Three projects I put off for 8 years...

[243]

....a vise stand, bench grinder stand and welder cart. I have tripped over the bench grinder and vise or moved both hundreds of times over the last eight years and have used the little sheetmetal Miller cart that came with my MM135 for almost ten years. The MM135 is gone but a Lincoln 175T took its place on the cart, I just screwed some casters to the Stickmate packing crate nine years ago and rolled it around as needed.

I am looking for a house with a two-car garage and have spent back to back three day weekends purging, cleaning and organizing my single-car garage that is filled to the gills with the contents of a two-car garage.

It has been really nice, I have repaired a lot of items, made more room, found things I have misplaced, and this week decided to clean up the rusty 2x2 11ga tubing that has sat next to the garage for several years. It was leftover from a rotisserie but I always intended to use it for a welder cart.

This morning I went to the scrapyard and picked up wide flange beams for the posts, a brake drum and manhole covers for the bases and miscellaneous plate for tops. I also grabbed an old tool box that will provide the plate for the welder cart tops.

The welder cart frame is basically finished, I will fit the diamond plate, rubber over cast iron caster I saved from another project, cable hooks, bottle mounts, one Tri-mix for Mig and one Argon for scratch start Tig, the Stickmate will sit on the bottom, a small drawer above that and the Lincoln 175 will sit on top. I will coat it with Ospho and use it for a while until I finish the accessories.

The bench grinder stand using the brake drum.

The vise stand using the manhole cover, it's a little tall so I will cut about 4" off the wide flange before I mount the top plate.

I have several other projects but only one worth noting, I will make some major mods to my 36x48 welding table. I will lower the shelf under the top to fit two, Craftsman 10-drawer tool boxes that take up bench space and build a deep drawer below the tool box shelf to hold grinders and welding related tools.



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[Jswain]

I like the vice/grinder mounts, nice work! Get that welding cart finished up!

 

[jeff000]

Does a vice stand need to have any significant weight or leveraging abilities?
I was thinking of making one very similar to yours (but not with a cool man hole cover) but then got concerned with it not being sturdy enough to hold something I was cutting or hammering or whatever else in the vice.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I hope that vise isn't outside when the sewer crews come around to replace it.


On second thought, it might be funny to have a picture taken with the manhole cover in place (in the street) with the vise mounted to it.


I'll give you an "A" for ingenuity on the man hole cover.

 

[cj6]

I built a welding cart for my little wire welder a few years ago. I enjoy it but the welder gets borrowed just as much as it is in its stand.


Nice job

 

[tomshep]

My vice stand is a rim with a disc welded to the center and a pipe. It rolls around easily. I can't imagine not having a movable vice. And I have been getting an itch lately to put my bench grinder stand on casters so I can take it outside when using it as well.

Tom

 

[243]

I like the vice/grinder mounts, nice work! Get that welding cart finished up!

I hope to have it to 80% by Sunday night, the stands sidetracked me momentarily. I am stuck on the rear wheels, I have the rubber over cast iron 3" casters that are rated about to 500 lbs but I could use side mounted 6" wheels on the rear that would add stability.

Does a vice stand need to have any significant weight or leveraging abilities?
I was thinking of making one very similar to yours (but not with a cool man hole cover) but then got concerned with it not being sturdy enough to hold something I was cutting or hammering or whatever else in the vice.

I agree, I have a bench mounted vice inside but it's a medium duty Littleton and pretty nice so I don't beat on it or make serious bends with it. I hope the weight of the stand and the large footprint of the base will work for my use, holding parts for cutting and grinding, bending while heating and similar tasks.

The American Scale Co. vise is pretty crapped out, the Ebay seller was not honest in his assessment, the screw is shredded, it does not lock up very well and there are major chunks out of the jaws; however, it is perfect for a vise that will get beat on.

I hope that vise isn't outside when the sewer crews come around to replace it.


On second thought, it might be funny to have a picture taken with the manhole cover in place (in the street) with the vise mounted to it.


I'll give you an "A" for ingenuity on the man hole cover.

Thanks, I walked around the salvage yard for an hour and knew as soon as I spotted it, it was perfect being large diameter and heavy. It's around 20" and there were a few closer to 30" but I thought that was a little extreme.

I built a welding cart for my little wire welder a few years ago. I enjoy it but the welder gets borrowed just as much as it is in its stand.


Nice job

Thanks, I will post an updated photo when I get closer to the end. I rarely loan my tools unless I am along to assist and I have never needed to loan my welders. If I do, maybe I will take the Mig or stick welder and let the borrower chip welds...maybe that will convince them they need a gas Mig

My vice stand is a rim with a disc welded to the center and a pipe. It rolls around easily. I can't imagine not having a movable vice. And I have been getting an itch lately to put my bench grinder stand on casters so I can take it outside when using it as well.

Tom

I can't believe I have let the bench grinder sit idle for almost a decade, as soon as I replaced the plug I re-ground the tips on a few center punches that I typically touch up by holding an angle grinder in one hand and the punch in the other.

 

[243]

My parents needed help so I didn't get started until after lunch, they are close to 70 and don't ask for much but when they do I know it's important.

The Lennox blade ripped right through the aluminum as you would expect, I bet I could get some real straight cuts on the table saw and may try that when I can get to it. I tack welded a piece of 1/4 x 4 plate to the front and back of the frame and drilled and tapped 5/16 holes for the casters. The casters work pretty well but it's a heavy, the entire setup weighing about 300 lbs.

I saw a semi-circle hoop on another cart welded to the horizontal part of the frame right below the MIG, I like the idea because it provides a little protection for the gun cable and provides a nice place to pull the cart. I thought I had 5/8 cold roll at home but it's 3/8 so I will get to it later.

I had to use the dryer outlet at my previous house so I made an 80' 12ga extension cable to reach the garage, it worked great and I use it when I take the welder out of the garage now. It would be darn convenient to have a gang box with both welders wired or plugged in to the box and the extension cord plugged into the other side.

I would like to keep the width compact so I plan to hang the cables from the bottom outside edge of the MIG shelf. I am stopping for the night to search Google for ideas.

If ya'll have comments, good bad or otherwise let me know.