Welding Table Top - thickness??

[Jack Olsen]

A similar (but not identical) clamp is eight bucks (less when it's on sale), if you're okay with a Chinese knock-off. I have two of them that I use on my drill press.



http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=36221

[andyman]

ya i have seen those at HF. i was wondering where to get the vise grip brand. i i think now im just gonna go with the big 11" vise grips for my table i shouldn't have a problem with those. I will i have to get a few of those for my drill press. do you also use a vise?

burnt hands,

i was talking with the guys at work about my table and they pointed out my screws will back out once i start heating things and banging on the table. do you have this problem? are your screws tapped or do they use a nut? i was planning on tapping mine. maybe use high temp lock tight and either a torque wrench or an impact gun to tighten the screws.

Andy

[Burnt hands]

Andy,

The bolts holding the plates to my frame are socket head hex screws.
The frame is tapped for the hex head screws.

Since I don't intend to pound on this table, I actually used anti-seize compound on the threads so I can easily move the plates around when I need to. I have had so many cases of frozen bolts that I do this as a matter of habit. Never had any bolts loosen, usually it's just the opposite.

I have my old plain table top which I can hammer and pound on and I also have an anvil for really heavy work. This way I have the best of precision and brute force choices.

I have added a piece of stainless sheet to the area I work on to keep from losing small parts thru the openings in the table. Saves lots of cussing.

Here is a photo of a dog sculpture I am making for a local shelter fund raiser.
This is my small contribution as they are wonderful people.
Hope it brings in a good price for them.

The head is not finished yet but I will send completed photos.

If you look carefully, you can see a cat sculpture I repaired for a friend.
This is a blatent Chinese copy of those made by Yardbirds.
While Yardbirds uses auto lug nuts for the eyes, the copy uses a iron casting.
The copycats also use a casting for the feet while Yardbirds uses auro rocker arms and ball bearings for their feet.
I guess they plan on selling lots of knock-offs if they went to the trouble of tooling up cast iron molds for these.

take care,

[andyman]

Burnt hands,

that helps a lot about the screws. i was planning to use some 3/8s-16 x1/2 low profile allan head screws.

I'm a little concerned with my plates warping but i don't wanna spend too much more on metal since I'm buying it all new. can you see my plates warping? i'm willing to go to 1/2" but it'd have to say that's it

that's some pretty good looking art work you got going on there.

Andy

[Burnt hands]

Andyman,

I have not had a problem with my plate warping.
This includes my old 34 year table top which is 5/8" thick as well as the new skeleton table pieces.

I may have been lucky since I mainly do tig but I believe warping is due more to welding legs or supports to a table top.
I welded pieces of 2" x 2" angle to my old table top to allow me to attach legs to it. No warping although I used bolts to attach the legs.

Then 33 years later, I ground off the angles so I could put the old table next to my new table. Still no warping.

Just took out one of the socket head cap screws (sorry for the earlier wrong description ) to check the threads and found out they are metric!. Another reason to use anti-seize compound as I don't have metric taps.

If you want to get a good feeling on how much money you are saving by making your own table, go here:

http://www.bluco.com/welding/catalogd16/tables.html

When I started my search, I went to this company. Good German Engineering but the 40" x 40" table with 16 mm (5/8") holes was around $7000.00.
The fancy bolts for it were about $100 each.

Plus the table design is one piece so if you damage it, - big $$$$$$$$$$$$ !
In addition, one piece construction means very heavy to move and ship.

But for the right application, I guess it is worth it.

Good luck with your table.

Please post some photos as you go.

[andyman]

i am saving a lot huh? i think my cost is about 400 right now.

I still have much to learn about metal working. I'm only 19, i just happen to have a very odd hobby none of my buddies get that is having a welding/machine shop in my parents garage.

it could be a few weeks before i start welding pieces. i gotta wait for my work to get a big enough order to get my material. then find some free time to cut the pieces at work between college and working my 16 hours a week. then there's lots of drilling. then hope i weld the frame right don't have much experience fabricating yet but i'll figure it out its something i enjoy doing or i know enough people to get some help with it.

[pixie]

have to say awesome table

[andyman]

pixie

you talking about burnt hand's table???

[m.k.swelding]

my table is 1/2" plate.

[Jack Olsen]

I just added a 1"-thick bench to my garage. It's 30"x50", so it weighed 510 pounds, which made moving it by myself kind of a challenge. Read about the new bench here.