StumpXJ's homebuilt Fabrication / Welding cart.

StumpXJ · Nov 30, 2009

Just figured I would post up my little project of the day. I owe the basic design to "JakeD". After seeing his design, I knew it would be ideal for my situation as well. I just wanted to have a nice sturdy welding cart, and a medium duty fabrication table. The basic layout is similar to Jake's, but I did my own little detail to work better for me. It's obviously not finished yet, but its what i was able to get done beofr the wife got home. I have everything to finish it, except for the top. I will get that soon.

You can see in the background my old welding cart.... I whipped it up real quick when we first moved here with some scrap angle iron I had. Its WAY underbuilt even for just a welding cart. With two welders, and a full size argon tank, the small frame and little casters are at the limit for sure!

I used 11 guage 1.5" square tubing for the main frame, 1" 11 gauge square tube for the acillary and cross supports, and 3/8 rod left over from another project for the push handles and clamp hangers. I also had a set of decently heavy duty casters that i have been saving for a project like this. Time will tell if they are strong enough, if not I will re-group.

~James

pipehack · Nov 30, 2009

Nice job!

Rando · Nov 30, 2009

lookin good

JakeD · Dec 1, 2009

Looks like it's going to have some nice improvements. I may have to add some stuff to mine!!

StumpXJ · Dec 1, 2009

Thanks Jake, its a nice design!

Threw some paint on today after finishing up a few little things, and grinding the top smooth so the top sheet will sit nice and flat. Got everything on it right now. I will see how it does, then add to it/change things as needed. It rolls WAY better than my old cart....

Still have to weld on the top and get some cylinder brackets for the back.

gc427 · Dec 1, 2009

Looking good! :thumbup:

What material are you planning to use for the top?

You might want to consider bolting the top on with countersunk allen bolts to avoid any warping and distortion.

Keep up the good work. :beer:

StumpXJ · Dec 1, 2009

Thanks! It will be 3/8 thick steel plate on top. Im not worried about warping, itll be fine.

jmh21586 · Dec 10, 2009

Stump.

I have the same lincoln welder as you. Is yours hooked up to gas or is it the hobart thats hooked to gas??

I don't have a gas conversion for mine yet. Does it make a diference??

back2class · Dec 11, 2009

jmh21586 said:
Stump.

I have the same lincoln welder as you. Is yours hooked up to gas or is it the hobart thats hooked to gas??

I don't have a gas conversion for mine yet. Does it make a diference??

Yeah, gas is nicer but having used both the flux core gets the job done fine. Unless I was welding every day indoors or doing very fine sheet metal work I see no need to switch back to gas.

jmh21586 · Dec 11, 2009

All my welding would be done indoors. Not like I weld everyday, but I'd like to have projects. I see the conversion kits are between $100-$175. But how much are the gas tanks to buy and fill??

e-tek · Dec 12, 2009

I just got a tank fro my MIG - $135 for a 3 yr lease and first fill, then $35 per fill.

I have to TOTALLY disagree that flux is anywhere near as good as gas tho! Gas is so much cleaner and smoother - no slag, no burn thru.

jmh21586 · Dec 13, 2009

How much are the tanks to buy. $135 for 3 years seems like a lot.

StumpXJ · Dec 14, 2009

jmh21586 said:
Stump.

I have the same lincoln welder as you. Is yours hooked up to gas or is it the hobart thats hooked to gas??

I don't have a gas conversion for mine yet. Does it make a diference??

The non Hobart welder is a little Century 155. Its 110 volt, and is flux core. I use it for 'portable' work as its easy to take just about any where with a 15 amp outlet and weld stuff.

Does gas make a difference? If you EVER switch to gas, you wont go back. Its night and day as far as how clean the welds are.

back2class said:
Yeah, gas is nicer but having used both the flux core gets the job done fine. Unless I was welding every day indoors or doing very fine sheet metal work I see no need to switch back to gas.

I wouldn't give up my argon MIG for anything. SOOO much nicer welds. The flux certainly has its place though.

jmh21586 said:
All my welding would be done indoors. Not like I weld everyday, but I'd like to have projects. I see the conversion kits are between $100-$175. But how much are the gas tanks to buy and fill??

