Tool Chest Cart

[the-apprentice]

This christmas I was lucky enough to receive a new tool chest for christmas! The tool chest is a Mastercraft Maximum 5 drawer tool chest (http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brows....jsp?locale=en) and I am planning on building a rolling cart to hold it, plus more tool storage on shelves underneath. I am planning on constructing it with some angle iron I salvaged from some old bed frames and welding it up with either some 6011 or the cheap 7018 AC I have.

Hopefully I will get to building this in the next couple weeks during exam break. If you guys have any thoughts or input it would be greatly appreciated!

[fjk]

Bed frames are generally not "plain old carbon steel".
If I recall, they are high carbon ... But don't quote me on it
I suggest you search this board, there have been some good discussions on it

Good luck and post pictures when you build it!

Frank

[snowbird]

FJK is right! bed frames are good only at waht they are made for.

They are much more stiffer than angle but they are also very brittle...

Scrap them before someone use them at a critical application where failure will occur . Not even good for a picket as they micht break when hammered.

good luck, have fun.

[Bistineau]

FJK is right! bed frames are good only at waht they are made for.

They are much more stiffer than angle but they are also very brittle...

Scrap them before someone use them at a critical application where failure will occur . Not even good for a picket as they micht break when hammered.

good luck, have fun.

It appears that he IS using them for a non-critical application here. It's just a cart for a tool chest. Not likely going to cause any fatalities if it fails as long as he's not towing it down the highway.
Take some pix of the build as you go and some of the finished project.

[Dirt Farmer]

Oh jeez.... just step back son and think for a minute of all the people that will be killed, if you use re-purposed, old bed angle iron material for a toolbox holder/cart. The stresses and dangers involved on such a contraption is mindboggling. Oh the humanity........

There will always be naysayers, no matter what you do. He has a 5-drawer topbox, he’s not building a 10 ton Gantry crane. Go ahead and make it, and wallow in the pride that you built it yourself.

[the-apprentice]

Thanks for all the input, I have thought about the steel not being the best to work with, but I am going to do a couple test cuts and welds with it before I jump into the project. Dirt Farmer nailed it right on the head, it is not something that has to be excessively strong, if it does break I may get a dent in my box, but oh well. I do not plan on attaching to chest to the cart, so it will be in two pieces for transport and I will set it up where ever I am using it.

I plan on taking many pictures and documenting it as well as I can!

[MMW]

The design will have more to do with a failure than the material itself. Go ahead & use it. Weld it with whatever you got.

[fjk]

Agree with the others that you're probably ok to use it for this application.
Just search the board for hints on welding it, it's not normal.

Also, it's hard to drill, cut, machine, etc. again, search the board for hints, etc

Good luck

Frank

[the-apprentice]

MMW, anything I should be careful about? lots of bracing I would think. I do not plan on doing any drilling, mainly just using abrasive cut off disks to cut it, then just weld it up.

[MMW]

Assuming your going to make it like the outline of the roller cabinet you will be fine. Several picture frame looking pcs. out of angle for bottom, top & a few shelves. All attached together with four uprights, one in each corner that go from top to bottom. Weld it all up & you'll be good.

If your really worried about it add some x braces on sides & back that go from corner to corner but most likely not needed.

[fjk]

MMW, anything I should be careful about? lots of bracing I would think. I do not plan on doing any drilling, mainly just using abrasive cut off disks to cut it, then just weld it up.

Are you planning to weld the casters to the structure? If so, what if they need to be replaced for some reason?

Btw, spend the extra money so that all four casters are swivelling and locking. It makes it a lot easier to roll the thing into a tight corner, etc.

Frank

[the-apprentice]

MMW, thats exactly what I was thinking.

fjk, at first I thought about welding them on, but I may do height adjustable for uneven floors. I am for sure using all 4 swivel, not sure about lock yet.

[the-apprentice]

Update!

I just did a rather large post with a bunch of pictures over on Hobart's Weld Talk.

Here is the link to check it out!

http://www.hobartwelders.com/weldtalk/showthread.php?47803-Tool-Cart&p=430769#post430769

[kevhead63]

Looks like it worked out fine. Grinding sparks flying towards cardboard is never a good idea.

[the-apprentice]

Thanks! yeah I know, thats why I keep four fire extinguishers around!