Container Weld Shop build -

   / Container Weld Shop build -
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#11  
"Re: inverter MM211

I'm pretty sure it was Shield Arc who once said "One can NEVER have too many welding machines..." or something like that"

True; fer a guy that's only been welding "a few weeks", SA's purty dang smart :laughing:

Plus, the new MM211's just so dang CUTE - like a squat (but determined) little Hobbit; if I wuz one of those guys that's into NAMING all his machines, (OK, Terry, silly acronyms don't count :D) this one'd probly get named FRODO (acronym that first comes to my twisted mind - FairlyReasonableOnDistantOperation :rolleyes:)

OK, goin' back to my rubber room now :confused: ...Steve
 
   / Container Weld Shop build - #12  
I've READ the reviews on that little inverter. MY vote would be SAM. Seriously Awesome Miller.
 
   / Container Weld Shop build -
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#13  
So far I'd have to agree - the ONLY complaint I had on my first generation MM211 that was NOT addressed (with the inverter version) was no provision for connecting BOTH spool and mig guns (like the MM212, MM252, etc) but THAT woulda raised the price too much... Steve
 
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   / Container Weld Shop build -
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#14  
Well, too many things goin' on today for MUCH progress, did manage to get the prospective donor for the MM211 cart clamped down hard and ready to shine up areas to be welded - tomorrow should get me about ready to tack things up - once it's welded out I'll clean up more of the old stuff, add the tall handle, mount the welder and bottle and figure out where the balance point will be for the 13" hand truck tires and casters... Steve
 

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   / Container Weld Shop build -
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#15  
Got a little more done on the weld cart today; nothing tacked yet, it's taken a little more cleanup on the "donor" than I'd realized. Probably shoulda just started from scratch - oh well...

Did get the rest of the "add-on" pieces cut out/deburred/ready to weld, so when I get done de-rusting the donor manana it might be soon enough to burn some wire - I decided that as much fun as it is to lift 80 pound cylinders OVER 2-3 foot high obstacles, I should forego THAT particular pleasure - so now, instead of the back angle iron "shelf" going all the way across the back I shortened it to be just long enough for the welder - that way I can slip the bottle in and out from the rear and only need to lift it an inch and a half. Should be a little less irritating when the bottle needs refilled...

Anyway, here's a couple pics of what passed for progress today... Steve
 

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   / Container Weld Shop build - #16  
Finally I found this thread, only took me 2 hours, the directions you gave me got jumbled up over the Rockies, I'll leave my footprint here so I can find it easier next time.
I'm a little rusty on my blueprint reading skills, what we need is for you to go around Robins Hood's Barn again with the XYZ and TYA and get that first print in 3D format so I can understand it betterah, you can use a Etch and Sketch if you want, or would you say it would be easier for you, for me to understand the crane design better if I just wait for the build to take place and to heck with Robin Hood............I'm good with that.

That Miller 211 really changed their design, I have the (2013) version, best thing I like about it is the Auto Set.
 
   / Container Weld Shop build -
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#17  
3-d - tried to catch onto Sketchup a few years ago, but it took me almost 2 years to get where I could draw something decent in Generic Cadd- it's an old DOS program that useta be $199 when Autocad was $1400 - only runs on ONE of my WinXP laptops, takes ZERO screen real estate for menus 'cause nearly everything is a 2 letter command (some are 3) and it exports DXF files (older Autocad format) - I've got a few newer windoze based ones, but haven't wanted to invest the time to re-learn EVERYTHING til that old laptop finally croaks. So for now I only use the newer progs for "file conversion". I could get a newer version of the old DOS prog that runs on modern computers and can use the same commands I'm used to, but they want $600 for the basic program and it's been a LONG time since I've done any drawing for anyone but me - there's other things I could use that $$ for.

I WILL have some better drawings/more angles up sometime after I finish the cart for the mm211 - just gotta experiment with different ways of converting DXF's to JPG's for best results. I'll be making a couple changes to the way the bridge sits on the rails (stronger) so I'll convert THOSE when they're done. Also a "side" view showing legs, bracing, and another trolley detail.

I had the earlier transformer version of the mm211 too, sold it to a buddy for as good a deal as I got when I found the MM252 with dual running gear, a never-used 30A spool gun, 3 bottles (2 were full) all for $2200 - I liked the early 211, but would have liked it MORE if it could handle a 15' gun without voiding the warranty, and had more options on the autoset, etc -

The newer version's autoset does .024 up to .035 wire, flux core, mild steel (with either C25 or straight CO2), stainless, and aluminum. The drive rolls are rated for a 15' gun (NOT included, no option to swap, you just gotta buy a separate one of you want the length) and the rolls are down-firing like the other newer machines, and without a spool of wire it weighs about 50 pounds LESS than the older version, and will run full amperage using less than 25 amps @ 240 volts, either 50 OR 60 hZ (another advantage of inverters)

Speaking of which, got just about ready to tack pieces together for the cart - right now everything's clamped down to the 1" thick table and will only get UN-clamped when it's stone cold - when it's done, the 211 will sit on neoprene pads and be strapped in place, the 150 CF bottle will get locked into the corner beside the welder, and the two tallest uprights will get 1-1/4" tube inserts and a cross bar that's about 2" taller than the top of the gauges - it'll act as both a "roll bar" and a "hand truck handle", wheels will be 2 13" tires (offroad use, sorta) and 2 locking urethane wheeled casters for when it's upright.

I should get most, if not all, the welds done manana (doesn't mean I WILL :laughing: ) Anyway, here's today's doodles... Steve

(Oh, the unistrut is NOT part of the design, it's just holding the spacing between the rear uprights til it's welded out)
 

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   / Container Weld Shop build - #18  
Hard to believe you're this far along and haven't even touched on the sound system yet ;)
Good read!
 
   / Container Weld Shop build - #19  
Sometimes the easiest way to convert cad to images for a forum post is a screen capture. Alt-PrtScn for older windows boxes, you can the paste into "paint" and trim it down if you want.

Win 7-8-10 also have "snipping tool" which does something similar using the mouse, and you can just pick anything on the screen in one go without having to edit it first.
 
   / Container Weld Shop build -
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#20  
"haven't even touched on the sound system yet"

Ya mean like this one? :D - CL find, $100 for receiver, 5 disk CD changer and SACD/dvd player...

Screen grabs - that CAD pgm only runs on ONE of 3 WinXP boxes I have (a laptop) - won't even install on the others. Only runs in a separate DOS window, and for some reason PrtScrn does NOT put anything into the Windoze clipboard (altho I've been using SHIFT/PrtScrn, don't recall trying Ctrl - Got a brand new Dell Win10 box, haven't had time to even open its box yet. Too many projects to wanna stop long enough to flush all the CRAP outa Win10, tell it to MYOB, etc - so I've no clue yet whether there's a snowball's chance it'd even TRY to run an old DOS app in a virtual machine. Some day... Steve
 

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