My pops owns a hotrod fabircation shop and has an account with Praxxair. He has a bunch of empty bottles usually so, I snagged one. The bigger 300 size makes life a lot easier. I am on my second roll of ten pound wire and still have about a half a tank left. You just gotta remember to turn off the tank everytime you stop welding. I pay right at $85 bucks to swap out one of these big tanks, and it last me quite a while. I am not sure what the initial costs involved are.

e-tek said:
I just got a tank fro my MIG - $135 for a 3 yr lease and first fill, then $35 per fill.

I have to TOTALLY disagree that flux is anywhere near as good as gas tho! Gas is so much cleaner and smoother - no slag, no burn thru.

jmh21586 said:
How much are the tanks to buy. $135 for 3 years seems like a lot.

Depends on what size bottle you want. I have seen bottles go on craiglist for cheap. Then, onc eyou 'own' the bottle, you just pay whatever the swapout price is. Usually 30-40 bucks for the smaller bottles.

~James

StumpXJ · Mar 20, 2012

Just wanted to drag this thread back for a little update, a little over two years later. This little project has been the most useful thing I have ever built in my shop. I use it almost daily, and it has had a few changes to it, with the most recent being today. I was bored... so here ya go.

About 6 months ago I upgraded the old casters for some ball bearing units and it rolls MUCH better now. It was a little rough, especially since I got my TIG/Multiprocess machine and have extra tanks on the cart.

I did this about 9 months ago. I have a small, but fairly well equipped shop. Because space is at a premium, I have to do what i can to keep everything neat, so I actually have a place to work. I had all of these 'bench top' pieces of equipment that I was never able to mount permanently since I didnt want to hog up so much space for items I didnt use that often. Thanks to some great ideas on here, I went with the trailer hitch set-up, and used my welding/fab cart as a base since its heavy, stable, and still portable.

I basically just welded in a 2" receiver I picked up at Harbor Freight.

(forgive the first few crappy photos, I had some weird setting on my phone)

I made these platforms out of 1" shelving material, and bolted a 2" piece of tubing to the bottom side, and then mounted the device to it.

I then made a wall mounted rack in the corner of my shop to put all of these things when I wasnt using them.

Now on to today... At my last job (im a pipefitter/welder) which was ahuge project, we had a bunch of tools that were going to get thrown out because they had been 'modified', which is a big no-no as far as OSHA is concerned. Of those tools slated for the dumpster, was a ton of C-Clamps that had pieces of angle iron welded to the clamping face for use in holding pipe together. They let me take home a few of every size after begging them, So I wanted to try to cut off the angle and re-use the clamps since good clamps can get expensive. The portaband made short work of most of them, and now I have a nice collection of clamps to use in my personal shop. The problem was, I had no where to really put them. The are heavy when all together, so they usually ended up scattered across the shop instead of trying to hang them. I had some scrap tubing left over from another project and decided to just make a hanger on the welding cart, since thats where I usually use them anyway.

Here it is:

Plates cut out, I used 11 gauge here since its what I had and seems to work just fine.

I used some 1.5" .120 wall tubing for the cross piece since they are heavy.

And with the clamps in their new home.

I also had two extra sticks of 1" tubing left over, and decided to do a handrail/hanging rail around the perimiter of the table top. I put a small one on one side a few months ago, and have loved it.

Broke out the trusty old Go-Trikes bender I built years ago.

Tubing bent:

Made a stand off for the long corner:

all finished:

shawge · Mar 20, 2012

Wow! Very nice table!

Zick · Mar 20, 2012

That is a sweet setup!
I'm really liking your wall mount rack, that's a cool way to store them. :thumbup:

emeraldcoupe · Mar 20, 2012

nice build!

NUTTSGT · Mar 20, 2012

I like it, very well done.

WakonTonka · Mar 21, 2012

jmh21586 said:
Stump.

I have the same lincoln welder as you. Is yours hooked up to gas or is it the hobart thats hooked to gas??

I don't have a gas conversion for mine yet. Does it make a diference??

For me going MIG from Flux Core was a revelation. I have not gone back to Flux Core since. Now, I was a total beginner when I did this so ymmd and all that. But the thing is, when I switched to the gas my first beads were improved over the FC that came with the welder, come to think of it, I probably still have that wire :eyecrazy:

I have a Lincoln 220v MIG, it has been great, except when I cannot for some reason get the friction just right on the spool nut.

bugnout · Mar 21, 2012

Stump - you build nice things!

You have inspired me.

