Super Low Budget Welding Table/cart

NIKwoaC

中國製造

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Oct 13, 2017

#1

• Oct 13, 2017

• #1

I know this isn't Mustang related or even specifically car related, but I thought some of you guys would have interest in this. Plus you can see my '86 in the background of some of the pictures.

I've been wanting to build a welding table for a while, but as some of you probably know, the cost of materials adds up FAST. So this whole effort started months ago when we were throwing away an old bed frame and I thought to myself, "I could totally make something out of that..."

So I've been hoarding junk steel for a while now and I finally have something to show for it.

I started with an old roller mechanics tool cart that I've had since college. It started out looking like this (sorry, I don't have my own "before" pictures):



Step one was to do away with the original legs and make my own. I lost a bunch of the pictures I originally took, but in a nutshell the new legs are scrap square steel tube that I cut, drilled, put a brushed finish on, then sealed internally with black Rust-Oleum and then clear coated the outside. The new legs allowed me to raise the top of the cart to a more appropriate welding table height and drop the lower tray so I could fit the welder below.

 

NIKwoaC

中國製造

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Oct 13, 2017

#2

• Oct 13, 2017

• #2

Next I used some spare hardware and fuel hose to make a "holster" for the gun.

 

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90sickfox

Wasn't a pretty sight...and I've got big hands

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Oct 13, 2017

#3

• Oct 13, 2017

• #3

Now all you need is a little kicker off the side from the bottom and a length of chain to mount a bottle.

I like the welder being down bottom...unlike conventional carts.

Good idea....I may have to use that to make one of my own.

 

NIKwoaC

中國製造

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#4

• Oct 13, 2017

• #4

Then I started hacking away at that bed frame. I'm using this as structure for a plate steel table using 1/4" plate that I was given for free... More on that later.


I basically cut the frame down into what would be two primary braces and six smaller cross braces for what will eventually be three plates that make up the surface. I wire wheeled the paint off the frame for clean welds.

 

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NIKwoaC

中國製造

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#5

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• #5

I designed the table top in CAD, just so I had an idea how heavy it would be and to better visualize. Should be about 75-80 lbs.

 

NIKwoaC

中國製造

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#6

• Oct 13, 2017

• #6

So the plates I was given are 12.5" X 23" and were, unfortunately, warped. That's probably why they were free. . My method for straightening them was rigging up this system with my cherry picker legs and hydraulic press... Not perfect but it worked OK.



And here's a shot after I "straightened" one of them. Not perfect, but good enough for government work.

 

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NIKwoaC

中國製造

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#7

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• #7

So then I started welding the table top together. I am by no means a great welder, but I wanted to show some shots to show how much technique and machine settings can affect your weld. The first picture is with garbage settings and bad gun angle. The second was once I had it more dialed in. This is obviously with flux core on my "MIG" machine. I'll eventually run gas.

Yuck.



That's better.

 

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NIKwoaC

中國製造

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#8

• Oct 13, 2017

• #8

Progress, progress.

 

NIKwoaC

中國製造

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#9

• Oct 13, 2017

• #9

So once the plates had their braces welded in, it was time to work on the main "beams" to tie them all together.

Notched.



Mocked up.





Welded. Sorry, there's still a lot of slag and dust in this shot.

 

NIKwoaC

中國製造

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#10

• Oct 13, 2017

• #10

So here it is all together and then mocked up on the cart. This is where I finished today. Stuff I still need to do:

Paint the bottom.
Round down the edges of the plates.
Physically attach it to the cart lid.
Add a post for the grounding clamp underneath one of the plates.

I've toyed with the idea of putting a junkyard-sourced lift strut under the cart lid (it will still be used for storage) but that will be something I might play with later. As it is right now, I might just fab up a prop rod to hold it open when I want to. I doubt the factory brackets will support the lid open with the 75lb table top on it.


Back in it's corner for now.

 

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NIKwoaC

中國製造

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#11

• Oct 13, 2017

• #11

90sickfox said:

Now all you need is a little kicker off the side from the bottom and a length of chain to mount a bottle.

I like the welder being down bottom...unlike conventional carts.

Good idea....I may have to use that to make one of my own.

Click to expand...

Yea eventually I'll have to figure out a bottle mount. I'll obviously be limited to running a smaller bottle if I want to have it on the cart, but I'm OK with that since I don't really do a whole lot of welding.

 

General karthief

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

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Oct 13, 2017

#12

• Oct 13, 2017

• #12

Great write up, alot of work for someone thats not gonna be welding much, but even if you did your not going to wear it out,
Nice job

 

NIKwoaC

中國製造

15 Year Member

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Chengdu Province

Oct 13, 2017

#13

• Oct 13, 2017

• #13

karthief said:

Great write up, alot of work for someone thats not gonna be welding much, but even if you did your not going to wear it out,
Nice job

Click to expand...

Ha yea... I guess you could say I would like to weld more than I do. This table will make embarking on new welding projects a little easier, so that's kind of all part of the plan.