Seiler's welding/fabrication table build.

[Seiler]

Hello all,

I'm currently in the process of building my first table and wanted to share my experience with those interested.

I did a lot of research here, on weldingweb and other forums/galleries throughout the internet.

To start, I knew I wanted something I could BEAT on. So, for my materials I chose:

-20' of 2" x 2" x .188" wall square tubing
-20' of 3" x 3" x .250" wall square tubing
-48" x 36" x .750" thick A36 plate

At the end of the day the table needs to snug up in a corner for safe keeping which explains the 48" x 36" plate size. I also wanted the table to roll around with ease. I purchased four 6" Fairbanks casters from Northern Tool (two swivel and two rigid) rated for 900 lbs each.

I wanted a simple, strong design for the base with a final height of ~36" with 3.5" of overhang. The primary use of this table will initially be TIG and/or stick welding.


IMG_1504 by The Color Orange, on Flickr


IMG_1505 by The Color Orange, on Flickr

I never had a chance to take pictures of the metal on the journey home or prior to cutting. Sorry for dropping the ball on that one. At first I cut everything into pieces 1" bigger than they needed to be with my portaband. I quickly began to realize I could not achieve a straight cut to save my life! This is where the Dewalt comes in. Time to make some noise and spit some chips.


DSC_3844 by The Color Orange, on Flickr


DSC_3845 by The Color Orange, on Flickr


DSC_3846 by The Color Orange, on Flickr

This saw is my first Dewalt tool (aside from a few drill bits). As for dry cut metal saws, there aren't a whole lot of options to purchase these in person that I could find. There's always the option to order something different online and wait for shipping, however at this point I was growing impatient and wanted to begin.

I really wanted a Milwaukee dry cut saw originally but since they decided to discontinue their 6190-20 model my only quick option was the DW872. There are a few things I dislike about the saw which might be minor pesky details. Overall the saw cuts very well and definitely made this project easier than it could have been. I would recommend the tool to others, but only if you're willing to shell $450 for this thing.

All done!


IMG_1480 by The Color Orange, on Flickr


DSC_3849 by The Color Orange, on Flickr


DSC_3856 by The Color Orange, on Flickr


DSC_3861 by The Color Orange, on Flickr

New page!

 

[Seiler]

After all the cutting I decided to lay the plate flat on something allowing me the ability to move it around the garage floor. I knew the plate was the only surface I had that was large enough and closest to flat enough to build this base on.

I purchased a furniture dolly from HD for $20 and it worked perfect.


DSC_3854 by The Color Orange, on Flickr


DSC_3855 by The Color Orange, on Flickr

I built the frame upside down In order to keep it as square and solid as possible. I knew once it was completely assembled I could easily take a grinder to the "bottom" of the legs in the event there was a wobble from something being off.

The plate itself measures 47 15/16 in. x 35 15/16 in. I picked and used a corner to base all my measurements from.


DSC_3857 by The Color Orange, on Flickr


DSC_3858 by The Color Orange, on Flickr

Then I laid out my legs and the "top" of the frame.


IMG_1490 by The Color Orange, on Flickr

Marked what had to be sanded.


DSC_3880 by The Color Orange, on Flickr


DSC_3890 by The Color Orange, on Flickr


DSC_3885 by The Color Orange, on Flickr

Aaaaaaaannnd labeled all the pieces.


DSC_3872 by The Color Orange, on Flickr


DSC_3874 by The Color Orange, on Flickr


DSC_3875 by The Color Orange, on Flickr

New page!

 

[Seiler]

Nothing makes TIG welding easier than clean, shiny metal!!


DSC_3898 by The Color Orange, on Flickr

Time to start tacking.


DSC_3904 by The Color Orange, on Flickr


DSC_3908 by The Color Orange, on Flickr

Next leg.


DSC_3913 by The Color Orange, on Flickr


DSC_3910 by The Color Orange, on Flickr

And I eventually got sick of taking pictures between every leg. You get the idea. All tacked!


DSC_3917 by The Color Orange, on Flickr


DSC_3921 by The Color Orange, on Flickr


DSC_3923 by The Color Orange, on Flickr


DSC_3926 by The Color Orange, on Flickr

Best part? No wobble and solid as a rock!!

I then started on the bars between legs.