Macgyver_ga · Mar 21, 2012

Looks good Stump. Good to see another Expedition Portal (SES) member on here.

bp460 · Mar 21, 2012

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n257/topfuel443/IMG_20120320_123533.jpg

What kind of wheel do you have mounted on your belt/disc sander?

-Brad

willymakeit · Mar 21, 2012

Do you like the bender that you built? I am thinking of building one also. I have used the JD2 ect. that bolt to the floor but they take up a lot of room.
Nice cart.

dittle fart around · Mar 21, 2012

Great thread. Thanks for bumping it up front so I could find it.

WakonTonka · Mar 21, 2012

Stump, you have a great table setup there. Thanks for letting us see it.

I will be "Stump-ifying" my next welding table for sure!! I especially like the trailer hitch idea for heavy accessories, rock on.

I couldn't help but notice a set of wheels with wheel pants in one of your photos. Is that a large RC aircraft ??

StumpXJ · Mar 21, 2012

shawge said:
Wow! Very nice table!

Zick said:
That is a sweet setup!
I'm really liking your wall mount rack, that's a cool way to store them.

emeraldcoupe said:
nice build!

bugnout said:
Stump - you build nice things!

You have inspired me.

Thanks guys!

Macgyver_ga said:
Looks good Stump. Good to see another Expedition Portal (SES) member on here.

SEES rocks!

bp460 said:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n257/topfuel443/IMG_20120320_123533.jpg

What kind of wheel do you have mounted on your belt/disc sander?

-Brad

Its a 3M product that I use to create a satin finish on various things, they work very well. Its essentially a scotchbrite wheel. The one in the photo is almost completely worn down. I get them here, top of the page.

http://www.tarheelparts.com/cgi-bin/store/commerce.cgi?product=CommercialSupplies

willymakeit said:
Do you like the bender that you built? I am thinking of building one also. I have used the JD2 ect. that bolt to the floor but they take up a lot of room.
Nice cart.

Love my bender, my father and I built two of them 7-8 years ago, and we share dies. They ship easily in a flat rate box, and we were able to cut the cost down. The beauty of this bender is just what you said, it doesnt have to be mounted anywhere, and is very portable.

dittle fart around said:
Great thread. Thanks for bumping it up front so I could find it.

WakonTonka said:
Stump, you have a great table setup there. Thanks for letting us see it.

Thanks!

I will be "Stump-ifying" my next welding table for sure!! I especially like the trailer hitch idea for heavy accessories, rock on.

I couldn't help but notice a set of wheels with wheel pants in one of your photos. Is that a large RC aircraft ??

Yep, one of my hobbies. I race RC boats mainly, but do mess with cars and planes as well. That one is an 86" wingspan, using a 2.60 MVVS gasoline engine.

Here is a different picture, got a few more in the shop attic.

And a few of the boats.

zmotorsports · Mar 22, 2012

Great work Stump. It also looks like you have a nice workshop. Kind of reminds me of mine. Is it at your home? If so, attached to your house or detached?

Mike.

StumpXJ · Mar 23, 2012

Its detached, but not by much...

Thanks!!!

This is right when we bought the house, almost 3 years ago.

This is about a month ago. Love my shop...

zmotorsports · Mar 23, 2012

StumpXJ said:
Its detached, but not by much...

Thanks!!!

This is right when we bought the house, almost 3 years ago.

This is about a month ago. Love my shop...

Looks awesome! :thumbup:

I know what you mean, I love being in my shop working. It appears as though you are about as strapped for space as I am. What size is your shop? Mine is 34'x34'. There are many times that I wish it was larger but for the most part I am happy with my home/shop.

My wife and I have talked a few times about selling and getting something with more property to build a larger shop and be able to park our coach and trailer in a covered garage but when I put a pencil to it I cannot justify it.

We paid our home off six years ago and are now able to put more money into our retirement plus have a few toys. I am not willing to sacrifice our retirement for a little more space and go back to a mortgage payment.

Another thing that I thought about was if I had more property it would be more to keep up as my wife and I age and then the expense of heating a larger shop would also continue to rise.

I like looking at the small modest home shops where people actually use them like yours. Keep up the good work and keep posting pictures.

Mike.

