Welding table/cart - shielding gas tank holder

I finally got around to purchasing some shielding gas.  I ended up getting it from Arcet in Richmond.  I had intended to lease a largish tank (from a hobby perspective) of around 120-150 cf but they talked me into doing a purchase of a 80 cf tank.  It easy to move the tank around at least.

Anyways, I had intended to strap the large tank along the wall but with the smaller tank I decided to mount it to my welding cart/table.  I had intentionally left a spot on the rear of it to do this someday and now it is time. 

For now, I purchased a tank of Argon/CO2 (C25).  I would like to try out some Tig welding but am going to save up a bit of money and do some further research before selecting a torch/lead and an additional tank of straight argon.  With this in mind, I am planning on how to mount 2 tanks.  I'll just repeat what I did here for the other tank at some point.

I did a couple drawings and decided on a basic idea I wanted to try.  The basic idea involved adding a bracket to the cart to which I could mount a small piece of open ended square tubing mounted vertically.  I would also weld a small length of round bar to a large pipe clamp.  The pipe clamp is slid over the tank and the round bar is slipped into the top of the square tube.  The pipe clamp is then tightened a bit to keep it from moving around. 

Comments/Lessons learned:

• It is hard to keep skills up when you only weld every few months.  My welds are ugly.. :)
• For the pin to clamp weld, I had a good amount of trouble.  I tried the technique of using settings closer to needed for the pin and only slipping briefly onto the clamp but the heat was still WAY TOO high.  It blew through the clamp significantly on one side.  For the other side, I split the difference roughly between that needed for clamp thickness and the pin which was a little better but still well on the high side.  For what I am doing the clamp will work for now but I may do it over with different(lower) settings.
• I may add an additional clamp  higher up for better support or just wrap a chain around for "just in case".
• A minor challenge for this was that I have a folding side extension on the cart and when it folds down, part of the hinge bracket was going to rub on the tank.  A minute with the angle grinder allowed me to trim off the (unneeded) corner of the bracket which was rubbing.

Here is a rear view of the cart.  The new bracket is on the left side and you can see the pin in the square tube.

Here are 2 side views of without/with the tank.  You can see the square tube which accepts the pin.

 

Here is the pipe clamp with the pin welded on - this is shown upside down from how it is used.

 

Hope you found this interesting.

Have a blessed day!
Scott

Hobby Metal working on a budget and lessons learned - conclusion

In my previous post, I talked about some useful tools and a project where I tried out my Harbor Freight bench top drill.  In this post, I am simply going list out what I think is a useful progression of tools and some of the reasoning/needs.  I originally had a goal of producing a post with a spreadsheet which could help in determining a rough tooling cost but that  turned out to be too complex.  There are too many variations in needs to do what I wanted.  Someone who just wants to some arc welding can probably get by with < $1000 in equipment; maybe a touch less if you find deals/used items.  Someone wanting to welding + precision metal working on larger projects might be looking at $10,000-$50,000 in equipment depending on the details (but still talking about hobby scale).

Some of this is based on my own limited experience.  Some is based on research I did on various manufacturers, suppliers, youtube videos and numerous blogs.  I also have a few books which have been extremely helpful.

• Machine Shop Essentials - Questions & Answers
• Second Edition, Frank Marlow, PE
• Welding Essentials - Questions & Answers
• Expanded first-edition, William Galvery, Frank Marlow
• Welding Know-How - Tips & Techniques of Master Welders
• Frank Marlow, PE with P.J. Tallman

I highly recommend those books, especially if you are new to welding or metal working.  Overall there is a huge amount of great content.  You will find some parts that are pretty much shared as-is between the books - mainly between the welding books and a lesser extent with the machine shop book.  There is still interesting and/or useful content in each book.  I also think that there are a few mistakes in the books but I have not gone to check and see if there was existing errata covering the items I found. The writing is generally pretty clear.  There are a few items I wish could be expressed in more detail to make sure I truly understand.  If I had to pick the top 2 books it would be the first and last in my list.

Regarding this post, one observation I want to make is that some tools usefulness is dependent upon the types of projects you intend to work on.  It very hard to make general recommendations due to the number and/or type of variables involved - things from user skill/training, material differences, availability of supporting materials/parts, storage/usage space, portability, etc.  I am trying to focus on a more hobbyist view but I admit that several items listed are very unlikely to be found in a hobbyist workshop.

My relative cost info is very rough.  Since many of these technologies/items I don't own, it is harder to provide accurate estimates without lots of extra research.  I am saying these are best guesses / educated guesses depending. Feel free to disagree or disregard; I'm sure many folks have much more experience with most of the items.

