ideas needed for son an easy welding project

[happycamperbrat]

my son is taking welding in his senior year at high school. He wants to make something for the bus. I emailed him a video on Sean's site that showed a really cool folding ladder, but my son says it would be too hard. So I need to come up with something easier. I need everything, so nothing would be off limits here. But I need to learn welding myself so Im not sure what to suggest. Do you guys have any ideas? Links I could send him of photos would be cool too! It doesnt have to be practicle, it could just be decorative....... but it needs to be something for the bus 

[artvonne]

  Decorative is much safer, at least until you been welding a while. You dont want to be welding anything structural or mechanical until you have a good feeling for your weld quality and can trust it.

[wrench]

  You can check this forum, may be handy(even if you have to register).
I got 2 of their product.        good luck.
   wrench

[bevans6]

what kind of welding is he learning?  We used to always make decorative plant holders, faux wrought iron style.  Although a friend of mine who is a long-time master fabricator and constructor taught his son to weld by getting him to make a replica Lotus 7 car.  A real replica, not one of those Lo-Cost things, although he Mig welded it instead of nickle-bronze welding it.

Brian

[rampeyboy]

How about building a light duty slide for the cargo bays?

Maybe a spare tire lift to get the spare into its storage place.

How about a "U-boat" to load stuff on prior to a trip, then you could wheel everything out to the bus to load into the bus. This would save a hundred trips back and forth.

Boyce

[robertglines1]

grillin  rack to go over camp fire.

[wal1809]

My wife has been griping as she has no cup holder near the co-pilot seat.  I have been intending to make a "Texas" antiquated looking cup holder.  Maybe like cutting out a shape of Texas 8 inches or so with a small shelf for the bottom of the cup.  Then welding a horseshoe for the cup to slip down into it.  It would be really easy for a school project for there will only be a little bit of cutting, and three short welds.  Leave it outside to rust then paint over the rust with a clear coat.  Drill a couple holes for screws and your done.

[gumpy]

Battery racks, battery slides, tool box slide out, bay trays that slide out. Front or rear bumper. Roo guard.

[Brian Diehl]

Check out my bed frame and battery rack setup about 2/3rd of the way down this page:
http://home.earthlink.net/~diehls0792/BusSection2.html

This could be something very easy for him to build and easy to weld out of 1" square stock with 1/8" wall thickness steel.

[happycamperbrat]

Some awesome ideas here guys thanks! He does the mig welding (I think that is what it is called) with the sticks. But he has a real cool teacher who loves my bus  and he has access to the whole shop with a bunch of different neat tools.

I think he may end up making a rolling scaffold. We scavenged a bunch of old bed rails and that will be his main building material.

Brian, I saw your site before and love the photos thank you for posting them and keeping up the site!

Gumpy, yes to the battery racks and slides, tool box slides, bay slide and a beefed up front end. Eventually these will get done. I am scavenging metal for this stuff and wheels all the time!

Wal1809 the cup holder sounds real cool! Post pics when it is ready!

Robert, Im vegan so I dont do a whole lotta grillin but I do marshmellows and real perked coffee over a fire!


Boyce, (are you Bob?) Yes to the bay slides! I dont carry a spare though because it would be too difficult for me to store and then change the tire by myself. Im about 5'7" and 110 lbs and a girl lol. The desire may be there, but the body strength just isnt. I do however have new tires and road side assistance  Im not sure what a "U-boat" is???

Brian, he is doing the stick welding. Wow a lotus? Now that is a cool project! Maybe make it a piggy bank? Maybe a bus piggy bank?

Wrench, I didnt see a link?

Art, yes..... structual is kinda scary, decorative would be more safe. I think Im going to have him build a scaffold though and hope it doesnt fall down with us on it 

[Chopper Scott]

How about a little step that sits on the ground that makes that first step into the bus easier? I would have one but I haven't had the time to build one and I own my own welding shop!!!

[happycamperbrat]

Scott, right now I got ideas for an onboard wheelchair lift that will be under the floor in the house. The platform will also be the floor where people walk when they come in the door. The door will open like a mini van and the bay door under the door will pivot and have the stairs on the bay door. It will sorta be like in this video of the 1st RTS experimental bus. Im going to seal up both my rear door and front one. The only door will be a new one that I have to cut in the passenger side of the bus behind the front tires. Ive finally got it all figured out how to do it. I think this is will keep the structure strong but I do have a guy down south that I need to get the bus to for him to go over everything and give me a final aokay.

This is what I want to copy, but in a less expensive version.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1847322232?bctid=1632737721

[Chopper Scott]

Damn Brat!! A great idea but what was the question you asked!! Now you got my mind wondering..... Cut it out!!!

[happycamperbrat]

Pretty radical huh?!  It's too bad GM didnt ever actually market this design but instead scrapped it.

[wrench]

 "We scavenged a bunch of old bed rails and that will be his main building material. "

   I would avoid bed frame as they are brittle & break easy after being heated.
            wrench