DSC_3930 by The Color Orange, on Flickr


DSC_3931 by The Color Orange, on Flickr

Did the same on the other side.

New page!

 

[Seiler]

After going up and down, and up and down all day... Grinding, moving metal, lifting, pushing, pulling etc. I had to put up a fight with the last bar that went long ways near the bottom. I was least interested at this point in taking pictures.

Which leads me to the base being all tacked!


DSC_3938 by The Color Orange, on Flickr


DSC_3940 by The Color Orange, on Flickr

Unfortunately, that's as far as I got this week. I work weekends and won't be able to continue until next week. I will keep you all updated!

Scott

 

[1/2 Cup]

Awesome work, that's one mean bench, thanks for posting.

 

[Stooge]

That is going to be one stout table when your done with it and very cool you are tig welding the whole thing! nice choice with the Tillman gloves, they're all i wear

 

[MillerMav]

Nice work sir. Keep it up!

 

[-Brent-]

Awesome start. Great pics, too.

 

[GaleForce]

Sub'd.

Nice job! I'll be referring to this thread when I build my table.

 

[cdrewferd]

Can't wait to see this come together. Looks really good.

 

[JonnyMac]

Nice work...
Did you go for locking casters?

 

[dr_clyde]

Don't know your experience level, but heres some free frame fabrication advise...

Weld the fillet welds last. They distort more and will pull your nice square frame into a pretzel.

Move around a lot, as to evenly distribute the heat from welding. Don't just weld all one corner at once.

Weld so the distortion works for you. Know which way the weld will pull and use that to your advantage.

Clamp the **** out of it. Even a few light clamps will help prevent some distortion. Clamp it to your plate, and that will help.

I've built a few frames before...

 

[Sims5]

dr_clyde. Very interested in learning more about welding and would like to weld in the future. I understand that fillet welds are the perpendicular welds where two pieces join. In regards to the table, it seems that wall the welds would be fillet welds. I don't mean to hijack the thread but thought there might be more like me that like to learn something new daily.
Seiler.....the table looks very nice. Would love to build one in the future.

 

[rslaback]

Fabrication suggestion: On a four-legged table like this, weld caster plates (of just flat leg pads) on each of the legs last. Before you weld them on flip the table over and set the pieces between the legs and the floor (or another flat surface). There will most likely be a bit of distortion in the table and all the legs won't touch the plates. Rock it whichever way you like and then tack them all. When you finish weld all 4 plates all the feet will be planar and your table won't rock.

 

[dr_clyde]

dr_clyde. Very interested in learning more about welding and would like to weld in the future. I understand that fillet welds are the perpendicular welds where two pieces join. In regards to the table, it seems that wall the welds would be fillet welds. I don't mean to hijack the thread but thought there might be more like me that like to learn something new daily.
Seiler.....the table looks very nice. Would love to build one in the future.

So, in this instance the outside welds behave like **** welds. In order to distort, the fillet weld acts like a hinge. On the outside of the joint, the hinge can't pull as bad as the ones on the inside of the joint. If you weld the outsides first, the inside fillets pull on a weld, not open air, if that makes any sense.

 

[Sims5]

Thank you for the explanation. dr_Clyde

 

[Tejaas]

You and I think a lot alike!

I have built many of these 4' x 3' tables as well - 2" crossmembers and 3" uprights, except I go with the thickest wall I can order...everything TIG welded then topped with plate, leaving a 4" overhang.

The difference between our tables?

1. I NEVER grind the bottom of the legs to make level if there is even a teeny chance you will move it one day. Fab you up some adjustable feet!

2. While mine was upside down, I mixed some Quickcrete and completely filled the frame. The extra weight makes up for the smaller table size, especially if you run a vise on that rig. Also tames the noise if you whale on anything with a hammer.

(Again, NOT my shop... A buddy lent me some floor space as I had a few projects spread all out in mine.)

Your table looks great!




~Tejaas~

 

[Seiler]

Thank you for all your kind replies! It always make a project a bit more fun when more people are interested.
I didn't have a chance to work on it today. I plan to spend most of the day out tomorrow and I will be sure to upload some pictures. It's been a long few days, I've been itchin' to get busy.

Nice work...
Did you go for locking casters?

