Weldy-Weldy Cart

It has been pretty cold outside these past few weeks, but I wanted to complete a project that I've had on the back-burner for quite some time now. So I bundled up and headed out to the garage. I was eager to brave the cold because the project involved welding. If this is something that interests you, but you've never had the opportunity to weld, I strongly suggest that you search out some way to give it a try. It's a lot of fun and can yield great results. Find someone to show you the ropes... how to get set-up and give you a rundown on technique. Then it's all about practice, the more you weld the better you will become. 


This project was to build a cart for my welder. Since I didn't have the a bottle of shielding gas, I build the cart using flux-cored wire arc welding. The welds aren't as nice as MIG welds, but it still works quite well to fuse metal to metal. Below are some pictures taken throughout the process.

I began by cutting all of the metal stock that I required to build the cart. Since I don't own a chop saw, I rented one from the local hardware store. I wanted to make all of the necessary cuts during the rental time limit. After cutting metal pieces with the chop saw, there remained burs that required grinding.

Once all of the pieces have been cut and their edges have been cleaned up... it was time for the fun bit! Weldy Weldy!

At this point the cart was really starting to take shape. I drilled some holes and attached two brackets for the front and rear wheels.

Once the wheels were attached I secured the welder itself to the cart through holes in the bottom metal case of the welder. I used 1/4 inch bolts to secure the welder to the cart. I designed the cart to eventually hold a bottle of shielding gas, required for MIG welding.

Eventually I plan to add a base to the cart so that I can keep all accessories and welding related equipment together. Also, once all of the fabrication is complete, I plan to give it a coat of paint, in order to prevent the metal from rusting. 


An important note:
When welding be sure to wear the proper safety gear and know your limits. Journeymen Welders spend lots of time perfecting their craft. They know all about metal properties and how to make the strongest possible welds. Unless you are a seasoned welder, avoid welding anything structural unless you absolutely know what you're doing. It may be worth someone's life.