in the garage.


I have recently been using sanding discs (with a semi-flexible backing pad) instead of hard grinding discs or flap discs. The flap discs are nice, but they are not cheap. I can get a stack of sanding discs for cheap. I keep the battery powered grinder on hand with a sanding disc (usually a fairly coarse grit) for quick and light work. And I keep either a flap disc or a grinding disc on the corded grinder for more heavier removal.

The bettery dewalt grinder is definitely longer and heavier than my corded grinder, but I don't mind it. It's still more handy. And oddly enough, it spins down alot quicker, so I don't have to wait as long before I can set it down. Not sure why that is, but it is.

Thanks for the reply.
I'm pretty much done with 18v.
I bought two brand new battery's last year, and maybe 20 charges a piece since then, and there not holding a charge long.


I'm loving 20v.
I've got the 1/2" drill, the 1/4" impact driver, two sawzalls, and 6 battery's.

Definetly gonna be buying the 1/2" impact wrench, and probably the 4.5" grinder.


Thanks mate.

~John

AKweldshop wrote:Thanks for the reply.
I'm pretty much done with 18v.
I bought two brand new battery's last year, and maybe 20 charges a piece since then, and there not holding a charge long.


I'm loving 20v.
I've got the 1/2" drill, the 1/4" impact driver, two sawzalls, and 6 battery's.

Definetly gonna be buying the 1/2" impact wrench, and probably the 4.5" grinder.


Thanks mate.

~John

I use the 1/2" impact quite alot. It's not the larger impact, but the smaller one. It still has power enough to bust off lug nuts, and even suspension and steering nuts. That's powerful enough for me! And it's compact enough to actually be able to use it under a vehicle quite often.

two sawzalls and 6 batteries, sounds like you're gearing up for war.

I like this cart...