BuildPro table in action...

[waggie]

I'm building a book case. this is a prototype for a shelf. I'm no engineer, so I'm building a prototype shelf and gonna stand on it to see if it will hold my fat *** up. Since it will span 6' 6" with no center support, the books that will be on it will be heavy. You're looking at one end of the shelf. The shelf will be 14 inches deep. The front and rear of the shelf is in the picture the green pieces in the SketchUp pic. There will be another 1x1 going across in the center (the red piece in the SketchUp).

So, if there are any engineers here, will 3 pieces of 1x1x14gauge spaning 6'6" hold up evenly distributed 200lb's? I bought some 1x1.5x14gauge in case these square tubings won't work.

anyway, on to the pictures:
material is all 1"x1"x.072 (14gauge).

This is where I began to go a little crazy. Taking a smoke break, and put a new battery in my digital caliper. 0.012 tolerance, boohoo.

FWI, the mitering was done on an Ellis 1800.

I'm quite happy with these StrongHand clamps. One of the draw backs of these clamps is the handle isn't quite great. you can see even from my cellphone pics, there are "fat spots" in the black handle, doesn't quite slide freely

 

[BWS]

Not an engineer(long story) but,have built "right many" bookcases.To include some rather fancy library's....yadayada.

First thing that popped into my mind when seeing the issue at hand....6' shelf....is an old trick we use to use.


Its best described with an example:Go look at how an old wooden step-ladder has their "steps" engineered.Its a truss rod setup.The rod is under the step....bowed down in cntr....threaded ends.This notion is somewhat also used in concrete beams....little different.Anyway,we've done it with wooden shelves and it works.Have also seen it in commercial,steel library shelving.

Also look at very basic beam strength or loading data.You'll see theres a significant difference in loads/deflections based on how the ends of beam are supported.Thinking,.....loose ends vs captive.This can sometimes be "engineered" in,to your advantage.Good luck,BW

 

[martinm13]

how does this stuff compare to the bluco fixturing tables?? looks very similar

 

[bad_idea]

That is an awesome fab table. I imagine they want a lot of money for that. Do you have a link to their site?

 

[91bronc300]

It's a Strong Hand BuildPro table. They come in two sizes.

Watch Jody put his together:

 

[waggie]

.....truss rod setup....

Ah, yes. I know what truss rod is, there is one in all my guitar necks. Don't know why I haven't thought of it. thanks for the reminder

how does this stuff compare to the bluco fixturing tables?? looks very similar

I never seen a bluco table in person, but from what i see online (

) Bluco table is considerably beefier! also, it costs 4x more than the Stronghand. I'm speculating here, I think Stronghand ripped off the bluco design. In my opinion, for 99% of what people build on weldingweb, the Stronghand is more than plenty.

That is an awesome fab table. I imagine they want a lot of money for that. Do you have a link to their site?

It's the BuildPro table by Stronghand.
http://www.stronghandtools.com/
I only found the info in pdf form. There are lots of videos on it on youtube though.

 

[gonefirefighting]

I am starting to think I am the only one that still tacks everything up on the garage floor with a simple square.

Too rich for my blood, seems like it would take me an extra day using that monster

 

[t100]

how much?

 

[bad_idea]

I did a quick search on the internet and came up w/ around $2k for the table and another $500-1k for fixtures. I'm not quite on the floor, but my weld table is far from that fancy. If I were making a living off of the table then I could see spending that kind of coin. But for me this is sadly just a hobby.

Anywho, nice table and nice fit up.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I think it would take me all day to figure out to use that table.

 

[waggie]

how much?

$3300 for table, and $4100 for the tooling package is the list price at www.vansantent.com

http://www.vansantent.com/welding_accessories/buildpro_welding_table.htm

I didn't pay that much. I didn't get the optional leveling caster ($700).

for the first project i did with this table, it actually took a little longer then with my old set up. but once i familiarize myself with the tooling, everything is a lot easier. rarely do i think about how to clamp something anymore.

you can drill the 5/8" hole on your table and use the stronghand clamps that were designed for the buildpro table. it's very handy and you wouldn't have to fork over $7000.

I think it would take me all day to figure out to use that table.

it's very intuitive once you get used to the tooling. heck, it took me over two years to figure out how to clamp something to the center of a 4'x4' welding table without holes. so, you're probably way more advanced then I am

 

[ions82]

I never seen a bluco table in person, but from what i see online (

) Bluco table is considerably beefier! also, it costs 4x more than the Stronghand. I'm speculating here, I think Stronghand ripped off the bluco design. In my opinion, for 99% of what people build on weldingweb, the Stronghand is more than plenty.

I've visited a couple shops that have the Demmeler tables (imported by Bluco.) Indeed, they are pretty beefy. Both the tables and tooling are more "refined" than the BuildPro, but they are also considerably more expensive. I also agree that the BuildPro is plenty sufficient for most users. For heavier work, the Demmeler D28 system would be a much better fit. But again, it costs a fortune.

My table is actually a true knock-off of the Demmeler. I believe it may've been made by "Tip-Top". It's a Chinese company that blatantly ripped off the Demmeler system. The BuildPro is more of a patent workaround than an all-out copy. The Chinese stuff, however, even copied things like part names and numbers. I bought the table from a German company that has a subsidiary in Kentucky. I ended up buying a BuildPro tooling kit to use with it. I've only just begun to use it, but I think it will be a huge asset to my shop in the future. I don't plan to do any high-number production work, but even the small runs that I need to do will be expedited with the setup. It's cool stuff!