[freeidaho]

A bit of progress. Got the coolant catch box finish welded.

It is light gauge sheet, so spot welds with cooling time in between is the process.
Attachment 258054

This is the coolant catch box positioned correctly on the coolant tray sheet. Lots of bending, tacking, and finish welding on that one. Each little slit requires a water tight weld. Of course I am going to powder coat too, to make sure it does not drip anywhere.
Attachment 258056

[mountaindew]

Looks like a very stable machine base.
Nice workshop also! I Dig the red fan to cool air compressor.
Will enjoy watching this assembly and machine setup.
md

[freeidaho]

That air compressor is 24 years old this year. They typically die from rusted out tanks, running out of oil, or overheating. So I put in a foot activated drain valve and painted the inside of the tank because usually they are bare steel inside. It has a homemade sight glass for oil level and I run synthetic oil in it. And of course the big fan you noted. It has served me faithfully for a long time. I can run if full blast for long periods and it does not overheat. The big wheels make it very handy outside the shop too. I converted it to a 120V motor, so that it can be used almost anywhere a normal plug in is available. I keep the 240V motor around for times when I need more air flow.

Thanks for the words of encouragement. Lots of work left on the base.