[Square Dude]

Just when it seems like I've already made every useful gadget I'll ever need I make a welding table. No more crawling around on the cement floor for me. Ha! Now, what else is there to make??? A spaceship. . .

 

[RT3360]

Looks interesting. Looks like something worth considering, but then I’ve got one more thing taking up floor space. Looks like you do more welding than I intend to do, but.… Just a few questions that came to mind.

• Would you share dimensions - overall, material used, length of pieces?
• What size are the wheels?
• How did you keep things square?
• Did you weld the corner tubes on the outside and grind flat?
• How much weight do you think it is good for?
• Are the slat spacing wide enough for typical clamps?
• What would you do differently if you did it again?

 

[Square Dude]

Looks interesting. Looks like something worth considering, but then I’ve got one more thing taking up floor space. Looks like you do more welding than I intend to do, but.… Just a few questions that came to mind.

Sure. I can get exact dimensions for you in the morning (ran out to the shop) but can say that it stands 32 1/2" tall. The casters are 3" and are rated 150lbs each. The legs and frame around the top are 3" X 1 1/2" rectangular tubing 3/16" thick. Not sure what you mean about how it is welded. The braces across the bottom are 1 1/2"" square tubing 3/16" thick. The top is 2" angle 3/16" thick. The materials are left over from an ATV Lift I recently completed. I didn't have this nice work space to clamp things down so I used strong magnets to hold things while I tacked. This welding table will allow me to insert clamps thru the top so I can hold parts down while I weld. Nice. I bet the table is around 4 or 500 lbs. I can't lift it anymore since adding the top. Had to use my homemade tractor bucket forks to move it around. Not sure how much it will hold but then I wouldn't think I would be building a battle ship on it.

I use a Lincoln A/C stick welder. AC 225.

In the beginning I thought I would add places to hang tools around it but then I usually weld near the workbench so talked myself out of that. And, I was going to add pipes that would extend out from under the top to expand the work area. Too much weight for the wheels. I also thought I would need levelers that would extend down to the floor. My concrete floor is not that level. Who knows, I can add these things as needed. Overall, I'm happy with how it came out.

I understand about your floor space concerns. This table will be used for other tasks such as wooodworking. And, for storing things on. As you know, ANY FLAT SURFACE SOON BECOMES A PILE OF JUNK.

 

[Square Dude]

Did you weld the corner tubes on the outside and grind flat?

I think you are asking how I joined the horizontal rectangular tubing to the vertical legs. Yes, butt welded to the legs both on the front and back and the 2 end pieces as well. I always grind my welds smooth.

 

[RT3360]

I saw the lift in your picture and was curious about it. Looks good as well. If I make a table, it will likely be much lighter duty and I’ve been doing the cement floor trick too and I too am getting too old for much of that. That’s why I ask about yours. Thanks for all the details.

 

[Square Dude]

I saw the lift in your picture and was curious about it. Looks good as well. If I make a table, it will likely be much lighter duty and I’ve been doing the cement floor trick too and I too am getting too old for much of that. That’s why I ask about yours. Thanks for all the details.

Welcome. I think this is a link to the lift: (9) ATV Lift | My Tractor Forum

 

[Alien5044]

Nice project! Those welds at top of the legs look perfect!!

 

[Square Dude]

Nice project! Those welds at top of the legs look perfect!!

Thanks. I'm not a trained welder. Using an AC 225 Lincoln. I think it is hard to make nice welds with AC. So, I grind and file my welds.

 

[Steve Urquell]

Thanks. I'm not a trained welder. Using an AC 225 Lincoln. I think it is hard to make nice welds with AC. So, I grind and file my welds.

I like running 6013 rod on my AC225 Tombstone. It's really easy to make your welds look good with it. Below is a receiver hitch adapter I fabbed for my 3pt hitch a couple weeks ago. What rod are you running?

 

[Square Dude]

I like running 6013 rod on my AC225 Tombstone. It's really easy to make your welds look good with it. Below is a receiver hitch adapter I fabbed for my 3pt hitch a couple weeks ago. What rod are you running?

I've been using 6011 rods. I'll try 6013's next go-round. Thanks.

 

[Steve Urquell]

I've been using 6011 rods. I'll try 6013's next go-round. Thanks.

6013 will lay down much better than 6011. Not as rough an appearance

 

[Mark in Portugal]

Nice addition to the shop; also useful for clamping up wooden windows + doors for gluing.

It stays flat and the wood glue won't stick to the steel.

the open design will hopefully stop you from covering it with small things...

 

[Square Dude]

[QUOTE="Mark in Portugal, post: 12672218

the open design will hopefully stop you from covering it with small things...