• Items in green I use now - a general progression once I bought a welder and likely what many others start out with.
• Items in orange I am evaluating with the hope of picking one as being the most useful.
• Items in yellow I deem highly usable but due to cost need to save up for. I may have a specific vendor/model in mind - will comment if known.
• Items in purple are on a wish list but likely unobtainable unless I can move from hobby to business. 

Another useful list with a small business slant:starting a metal working business

Cutting action
Saw/slice	Abrasive	Non/low-contact	Initial cost	Ongoing cost	Cut Quality (general use)	Best Use	Notes
Hacksaw			$	$	low/medium	Small finishing cuts, parting off, straight line	Get a good arm workout
Metal snips			$	$	low	Getting forearm workout	Maybe ok for some short/easy cuts but I found much to dislike otherwise
	3" High Speed Cut-Off Tool (pneumatic)		$	$$	low	Non-cosmetic cuts, not overly thick; ok on flat stock	Need decent air compressor.  I tend to destroy blades with under-supported work (pinching).
	4 ½ angle grinder		$	$$	low	non-cosmetic cuts, not overly thick; ok on flat stock	I tend to destroy blades with under-supported work (pinching).
	14” abrasive chop saw		$$	$$	low/medium	straight/small miter cuts on bar/tube/angle
Electric shear			$	$	low	~18+ gauge sheet metal	Tons better than snips. Variety of vendors/capability/cost
Jig saw			$$	$	low/medium	flat material was ok; must be WELL secured.	I found thick angle iron painful to cut this way. Make sure you are not setup with any type orbital action.
Metal cutting circular saw			$$$	$$	low/medium	plate/sheet, relatively straight
Dry cut saw			$$$	$$	medium	straight cuts;bar /tube /angle	user skill and maybe other factors appear to play a good sized part in how well this works.
Metal cutting band saw			$$$	$	medium	General use, small curves possible depending on material/thickness/saw style/blade type-size	Larger foot print is a downside.  Vertical/horizontal or combo models available.
		wet SMAW rods or specialized rods	$	$	very poor	making ugly holes/cuts	emergency use
		Oxygen lance/burning bar	?	?	poor	very thick materials	burning bar can penetrate concrete; high oxygen consumption
		Air Carbon Arc cutting	$$	$$	low	sever items; great for gouging	Need decent air compressor
		Oxygen / Acetylene cutting torch	$$$	$$	medium	Best above a minimum thickness; curves/shapes fairly simple; can cut very thick material	Not for aluminum/stainless steel; completely portable
		Plasma Cutter	$$$$	$	medium/high	Hand held < ~1.5” or so;easy curves/shapes	Any electrically conductive metal/material; need a decent air compressor.  Need very dry air supply.
		Wire EDM	$$$$$	$$$	very high	higher end, professional detailed cuts/shaping	It is possible that this can be done at a hobby level but would take some decent skills to build.
		Water jet	$$$$$$	$$$$	very high	higher end, professional detailed cuts/shaping	The high pressures make this pretty infeasible for hobby use

Regarding an abrasive cutoff saw, dry cut saw and band saw; I am torn on that mainly due to space.  I think a band saw would provide the most flexibility but I am running out of space fast. I have a couple other items which I would love to acquire at some point which may require the remaining space so I am just letting the decision sit for now (& save for plasma cutter).  Maybe I will find a job which will provide the spare cash for a larger garage :)  Or maybe some folks will want to put some money together for a shared off-site workshop;  maybe start something like this TechShop.

Regarding a plasma cutter; I have been considering both the Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 42 and the Hypertherm Powermax 30xp.  It is a hard decision from the cost differential.  There is a large amount of pro-Hypertherm user reviews out there and it seems like they have their act together (Jim Colt from Hypertherm posts lots of very useful info in various forums).  From a hobbyist perspective though, is the initial cost differential worth the longer consumable life (it seems) and maybe a bit better support?  I'm certain that the commercial users get great support from Hypertherm but I am less certain from a hobbyist perspective of the support differences - I don't expect them to show up in my garage to help me figure out some need/problem I have.  At the same time, I do know that Hypertherm is made in USA.  I have seen numerous folks comment on finding a used item but at the same time - people indicate that many good quality used items retain their value so you pay near retail but may not have any warranty available.  Tough decision and I don't know anyone with units so that I can determine what is best for me.  Additionally, I am still in the "experimenting" stage so "best for me" is not easily defined (if at all) - I know I want to clean cut 1/4" mild steel and maybe stainless and aluminum - but not sure how much thicker I would go (probably not much..).

