Guest rayjay Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 I sold my last welder back in 03 when I closed my shop. Found out I couldn't live without one so I got this Lincoln barely used and decided to build a nice cart for it. This is a great type of project for people learning to use their new mig welder. By the time you get done with the cart you will begin to have a good grasp of welding / fabricating fundamentals. I see way too many people that try and learn to weld by welding on their race car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HB280ZT Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 Yea, building a cart is a great way to learn to weld, or that is what the guy who taught me said and I enjoyed doing it and it did help me out. Something that I found to use as the starting point for a cart was a steel 2 drawer cabinet! That way you can store stuff in the cart where you really need it. Just a thought! HB280ZT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zV8 Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 I'm making a cart today, I'm using lawnmower wheels for the back, and 2 wheels from a shelf for the front...lol. I don't have the welder yet, but i'm just getting all the pieces cut and fabricated so all I have to do is come in and weld up the joints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsun40146 Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Little off topic but thats more or less how I learned to weld, only instead of making a cart I made a small cannon. HB280ZT is right doing is a great way to learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rayjay Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 One fabrication tip is to really think about the function of each part of the item you are welding. On my cart I initially was going to make it with the vertical leg of the angle iron up instead of down. This would have contained the welder without having to bolt it to the cart. I then realized that this would have kept me from being able to open up the wire spool access panel [ the whole left side of the case ]. Much easier to figure this out before you start welding. Other design highlights: The bottom of the shielding gas cylinder rests on a 1" sq tube crossmember. The 5/8" axle goes through this tube also. I welded some beads in the top and rear of the interior of this tube to make the axle a good fit. The round handle in the front is a left over piece of the axle shaft. The vise grip clamps are hanging on a piece of 1/4" rod welded across the verticals. In fabbing this cart I also used a steel carpenters square, a couple of different sized bubble levels and a plumb bob. Make precision a habit on anything you build and the problem solving skills you develop will serve you well on the critical stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zV8 Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 I'm using 2"x1" tube that came from a bunkbed we had in storage...lol. It's gonna be shorter and have the welder tilted back alittle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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