Blue Chips
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- 622
- Location
- Maine, USA
After giving my old AC/DC TIG setup to a builder friend who helps me out on occasion, I found myself TIG-less, so I ordered an Everlast PowerTIG 210 EXT AC/DC IGBT inverter-technology welder. While waiting for the new welder to arrive, I fabricated a welding trolley/cart for it, which I will describe here in my usual long-winded manner.
I already had about 60 feet of mild-steel angle that was originally intended for a project that never materialized, plus a bunch of swivel casters left over from when I constructed a boat dock several years ago, so my new out-of-pocket expenses didn't break the bank.
Most of the trolley is constructed from 1.5in x 1.5in x .125in-thick steel angle, with some smaller-size angle used in some places. Each side rail of the top shelf consists of a double set of steel angles that extend unbroken to the post at the back of the trolley. I installed two 3/8" all-thread "suspension" rods to add even more rigidity to the top shelf. The middle shelf is for accessories and won't be carrying much weight, and its one-piece side rails extend all the way to the back post. It would have been easier and faster to fabricate the trolley from square tubing, but I saved a few bucks by using what I had on hand.
When the welder arrived, I found that the new 2021 model was longer than the previous year’s model, so I had to lengthen the top shelf a bit.
I mounted a handle on the front of the trolley, plus a pair of handles on the back of the trolley that act like handlebars to make it easy to maneuver.
The shelf bottoms are 1/8" steel and removeable to make future modifications easier (i.e., if I discover that I did something stupid, it’s easier to fix).
For now, I’m reserving the bottom shelf for a TIG cooler unit that I might build or buy if/when Saturn smiles upon me and replenishes the treasury. I like the open-shelf design, as I think it allows for a variety of configuration options. Admittedly, the cable hooks on the sides may interfere with side access to the middle shelf to some degree, but if they prove to be a problem, it’s no big deal to reposition a hook by drilling a mounting hole in a different location. I was tempted to mount the hooks on the back of the trolley, but I wanted to avoid the old “long trolley in a short workshop” scenario.
My little workshop is so crowded that I need as much maneuverability as possible, and four swivel casters make the trolley very nimble. My shop floor is nice and flat, but I added thumb-screw brakes to the front casters anyway, and I plan to add brakes to the rear casters soon.
The argon cylinder is secured with a large U-bolt with a piece of high-pressure air hose on it for padding, and the cylinder is pulled snugly against a V-shaped pair of angles welded to the frame, with a chunk of conveyor belt for padding. The cylinder doesn't contact the screw that holds the padding on the frame, as I designed it to leave a gap in the middle. I don’t like cylinders to clank around when moving a trolley (it’s just a “thing” of mine), and this setup holds the cylinder securely...and quietly. I also added some pieces of conveyor belt as spacers/bumpers to fit the welder snugly into the top shelf, so that it can't slide around, plus a strap to further secure the welder.
I made a set of low-cost filler-rod tubes from schedule 40 PVC electrical conduit. The tubes have male and female thread adapters where the top and bottom sections connect, and by using a thick O-ring, the tops screw on easily and stop against the O-ring before the threads get screwed on far enough to start binding. I had to sand off the raised letters on the edge of the female adapter to allow a tight seal against the O-ring. I fashioned internal plugs for the top and bottom ends out of slices of solid PVC rod, sanded them a bit to fit snugly, and solvent-glued them in. The tops might look open in the photos, but that's because the plugs are darker than the conduit. The plugs eliminated the need for PVC fittings at the top and bottom, which allows me to slide the tubes in and out of the steel rings that I installed on the sides of the trolley.
Rings to hold filler-rod tubes:
Front view:
A couple more views:
Future modifications might include mounting a metal tube somewhere on the trolley to hold short pieces of filler rod, and maybe a rest for the TIG torch(es). I might also try to figure out some sort of drawer or bin for the accessories. The only consumables that I plan to carry on the trolley are the filler rods. My workshop is small enough that the other consumables are just a few steps away.
In the meantime, the trolley seems to be doing its job. I still need to put the new welder through its paces on a substantial enough project to give it a good test.
Here’s my standard disclaimer: I do not guarantee the safety, efficacy, or applicability of any of my designs or ideas that I have described here in this thread. Any use of my designs or ideas is entirely at your own risk.
