Welding trolley

[excossack]

I had a fish tank stand I was about to chuck out, its been in the shed for a while with the Cebora sitting underneath....Then I had a thought.

Fish tank stand as was



Added a top with a cutout for the Co2 bottle



Add the bottle


Next is add the castors which I got from Aldi at the weekend, four for £7.99

 

[MCKDAVID]

looks like you're making it hard for yourself with bottle changeouts. You'll will need to lift it all the way up, and out. That might be ok when it's empty, but a ball ache (literally) doing it with a full bottle. Is it not possible to cut out the back end so you could just slide the bottle in instead of having to lift it all the way out? i.e. cut out the rear cross bar.

 

[excossack]

I thought about that, but once the bottle is in its staying in. I could remove the back cross bar but that would the frame a bit weaker.

 

[MCKDAVID]

staying in until it's empty.. if the lack of strength is an issue, make the cross bar removable and bolted, add a couple of plates on the end of each end of the bit you've cut out, and drill and bolt back in place, then you have the best of both worlds, the strength and the access.

 

[excossack]

I guess there is that idea as well. I will leave it as work in progress for the time being and see how I get on.
next on the list, is to add a 4 gang extension lead to the back of it (with suitable wire) and possibly a vice and maybe a cup holder.

 

[Bill Edwards]

For hobby/minimal use it's probably not a big problem to lift the bottles up there, even if it requires a second person. They aren't that heavy!

 

[excossack]

I don't find them that heavy to move around and once its on the trolley it will be there till its empty.
Castor next and then a few other bits. I am getting fed up with moving the bottle and then the welder to the car or where ever.

 

[Bill Edwards]

I've often thought that, with a decent floor, welding gear should be on a trolley. Welder, gas bottle, rods, mask, grinders, disks etc all in one place, because when you weld you almost always need the very same gear.

 

[gordon stephenson]

don't forget to make some sort of ring for the bottom of the bottle to locate into,otherwise it might try to escape if moved over bumpy ground.

 

[excossack]

That's on my list as well, to have some kind of way of securing the bottle at the bottom.

 

[Exuptoy]

I did this last year from shelf panels from the stores in work! Just slotted the sides and slid in the shelves and welded it up.

 

[Premiershipman]

What about hinging the back bar, with a locking pin to keep it shut?

That way its in place to hold the bottle in when required and you can 'swing it open' whenyou need to change the bottle ?

 

[excossack]

I think I will be sticking with lifting the bottle in and out, its not like I will be replacing the bottle every day :-)
Having started this topic, I have not done anything more with it :-( (well apart from buy the bolts to hold down the wooden top and the bottom shelf)