Show us your welding projects

[DirtyWhiteBoy]

OK strictly Amateur Hour here, but here goes.

kayak wall mount

kayak trailer (conversion from old trailer)

legs for cheap shelving unit

engine dolly (future test stand)

work table -it now has expanded metal drawer and bottom shelf
(currently has a 1974 150 hp Mercury outboard hanging on it)

 

[Larwyn]

My projects are not as fancy as some but I have fun working on them anyway. Here's the latest that I just finished up, a "Third Hand Tool", currently clamped to my welding table.

 

[smooth72]

My projects are not as fancy as some but I have fun working on them anyway. Here's the latest that I just finished up, a "Third Hand Tool", currently clamped to my welding table.

Stealing That idea.

 

[Yotaforce]

All these nice welding carts....mine is an old TJ Max shopping cart with the sides cut out of it and a bottle bracket welded to the back. Lol.
Can't beat free, but Northern tool has a nice cart I would not mind having that has drawers for the weld stuff. They also have a bigger cart that I could have both the welder and plasma cutter on.

 

[Larwyn]

I added a "second story" to the cart which came with my MM180 for my plasma cutter. It was intended as a temporary measure until I build a "proper" cart but it has worked out so well for so long now that I'm in no hurry.

 

[reznunt]

beautiful work, ztfab. i always enjoy looking at pics of your work. i've seen your posts on 3 or 4 different forums and your skills are amazing.

one thing i noticed is that you have welded a ton of different stuff. that's what i need to do to get my welds as pretty as yours... practice!

 

[ZTFab]

Stealing That idea.

x 2

I like that project Larwyn.

 

[ZTFab]

beautiful work, ztfab. i always enjoy looking at pics of your work. i've seen your posts on 3 or 4 different forums and your skills are amazing.

one thing i noticed is that you have welded a ton of different stuff. that's what i need to do to get my welds as pretty as yours... practice!

Thanks.

Yep, there's no book, teacher, or website that can make up for the time you spend behind the torch. Learn the fundamentals and practice, practice, practice.

 

[ZTFab]

These are some parts I used to do a few years ago.

They are the blades for a "jaws-of-life" style rescue tool used by Fire Departments.

They consist of S7 tool steel and between cutting, welding, heat treating, machining, and grinding they had about 15 steps in total to produce a finished set.

These are just the raw blades after welding.

 

[usafmora]

Working on a trailer.

 

[neonnblack]

And on the note of using different brands of flux core wire, I was using Italian HF brand wire before, bought US lincoln wire now, no differance.

 

[SWT Racing]

These are some parts I used to do a few years ago.

They are the blades for a "jaws-of-life" style rescue tool used by Fire Departments.

They consist of S7 tool steel and between cutting, welding, heat treating, machining, and grinding they had about 15 steps in total to produce a finished set.

Very nice ZT!

If I may ask, what alloy did you use on the S7? HS-7-10 or maybe Hastelloy W. . .or did the customer specify a specific filler on the drawings?

At any rate nice looking welds, as usual. You are a TIG welding machine. . .those beads look fully automated.

 

[ZTFab]

Very nice ZT!

If I may ask, what alloy did you use on the S7? HS-7-10 or maybe Hastelloy W. . .or did the customer specify a specific filler on the drawings?

At any rate nice looking welds, as usual. You are a TIG welding machine. . .those beads look fully automated.

Thanks Andrew.

I use S7 filler for a pure match to the parent metal since they are heat treated.

If you look at the parts closely you can see small ding marks on the top laminate piece, that is from "peening" the part with a hammer during welding. Since S7 is an air-hardening tool steel it helps to relax the part by tapping it with a hammer while you weld it.

I also had to preheat each part to about 500* and monitor interpass temps to avoid cracks.

 

[NASTYZEN]

My projects are not as fancy as some but I have fun working on them anyway. Here's the latest that I just finished up, a "Third Hand Tool", currently clamped to my welding table.

That's great. Just in time for Halloween!

ZT you machine you! Excellent welding as always.

A slight mod to a Lotus 11 oil pan.

 

[SWT Racing]

I also had to preheat each part to about 500* and monitor interpass temps to avoid cracks.

Isn't it fun having to stop, check, reheat, and/or let cool if necessary before continuing?

I've never had to weld tool steel. . .yet. Although, I've brazed thousands of carbide teeth to milling cutters in another life. Do you have to let something like that slow cool in powdered lime or dry sand after welding to prevent hydrogen embrittlement?

 

[SWT Racing]

A slight mod to a Lotus 11 oil pan.

Cast and ribbed. . .I'll bet that was fun!

 

[muibubbles]

Here's an aluminum trailing arm guard for a UTV.

Do you use a caliper to measure out your welds so they are perfectly even??


hahah

 

[SWT Racing]

Do you use a caliper to measure out your welds so they are perfectly even??


hahah

No doubt!

While my skills are not up to par with some of the fabricators here, I will tell you that a tight, consistent fitup can help tremendously.

A lot of practice also helps.

 

[Aspen RT]

Do you use a caliper to measure out your welds so they are perfectly even??


hahah

No Sh**!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thats amazing

 

[ZTFab]

do you use a caliper to measure out your welds so they are perfectly even??


hahah

lmao.....

 

[ZTFab]

No doubt!

While my skills are not up to par with some of the fabricators here, I will tell you that a tight, consistent fitup can help tremendously.

A lot of practice also helps.

Tight fit-up doesn't just help...it is crucial for consistent welds.

Here are some pics of how tight I make my tube junctions on roll cages.