I decided against locking casters for this table. There's still a bit of movement in a locking caster when the locks are engaged and I wanted to avoid that. (It's really not much, but I'm super picky.) Locking casters are a bit more expensive as well. I plan to fab something to utilize adjustable padded feet after it's finished and able to move around.

Don't know your experience level, but heres some free frame fabrication advise...

Weld the fillet welds last. They distort more and will pull your nice square frame into a pretzel.

Move around a lot, as to evenly distribute the heat from welding. Don't just weld all one corner at once.

Weld so the distortion works for you. Know which way the weld will pull and use that to your advantage.

Clamp the **** out of it. Even a few light clamps will help prevent some distortion. Clamp it to your plate, and that will help.

I've built a few frames before...

I weld on stainless for a living, I know a aaaallllllll about distortion. But, this is the first frame I've built so I'll take any advice I can get. What you stated is pretty much how I planned on going about the build, so I'm happy to read that. I plan to go out tomorrow and purchase some extra large vise grips (Irwin 18sp) so I can clamp it to the table.

Fabrication suggestion: On a four-legged table like this, weld caster plates (of just flat leg pads) on each of the legs last. Before you weld them on flip the table over and set the pieces between the legs and the floor (or another flat surface). There will most likely be a bit of distortion in the table and all the legs won't touch the plates. Rock it whichever way you like and then tack them all. When you finish weld all 4 plates all the feet will be planar and your table won't rock.

I planned on welding plates to the bottom of the legs for the casters to bolt to, but I hadn't really thought about making them adjustable? I might have to take some time to think about how I would go about doing that...

You and I think a lot alike!

I have built many of these 4' x 3' tables as well - 2" crossmembers and 3" uprights, except I go with the thickest wall I can order...everything TIG welded then topped with plate, leaving a 4" overhang.

The difference between our tables?

1. I NEVER grind the bottom of the legs to make level if there is even a teeny chance you will move it one day. Fab you up some adjustable feet!

2. While mine was upside down, I mixed some Quickcrete and completely filled the frame. The extra weight makes up for the smaller table size, especially if you run a vise on that rig. Also tames the noise if you whale on anything with a hammer.

(Again, NOT my shop... A buddy lent me some floor space as I had a few projects spread all out in mine.)

Your table looks great!

~Tejaas~

I cannot believe you fill your frame with concrete. This table is already weighing in at an estimated 700lbs ( + or - a few lbs). That's heavy enough. What size fillet do you shoot for on your tables? I planned on going for 1/4". Anything bigger than the 1/4" wall thickness won't add any benefits.

 

[dr_clyde]

Oh yeah, stainless moves around something awful. What kind of work do you do? I do a lot of stainless sheetmetal and sanitary piping. Always cool to hear about other guys jobs.

 

[camit34]

Fantastic work! Looking forward to the update.

 

[Seiler]

Oh yeah, stainless moves around something awful. What kind of work do you do? I do a lot of stainless sheetmetal and sanitary piping. Always cool to hear about other guys jobs.

I build products that measure the flow and density of liquids, gases and slurries, mostly in the oil and gas industry.

Update!

I started with the "top" of the base. I took a few minutes to grind a slight groove for the weld to penetrate a little better.


DSC_3952 by The Color Orange, on Flickr

My dad is into woodworking and has more clamps than anyone I know. I asked if I could borrow a few and he was more than happy to lend them out. So, I clamped a few sides.


DSC_3961 by The Color Orange, on Flickr


DSC_3960 by The Color Orange, on Flickr

Laid a few beads on the top.


DSC_3967 by The Color Orange, on Flickr

I then flipped the base over and clamped the "top" to the plate. This is the orientation the top plate and base will attach against one another in the end.


DSC_3978 by The Color Orange, on Flickr


DSC_3979 by The Color Orange, on Flickr

Here comes the real fun!


DSC_3986 by The Color Orange, on Flickr


DSC_3989 by The Color Orange, on Flickr


DSC_3991 by The Color Orange, on Flickr

I had to use my knee for the foot pedal more than ever today. Finding a comfortable position proved to be a challenge. I got through it though and now my knees are killin' me.

 

[Seiler]

Results:


DSC_3994 by The Color Orange, on Flickr


DSC_3995 by The Color Orange, on Flickr


DSC_3998 by The Color Orange, on Flickr


DSC_4011 by The Color Orange, on Flickr


DSC_4018 by The Color Orange, on Flickr


DSC_4020 by The Color Orange, on Flickr

I had a few fun vertical ups to challenge me as well!