Thanks for taking a peek at this little project. I'm always open to suggestions.
Cheers,
Blue Chips
I already had about 60 feet of mild-steel angle that was originally intended for a project that never materialized, plus a bunch of swivel casters left over from when I constructed a boat dock several years ago, so my new out-of-pocket expenses didn't break the bank.
Most of the trolley is constructed from 1.5in x 1.5in x .125in-thick steel angle, with some smaller-size angle used in some places. Each side rail of the top shelf consists of a double set of steel angles that extend unbroken to the post at the back of the trolley. I installed two 3/8" all-thread "suspension" rods to add even more rigidity to the top shelf. The middle shelf is for accessories and won't be carrying much weight, and its one-piece side rails extend all the way to the back post. It would have been easier and faster to fabricate the trolley from square tubing, but I saved a few bucks by using what I had on hand.
When the welder arrived, I found that the new 2021 model was longer than the previous year’s model, so I had to lengthen the top shelf a bit.
I mounted a handle on the front of the trolley, plus a pair of handles on the back of the trolley that act like handlebars to make it easy to maneuver.
The shelf bottoms are 1/8" steel and removeable to make future modifications easier (i.e., if I discover that I did something stupid, it’s easier to fix).
For now, I’m reserving the bottom shelf for a TIG cooler unit that I might build or buy if/when Saturn smiles upon me and replenishes the treasury. I like the open-shelf design, as I think it allows for a variety of configuration options. Admittedly, the cable hooks on the sides may interfere with side access to the middle shelf to some degree, but if they prove to be a problem, it’s no big deal to reposition a hook by drilling a mounting hole in a different location. I was tempted to mount the hooks on the back of the trolley, but I wanted to avoid the old “long trolley in a short workshop” scenario.
My little workshop is so crowded that I need as much maneuverability as possible, and four swivel casters make the trolley very nimble. My shop floor is nice and flat, but I added thumb-screw brakes to the front casters anyway, and I plan to add brakes to the rear casters soon.
The argon cylinder is secured with a large U-bolt with a piece of high-pressure air hose on it for padding, and the cylinder is pulled snugly against a V-shaped pair of angles welded to the frame, with a chunk of conveyor belt for padding. The cylinder doesn't contact the screw that holds the padding on the frame, as I designed it to leave a gap in the middle. I don’t like cylinders to clank around when moving a trolley (it’s just a “thing” of mine), and this setup holds the cylinder securely...and quietly. I also added some pieces of conveyor belt as spacers/bumpers to fit the welder snugly into the top shelf, so that it can't slide around, plus a strap to further secure the welder.
I made a set of low-cost filler-rod tubes from schedule 40 PVC electrical conduit. The tubes have male and female thread adapters where the top and bottom sections connect, and by using a thick O-ring, the tops screw on easily and stop against the O-ring before the threads get screwed on far enough to start binding. I had to sand off the raised letters on the edge of the female adapter to allow a tight seal against the O-ring. I fashioned internal plugs for the top and bottom ends out of slices of solid PVC rod, sanded them a bit to fit snugly, and solvent-glued them in. The tops might look open in the photos, but that's because the plugs are darker than the conduit. The plugs eliminated the need for PVC fittings at the top and bottom, which allows me to slide the tubes in and out of the steel rings that I installed on the sides of the trolley.
Rings to hold filler-rod tubes:
Front view:
A couple more views:
Future modifications might include mounting a metal tube somewhere on the trolley to hold short pieces of filler rod, and maybe a rest for the TIG torch(es). I might also try to figure out some sort of drawer or bin for the accessories. The only consumables that I plan to carry on the trolley are the filler rods. My workshop is small enough that the other consumables are just a few steps away.
In the meantime, the trolley seems to be doing its job. I still need to put the new welder through its paces on a substantial enough project to give it a good test.
Here’s my standard disclaimer: I do not guarantee the safety, efficacy, or applicability of any of my designs or ideas that I have described here in this thread. Any use of my designs or ideas is entirely at your own risk.
Thanks for taking a peek at this little project. I'm always open to suggestions.
Cheers,
Blue Chips
