Welding Tips and Tricks

Like most people, space is a premium in my personal shop and I don't like the idea of a dedicated welding table when I don't weld every week in my shop. Yet there are times when I need a solid, flat surface to weld on.

I have this in my shop:



It's a mid-rise lift that goes from 6" to 48" high. Adjustable... I likey. It's about 3'x6'... good size. Bad thoughts, it's hard to clamp anything on and those arms are just going to be in the way. It's mobile and paid for.

Does anyone see any issues with sanding off the powdercoat on the top and grounding through the table? I am not sure if the hydraulics/electric pump will get hurt by doing that. The top is 1/4" thick. I wonder if I should/could cut an X in it for clamping like Miller's table or slots like the Nomad has? I don't see how it could hurt the lifting capacity because it has a sub-structure under it.

And maybe instead of the X or slots, for <$300.00 I could get this and just throw it on top of the lift:

http://www.industrial-toolcrib.com/prod ... MgodenEAFQ


What do you guys think??

Cars.

I enjoyed your post, foto and link.

The 3' x 6', seems like it would work well for light and medium weight pieces.
The adjustable height could become very convenient.
Since the plate is only 1/4" thick, it would be to advantage to make sure that the supporting frame (sub-structure) is reinforced enough to not cause his deflection the setting up of pieces and during the weld out.

Those arms may not prove to be a problem as long as they are not higher than the top surface of the plate. They might even be a way to attach clamping fixtures.

If I understood correctly, the 'powder coat' is a thin layer on the top surface of the 1/4" thick plate. If you will be welding carbon steel, then a flat steel surface (without a coating) would be an advantage. In that case, if you ground to the supporting frame or the 1/4" plate, it would work fine. Tack welding positioning tabs and blocks during the setting up of jigs works very fast. After weld outs, simply grind them out and you are flat again.

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I looked at the link you posted.
That table top grid seems very thin, and my guess is that it would be limited for setting up jigs for very lightweight assemblies and weld outs.

Tanks.
Alexa

Alexa wrote: I looked at the link you posted.
That table top grid seems very thin, and my guess is that it would be limited for setting up jigs for very lightweight assemblies and weld outs.

I agree that the above link is too light for anything heavier than bike frames, small assemblies, or just tacking it up using the table and accessories as a jig for multiple repeat pieces.

I would prefer this: http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/BUILDP ... 12153701:s

But damn.... That is alot of $$$$$

I wonder what would happen if I added 3/8" plate to the existing top and just drilled 5/8" holes every 2"??? I'm not going to do anything that precise. I honestly don't know what I would even build at this point. After starting my new job as a welder I can see the benefits of a good welding table and I also see the shortfalls of the welding tables we have at work.

We'll see what happens this summer. I'm just running through the idea process right now.

Cars.

Keep in mind tressels (metal sawhorses) and beams (or large square tubular) to set upon them.
They are ideal to for setting up a fast level surface.
Often you only need the surface to be at where you will be welding the joint.
You can slip up between the beams to weld both sides of the joints.
They can be expanded to any size, as long as you have long enough beams.

Heavy duty adjustable tressels would be ideal.
You could fabricate them easily too.

Tanks.
Alexa

You won't hurt the motor or hydraulics, if you set the height and unplug it, so there is no other ground path but to your ground clamp.

This is easy to forget, though. If it's practical, place your outlet for this table and your welder outlet to interfere with each other, so only one can be plugged in at a time.

Steve S