Best welding joint

[Gary Max]

I am going to build a pair of display carts.
Material------- 2x2x 3/16
Size 8 foot long 4 foot high and two foot deep
There will be a bottom--middle and top shelf.
They will be on 2x6 wheels.
They will be used as craft show displays
The plan is to use the material for the whole cart.
This will never see and weight----- I am planning on 3/4 plywood for the decking

I am a rookie welder at best.

What is the correct way to weld the joints. I will be using a mig welder.
I figured it would be better to ask before I start and have to it wrong.

Thanks

 

[metalmaster]

is the material tube or angle? if it is tube i would build a top and bottom rectangle
with 45* corners then connect top frame to bottom with butt joints
add center tubes between uprights.
i hope that helps

mike

 

[sniggler]

I am going to build a pair of display carts.
Material------- 2x2x 3/16
Size 8 foot long 4 foot high and two foot deep
There will be a bottom--middle and top shelf.
They will be on 2x6 wheels.
They will be used as craft show displays
The plan is to use the material for the whole cart.
This will never see and weight----- I am planning on 3/4 plywood for the decking

I am a rookie welder at best.

What is the correct way to weld the joints. I will be using a mig welder.
I figured it would be better to ask before I start and have to it wrong.

Thanks

If it were me with that material I would miter the angles with a chop saw,or angle grind with a thin kerf cut wheel or a torch to fabricate the three shelf frames. If the shelve nest inside the angle weld on the under side and outside corner, grind the corner weld flush. Then use angle for the four upright corner angles. Take care to make the shelves uniform, it will be nice to have plenty of c-clamps.

bob

 

[DMS]

What is the material, angle?

I have made a workbench, a tool cart, and a welding cart out of steel tubing and angle. I only used the angle on the welding cart, all the other stuff was square. I found for square tubing, just butt it up, and weld all the sides, then take a grinder and dress the visible welds. Takes a bit of practice to avoid burning through thin tubing. For angle, especially as thick as you are talking (3/16" right) you should't have any problems with burning through. Just make sure you have good fitup, that you get good penetration. Use lot's of tack welds as you set it up, and then make any final adjustments before welding things out. I have found that laying things out on a flat surface (concrete floor of your garage) works much better than trying to make it true with corner clamps.

Mitering the corners is nice, but if you have access to a notcher/bender that is even better.

 

[Gary Max]

This is working just the way I hoped--------- I had planned on building the three frames first. I just ordered the wheels today and plan on waiting for them before I start on the uprights. They are 6 x 2 wheels on 7 1/2 frames. I got lucky on the 2x2's---- they where almost 1/2 price.

 

[sniggler]

This is working just the way I hoped--------- I had planned on building the three frames first. I just ordered the wheels today and plan on waiting for them before I start on the uprights. They are 6 x 2 wheels on 7 1/2 frames. I got lucky on the 2x2's---- they where almost 1/2 price.

What are you using to cut the angle? what kind of mig welder is it?

 

[Gary Max]

I have a Miller 180 autoset--------- for a saw I have a old school power hacksaw.

 

[sniggler]

I have a Miller 180 autoset--------- for a saw I have a old school power hacksaw.

Gary,
It sounds like you are well set up. Are you using gas with bare wire or flux core?

 

[Gary Max]

Gary,
It sounds like you are well set up. Are you using gas with bare wire or flux core?

I use gas---- I figured as weak as my welding skills where, I needed all the help I could get. I spent a couple of grand on a good welder last year.

Here's a pic of the sawing- I am building two of these displays so it's going to take a while. You just can't hurry a power hacksaw.

 

[billwallace]

If I understand your post you don't plan on having a lot of weight on this display cart then the use of 2x2 3/16 tube is over kill & will make fabrication more difficult when cutting & fitting joints. Unless you have already gotten the tubing I would suggest using 2x2 .120 wall or 11gauge tube. butt joints should be more than sufficient for this. (note plan ahead so that the many of ends of the tubes are not exposed).