jimturn

[jimturn]

hi everyone, greetings from Geordieland.
I am newly retired and 3 weeks into a 20 week mig welding course at a local college. My main hobbies are woodwork and DIY generally and I needed a rack to hold sheet materials in my workshop. I haven't seen anything available that I feel is appropriate and making it out of metal would minimise the size, without compromising the strength - given the lack of space in my workshop - so I decided to learn how to mig weld make my own. Since making this decision, a number of other metal work projects have occurred and I'm sure others will in the longer term.

I have viewed this forum on a number of occasions, mainly looking at other members views and experiences with various welding sets and it appears that a portamig may be a purchase in the near future.

Please forgive any apparently stupid questions I may ask but I am a metal work/welding newby and therefore likely to ask more of you than I can offer in return, in the immediate future at least.

I look forward to reading your threads and contributing where and when I can.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Warm regards, Jim.

 

[pedrobedro]

Welcome Jim, once you start you'll be thinking of projects left right and centre and it's always handy to have something to repair or modify stuff for your projects. I've made stands, tables, trolleys and benches combining metal and woodwork for years now and they are still in use around the house and shed. One that gets used a lot is an adjustable height prop, for holding up the other end of long pieces of wood or metal, made from the base of an old computer chair.

 

[jimturn]

Hi pedrobedro, thank you for your welcome. You've already got me thinking. There are two computer chairs in our loft that could be used as you describe and probably more junk that may prove useful. I'm looking forward to reading what others are doing and perhaps 'borrowing' a few ideas. Therein lies a paradox though, I could spend most of my time on this forum and a couple of woodwork forums I'm registered with, leaving less time for the 'doing'. Also, I can't pass a tool shop or DIY centre without spending time looking around, getting ideas and of course, spending lots of pennies, then sneaking the bits (and the bank statements) past swmbo. "Boys and their toys" she says. Perhaps I can justify it on the basis that I'm not 'getting under her feet' now that I'm retired.
Thank you again for responding, it's great to chat to like-minded people.
Kind regards, Jim.