Tool box cart

[Black'03LevelII]

I decided to bring home the top box from my work to use at home, since my tool collection is getting to big for my small craftsman box here. Needing some storage space I wanted to build a "cart" for this thing to sit on. Got started on it today; I'm using some 1" square tube that has an 1/8" thick wall.

When completed the box will sit on the top, and my ramps, jack stands, floor jack, and what ever else may fit will reside in the base. Now on to the pictures of work in progress!

Testing my heat, and wire speed settings, had to dial in a little more wire speed, but looked pretty good! (if you more experienced welders wanna add helpful hints I'm all ears)

This is the first of the two end braces that the tool box will sit in.

Different angle of same brace.

 

[Black'03LevelII]

here are the two end braces held onto the box, making sure fit is good so far.

close up of how it wraps around the base of the box.

and here is where I left off tonight, got the long cross bars in, and mocked up an angled bar for rigidity.

That's all for right now, I will add more pics as the build progresses. Thanks for looking!

 

[--weezl--]

looks like a fun project, though i think your welding needs a little work

 

[Black'03LevelII]

looks like a fun project, though i think your welding needs a little work

so far it is fun, and yes i know it needs work, I figured I'd "practice" on somethin thats gonna stay in my garage, versus somethin goin on the road.

 

[--weezl--]

good idea!

what kind of welder are you using? would you like some pointers?

 

[Black'03LevelII]

good idea!

what kind of welder are you using? would you like some pointers?

my welder is a Lincoln Electric weld pack 100 hd, i'm currently using the innershield wire that came with it. According to the chart inside the lid for the thickness of the metal i should have the heat set at D and wire speed at 2. I found it seemed to work a little better with wire speed about half way between 2 & 3.

Pointers would be appreciated, since I'm still trying to figure out this machine.

 

[--weezl--]

you look like you're going a little too fast, slow down your movements, and turn the heat up just a touch... it would be easier to tell if you haven't ground it down yet, but it looks like it's not penetrating as well as it should, you can see right here the weld is ontop of the material a little too much

those charts are a rough guideline btw, they are for ideal conditions, and so on, not to mention the grade of steel you use changes everything... cheaper softer steel will take different heat and speed than hardened steel or dom or such...

 

[Black'03LevelII]

OK! next time i work on it, (maybe next friday or the weekend after) i will try the slowing down bit, I can't turn the heat up anymore tho, it's already set as hot as it will go (unless A is hotter than D) I will also not grind it down, just wire brush it so the bead can be seen.

Thanks for tips so far, we'll see what I can do with them.

 

[--weezl--]

i can't remember if it's flux core wire, or argon that causes slag on the outside of the weld... i think it's flux core... tap it with a slag hammer, the nasty ugly on the outside will chip away leaving nice looking silver weld underneath

 

[The Jester Race]

my welder is a Lincoln Electric weld pack 100 hd, i'm currently using the innershield wire that came with it. According to the chart inside the lid for the thickness of the metal i should have the heat set at D and wire speed at 2. I found it seemed to work a little better with wire speed about half way between 2 & 3.

Pointers would be appreciated, since I'm still trying to figure out this machine.

211 wire?

Are you pushing or pulling your weld pool? This makes a huge difference with flux core.
What kind of torch angle are you holding? Travel angle?
How much wire stick out? Flux core is very sensitive to changes in wire stick out.

Here are a few welding tips.
Watch the weld pool, not the arc.
Get comfortable.
Weld from non-comfortable positions into a comfortable positions rather then Visa Versa.
Breath. People tend to hold their breath when they are first learning how to weld.

Check this out.
http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/tech_tips/MIG_tips/

If you have any questions feel free to ask.

i can't remember if it's flux core wire, or argon that causes slag on the outside of the weld... i think it's flux core... tap it with a slag hammer, the nasty ugly on the outside will chip away leaving nice looking silver weld underneath

The slag is from the flux core wire.
Slag is a solid shield, Argon is a gaseous shield and typicality doesn't leave anything behind(soot). You shouldn't be using straight Argon with MIG anyways other than welding non-ferrous metals.

-Jester

 

[The Jester Race]

OK! next time i work on it, (maybe next friday or the weekend after) i will try the slowing down bit, I can't turn the heat up anymore tho, it's already set as hot as it will go (unless A is hotter than D) I will also not grind it down, just wire brush it so the bead can be seen.

Thanks for tips so far, we'll see what I can do with them.

An easy way to determine your travel speed with 211 wire(if you're using 211 wire) is to drag/pull your weld pool and watch the slag as it solidifies over the weld. Don't out run your slag, if you start to see gaps in the slag, slow down. That should get you in the ballpark.

-Jester

 

[--weezl--]

i used gas shielded mig for damn near everything... never had an issue, i don't recall off hand if it was argon or not, though i believe it was

used to weld frames on semi trucks, though usually the actual frame welding, and such was done with this massive miller arc that we had... the thing had to have been 50 years old, and the rods you could stick in it were like 1/4" wide

(well maybe not quite, but they were massive!)

 

[Black'03LevelII]

I checked the spool of wire that is in the machine (came with it as a starter roll) and it is NR-211-MP .035" diameter. As far as pushing or pulling the weld pool, I don't know, I'll pay attention next time I work on it.

Thanks for the input so far guys, I do appreciate it.

 

[The Jester Race]

i used gas shielded mig for damn near everything... never had an issue, i don't recall off hand if it was argon or not, though i believe it was

used to weld frames on semi trucks, though usually the actual frame welding, and such was done with this massive miller arc that we had... the thing had to have been 50 years old, and the rods you could stick in it were like 1/4" wide

(well maybe not quite, but they were massive!)

It was probably Argon/CO2 mix 75/25 or 85/15. You can use straight Argon in a pinch but it lends itself to very shallow penetration on steel.

Stick electrodes come in sizes up to 5/16" diameter(close to 7/16" with the flux) so 1/4" electrodes isn't any exaggeration.

I checked the spool of wire that is in the machine (came with it as a starter roll) and it is NR-211-MP .035" diameter. As far as pushing or pulling the weld pool, I don't know, I'll pay attention next time I work on it.

Thanks for the input so far guys, I do appreciate it.

Damn I'm good.
211 wire is an easy wire to weld with. Watch your slag, don't out run it. And if you are pushing you weld make sure not to let the slag get ahead of you and in-front of the weld pool.
Slag in-front of the weld pool = Slag inclusion = A weak weld.

-Jester

 

[Black'03LevelII]

Damn I'm good.
211 wire is an easy wire to weld with. Watch your slag, don't out run it. And if you are pushing you weld make sure not to let the slag get ahead of you and in-front of the weld pool.
Slag in-front of the weld pool = Slag inclusion = A weak weld.

-Jester

good to know!