I finally got some new things to start making stuff

my Miller Syncrowave 180SD right when it came from the box

after i made a cart with my little mig welder


my little mig welder. Craftsman 87amp flux core wire

where i will be doing my welding. its a 1/4" top on 2x4's. its about 22x60

and my drill press. its an IronSmith "Machines for Metal"


i took a class in stick, mig, and tig so i have a concept on the basics. but i learned on a Syncrowave 350 and Millermatic 251 so i'm still working on adjusting to the differences. but now i can start making things. i'm gonna start by making a table (since i work with glass all day and have access to tons of plate glass for free for the top). then i'll start making parts for my hatch once i get some good beads goin

 

sweet, ive been debating on getting a syncrowave. my aunt manages a local welding shop and i can pick one up for right around 1300 which is a screaming deal. right now ive been ****** around with my stick welder/ tig conversion and it really sucks.

 

nice machine. i'm comtemplating whether to get this machine, the thermal arc 185 or the lincoln precision tig 185.

 

nice machines..

 

i would love to have a garage to use as a workspace

 

Advice on your cart... When people buy used stuff, they will look at appearance. You may think you'll keep it forever, but if you upgrade to a bigger machine in the future, the new machine will do everything this one will and more...thus there will be no need to take up the space of this one, and you'll want to get money to help fund your next machine.

If you keep it nice and shiny, people will believe it was well cared for. Put sheetmetal on the sides to protect the paint on the machine. You might even opt for some expanded metal, if you want to put it on areas that are vented. Your cart will likely be sold with the machine, so take the time and make it as handy as possible to increase your use of it and resale value. It will make it such that you can't scratch it up, and you won't be worried about your ground clamp hitting it when rolling it up and stuff. I would NOT advise putting metal over any of the vented areas though. As a rule of thumb, you need to REMOVE THE PANELS AND BLOW OUT THE DUST TWICE A YEAR!!! This is the single most important thing you can do to lengthen the lifespan of a welding machine. Dust buildup creates heat buildup...which kills electrical equipment.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by DefiantGSR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">nice machine. i'm comtemplating whether to get this machine, the thermal arc 185 or the lincoln precision tig 185. </TD></TR></TABLE>
I'd scratch the Lincoln off that list, based on my experiences. I havn't used the TA machine, so I can't comment on it. I've had great success with Miller.