08/13/2025
Quick update from yesterday’s post — and a big thank you to everyone who actually shared tips and advice on what went wrong with my weld.
To clear up a few common comments:
No, I wasn’t just stacking a bunch of tacks. The photo showed a full bead weld.
I also didn’t just rush through it.
My main mistake was keeping my heat and wire feed way too low for the base plate. I’d been welding much thinner tubing earlier and forgot to adjust my settings.
It’s been about a year and a half since I last welded, so I’d forgotten exactly where my settings needed to be. After cranking the heat up — as almost every comment suggested — the welds came out much nicer, and I instantly remembered what a good weld should look like as you’re running it.
So again, thanks to everyone who offered genuine advice to someone trying to learn, rather than just telling me to give it up altogether 👍
They’re not the prettiest, but they’ll definitely hold the 50 lbs or so of wood I buy once in a blue moon. Appreciate the help!
