This is another look back at an older project. I bought my first welder in the fall of 2015. I had never really welded much prior to buying it, but with the help of a lot of reading and some great YouTube content, I was able to make some decent welds relatively quickly. I went through a few iterations of welding carts, starting with the basic Harbor Freight option, and a few home grown ideas, but nothing really worked well, so I decided to start from scratch and make my own design.
I started with this basic design. The frame was made from 14g 1″x2″ and 1″x1″ steel tube, with 12g steel for the top and bottom plates. This was all welded up, and I used it without any additional work for a few years.
From the start, I had intended to make drawers for the interior. I didn’t have a finger brake, so I built the drawers in four pieces. The front, back and bottom were made from a single piece of 16ga steel.
The front’s were a little lower than the back, as I used a technique from woodworking cabinet making, and later welded 12ga faces on each of the drawers to give them a clean, solid look. The sides were welded on as well.
While assembling the drawers, I decided that I didn’t want the sides of the case to be welded on, as I didn’t really need the extra rigidity, and it would make working on it in the future much more difficult, so I added some 1/8″ x 1/2″ screw rails around the interior of the frame
After I was finished with the fabrication, I had the whole thing powder coated to match my red Craftsman toolbox.
The welder and plasma cutter are held down with ratchet straps that are bolted into the cart. The hoses and cords are stored in sheet metal sweeps made from 16g steel cut with a jigsaw and welded up. The entire side is attached with machine screws into the screw rail. I used heavy duty steel wheels for the casters to allow for easy rolling over concrete.
Here is the inside. All 100lb full-extension drawer slides. The back is screwed on to the frame, so it is also removable if necessary for maintenance.
The drawers are plenty sturdy. I have two that are 6″ deep, two that are 4″ deep, and two that are 2″ deep. They allow easy access to my welding fixtures and accessories.
I think this is one of my nicest, and most used welding projects. It rolls smoothly even with a 300cu ft bottle on the back and loaded up with welding clamps and fixtures.