Anyone have a DIY for a welding positioner?

[Gamble]

I want a welding positioner, just something simple that spins but I don't want to spend $500. Anyone have a diy for one?

 

[BWS]

Old scrap lathe beds are a mighty fine start......thats what ours is based on.It was free and has been a downright pleasure to use.Good luck,BW

 

[8paintchips]

At my work place we use home made positioners all the time. There just a round piece of plate with nuts and bolts welded to it, to open and close like a lathe chuck. A pipe in a pipe provides the turning axel, and lets you run a purge threw if nessary. You use your hand to turn it, this actualy works well, and you can make a weld as good as any machine.

Know I'm new to this board but have a lot of experince with this, i can get some pics on monday if you like.

 

[sberry]

Vise with swivel head?

 

[bad_idea]

We use the generic chinese vise with the head that flips over with the pipe jaws on the bottom. Can hold a piece in just about any position you can think of. It's hard to break the cheap vises holding a piece to be welded.

 

[Com_VC]

wheel spindle and brake rotor and then drill brake rotor to fit a larger plate? Do you need a motor on it as well?

 

[Gamble]

Pics would be great.
Ideally I'm looking for one with a motor so I can have it spin and make one continuous weld.

 

[DrunkSmurf]

My brother once fab'd up a decent one using an old front wheel bearing hub assembly from his '00 Jimmy that he bolted to a small welding table. Added some plate above the rotor and somehow powered it all with an old variable speed drill that had the trigger rewired to an old sewing machine pedal to control the speed...lol

 

[BD1]

hi, this is from another site. Check it out.

http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?t=90941&highlight=positioner

http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?t=84891&highlight=positioner

 

[riceburner]

http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?t=31945

 

[8paintchips]

Here's the pics

[/IMG]

 

[HAP]

Here is what I put together a while back...

R,
HAP
http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/showthread.php?t=46599

 

[Gamble]

What is an RT from harbor freight? I like it a lot. Do you have a pedal to control it?

 

[HAP]

What is an RT from harbor freight? I like it a lot. Do you have a pedal to control it?

RT - Rotary Table. I use a HF foot switch with thier router variable speed controller to get the right feed on the angle drill. Seems complicated but I can still use each component as they were intended when needed. Plus, the price of a welding positioner is well over $1K...

 

[Gamble]

So this table
http://www.harborfreight.com/3-inch-rotary-table-and-clamping-kit-98077.html

And which foot pedal, there are two.
http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=Rotary+Table

And this
http://www.harborfreight.com/router-speed-control-43060.html

Maybe it's still too early for all this thinking, but where is the motor?

 

[Gamble]

Yes?