Bringing a PM-1054TV-3PH into my Garage

[erikmannie]

I think the magic bullet here is to get a lot of stuff that is (still on the floor + not on wheels) onto a tall rolling cart. That “tote cart” really helped by getting a lot of stuff to have a small footprint.

The tote cart is just (totes + a box) on top of plywood held down by gravity on four 150 pound (each) furniture dollies. I will re-do that to be (1) only as wide as it needs to be plus (2) screw the plywood to the dollies.

With a little effort, I could stack the few other (on the floor + not on wheels) boxes on top of the totes, but it might be too tall to pass through the man door. If I made a second cart, it wouldn’t be stacked very high.

The bad thing about the tote cart is that if you need something from the bottom tote, you have to pull down 4 heavy totes plus a heavy box…and then re-stack everything.

Obviously, a rolling shelf (I will find and post an example) would fit the bill here. If I needed something, it would be in view & in reach.

Now that the knee mill is in there, I am only going to TIG weld in the garage. I have my welding bench outside for the types of welding that throw spatter & emit smoke. I am going to make a second base for the weld test stand, and bolt that second base down in the sideyard. Until I get around to making this second base, it is easy to clamp the individual arms (e.g. the plate/sheet arm) of the weld test stand to the welding table.

 

[erikmannie]

A rolling cart with secure shelves would look something like this. The one in the picture is obviously flimsy. I would build one to suit; that is, sturdy & only as big as it needs to be.

If you guys see a quality one that might fit the bill, please link it here. I will probably choose to make one because so much of the stuff that is sold is flimsy junk, imported from place(s) with questionable geopolitical decisions.

 

[Aaron_W]

The bad thing about the tote cart is that if you need something from the bottom tote, you have to pull down 4 heavy totes plus a heavy box…and then re-stack everything.

I have a lot of horizontal mill tooling in Milwaukee stacking containers. Same problem have to move to top boxes to get at lower boxes.

I haven't got to welding it together yet, but I've got the steel cut for a cart that will take each of the containers like a drawer. It will live between the two mills where it will be out of the way when not needed.

I do have some totes like those black and yellow ones I use for general household storage. I keep them on a large (non-mobile) steel shelf I got from Home Depot or Costco. It works well for me but for your use, building something made for your use will probably be better than than anything you can buy.

 

[Winegrower]

The “Metro” carts you picture are actually very sturdy, and hold about 1200 pounds as I recall…but not with those casters. There are 5” casters for these carts that are just incredible…I have 5 of these carts loaded down with chucks, rotabs, and every heavy thing I can lift. I line them up along a wall long side by long side, no space between, and just pull one out like a file drawer to access things from either side. This has really bootstrapped my shop organization and usability.

Edit: Metro 5pcb casters, urethane tires, 300 pounds per wheel, and they really will do that, and don’t take a set.

 

[erikmannie]

@Aaron_W and @Winegrower

I built a metal welding cart once, & it was an enjoyable project (I like a lot of arc time). Building a rolling shelf ought to be an easy project.

Of course, I will probably spent more money than if I had just bought one. This can only be justified if somebody needs something that is not on the market, or they just like futzing around with steel.

I see a lot of contractors (usually in vans) with handtrucks that have totes (usually red & black) stacked & strapped on the handtruck. This is probably a solution for mobile contractors, though.

 

[Stonebriar]

Here is a link to those carts, definitely not flimsy. Also not cheap. We use to stack these with a lot of heavy stuff at work.

Chrome Shelving, Chrome Wire Shelving, Chrome Wire Storage in Stock - ULINE

Uline stocks a wide selection of Chrome Wire Shelving. Order by 6 p.m. for same day shipping. Huge Catalog! Over 42,000 products in stock. 13 Locations across USA, Canada and Mexico for fast delivery of Chrome Wire Shelving.

www.uline.com

 

[Just for fun]

I have s couple of those in my shop

 

[Winegrower]

These casters are the best I’ve ever had. Model 5pcb.
The Metro carts I have were found on eBay (Edit: I mean Craigslist) for around $100 each, and these casters were about $60 for a set of 4, though they list for about that individually. I bought 4 sets…It pays to shop.

 

[erikmannie]

Here is a link to those carts, definitely not flimsy. Also not cheap. We use to stack these with a lot of heavy stuff at work.

Chrome Shelving, Chrome Wire Shelving, Chrome Wire Storage in Stock - ULINE

Uline stocks a wide selection of Chrome Wire Shelving. Order by 6 p.m. for same day shipping. Huge Catalog! Over 42,000 products in stock. 13 Locations across USA, Canada and Mexico for fast delivery of Chrome Wire Shelving.

www.uline.com

I think we have a winner here. I watched the video in the link. They have so many features and accessories.

If one is to put those on casters, however, you would definitely want to plan for stability. Along these lines, I probably wouldn’t go crazy with height here, and stick heavy items on the bottom and light items on top.

I am surprised that one of the optional accessories isn’t an outrigger. Maybe I could buy one of these shelves with no casters, and custom build a wheeled larger base to attach it to.

 

[francist]

I have some of those same wire shelves in a corner of my shop for holding all my paint, solvents, and sundry supplies. They will hold a fair bit of weight but because the shelves themselves are open wire construction a heavy item with a small footprint tends to sag the wires. If that same weight is distributed over a wider, flat area the shelf supports it better. So, for very heavy but small footprint items (electric motor, eg) having them on a square of thin plywood really helps distribute that weight over the entire shelf.