I am looking to build a cart for my new TIG welder and want to do something fun and cool looking with it. Show me the coolest welder carts you have built or seen plain but functional to wild.
my mig is on a simple cart made from a surplus shopping cart, the tig is stationary and parked under the bench.
Ditto. But once I modified everything there wasn't much left of it other than the base frame and castors!
Welder cart for TIG? Here'ys go the Daddy of them all: The Miller 330A/BP sitting on industrial 30gal watertank/cart with a 220v water pump. It's a tussle to get that big rig movin but once in motion it handles easily. I probably have about a 30' supply cable and the outlet is near the middle of the shop.
And at the opposite end of the spectrum is the fly-weight cart I made when learning to MIG. It uses lawnmower wheels & handle. The "lightening holes" lower ETs and improve gas milage.
The one that you (Vonmoldy) showed is nifty looking but personally I don't want a bench grinder anywhere close to my welder and it's magnetic field. I can see the bench grinder with a tig where you need to sharpen the Tungsten on a regular basis though. Mine is built on the frame of one of Those little convertible hand truck/cart things that I picked up at a yard sale years ago. It isn't fancy enough to show a photo of but it holds the welder, tank and my angle grinders. I still need to rig a drawer for the expendables and small tools that go with it.
I built this mig/stick/gas cart back when garage space was premium many years ago. The piggy back oxy cart "steers", but can be removed with one bolt, and a 50' cable allows stick welding outside the shop.
I made a nice, functional cart for my mig but when I saw one of these at Harbor Freight, I had to get one. Well made and functional. I especially like the compartment for my helmet. http://www.harborfreight.com/welding/welding-accessories/welding-cabinet-61705.html Gary
I have the factory accessory cart that was included when I bought my Lincoln MIG and my Lincoln Precision TIG 225 has casters on it from the factory. If you go to WWW.WELDINGTIPSANDTRICKS.COM, Jody Collier did a multi part video on building a slick cart and the video is in the archive.
In my shop floor space is such a premium that I need a real good reason for any machinery that is taking up space.. So when it came time to make a welder cart, it was made vertical to save that floor space. Tig, Mig, dent puller, and spot welder with timer.. Build thread.... http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=268777 .
I am about to build one that I can take to the nostalgia drags. At the big events I have been borrowing to one owned and built by Steve and Ernie McClain when I have been asked to do repairs but I want to put something together for the NDRL series and other races that run in the midwest. I am going to follow their example and put a nice thick top on the cart to clamp to and it will also have a vise. 10" o.d. pneumatic tires on one end and casters on the other along with handles on the castor end to get it over rough spots in the pits. I have an AHP inverter welder that will run on both 220 and 110 so I should be able to plug it into just about anyone's power source. The McClain's unit has a Miller Dynasty which is great but it needs 220 volts and at times I have had to borrow their generator as well. I have most of the pieces and will post photos once I get it together. Roo
No photos, but , my cart is a repurposed audio/visual department cart tossed out by a hospital I used to work at, so it was free. It has three shelves, all slanted towards the front, with a lip all around the shelves so things can't just slide off. It holds my 220 buzz box Craftsman arc welder, 220 mig, 110 mig, and since my oxy/acet is just a small setup, that fits too with the bottles lying flat. There's still room for electrodes/rods, wire, cables, helmet, and a box of tools. Only downside is it's kinda too big, but is on casters. A sheet covers everything up to keep dust off. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
Storing the bottles flat is very bad practice. The acetylene bottle should only be used vertical after being vertical for considerable time for the acetone to settle and remain in the bottom. Yes, I've transported, stored, and used 'em horizontal and gotten away with it but that was when I was still young enough to think I knew everything.... May be a cynical old fart now but I realize just how lucky I was to make it this far. Transport, store, and use 'em vertical! Ed
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