Hello new here, my first project.

[rikyric]

Hey guys, I just got a HH 120 a couple of weeks ago and found this great site. I have been reading through alot of posts here to gain some knowledge, and decided to tackle my first project. My cousin was gettin rid of his welder and said i could have it... for free even better! I have always wanted a welder but never was up to dropping the cash for one, and that I have never even welded before. So now that I have one, I wanted to build something, didnt come with a cart so..... I built one. Like I said I have never welded before, but I was happy with it. I read as much as I could on this site and even downloaded the manual from here. I am glad you guys are here for all the knowledge. Well thanks for looking, I know I will have more questions later...

[rikyric]

Oh yeah, I used an old queen size bed frame for metal. I figured why not it was just gonna get tossed out anyways haha. I know they dont make the 120 anymore but I guess I really dont need anything bigger. Anyone have any comments on this model, I cant complain for free, but it did say it could do up to 3/16th.

[agoailam]

Nice cart..

That reminds me! I've got an old bed frame up in the attic, too...
SCAVENGE TIME! I just got a HH135 for my first welder.

[puddles]

rickyric
Good job - Looks like you will go far in your adventures.
What's your cousins phone number, I could use another welder.
Give yourself a pat on the back.

[DaVinci]

LOL...
I, too, had the thought to use old bed frame for a project. I had some old tires taking up real estate in the garage and yard, so I decided to hang them up out of the way on the garage ceiling.

RockyD mentioned bed frame is typically composed of "junk metal", not good for welding. Since I was too far into the project to start over, I did "all around" welds on the joints with the thought the beads from both sides would connect with each other to give adequate strength, which was all I was after. Seems to work. The tires are no longer obstacles Have some pics.

Nifty cart there. I'll need to do one too at some point, but my 210 has built-in running gear, so not a pressing need at the moment.

Thanks for showing us your work...and welcome

[cope]

I have made 5 or six welder carts using bed rails. Only problem is having enough material of the same dimension, but that just allows you to ge tcreative in the design. Nice cart.

[49degreesnorth]

I am curious about bed frames as material -- I reems to recall not that they were junk metal but limited flex or something. They are readily available at the dump, though, so it would be nice to know what their limitations are... anyone else out there weld up stuff outa these?

Thanks,
Chris

[Wheat]

Hade my Handler for 11 years. Beat the pi$$ out of it. Never once missed a beat. Sold it to upgrade for a MM210....HW

[MM251]

Bed frame material should just be a standard soft steel. Nothing special, no extra carbon for hardness, etc. It is kind of light so don't built anything where your life will depend on it. Great for playing with.

One more thought for those with Oxy/acetylene outfits - coathanger wire can be used for welding rod/filler wire in a pinch, its not great stuff, but it works.

Chris

[Rocky D]

Well, I must have missed something. The bed frames I am familiar with are old military bunks, and the steel was made in the US. You never found one that was welded. Why? Well for one try to drill a hole in one. They were always riveted. They are very brittle, and destructive testing revealed that the base metal will break alond side the weld. I know a lot of you folks have built stuff out of it, and it works for you, (maybe Chi-com steel is softer?)however from what I have seen, I certainly wouldn't use it for anything structural. Use it with caution, be safe out there.

There has been discussion on this already:
http://www.hobartwelders.com/mboard/...ght=bed+frames

http://www.hobartwelders.com/mboard/...ght=bed+frames

[SR500ED]

I have read in another news group that bed frame angles are made from old railway tracks.
See link. http://www.jssteel.com/advantages/index.asp

Ed

[Bob]

rikyric,

Nice Cart, especially for a first project!
If you are looking for your next project(s) you may want to consider some of the cart add on's like:

a shelf and drawer about half way up
shelf for the hood, drawer for tips, wire, hand tools
some inverted U things to wrap the cables on
a quad A/C box for all the other tools
a short piece of 1" pipe as a torch holder
maybe a telescoping pole to hold a light
bent tubing handle on the front

I would leave the bottle area about like it is, in case you want to add a second bottle ... maybe argon for aluminum.

Good work. Garage looks like you also do woodwork, cars, electric and now you can weld too!!

Bob

[rikyric]

Yeah, thanks for all the replies. I am not to woried about the bed fram rails being "weak" or "cheap" metal, I figure it'll be good for my cart. Ya Bob, good observations, I am into cars and customizing, and now owning a welder opens new avenues in creating and building things. I am pretty much self taught in alot of the things I do. "learn by my mistakes" but make sure i do it right in the end.

So I took your advise Bob, and looked around the forum and got a couple of ideas to mount the tank to the cart for more stability.

check it out.

[rlarkin]

Tank hold down looks good. My only concern would be that if you are on a bottle exchange program, they will not always be the same size.
I have received 50s, 65s, and even got an 80 once because that was all they had.

[rikyric]

Yeah, I read an earlier post about that, the tank is mine though so no worries there.