[/QUOTE]

Good point Mark

 

[RT3360]

So can the experienced welders give an OLD novice advice?

I found it interesting to model the table @Square Dude made, but read reviews on the HF adjustable-portable welding table too.

I don’t expect to do much welding, but thought the table @Square Dude made would give me some chance of improving my welding skills.

My biggest dilemmas that come to mind are cutting the steel, cutting steel plate, and making big holes in thick steel.

I’ve used a hacksaw to cut 1/2” rebar for a wood rack and a few pieces of 1” square tubing for a hitch adapter.
I don’t have

• A cutoff saw
• A drill press or larger than 1/2” bits. I use a 1/2” Makita battery powered drill.

I have

• A 4” (?) grinder
• A light duty 90A HF MIG welder.

I’ve been able to find a local shop that has used plasma table files to make parts for me, but his machine has been down for some time and repair is not in sight. That shop has a large shear, a large break, does most any welding.

A second shop has a working 4’ plasma table that is making some sheet metal parts for me, does use the same software I use, but he doesn’t have a break. He does weld. We‘ll see how good.

HF Table would both be good in some cases

• Lighter
• collapsible

@Square Dude Table

• Would be much more robust.
• Is not adjustable, but could be added.
• Does not have the edge plates, but could be added.

 

[Square Dude]

So can the experienced welders give an OLD novice advice?

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think 90 amps might be a little light for 3/16" thick metal. Not sure if Mig is different or not. I have an AC 225 Lincoln stick welder and most of the table project welding was done at 115 Amp. Once again, I'm not a trained welder. Maybe Mig is different.

 

[RT3360]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think 90 amps might be a little light for 3/16" thick metal. Not sure if Mig is different or not. I have an AC 225 Lincoln stick welder and most of the table project welding was done at 115 Amp. Once again, I'm not a trained welder. Maybe Mig is different.

It is light, but with a good chamfer or radius, it seams to work okay. The rebar I welded was 1/2” and with the outside radius, it welded well in my opinion, but I’m not an expert. I will say, the MIG seems to run on the hot side.

 

[dave_r]

The temp is controlled somewhat by stickout, how far you are away from the steel, as well as the machine settings.

Yes, you can use a lighter duty machine to weld thicker material via chamfering, and then multiple passes to build it up, but it takes practice the right technique to do it so it's strong.

As for getting better at welding, it's reading up on how the process is supposed to work, then practice doing it (welding stuff together, seeing how the weld looks and sounds while you are doing it, and then how it looks afterwards and checking the weld, both by cutting through it to see what kind of weld penetration you got, as well as bending it to see how strong it is.

It's easy to stick two pieces of metal together with a welder. It takes some learning to get them to stick together and hold up under the forces the parts will have to handle.

 

[Square Dude]

It is light, but with a good chamfer or radius, it seams to work okay. The rebar I welded was 1/2” and with the outside radius, it welded well in my opinion, but I’m not an expert. I will say, the MIG seems to run on the hot side.

Hey, here's an idea. This table could be made of 1/8" thick stock and that would certainly be within the capacity of your
90 A mig welder and still be sturdy enough for most any project you might have in mind. Actually, I believe 1/8" square tubing instead of rectangular tubing would make a fine welding table. Perhaps gussets in the corners. As far as cutting the pieces for fabrication I use a HF portable band saw. Worked well even though it uses bushings instead of bearings. I've had to repair mine once, but it is still holding up. I did use a cut-off saw to prepare the 2" angle for the top but just to speed things up since there were so many.

It's easy to stick two pieces of metal together with a welder. It takes some learning to get them to stick together and hold up under the forces the parts will have to handle.

Good info dave r. I don't weld often enough to really improve very quickly. It may be several months before I attempt another project. So far, nothing has broken or had to be revisited with the welder though. Knock on wood!

 

[RT3360]

@dave_r - What’s your thoughts on the HF table and does tilt ability mean that much?

I like the idea of collapsable and light, but not if the table wouldn’t be a good choice longer term.

I’ve been searching Craigslist for welding tables and other things, but around here there’s getting to be almost zero available of anything.

 

[dave_r]

Which HF welding table?

A "real" welding table (with holes in it all over the place, that you can get special clamps using them to hold stuff down with) is nice, as I find holding everything in place to weld can be a challenge, but the clamps are sold separately™. And a tilting table is also nice, particularly if you aren't a really experience welder, as I find (I'm not particularly experienced) welding horizontally is much easier to do well vs vertical or angled welding, so tilting the table, or repositioning the work allows you to do more welds better.