Welding cart advice?

[Elantramax1]

Hi all. I may eventually build my own Welding Cart. As I haven't found one yet that is decent. After thinking about it a bit, I am not sure Where to begin? One of my ideas involved using Angle Iron (1/8") for the frame. 16 gauge sheet metal for the shelves, Top deck. 6" wheel for the rear. Swivel Casters for the front. When I have some time I'll have to sit down and take measurements.

Unless you guys/gals think that is a bit of "Overkill"?

Thanks
Elantramax1

[DaveO]

Sounds good to me! Fortunately there are tons of cart ideas posted here and on other welding sites, so you can browse to see the range of ideas that others built- there may be things you haven't thought of, or problems you can avoid. Some guys have started with a store-bought model and modified from there, others have created on the fly. Multiple welders? Build in multiple shelves. Confined shop space? Use swivels on all four legs to get a zero turn radius. Are you planning to carry a shielding gas bottle, in the future?

[Elantramax1]

I am starting to gather the pieces. Just ordered a set of 4" casters (2 Rigid, 2 Swivel) with Rubber wheels. Rated for 154 Pounds. Should be strong enough??

[Elantramax1]

HD lied. It is actually 18 gauge. Too thin for what I need. I'm going to return it. I may just use my original idea of 16 Gauge shelves. Solid pieces

[Elantramax1]

This may sound stupid, Does anyone know the Weight of a 40Cfh argon tank(Full)?

Thanks

[Rambozo]

This may sound stupid, Does anyone know the Weight of a 40Cfh argon tank(Full)?

Thanks

A steel cylinder is about 24 pounds (28).

[Elantramax1]

Met the Beave. And this is where we are in the Project.
Thanks Matt.

[The_Beave]

You're welcome, Chris! I hope I was useful.

[Elantramax1]

I have a few of them. Different Grits. Found some Dewalt brand 120 at Amazon. Ordered them back awhile ago. I may order more.

This project has Almost used a 2 Pound roll of .030" Lincoln L56. There might be 1/4 to 1/2 Pound leftover. Only about 300 PSI in the tank. Put some Rustoleum primer on it to protect it. I may not be able to paint it. Starting to get a little chilly out. And rain most of the week. Besides, Haven't decided on a color yet. Maybe a Semi-Gloss Black or Medium Gray. To help hide some of the imperfections.

[Rivets]

......Besides, Haven't decided on a color yet. Maybe a Semi-Gloss Black or Medium Gray. To help hide some of the imperfections.

Maybe Everlast Green?

Just make sure it's not Red or Blue.

rivets

[Elantramax1]

Couldn't wait to start

[Elantramax1]

Here is my idea.

Cut two 30" long pieces and 3 10" long pieces for the base. The Shelf and Top will be 2 18" Long pieces and 2 10" long pieces each. Using 4, 1" Sq. for the Legs. Welded to the top of the Base. Forming the corners of the Shelves. Maybe 20" High or so. And weld the Sheet metal to the bottom of the frames. So that the Shelves have a lip around them so things don't fall out. Possibly using 16 Gauge. Under the Cylinder, 3/16" Plate. How does this sound?

Thanks

[Rambozo]

Sounds about right, but you can get by with 14ga. plate under your cylinder. Way easier to cut and over that span will hold several hundred pounds. The devil is in the details, especially with tubing. So work out where you will use mitered joints and where you want butt joints, so that any tube openings can do dual duty for something or be capped or covered. Some creative carts have the tube legs open for handy rod storage, but that doesn't really apply for a MIG cart. Be sure to provide a place to store your cables and having consumable storage is a big plus. Expanded metal shelves are nice in that they promote great airflow for cooling and don't catch crud. Of course then you can't put small items like contact tips on them, but depending on your design you might have a small drawer for those things or keep them in a nice divided plastic box.
Everyone has a different idea of what is their perfect cart. Someone on this forum made one of the most unique ones I've seen.

[Elantramax1]

Thanks. Where can I find Caps for the ends of the tubes?

As far as the Cylinder, I am not using a big one. Just a 40Cf. The space would be 9"x10" (Inside) I can just get a steel bar. Weld it to the "Legs". A couple of steel Eye hooks bolted through them.

Need to make a handle.

HD doesn't stock much of the 1" Sq 1/16" tubing locally. It will take several trips.

[Rambozo]

Thanks. Where can I find Caps for the ends of the tubes?

As far as the Cylinder, I am not using a big one. Just a 40Cf. The space would be 9"x10" (Inside) I can just get a steel bar. Weld it to the "Legs". A couple of steel Eye hooks bolted through them.

Need to make a handle.

HD doesn't stock much of the 1" Sq 1/16" tubing locally. It will take several trips.

Like I said, find a real steel yard. You can get a 20' length for what a box store like TSC or HD will charge you for a 4' piece. Plus the steel will be of a better quality and not all bent up. If you plan your joints right, you can virtually eliminate having to cap tubing. You can cut steel to weld caps on, or there are plastic press in caps for the common sizes of tubing. An industrial hardware store will have them, or you can get them online. Also many steel suppliers will have them. You can also get ones like THIS that have a caster socket built in, so you can pop in a stem type caster, no muss, no fuss.
Here is an example of a welded caps, for when you have a non standard size or an angle cut.

[Elantramax1]

Like I said, find a real steel yard. You can get a 20' length for what a box store like TSC or HD will charge you for a 4' piece. Plus the steel will be of a better quality and not all bent up. If you plan your joints right, you can virtually eliminate having to cap tubing. You can cut steel to weld caps on, or there are plastic press in caps for the common sizes of tubing. An industrial hardware store will have them, or you can get them online. Also many steel suppliers will have them. You can also get ones like THIS that have a caster socket built in, so you can pop in a stem type caster, no muss, no fuss.
Here is an example of a welded caps, for when you have a non standard size or an angle cut.

I know. Most of the places have "Banker hours". And I don't have a truck. Just a Hyundai Elantra coupe. I know of one place, Trenton Sheet Metal. Sold me a 10" Square 1/4" Steel for $25 + Tax. Sears Hardware wanted $45 for 1 Square Ft. piece. With a Chop Saw I can get better joints than by hand. Need to save some money towards that.

[Elantramax1]

I started welding on the Middle Shelf. Figured it would be easier to do this now. Tried doing a Spot Weld. I had the Blue spots on the backside of the Shelf. But not in the Tubing underneath. Just doing a Filet on the outside. Maybe on the inside as well when I am done.

[Rambozo]

I started welding on the Middle Shelf. Figured it would be easier to do this now. Tried doing a Spot Weld. I had the Blue spots on the backside of the Shelf. But not in the Tubing underneath. Just doing a Filet on the outside. Maybe on the inside as well when I am done.

What you wanted was a rosette weld. They end up as an almost invisible weld for sheet metal MIG after a little touch with a flap disc.

[Elantramax1]

Thanks again Matt!! I see I have a bit more to learn. Guess I know what I am doing next weekend.

I am thinking that when I make the Top, I should use a Third bar. In the middle to help support the weight of the welder. I have enough scrap to make one more. What do you think?

Thanks
Elantramax1

[Elantramax1]

Primed. Waiting for it to dry. Its upside down at the moment. I did get two cans of RustOleum Sail Blue. I could have gotten Magic (I think the name was) brand JD/ Sfety Green. But figured that would be too much Green on Green. Just need to drill the holes for the Safety Chain.