This pictures shows this square steel being setup for welding.
It is 1" x 2" steel square tubing. I cut the ends of each of the 4 pieces
 at 45  degrees so I would not have any open ends to cap. 
I have a Miller Maxstar 150 STH - it has a high frequency AC start
which develops an arc without touching the tungsten to the work piece.
Which is nice when you're welding delicate parts that could move.
The foot pedal is for my TIG welder.
Several pairs of vice grip pliers of different types
are a quick and easy way to secure the steel you are
going to weld. The "I" beam in the photo is to keep the steel
flat while I weld it. This frame is larger than my workbench so
I must use the i-beam on the floor. If everything is kept square
and flat, then when it is assembled it will be very close to square without
having to do much adjusting.

          I would recommend these things as a minimum for welding:
          Strong Clamps - to hold the parts down tight.
          A flat surface to clamp to - to make sure everything is properly aligned.
          Welding helmet - auto darkening is best so you don't have to flip the helmet down.
          Wire brushes - to clean the soot from your welds.
          Angle grinder - to grind off the parts of the weld you do not want.
          Chop saw - because you will need to cut the steel for your frame
          Bolt cutters - An easy, clean, and noise free way to cut round steel rod, I have 4 different sizes of cutters 12", 14" 18" and (2)-24".
           

For a TIG welder, look for one that has the high frequency start.
The high frequency start means that you do not have to touch the tungsten
to the work to start the arc (known as "scratch start"). Instead the high frequency
starts the arc without having to touch the work surface. A much better way to weld.
I bought a Miller welder because it is a good quality brand. You will also need a bottle
of argon for shielding gas, tungsten and collets. A belt sander, or bench grinder
will be needed to sharpen the tungsten when needed.

I started out using a MIG welder. It was a Powermig 150. Imported. Cheap. But,
it welded steel together, and that was all I needed. I used .023 stainless steel
filler wire and straight argon. An important feature to look for in a MIG welder
is that the power to the nozzle is OFF, until you pull the trigger. This keeps the
tip from being "hot" all the time, and is much safer. Also, you will need unshielded
wire, so you will need a machine that handles shielding gas. Instead of flux coated wire.

I start out by welding up my frame. I use a large "I" beam to clamp my pieces to, this keeps them flat and even, and also makes sure nothing moves when your actually welding. Once the frame is built and either bolted to the wall, clamped in a vise, or standing on your work table, you should start working on the lift.

Once your lift is installed (a stand alone project in and of itself!) and working properly, add the tracks that lead out of the lift and then a short section leading into the lift so you know that it works perfectly. At this point it is a good idea to make any track splitters you will be using. A track splitter will take one track and make it two. If you make the splitters at the same time, they will all be the same, and it will save you time. Next you will have to build track. The 1/8" wire welds to itself very well and I don't use very much 3/32" filler rod. I had many problems at the beginning because I could not weld into the "armpit" of two crossing wires. Especially if I was trying to weld a 1/8" wire to a 1/4" rod. It is easy to weld through the rod, but a good, experienced TIG operator should be able to weld together aluminum cans, and rbs isn't even close to that. RBS needs someone who likes physics, welding, mechanical movements and likes to just create something from nothing.