Welding project idea's?

Welding Techniques, Theory, Machines and Questions.

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WJH
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Welding project idea's?

Post by WJH »

First order of business, I need a decent welding table. I bought HF's cheap knockoff of the Nomad portable welding table. Lets just say that gold looking finish on the table does not tolerate any sort of heat, like welding thin plate on top of it... Really a piece of crap.
Thinking about building a welding table out of 2" square tubing, .065 wall thickness, 30" width, 48" length.
For a table top, no idea, 11 gauge sheet? I want to drill a grid pattern of holes on the top to accept strong arm clamps.
Another welding project is a splash guard for flood coolant for my mill...
My tig welding thus far, my beads look horrible, but I can tack weld acceptably, and even managed to fix a few machining errors replacing metal where the end mill went crazy.
f350ca
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Re: Welding project idea's?

Post by f350ca »

I was given a cast iron topped welding table which I'll probably never replace. Before that I'd built one using floor grating. The stuff that has 1/8 x 1 flat bar on edge about 3/4 of an inch apart. It comes in 2 foot wide sections. Makes a great welding surface, grinding dust falls through and welding clamps will fit between the slats to clamp material flat on the surface.

Greg
redneckalbertan
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Re: Welding project idea's?

Post by redneckalbertan »

11ga too light in my opinion. I think 3/8" is a little on the light side, my recomendation is 1/2" or better. It gives you the ability to tack to it without warping, I think it is invaluable to be able to tack things to your table so they don't move on you. One of the nicest tables I worked on was made with a sheet of plate 1" think and 4' x 8'. I realise that is out of most people's scope in the home shop but thicker is always better! The light square sections for legs and frame would be good.

F350ca, what you are describing is called bar grating and comes in a variety of sizes, thicknesses and a couple styles. I don't like it for a table, it does make for a stronger table that is lighter, but the gaps between bars make it hard to clamp to, but on the other hand the gaps in the bars make clamping in the Center of the table possible... But if you table is thick enough no need to clamp just tack to it!
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Harold_V
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Re: Welding project idea's?

Post by Harold_V »

My weld table is 4' x 3', 3/4" thick. I don't think I'd be happy with anything thinner.

Harold
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warmstrong1955
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Re: Welding project idea's?

Post by warmstrong1955 »

Agreed with all here....11 gage is too light.

I have a small table, 2' x 6', with a 1/2" top, and it's fine. It's also braced under the top with 1/4" x 2" x 2" angle iron. I tack weld fixtures & things to it all the time, and smack things around to get them in line. No problems.

A bigger table top, I'm with Harold. 3/4" or thicker.

Bill
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steamin10
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Re: Welding project idea's?

Post by steamin10 »

Agree heavier is better, on 2 inch sq legs. With a vice on the corner you now have a bench that you wont chase around the shop with levers and things stuck in the vice.

my table is about 4x4 5/16 sheet with ribbing underneath. It carries my Tia wan mill at the moment so it is defeated for welding.
Big Dave, former Millwright, Electrician, Environmental conditioning, and back yard Fixxit guy. Now retired, persuing boats, trains, and broken relics.
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart. My computer beat me at chess, but not kickboxing
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BadDog
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Re: Welding project idea's?

Post by BadDog »

IMO, 11 ga isn't even worth considering for a welding table top. The legs on my table are 1/4" x 2" square tube. My top is 1/2" thick, and it's been perfectly adequate to my needs doing off-road truck fabrication (some relatively heavy stuff) for over 10 years. As stated, the ability to tack things onto it is very useful, more useful than having holes/slots for clamping IMO. However, I'm always on the lookout a bigger/better table, ideally around 1" thick, and preferably ground cast iron. And Acorn platen table would be nice, but I'm far too cheap to cover even a good deal on one of those...

Then again, my first welding table (at the genesis of my shop build up) that got me by for a while was a piece of rusty 1/4" piece of scrap on saw horses (or sometimes 6 gallon buckets).
Russ
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WJH
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Re: Welding project idea's?

Post by WJH »

Maybe I'll be able to find a deal on a slab for a top. Been practicing my weld beads. Even a crappy looking bead withstood the forces of my 20 ton press. At the point now that I feel confident about laying down beads on parts that I made a mistake on, and remachining the surfaces. This welder has really opened up what I can do in my shop! Couldn't imagine not having a tig welder now
redneckalbertan
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Re: Welding project idea's?

Post by redneckalbertan »

TIG machines are wonderful tools! I think that welding projects are harder to think of than machining projects, what does one weld up as a project? Making jigs to simplify building something is great to do but if you don't have a need for a jig you can't really build one. A lathe you can build a ball turning tool or a taper attachment or... Lots of other things. I have a long list of things I want to make once I get a lathe. My list to weld is almost non existent... I have a couple welders and when I need something welded I do it. Most of what I weld, for myself, is repair work.

I have seen some artistic projects that may interest a person. This page has a balsa wood t-rex. If you take the kit and trace it onto similarly sized metal, cut out the pieces and weld them together. The largest t-Rex of this style that I have seen made out of metal was about 4' tall. http://www.harborfreight.com/media/cata ... BF&01NA=na

If a t-Rex is not your cup of tea, any of the similar styled kits can be used. A project like this can give a person the opportunity to develop a bunch of different skills; from layout skills to cutting, either with a jigsaw, torch, band saw etc. to clean up skills with a grinder and your choice of disk to welding. If a person is doing the layout of hot rolled sheet metal, which I recomend over cold roll because of cost and the tolerance of hot rolled are more than adaquit for this task, if there is much milk scale on the piece trace it first with soapstone or scribe then Center punch along the line. As the torch heats up the mill scale it will flake off taking the soapstone line with it but the Center punch marks stay. You then play connect the dots!

A project like this may be an opportunity to get a grandkids or child interested in working with his hands! If not it should be a good time spent together!M
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steamin10
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Re: Welding project idea's?

Post by steamin10 »

I have collected broken shovels and tine rakes. With a few feet of rebar from Menards, a torch for bending, and some rattle cans, I will fab out some Flamingos for yard art, and a 3 foot Tortoise outline of 1/4 inch wire. They sell plastic junk of this size for $70! Phap! I would rather make my own....
Big Dave, former Millwright, Electrician, Environmental conditioning, and back yard Fixxit guy. Now retired, persuing boats, trains, and broken relics.
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart. My computer beat me at chess, but not kickboxing
It is not getting caught in the rain, its learning to dance in it. People saying good morning, should have to prove it.
WJH
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Re: Welding project idea's?

Post by WJH »

The welder has really transformed how I approach machining projects now. I used to make parts that would bolt together, now I am designing things as weldments, greatly simplifying things. I'll make my welding table with 2" square tubing, and hope to find material for a top. In fact I will find the top first before making the base!
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