ebinmaine 67,455 #1 Posted July 3, 2023 (edited) One of the big themes I'm trying to stick to in the new shop/barn is portability. I love the idea of being able to move things around at a moments notice for convenience or space making. To that end I'm using building buying as much as possible with wheels. I've wanted a better welding surface for years. I now need a better welding storage unit. Here's what I'll try: The top is not as thick as I'd like but it's inexpensive and certainly can be modified/upgraded later. Edited July 25, 2023 by ebinmaine 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 8,316 #2 Posted July 3, 2023 Welder goes down below to give it stability?? Position it so the side door is accessable to load the spool of wire. If you use shield gas it will be a PIA to fish the bottle in and out. Tabletop - aluminum?? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,455 #3 Posted July 3, 2023 13 minutes ago, ri702bill said: Welder goes down below to give it stability?? Correct. 13 minutes ago, ri702bill said: Position it so the side door is accessable to load the spool of wire. The welder is an HF flux core wire feed. Older model. Top load so likely I would just take it out of the cart anyway. 13 minutes ago, ri702bill said: If you use shield gas it will be a PIA to fish the bottle in and out. No shielding gas. Not easily accessible to me here without excess cost so I'll stick with stick, so to speak, and gasless flux core. 13 minutes ago, ri702bill said: Tabletop - aluminum?? Steel all around. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 8,316 #4 Posted July 3, 2023 Steel top - good. You may wish to weld a bare steel ground clamp post to it, maybe sticking down from the underside out of the way .... We have the HFT portable welding table - plenty of weld and grind marks on it.... 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,455 #5 Posted July 3, 2023 13 minutes ago, ri702bill said: You may wish to weld a bare steel ground clamp post to it, maybe sticking down from the underside out of the way .... That's an interesting idea 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squonk 41,079 #6 Posted July 3, 2023 I picked up one of these at an auction. Removed the bag and stuck my mig welder on the bottom. Top held tools welding spatter spray tips ect. Big wheels made it roll easy. My eyes got bad enough where I was difficult to see what I was doing no matter what shade mask I had. Sold it about 10 years ago. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ranger 1,750 #7 Posted July 3, 2023 (edited) You might want to consider fitting a slide out/removable shelf or tray underneath the top, to catch anything falling through the holes. You don’t want sparks, weld spatter, grinding debris, etc dropping through onto your welding set, or anything else stored underneath! Edited July 3, 2023 by ranger 1 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,455 #8 Posted July 3, 2023 30 minutes ago, ranger said: You might want to consider fitting a slide out/removable shelf or tray underneath the top, to catch anything falling through the holes. You don’t want sparks, weld spatter, grinding debris, etc dropping through onto your welding set, or anything else stored underneath! Agreed. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,455 #9 Posted July 25, 2023 Got the table a few weeks ago but been busy as a one armed wallpaper hanger with an itchy back. When the table/cart arrived the package was absolutely destroyed. Some of the metal was scratched or slightly bent. I contacted the seller. Because the package was so badly damaged there was really no way to return it so they refunded me about $30. Ok fine. Assembly was .... Challenging. Metal quality is ok. Hardware was garbage. It was inconsistent at best. I substituted my own in stock grade 8 for the poor excuse bolts they sent. Directions garbage. I expected that. Bolt holes didn't exist in the lower pan. I was able to use it by flipping the bottom pan over. That was a PITA. It'll do for now. As I use it I'll upgrade weak spots when necessary. Would I advise buying one? Meh... Just be aware that it'll need another few dollars in hardware as part of the initial purchase. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wallfish 16,994 #10 Posted July 25, 2023 46 minutes ago, ebinmaine said: Assembly was .... Challenging. You could've welded it all together! 2 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,455 #11 Posted July 25, 2023 13 minutes ago, wallfish said: You could've welded it all together! The man has a valid point. I did seriously consider that but I want to keep the individual parts replaceable for now. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ClassicTractorProfessor 5,314 #12 Posted December 25, 2023 @ebinmaine I haven’t been on in a while so just now saw this. With a few modifications that table/cart could be made into something nice. When I bought my welder I looked at several options for carts to make it portable, but none of them really were what I was looking for, and like you I wanted a portable work station as well. So I ended up building my own, much heavier duty and I could tailor it to my exact needs. 1 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sailman 1,291 #13 Posted December 26, 2023 I opted for this cart from Northern Tool. Works great with my plasma cutter on the lower shelf and Mig welder on the top. Everything is accessible and a nice storage locker for consumables, gloves etc. Also has the option to take tanks for the Mig if I ever want to go that directions. Klutch from Northern Tool at $150. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
