Hello all. I've been lurking here for a little over a year. My name is John. I teach HS. I have been getting into metal the last few years and really enjoy it. Got a Hobart Handler 190 a couple years ago and futzed around in the garage. I've made a kart stand for my race kart and built a yard kart from scratch. I then taught a class of about 20 HS kids on how to make a yard kart. Believe it or not all three of the karts ran before the end of the 14 day class (only about 3-4 of the kids had any welding/metal/power tool experience.) We had a blast, but it redefined the expression "the blind leading the blind." Most importantly, no injuries!
I'm not great, heck, I'm not even good. Everything I've done to this point has been flux core. The kart stand and kart were mostly 16 ga 1" sq tube, and I have to believe there are easier ways to start out. I'm excited about finally doing some MIG with gas; I bought a bottle of gas over the summer, then we decided to move houses. New garage didn't have 240v service, but that gets installed tomorrow. () Not sure why I took so long on getting gas. Hopefully the thin wall stuff will be a little easier.
Between reading the forums and watching YT (Jody, Mr. Tig, TFS, TOT, etc.) I've gathered a list of things I want to make.
Steevo (Garage Journal) style workbench
Chairs for kitchen island
Trailer for kart/camping
Hat Rack
HF portable band saw table
Firewood Rack
Fab table
Fun bike rack for kids' bikes
Jack stands
Pit wagon for the race track
While those are still mild steel, I am looking forward to trying out some thicker materials and different shapes. Maybe one day I'll try thin AL.
Anyhoo, hello. I'm mostly a lurker, but I thought I'd at least introduce myself before I start any threads. Hope everybody had a safe new year!
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