Welding school to Graduation and stuff in between!

There was another transition taking place, one not mentioned here but while I was in school my wife and I were anxiously waiting to get keys to our new house!

That day arrived when we were finally able to move in April of this year.

From buying new machines, to setting up my garage, making misc items like a tiny catch-all table, a welding cart, fixing trailers, welding my bumper and more, I've been really trying to do as much as I can related to welding and/or fabrication.

 

So to summarize a few things -

If there's something you wish to do or try, JUST DO IT.

I always wanted to get into welding, and though I thought it'd be cool to do it for a living, I kept telling myself "naw this will just be a hobby."

But really, don't be afraid to dive in head first. You're going to suck, it's normal. No one's good at trying something for the first time and I think that's what pushes most of us away from doing so.

For me, it was more than just welding because I was left a really good job that paid really well with continued growth opportunities. But as I got older, I realized I needed to stop telling myself "I'll do it later."

It's been a huge breath of fresh air.

I only hope to learn and learn and learn as I continue on, exploring new and different opportunities.

If anyone has any questions feel free to post on here or shoot me a PM!

Glad I started this thread cause I can go back and see where it all started, how I progressed, and how I will continue to progress in the time to come.

Can't wait to post new projects in the future!

 

Love this thread! Way to go OP. I start school for welding in about 2 weeks, also using my GI Bill!! Super stoked

 

Lots of good info on here!

 

Thanks!

It probably didn't help that I stopped posting right around the time I started at the fab shop, but I saw it as nothing really exciting to post about.

Sure I did MIG a lot, whether it was mild steel or aluminum with a push pull setup. But I held off thinking I could come back and just post a ton of pics of everything I had done after my last post.

Look forward to hearing about school! Feel free to post on here for any reason, could be that push someone needs to get into welding or whatever other trade he or she may be jumping into.

 

And you didn't believe me when I said I only started welding recently!

 

Great read for me, especially the beginning. Speaks volumes to you and your work ethic, although somewhat common when you walk amongst the same cloth for so many years. I am set to retire in a couple years. It was supposed to be last year, but various reasons took me to another PCS. However, I was lined up to work at a restoration shop on my way out as an intern. I have found a couple local small fab shops and am gonna see if I can work at one of them instead.

 

Glad you did come back to post! Haha, yeah I’ll def be taking pics along the way. I’m excited to learn. I’ll be going to my local state college that has a 2 year program, my wife has a friend that did it and he said it’s a really good program.

 

Congratulations

Is there a Graduation Party the drive for me might be to expensive though.

All that matters is that your happy and keep learning new things.

 

Well check this shit out, these are light poles my co-worker and I made.

I made more than half the light poles, and he made more than half the smaller set of signs.

The city that ordered these from us is the city my barber is in -

 

It is sure fun to see things you built in the Real World.

People that don`t build things will never understand.

 

It's been some time since I've posted here, but who doesn't like an update?

Crazy to think still it was only recently that I learned how to even use an oxyfuel setup.

After my last post, I had picked up a job doing MIG and TIG work for a manufacturing company.

Most jobs I handled were large, mild steel assemblies but I did get to work on even larger stainless steel frames as well as panels where TIG was required.

Due to NDA's and whatnot, I couldn't really get any pics other than this one -



Had also earned my forklift certification there which was cool.

Unfortunately, I chose not to stay there due to the sudden need for an increase in hours. I was ok working 45-50hrs a week but the need shot up to 60 plus a volunteer Saturday per month. With a kid on the way (at that point we were only planning), I decided to hang it up and retire.

Which leads to where I'm at now.

I've picked up doing side work, from repairing more trailers, some gym equipment, to making an assembly for a table to cutting one off motor-parts for a local mechanic shop, and more.







































And the most updated pic of my 'shop'



Added quite a few tools to my arsenal which make things so much easier than I could've imagined!

 

@jubei you mentioned having followed my school progress and all so not sure you ever saw this thread.

Goes from just starting and getting my OSHA card to where I'm at now.

 

I had no idea this thread even existed! Very cool to see how far you’ve come, man!

Thanks for tagging me in!

 

Man, quite a few changes in the year it's been since I last updated this thread.

Looking back at almost 3 years ago, quite a lot has changed!

Thought it'd be cool to just touch on the few things I've done, learned, and how the 'shop' has evolved since then.

One of the things that I absolutely needed to upgrade was my welding table; that piece of sheet metal tack welded to the top of an HF table just wasn't cutting it anymore so I got my local shop to laser cut this for me for the grand price of $158. This included the labor for cutting as well as the material itself (2' x 3' at 3/8" thick)



Friend of mine hooked me up with the square tube itself







It helped that I've taken on a lot of one-off requests as it taught me to become much more efficient in doing CAD work









Making misc small parts wasn't the only thing; I had requests for signs, battery trays, motor mounts, you name it. It got to the point where I was even dabbling in cool little art projects as well







As my workflow increased, I was finding myself putting money back into the shop to increase my cut quality (with a new torch)



As well as my cut capacity.

This was the last time I ran my old table...no longer will its services be required



The newer, larger setup



The support I've received not only locally, but from the many people in this forum really pushed me to do things outside my comfort zone from large orders for a charity/off road gathering





To intricate designs that would help recreate a portrait for the loss of a family member





Sure, some people would argue that "this setup prints me money" when in reality, I put back into it as much as I get

That old Craftsman freebie my wife's uncle gave me wasn't going to last forever



Ideally I would've gone with a larger 240 setup, but I'm still just working out of a small garage



The very shop I make parts for actually wanted a sign for above their doorway



Local business showing support means a lot



If you ever decide to get into CNC, I can't recommend one of these enough!





And one thing I try to remind myself is, to do a little something for myself even







So really, a big shout-out to all those who have supported me (whether just rooting for me or actually trusting me to do work for them)!

I only hope to grow and being able to provide more services, all while being affordable.

It's why I got into this whole thing to begin with. I wanted to really do as much as I can all on my own, but provide what I can for others also trying to DIY it themselves.

 

Looking back almost a year ago, it's crazy seeing all the big changes that have happened since then!



CNC production had ramped up significantly, so much that I not only upgraded my plasma cutter but also my CNC table! Welding work had also picked up, and as much as I loved the welding table I had put together, the fixtures proved to be way more useful. The layout hasn't changed much as I've grown accustomed to working in a small area but I ensured that any used space was used appropriately.

I love coming back to this thread as it's a real trip down memory lane, but also a reminder that anyone can be successful if they really put the time and effort.

Something I've been doing especially in the last year is taking the time to help strangers in in this hobby - whether it's dialing in their setup, troubleshooting anything from no firing to run-away torches, and more, I've taken to breaking the habit of gatekeeping. Since I started, there was a lot of trial and error and I've wasted my fair share of time (and for others, money) that would sometimes make people quit altogether.

The people I help whether it's for CNC, or those paying me for work, have been cool AF and is probably the second best part about this whole gig. The best part I say is making the cool shit people ask for

 

Beautiful work, man!