Welding Tips and Tricks

here we go again another table build
corners welded than ground smooth.
maybe ill get a new welder out of it (doubt it though)
craig

corners

Fine work, matching the heat tint.

motox wrote:here we go again another table build
corners welded than ground smooth.
maybe ill get a new welder out of it (doubt it though)
craig

Yeah Craig...the best toys you can have are the ones you get someone else to pay for! I love those corners you bend. I am flirting with buying a electric log splitter and fabbing up a hand brake out of it. Can't wait to see your table....keep us posted....Jeff

Were those corners done with the tiggerator or the miggerator? I gots to get me a bender and a roller.

finished coffee table corners

table frame blackened and urethane coated.
wood top finished and at Delaware house
waiting for frame to be assembled.
craig

Nice.
I may steal your designs for some balcony furniture.

taz
you are more than welcome to it
I'm sure you will improve it.
craig

taz
your fume extractor, how close to the weld
can you put it with it messing with the argon?
craig

I have not tried it when tig welding. Only when stick welding so far. It works surprisingly well, I place the nozzle 15-20cm away from the weld and it sucks all the fumes from stick welding.

I have a Speedglas 9100FX Adflo which is my favorite welding hood which I use when Tig welding.
However the fumes when tig welding carbon steel are nothing to worry about especially if you are not welding full time.

I will try it though and let you know.

taz
here is a photo of the first table finish
and heading to new home.
craig

Looks great. What type of wood do you use?

taz
the wood is Meranti
decking.
craig

Thanks. I am thinking about using bangkirai for the fence of my new house which seems belongs to the same genus.
It will look something like this with slightly bigger gaps.

Untitled by Taz00, on Flickr

taz
i love to see it
i do exteriors for a living
so this interests me.
craig

Great then you are the man to ask.
I am torn between metal and wood.
I prefer the way wood looks but I am afraid it will require more maintenance.
I feel more comfortable working with metal but the square tubing I am looking at (100x20mm ~ 4"x5/8") comes only up to 1.5mm thickness. Usually tubing this thin after 10-20 years starts rusting.
I have a colleague that says wood like teak (too expensive) and bangkirai are maintenance free. Do you have any info on them?
If I decide on metal I want to paint it using one of those "wood effect" paints. I do not know if the final result is decent so will try some to see how it will look.

taz
most of my work is with PVC (azek) trim.
most of the time the general contractor has his
house crew install the decks. Meranti is the
wood of choice but i have seen them use
bangkirai although it is not very common here.
i do know a bit about it though is very durable and can handle
weather well.
it does not like to be painted as it sucks the paint
into the grain which can cause checks and cracks.
I'm sure it would be wonderful material for a fence.
you will need very very sharp tools when you cut
or drill it as its very dense. nice grain and appearance.
hopes this sheds some light on the project.
here is a sample of our work

Thanks for the info.
Great work. PVC is rarely used in houses here. If someone were to build something like what is in your pic it would be out of marble with a price to match of course.

taz
keep me up to date on your projects!
craig

coffee table and sofia table
finished and in service in
Delaware house.
Craig

I like!

Sort of "Industrial meets Shaker".

Are those casters hard on the floor finish? They look to be ABS plastic, which can pick up and hold grit.

Steve S

Very Nice!

steve
we are just starting to furnish, paint, decorate this
house and there will be area rugs where tables will wind up.
thanks for noticing though ill keep that in mind for future
projects.
what materials would be an option?
craig

Craig, area rugs are the best fix, obviously, but wheels made of HDPE (the same as plastic cutting boards) are less prone to capturing grit (like sand). I suspect there are even better choices available, but I've not worked in plastics since about 1990.

If nothing else, HDPE is usually white or light-colored, and hides the dirt tracks/scratches that show on your present casters.

A search for casters filtered with "food grade" may yield interesting results.

Steve S