Fold-Down Welding Table

[kiwi]

Good point. But the garage is free standing, about 10 feet from the house. The wall that would be resonating from my pounding faces the neighbors.

If I find a way to get a Harbor Freight anvil to mount to the receiver, I think I can also engineer a single steel support leg going down to the slab.

Jack,
I would suggest not getting a HF anvil. They are made from poor quality materials.
Nick

[Jack Olsen]

This may sound like a dumb question, but exactly what are you gearing up to be pounding on???
Are you becoming a blacksmith or what?

I make a lot of stuff and do very little pounding so you have my curiosity.

It's a good question. The two welding projects I've got lined up are only a fence for the front yard (no pounding there) and a pergola-ish kind of thing for a deck in the back (no pounding, again). Maybe I've been drawn into the competitive world of inch-thick welding tables with no place in the game.

Still, the idea of being able to pound as hard as I want is appealing.

But the point is well made. I'm new to this.

[fun4now]

first off kiwi makes an excellent point about the HFanvel, not a great buy.

and as for the 1" thick table to pound on, i have a table thats a lil over 1" thick. only because it was a free bee. but if you are looking to form steel a few better options come to mind, they make shaped pieces you can put into a vice to form corners and such, or a good sized log on its end, or a planishing hammer will get you a lot farther then a big steel table. its not difficult to make a home made planishing hammer and even an English wheel. there are a few in the projects gallery ( one of mine is also there). not every tool need be purchased. one of the great parts of being able to weld and fabricate is the ability to make things one needs and this can also include the tools needed for the project at hand.
i recommend building up your toys slowly and getting quality as you do. a shop full of HF tool will soon become a shop full of aggravating junk that causes more problems then it solves. that same $$ will give you a shop 1/2 full of tools that will do 10X as much for you and still be doing so many years from now when the shop is full of quality tools that make your jobs and life much easier. this is not to say all HF stuff is bad. many things can be gotten there with little to no risk and some times you do need a cheapo tool to beat or pry on. just take the place with a grain of salt. don't get carried away when you see all the cool looking stuff you can get in the cart for $100., $75 of that may well be better off left at the store.

best advice i ever got (about tools) is buy quality and you only have to buy once.a cheap tool is often just that, a cheap tool.

[Jack Olsen]

All right. The HF anvil is out. I'll worry about pounding when I have a project that needs it.

[Broccoli1]

I have a 3/8" Table
A HF anvil- I'm not a Blacksmith but when I need sumptin' bent, flat, ponded on etc etc it works just fine.
The Dollys for shaping sheet metal too.

Come on over and try em' out anytime.

For all the folks that say No to a HF Anvil- Jack has a 1/8" Table- How the fork he gonna pond on that table?

and what spend $$$$ on a Real Anvil for the few times you just need a Solid surface to pound on?

[WyoRoy]

I have a 3/8" Table
A HF anvil- I'm not a Blacksmith but when I need sumptin' bent, flat, ponded on etc etc it works just fine.
The Dollys for shaping sheet metal too.

Come on over and try em' out anytime.

For all the folks that say No to a HF Anvil- Jack has a 1/8" Table- How the fork he gonna pond on that table?

and what spend $$$$ on a Real Anvil for the few times you just need a Solid surface to pound on?

Eddie, that real anvil is still setting in the corner of the shop waiting for you to drive your lazy Kailifornian arse out here to get it...

[Vicegrip]

This may sound like a dumb question, but exactly what are you gearing up to be pounding on???

911 Body panels?


Sorry Jack too easy. I am also a track rat.

I have a heavy rolling bench/cabinet with a vice mounted. It has a stainless top with a removable 1/4" thick rubber cover. Most of my metal work is ether on cars via MIG or bench top TIG. I have a steel plate that I set on some wood corner blocks when welding on the bench. I also do a lot of welding with the work held in the vice. I would not mount a vice to a wall myself. Last thing you need is wobble or flex/vibration in a vice mount. Try and file some metal and the vice will move/vibrate/chatter in the recever and drive you nuts. I will post some pix of my setup later.

[fun4now]

im not saying every thing in HF is trash, just check it out first.

[Jack Olsen]

911 Body panels?


Sorry Jack too easy. I am also a track rat.

I have a heavy rolling bench/cabinet with a vice mounted. It has a stainless top with a removable 1/4" thick rubber cover. Most of my metal work is ether on cars via MIG or bench top TIG. I have a steel plate that I set on some wood corner blocks when welding on the bench. I also do a lot of welding with the work held in the vice. I would not mount a vice to a wall myself. Last thing you need is wobble or flex/vibration in a vice mount. Try and file some metal and the vice will move/vibrate/chatter in the recever and drive you nuts. I will post some pix of my setup later.

I can't pound my car's panels, though -- they're all fiberglass. (Got to stay light.)

Please do post your pictures. I've also got a very heavy main bench I use that I can pound with a 5-pound hammer all day on.

Like I say, I'll have to see what it is exactly that I want to pound, down the line.

[kiwi]

I have a 3/8" Table
A HF anvil- I'm not a Blacksmith but when I need sumptin' bent, flat, ponded on etc etc it works just fine.

Roy,
Why would Ed need your "real anvil"? He has a H.F. anvil that works just fine.
Nick