First welding projects

[jmbrowning]

While I am slowly in the process of building my booty-fab DC welder (Briggs-Stratton 6HP lawnmower, Ford 130 amp alternator, maybe the NAPA DC power supply), I will be fooling around with the Ready Welder which came in the mail.

I will be buying some new queen size bed frames on recycler.com and looking for a few ideas for beginning welding projects (obviously made of 1/8"x1.25"x1.25" angle iron):

1) obligatory wheeled cart (for the compressor, the welder already has lawnmower wheels )
2) Mean Green style dual battery tray (need dimensions on this one)
3) hardtop hoist to free up garage clutter (this is mandatory as per the Missus)
4) Gorilla shelves

Any other suggestions?

Also, what are other sources of inexpensive steel to learn on?

[Dukes69]

Re: First welding projects

Originally posted by jmbrowning
While I am slowly in the process of building my booty-fab DC welder (Briggs-Stratton 6HP lawnmower, Ford 130 amp alternator, maybe the NAPA DC power supply), I will be fooling around with the Ready Welder which came in the mail.

I will be buying some new queen size bed frames on recycler.com and looking for a few ideas for beginning welding projects (obviously made of 1/8"x1.25"x1.25" angle iron):

1) obligatory wheeled cart (for the compressor, the welder already has lawnmower wheels )
2) Mean Green style dual battery tray (need dimensions on this one)
3) hardtop hoist to free up garage clutter (this is mandatory as per the Missus)
4) Gorilla shelves

Any other suggestions?

Also, what are other sources of inexpensive steel to learn on?

I'd just start welding junk together, just to get the feel of it. But if you have to make a project, I'd do the wheeled cart. If you screw it up 200 pounds of fiberglass and glass wont come crashing down on you. Most steel places sell remnant material for like $.25 a pound.


That reminds me. I need to weld the bed frame up . . . it makes too much noise!

[goodtimes]

Re: Re: First welding projects

Originally posted by Dukes69
I'd just start welding junk together, just to get the feel of it. But if you have to make a project, I'd do the wheeled cart. If you screw it up 200 pounds of fiberglass and glass wont come crashing down on you. Most steel places sell remnant material for like $.25 a pound.


That reminds me. I need to weld the bed frame up . . . it makes too much noise!

Dukes, I hate it when that happens!

JM--I used to buy all of my metal at M&K Metal in Gardena. But I don't know how far you are from that area......they had everything I ever needed (in stock), and had fair prices. There is a huge recycling place down on PCH in Long Beach, I have gotton some used stuff from them before too.....

[brian4.2]

If you are anywhere near Camarillo Ca . I throw out 500 to 1000 lbs of "off cuts" a week. not wastefull , you just cant keep it all. Steel tube,angles, channels, pipe, rods, plates ect. Seriously anything under 12-18 inches gets tossed in the dumpster. Perfect for practicing your welding.

[NAILER341]

damn! i wish you were closer to cerritos!

[jmbrowning]

ooh ooh ooh, I'd be delighted to relieve you of some of those scraps of steel. The missus may not be too happy with that, but what the heck, I'll make her a nice romantic step stool!

[sarah]

Originally posted by jmbrowning
I'll make her a nice romantic step stool!

I love it!!

[brian4.2]

I'm freeway close. 101. Just drop an email bandrscen@aol.com and I'll set some stuff aside.

[AriZonaTJ]

How about this for a starter

I had some time yesterday, so I thought I would layout an Idea for a work bench for my future garage. The assembly drawing doesn't show the tack board but you can imagine it there.
Let me know what you think of this project... especially since it will be my first welding job.

WorkBench Idea

[EvilPsych]

arizonatj,

dig that 'weldment' bench.. wooden top though? i see no problem w/ a wood top and then topping it w/ some 12-14 gauge sheet metal (alu?) for conductivity. a solid steel plate just doenst hold a lot of interest for me (too GD heavy)

oh. the readywelder is plenty. in fact it's my *only* welder (i use two 12volt deepcycle batteries and one 6v golf cart jobby for my welding. 18v for thin stuff, and 24 or 30v for anthing thicker than 1/8" Then i just hookup a deep-cycle recharger to it when i'm done. 100% duty cycle. My first projects were 2 sets of jeep bumpers w/ tire carrier. came out kinda crappy. just get a auto-darkening helmet and you'll be 1000x happier with the use of the readywelder since you can actually see what you're starting on. I didnt have a auto-darkening helmet when i made the bumpers, and thus the welds came out like crapola. you dont need a super high wirespeed either, that was my biggest mistake. sure it welds slower, but they're better quality welds.

[AriZonaTJ]

Cool, I hadn't thought about using the workbench for welding. I figured I would have to come up with a "welding Bench" without the wood I actually was thinking of putting 2 of these storage/assembly/multi-purpose benchs together to form a larger bench.
Thanks for the autodarkening helmet tip.

[EvilPsych]

yeah it's much easier to have a metal table then just lay what you're welding on it.. makes it easier to weld oddly sized and shaped objects the clamp might not grab hold of. Most Tig welding i've seen is done this way on metal table-tops

good think you've got the wood in there, will support whatever you put on it easily.

[brian4.2]

Design is cool but a little small for a welding bench. you might want to consider making it out of thin wall square tubing.(16 ga.) Its just a lot "cleaner" look when finished. also the joints are easier to do. I use 3/4" shop birch for all my bench tops, teck screw them down. When I beat up a top, or burn up, I toss it and screw down. another.