Then I started on the floor inside the cabinet. I got 1/8 thick separated steel from a local supplier. I got a 4 X 8 sheet of this stuff for $40. This sounds like a lot of cash but its a heck of a lot cheaper then any of the online sandblast supply companies, Home Depot or Lowes. I also got 24 of ½ angle iron and 24 of 1 angle iron to make the frame of the floor. This is more than I needed but wanted extra, some of the 1 angle went on the base. I wanted the front of the frame to stop 2 inches short of meeting the front panel of the cabinet. This will leave room for the hoses to hang down low into the hopper area. That will give me lots of room to make long hoses so I can get the gun everywhere in the cabinet. So I would have to use something stronger than the ½, I just used a piece of the 1 here. The ½ angle iron will trace around the sides and back of the bottom of the cabinet creating a lip for the separated steel to sit on. The 1 went along the front. I also used 2 pieces of the ½ angle to make a center separator. You dont want the separated steel to be one long piece, if you have to remove it to get a small bolt out of the hopper it would be almost 6 feet long! I welded these two pieces back to back. Welded up the corners and it looked good! I then welded up the center cross piece. I checked the measurements for the separated steel and used a die grinder to cut them out. It all fits good! Check out the pictures.
After I put the floor in I tossed in an old front axle that I got. As you can see from the rust it will need some blasting in the cabinet, but for now I am only testing the strength of the floor. I will need to look into putting some kind of coating on the separated steel as I dont want it to rust, but then it needs to be tough enough to hold up to a good blasting or getting scratched up by parts. Im thinking powder coat.
