Building a Better Welding Cart 

Awesome!

That's awesome man 😎. Good luck to you!

Thanks a ton! That modified square has been really handy. I drilled the hole centered on the 1" mark, so I can just set the square to 1" less than my depth and go for it.

@@TimWelds 👍😎👍

I wonder if a wooden sliding square would be good enough for the same job since you wont need to worry about slicing the square in half

Thanks! I've built several carts and each time I try to do something a little better.

Tim, nice design and finish quality. Only upgrade I suggest is bending push handle pipe into a wide “U” or trim exposed ends off. That is less likely to snag on your clothes or cable.

Thank you!

Thanks! I've had more than one encounter with the bent hooks I put on my last one... They sell those round discs at my local steelyard, so it's pretty easy and they work really well.

Thanks!

Thanks! Sounds like some pretty major surgery coming up for your Jeep!

Thanks a ton! I think it's just a lot easier to keep things square and flat.

Nice! That's a healthy size machine. I used the 8 inch wheels and 3 inch casters from Harbor Freight on my last one and it's rolled around great, much better than most of the ready made ones.

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thanks! It's a Siegmund table from Quantum Machinery. They aren't cheap, but it's been a huge time saver.

Hi Mel, Great to hear from you! It's funny that you mention that. As soon as I finished this, I looked at my plasma cutter and thought 'Dang...I should've made a place for this on the cart.' Maybe a mod or rev B for that some day.

@@TimWelds I wish there was an easy way to have a photo sent, but they don’t seem to allow it. I did some other things I think are interesting.

That's a great idea! I do have a magnetic holder, but it's pretty often that I just flop the torch over the machine and once in a while it falls on the floor right when I'm holding something in place.

Thanks Craig!

Awesome! Sounds like a great setup!

Thanks 👍

Thanks a ton, I really appreciate that! I haven't made a video covering the HTP 2500. It's not on the market yet, but will be released for sale in early July. (I got one early to make videos for their website explaining how to operate it) I do have a video with some pulsed MIG on their Pro Pulse 220. The fundamentals of Pulsed MIG on this machine is pretty similar, though it's more capable, largely because the double pulse is fully adjustable. I'll have some info on it in coming out in the coming weeks.

I'll probably attach some corner blocks to keep it in place. It doesn't take too much of a wild ride in my space, but it would be a real bad day if one of my machines took a dive.

That sounds pretty nice to switch between dual and single cylinders.

Thanks! You're going to love it, it's outstanding. All of mine are from Quantum Machinery.

Thanks! I may have to try the metal strap on my next one. HTP does have a water cooler that it can connect directly to their machines so that you don't have to turn on a separate unit.

Thanks! I'm working on putting together some project kits for sale online, however, a cart like this won't be one of the early ones.

I have bought them from all over the place. A lot of them come from Amazon, some from Harbor Freight and some I just google around. For machines, USA Weld carries a lot of accessories and HTP welding machines that are outstanding. Full disclosure, they sponsor the channel. While these machines aren't the cheapest on the market, after a couple years of using them extensively, they are extremely high quality and offer a great value compared to some of the brands distributed through welding supply stores. There's a link to their site in the description.

That's a great suggestion! In my space, it doesn't go for too much of a wild ride, but it would be a bad day if that machine took a dive. I'm thinking that I'll add some sort of retainers on the corners. The door on this machine comes down pretty low, so I need to keep the side clear.

Get a cheap vevor portable bandsaw. No sparks, flying chips and it's nice and quiet. Blades are cheap too.

Thanks! That's a great question and honestly those little metal chips are a real pain. I built a cart with a chute that catches a lot of them, but when I'm cutting tubing, they fly out the end of the tube and spread all over the place. A bandsaw is a quieter option and the chips are much more tame. Worldtraveler's suggestion of a portable bandsaw is a great one for the money. Personally, I'm not very good at cutting tubing precisely with a portable bandsaw, so I prefer a horizontal bandsaw. There are some that are a portable bandsaw mounted on a base for around $200 on Amazon. My buddy built his own base/guide for a Harbor Freight portable bandsaw and it works really well. There are some ideas for those around on the interwebs. Here's a link to the bandsaw that I have: amzn.to/42ly6BB . I've had it for a couple years and it took a bit of messing with to get it to cut straight. Since it's been dialed in, it's worked pretty good for me over the last 3 or so years. Floor stand models are a bit better if you have space and budget for that, but it's definitely not necessary for hobby work.

@@TimWelds I swear I'm more accurate with an angle grinder. But I have that cheap vevor. It cuts square enough for the girls I go out with.

Not at the moment. It doesn't see much terrain in my little workshop, but i think I'll add something to avoid Murphy's Law coming back to bite me. :)

@@TimWeldsbig long strap, like what people use to keep canoes and kayaks on their cars!

I used .030” (.8mm). A size up or down would work fine too, but this is the size I use for almost everything.

Hey Tim what is the thinnest metal you can weld with 0.30 and the thickness too?

From around 22 gauge to 5/16” or so.

16 gauge is a good thickness for these kinds of carts.

@@reaperreaper5098 ok thank you.

I agree on the 16 gauge. That's what I used for this one and what I have used for almost every little cart I've built.

This is just my attached garage that I've turned into my little shop.

I may do a dedicated review, but I'll definitely be using it in a lot of upcoming videos and will keep everyone posted on how it's working.

Or…why do I have a bedroom that looks like a weld shop? 😃 I set up this area to be clean for filming and chose paint that’s easy to repair. In all reality it’s a bit of a mess in some areas behind the camera.

@@TimWelds it looks awesome, I'm just jealous lol

I don't right now, though I'm working on a site to do that in the near-ish future. I'll definitely post an announcement when that happens. Thanks!

I don’t remember the exact cost of materials, but it was in the ballpark of the better HF cart. It’s not about saving a buck, this is night and day more sturdy, has much better wheels, is exactly the right size, holds dual cylinders and is designed with a place for everything. That being said, the HF carts aren’t too bad, I’ve used several of them.

Thanks!

I actually started one a few months ago, but it's one of those projects that's been sitting almost finished for too long. It's coming, though...

Thank you!

😊