McClean: i think you know i'm liking your stand a lot so do you have any before pictures. what did you use for the base and the back? also for the trailer hitch type hook up what size and gauge or thickness of tubing did you use. did you drill the holes in the tubing for the pull pins and with what bit and tool? did you do the welding yourself and what does your welding set up look like because i'm getting close to buying some good welding equipment and start welding myself?
thanks for sharing all the information on your cool stand with me (us).
Thanks! I’m pretty terrible about taking in-process pics, but I will try to answer your questions.
I attached a pic of the base in-work. It was built out of 2”x2”x1/4” angle and the plate is 1/8” hot roll sheet. I could have used thicker/beefier material for all of it, but this is what I had in the garage and the 1/8” allowed me to use the dimple dies too.
The receiver assemblies are constructed from receiver tubing and 2” square tube. The primary receiver is part of a receiver tube I purchased on amazon that was left over from my bench receiver- brand was “Curtis”, I believe. It was relatively expensive so I tried to find a cheaper option for the bottom 3, but after calling the local trailer fab shops and specialty tube resources and striking out, I opted to save a few bucks over amazon and get the Harbor Freight receiver tube. I would NOT recommend this material to anyone!! I ended up using it, but it is not real receiver tubing! It still has a weld seam, it’s just oversized and sloppy enough that 2” tube fits. And it’s powdercoated which is a pain to remove if you plan to weld to it.
The holes were drilled in my drill press. Nothing fancy here, pilot hole followed up with a 5/8” HSS bit.
I did all the welding with my Miller 180. .030 wire with shielding gas. It is a great machine for this kinda stuff.
Also while we’re diving into the details, I attached a picture of the solution I came up with for feet. Initially, I wanted some adjustable feet for this stand. But after pricing them out, I decided to try and come up with a homebrew solution. A quick trip to Home Depot and I found some door stops and ¼” hardware that looked like they would fit the bill. I currently have them all bottomed out so the stand is not level, but it is super solid and that’s all I really care about. With some longer hardware, they could be adjusted to level if needed.
Looks great!
But, how are you going to keep the tools below clean when using the grinder?
Capt. Chrysler
Hey Capt, that is a really good point, but that was a sacrifice I had to make. I would have liked to add a sheetmetal enclosure for the bottom section, but that would have really limited the attachments I could have stored there. I guess it’s just going to have to get a good vacuum/blow off every once in a while.