StumpXJ · Mar 23, 2012

Thanks Mike, your 34 x 34 would be awesome.... Mine is only 22x25. I have a lot of equipment/tools/stuff in there, but it all pretty much has to stay in place or else I cant get any work done. Thats about the only plus side to having a small shop, I HAVE to keep it clean. My wife insisted on living in the city, and my only requirement was to have a shop. We both kind of compromised, but pretty much got what we wanted. 8-10 miles further outside the 'perimeter' around Atlanta, and I could have had anything I wanted for what we paid for this place. But the wife is happy, and I can certainly live with it. My biggest complaint is that I have to play musical vehicles to get anything inside the shop. I have ZERO area for parking vehicles aside from in the street. I also have a pop-up camper that stays in the garage because I cant put it anywhere else (its illegal to park a camper of anysize on the street for more than one hour, according to my recently acquired $50 ticket from the city.) With 3 vehicles, a popup camper, and a very tiny driveway, it gets a little cramped. Would love just a small side yard.

zmotorsports · Mar 23, 2012

I hear ya. It sounds like I may have a little more room than you but not much. I have a driveway that goes around the side of my house (attached garage) to my shop. It is usually open to get vehicles in and out but when are getting ready to go with the coach and trailer hooked up it land locks my shop so I have to plan ahead on what I want in the shop before I hook the coach up to the trailer.

I agree keeping the shop clean is a MUST. There is a place for everything and everything must be in its place. I flat cannot work in clutter so I have to keep it clean and organized so I don't loose my mind and be able to work proficiently.

All in all I have seen some awesome work come out of some of the smallest, most modest shops at people's homes and yours is no exception.

I have a few friends that have gone in together and rented a small workshop but it would be such a PITA to not have my workshop in my backyard. I feel very blessed to have the setup I have even though it is not a half million dollar home/shop.

Mike.

BLACK DEATH · Mar 24, 2012

Nice cart build thread and nice shop. I need to build a similar setup for my welder, bandsaw etc.... Great job on the receiver hitch, thats a great idea for a vice, grinder etc....

KMinAF · Mar 25, 2012

I like your welds on the rod handles and hangers, what is your technique for getting such an even weld all the way around?

Demian · Mar 26, 2012

Great cart! Would you mind posting the approximate dimensions? I didn't see them listed anywhere in the thread.
thanks
Demian

StumpXJ · Mar 27, 2012

BLACK DEATH said:
Nice cart build thread and nice shop. I need to build a similar setup for my welder, bandsaw etc.... Great job on the receiver hitch, thats a great idea for a vice, grinder etc....

Thanks man, it works great for what i do!

KMinAF said:
I like your welds on the rod handles and hangers, what is your technique for getting such an even weld all the way around?

Just practice really... I am a pipefitter/welder. Pipe is no problem.

That was actually done with a MIG, and I was whipping/pausing to get the stacked effect. Its not really how a good MIG weld is supposed to be, but its a little more aesthetically pleasing. A proper MIG weld shouldn't look like stacked dimes, most home shop guys dont realize that. It should be just one continuous even string bead.

Demian said:
Great cart! Would you mind posting the approximate dimensions? I didn't see them listed anywhere in the thread.
thanks
Demian

Sure, the top and bottom main 'frame' sections are 40" x 25". The height of the top from the floor is 42". The top and bottom are staggered, making the overhang on top, and bottle shelf on the rear around 10" deep.

Thanks guys!

dkGoodrich dot com · Mar 28, 2012

Looks great, I really like your shop! Very well thought out cart.

Im into rc stuff as well, past few years seems to be 1/8th scale nitro truggys.

How do you like your Atlas lift? I just got an Atlas BP9000, so far I really like it, smooth as butter. Any advise or tips?

Thanks for your time
DK

StumpXJ · Mar 28, 2012

Love my Atlas, had it almost a year now with zero issues. I just keep the track areas lubed with white lithium grease, thats a bout it.

~ Stump

datsbooksleia · Jun 8, 2013

Here is mine. I used scrap metal and kept it simple

WakonTonka · Jun 8, 2013

datsbooksleia said:
Here is mine. I used scrap metal and kept it simple

That is a nice "Workstation"!!

May I suggest that you source a piece of material suitable to resist the hot sparks and disintegrating cutting wheel debris (will not help with THAT smell though :willy_nil

) and cover the welder. Clean machine, always a good thing!

datsbooksleia · Jun 8, 2013

WakonTonka said:
That is a nice "Workstation"!!

May I suggest that you source a piece of material suitable to resist the hot sparks and disintegrating cutting wheel debris (will not help with THAT smell though ) and cover the welder. Clean machine, always a good thing!

Great point!

StumpXJ's homebuilt Fabrication / Welding cart.

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