DSC_4027 by The Color Orange, on Flickr


DSC_4036 by The Color Orange, on Flickr


DSC_4049 by The Color Orange, on Flickr

It has been a little while since I've welded on plain carbon steel. I forgot how much heat you can pour into this material. I still have 24 more welds to complete tomorrow. I'll post pictures after those are finished and the base is complete.

Cheers everyone.

 

[GaleForce]

Awesome!

 

[dr_clyde]

Those are some nice welds. What power source do you have? The newer miller welders have lift-arc, so you don't have to use a pedal in weird places.

Do yourself a favor and wrap those nice torch cables in a flexible, thin, leather sleeve. You won't sacrifice flexibility, but you'll gain protection against snags and holes.

 

[Seiler]

I'm using lift-arc but I like to still have the amperage control with the pedal. I live in a condo/townhome building with other units and I don't want to send HF signals all over the place.

I can't believe I didn't share my machine. Miller Dynasty 200DX.


DSC_3701 by The Color Orange, on Flickr

I ordered a leather sleeve last week, should be here soon.

 

[XL1200Night]

Wow great work! Thanks for sharing

 

[930dreamer]

Very nice fab work.

 

[MarkG]

Nice! Looks like you've done this before. Is that on 110V? That would probably be about the limit for thickness on 110V wouldn't it? I haven't done much TIG----just in class.

 

[NASTYZEN]

Another tig welder is born! Nice welding.

 

[e30bradley]

thats going to be an awesome table. Really nice looking welds and tig setup too!

 

[dr_clyde]

Very nice machine. That thing looks brand spanking new.

Have you considered a variable finger control? Very, very useful attachment. Alternately, you can use a momentary finger control and configure the sequencer to taper the amperage at the end of the weld, which is super handy. Even gives you some post flow. Almost as good as a foot pedal. Us pipe welders don't get a lot of opportunities to use a pedal in the field, so we find ways around it.

I can tell you weld a lot of stainless. Your bead profile is nice and smooth.

I have the exact same machine, and I use it hard, every day. I kind of wish it had some more beans on AC, but I may be asking too much of a 200A machine.

Very good craftsmanship and attention to detail.

 

[Seiler]

Nice! Looks like you've done this before. Is that on 110V? That would probably be about the limit for thickness on 110V wouldn't it? I haven't done much TIG----just in class.

In a few pictures it appears as though the welder is plugged into a 110V extension cord, which is actually the feed for my Coolmate 1. The machine itself is plugged into my dryer's 220V feed via a homemade extension cord.

Very nice machine. That thing looks brand spanking new.

Have you considered a variable finger control? Very, very useful attachment. Alternately, you can use a momentary finger control and configure the sequencer to taper the amperage at the end of the weld, which is super handy. Even gives you some post flow. Almost as good as a foot pedal. Us pipe welders don't get a lot of opportunities to use a pedal in the field, so we find ways around it.

I can tell you weld a lot of stainless. Your bead profile is nice and smooth.

I have the exact same machine, and I use it hard, every day. I kind of wish it had some more beans on AC, but I may be asking too much of a 200A machine.

Very good craftsmanship and attention to detail.

It's pretty new, not to mention it's my baby so I wipe it down after each use.

I've used finger controls and I'm just not a fan. I like having the smallest most slim torch body possible. Accessories attached to the body start to get into my way and make me mad. I did some 5g&6g stuff in class, and if I was out in the field I'm sure my opinion on finger switches would change. Using the foot pedal in this stance gets old:

I'm right there with you wishing the machine had a bit more juice. What really ticked me off was Miller released the Dynasty 280 series one week after I bought my 200.

Thanks for all the kind words everybody. I finished 4 welds before I had to stop for house hunting activities. I won't be able to work on the table again until April fools day. I will keep you all updated!

 

[bullnerd]

HELL YEAH dude!

Your a talented MoFo !

Awesome job! Beautiful welds!

 

[kazlx]

Nice job man. Those welds are cherry.

 

[HellaFab]

Welding the sides will be more of a challenge, if you do them.... nice gaps.

Good looking fab work.

 

[M@stern@ter]

Nice Table!!!