Loafy
Senior Member
I've been toying with the idea of getting a welder for the past few years. I bought a tower stand that is made out of EMT and I realized how much of a markup there was on those stands. I thought that if I built one myself I could save a bunch of money. Well, I think I just might!
THe one hitch in my plan is that I don't know how to weld. I figured that I would start out with the cheapest thing which is a 70amp stick welder. If I could not get the hang of it I would not be out much. I burned through a few pieces of EMT and did a bunch of practice Saturday. Then I started on the stand Sunday. It went pretty smooth.
I started with the top part of the stand. I figure that it is the least critical part of the whole thing and if I mess up that would be the best place. It's about 2 inches out of square and the front leans in about 5 or 6 degrees but overall it is nice and strong. I could not be happier. Now hopefully I can build a few jigs to make things easier and faster.
So far this stand is going to cost me $225 which includes the price of the welder. It's a 2 man 4x6 5 ft tall box stand. The one for sale here in town that I got the idea from is $350. Not too bad!
I may post some pictures down the road when I've built two or three and gotten things looking a little better. Right now it's kinda rough looking with being out of square and all. But like I told my wife, as long as it is strong enough all that have to see it are me and the deers!
THe one hitch in my plan is that I don't know how to weld. I figured that I would start out with the cheapest thing which is a 70amp stick welder. If I could not get the hang of it I would not be out much. I burned through a few pieces of EMT and did a bunch of practice Saturday. Then I started on the stand Sunday. It went pretty smooth.
I started with the top part of the stand. I figure that it is the least critical part of the whole thing and if I mess up that would be the best place. It's about 2 inches out of square and the front leans in about 5 or 6 degrees but overall it is nice and strong. I could not be happier. Now hopefully I can build a few jigs to make things easier and faster.
So far this stand is going to cost me $225 which includes the price of the welder. It's a 2 man 4x6 5 ft tall box stand. The one for sale here in town that I got the idea from is $350. Not too bad!
I may post some pictures down the road when I've built two or three and gotten things looking a little better. Right now it's kinda rough looking with being out of square and all. But like I told my wife, as long as it is strong enough all that have to see it are me and the deers!