[Update] Ok, as I review the Powermax 30xp further, I lean more toward it.  There seem to be reports of repeatable good consumable lifetimes and few problems.  I don't see as many reports on the TD equipment.  I will have to see what my local welding supply places sell - I would like to know there is a local repair option for some of the more expensive equipment.  If I ever build a CNC plasma table, it sounds like I could still use the Powermax 30xp (just no machine torch and capacity pretty low for CNC work).

Here are the hole making and forming type items.

Item	Notes	My take	Cost
Hand held drill	Pretty much a standard for anyone doing any type of home/hobby work. Different size chuck and styles; corded/cordless options as well. Better for thin or softer material.	Consider more of a given than a requirement. Complements a drill press.	$
Drill Press	fast/flexible setup; fast turn-around; relatively small foot print	To get nice plumb holes, a good quality drill press really comes in handy. I just got a 50-60 year old drill press from my father and the quality is much higher than a Harbor freight version. Craigslist is your friend – reasonable deals can be found.	$-$$
Hydraulic press	Bending, pressing. Various extras allow creating box pans and such. Some cross over with an Iron worker but is generally more of a complement.	Presses can be found at reasonable prices on craigslist sometimes; quality, capability and features can vary significantly. Tooling may add a lot to total cost depending on what you are doing. Could use for ornamental art, vehicle maint, help with creating drawers and carts, etc. I'd recommend 20-50 ton capacity.	$-$$
Milling machine	Ability to do more than just make holes (compared to to drill press). Groove/slot and larger cuts. Slower setup and turn-around. Complements a lathes functions.	A vertical knee type Bridgeport clone is likely the most flexible machine you can choose. Many options; DRO, power down feed, power axis, full CNC. I would enjoy a Lagun but I think I have a better chance of finding an affordable Sharp or Wells-Index. There are a number of other good brands but these are the ones which seem to be a good value and seem somewhat common. Tooling is a very large cost to account for and should not be underestimated.	$$$
Metal Lathe	Turning, threading, complements a mills functions.	I don't really have any particular need for a metal lathe at this time. It would likely take a larger/longe item to push me to need a lathe.	$$$
Iron Worker	shear, press, punch, notch, bend. Typically flats, angle, rounds, tubing. For some operations, this is much faster than using a drill press or mill.	Part of me would really like to get an iron worker. I can envision using it to work with ornamental art and lot of other things. The cost and size are a deterrent though.	$$$

Here is a quick list of lots of useful "little" stuff - lots of it depends on what you are doing.  Low precision (maybe metal artwork) versus high precision (such as engine parts) makes a large difference in selecting items.  Browse an online site like use-enco to see a huge selection of items available.

Cleaning	Coating	Hammers	Work Holding /control	Measuring /alignment	Punch/ marking	Holes /threading	Misc
Sand paper	Foam brushes	Welding	C-clamps	Tape measures	Center punches	Tap and die set	Extra Lighting
Acetone	Paint brushes	Ball pein	Bar clamps	Calipers	Transfer punches	135 degree drill bits; HSS/ Cobalt /etc	120v & 220/240v 1 phase outlets
Mineral spirits	Spray cans	Standard	Spring clamps	Micrometers	Pin punches		Extension cords
Files	HVLP sprayers	Mini-sledge	4+” vice	Wiggler tool	Cold chisels		Storage carts
Dremel w/burrs			Vise grips	DTI's	Layout fluid		tool boxes
Die grinder			Angle clamps	sine bar	Soap stone		cutting fluid
Angle grinder w/variety of wheels – dedicated purposes			Toggle clamps	Machinist square	Markers		safety equipment
6” Grinder			Work tables	Height gauge			screw drivers
Belt Sander			Angle plates	Feeler gauge			wrenches
Sandblaster			Parallels	Gauge blocks			metal snips
Parts washer			Saw horses	Thread gauge
Cleanup magnet				Straight edges
				1-2-3 blocks
				Rotary table

This is really just a very short survey of stuff related to welding/machining. I really enjoy working with this type of stuff but it is a major black hole for $.  Definitely need to set limits.  There are many days I wish I could find work that combined my software development skills with metal working skills.  Can keep wishing but won't hold my breath - for now this makes a nice stress reliever from the existing day job.

Hoping someone find something helpful or entertaining in all this.

Wishing you a blessed day.
Scott