 

[USMCdodge]

^^thats a Nice bead man. here is a workbench i just got done with. its all u channel and 1 and 1/2 angle iron and 2 sheets of oak for the work surface. and my recently restored kr274a
extention cord holder. for when halloween is over.

 

[iamironman]

Tight fit-up doesn't just help...it is crucial for consistent welds.

Here are some pics of how tight I make my tube junctions on roll cages.

Paul your s*** is just bada**!

Miss having you over at WW, but I get it, sometimes the folks over there are full of you know what.

 

[ZTFab]

Paul your s*** is just bada**!

Miss having you over at WW, but I get it, sometimes the folks over there are full of you know what.

Thanks Brian.

I miss WeldingWeb, too....at least what it used to be. The members weren't necessarily the problem there, it was the B.S. that went on behind the curtain. As moderator(s) we had to deal with a lot of **** and the Admins were nowhere to be found. We were caught in the middle, lied to by the Admins/owners, and basically stabbed in the back then told to deal with it.

I have better things to do with my "free" time.

I've seen a few members from WW here on this board and, quite frankly, I like this place.

I may venture over there again someday...I still check in once and a while to clear my PM's.

 

[monkers]

ZTFab, I seen your stuff over at welding web, sorry you`re not there anymore. Glad you are here so I can learn some more. Your work is amazing, Ive been welding for a long time (on and off) and thought I was "ok"......untill I look at your stuff!!! Good God!!! Your welds are perfect, and I love looking at your projects. Thanks for staying on the web to help us less skilled than you are. If I remember, in one of your threads over there you said you were using a Lincoln Mig welder? I was just curious because I have a Miller power source with wire feeder at work, and I just am not pleased with it.....never as smooth as the Lincoln to me. I just thought it was me...... Thanks for sharing your knowledge and your projects with us!!

 

[digdug18]

ZTFab, I'm guessing your using a dedicated tubing cutter/grinder to get cuts that close in your tubing. I can't afford anything dedicated, I use an angle grinder to get it as close as possible.
Is there a better way other then a angle grinder to get a close tubing fit, and where I don't need to lay out the money for a dedicated machine?

Andrew

 

[silentpoet]

Maybe use a dremel with the right attachments if the piece is small enough. It would be slow though. If you have air you could use one of those little grinders like they use for porting heads.

And those welds make me want to weep. I can't do anything that pretty, but at least I can make strong enough welds if I can follow the line.

 

[ZTFab]

ZTFab, I seen your stuff over at welding web, sorry you`re not there anymore. Glad you are here so I can learn some more. Your work is amazing, Ive been welding for a long time (on and off) and thought I was "ok"......untill I look at your stuff!!! Good God!!! Your welds are perfect, and I love looking at your projects. Thanks for staying on the web to help us less skilled than you are. If I remember, in one of your threads over there you said you were using a Lincoln Mig welder? I was just curious because I have a Miller power source with wire feeder at work, and I just am not pleased with it.....never as smooth as the Lincoln to me. I just thought it was me...... Thanks for sharing your knowledge and your projects with us!!

Thanks monkers.

Yes, I use Lincoln wire feed machines.

I too have found that the Miller power sources (in their wire fed machines) is harsher than Lincolns. I had a Miller 250 for a few years and ended up selling it because it sat unused. At one point I had 7 Lincoln's and still own 4.

I have an SP125 Plus (setup with flux core for our chase truck for desert racing), an SP135 Plus (.023" ER70S-6), an SP170-T, and a PowerMIG 200.

Oddly though, I prefer Miller TIG welders over Lincoln and have a Syncrowave 250DX TIGRunner. A Chassis shop I used to work at had Lincoln TIG's and find that I prefer my Miller.

 

[ZTFab]

ZTFab, I'm guessing your using a dedicated tubing cutter/grinder to get cuts that close in your tubing. I can't afford anything dedicated, I use an angle grinder to get it as close as possible.
Is there a better way other then a angle grinder to get a close tubing fit, and where I don't need to lay out the money for a dedicated machine?

Andrew

I use a JMR hole-saw notcher and compared to the other brands and styles that I have tried, I love it. If you're a purely hobby guy then the $600 can be a little tough to choke down but there are other brands that are a little more affordable and will do a decent job.

To me, the $600 was more than worth it considering I have used dedicated notchers that cost $3-4k and they weren't as quick, quiet, or accurate.

If you don't have any money at all for a notcher then you can use programs like this to print out a "wrapper" that you place over the tube. Mark the tube and grind to the lines. Fairly simple but tedious.

Tube Coping Program

 

[SWT Racing]

Tight fit-up doesn't just help...it is crucial for consistent welds.

Here are some pics of how tight I make my tube junctions on roll cages.[/IMG]

That's probably what I should have said. It also helps control distortion due to suckup in the weld joint. I was somewhat mesmerized by that nice outside corner joint on your aluminum weldment.

For the automotive oriented fabricators out there, it is worthwhile to note that in the automotive realm (not to discount other areas like, aerospace, etc), the quality of fabrication and welding on off-road vehicles like Trophy Truck and Class 1 will make or break a team. You can see this when looking at ZT's fab work. The cyclic loads, HF vibration, and weights on a TT are tremendous. While design plays a huge part, it still has to stay together.

My hobby is drag racing, and I have been privileged to know a few off-road racers who do some of the best fab out there. They have definitely influenced how I design and fab things. Depending upon the class, you can see some of the best and worst fab on some of the drag cars out there. . .partly because of the nature of the sport. What will fly on a drag car wouldn't even make it into the dust in a SCORE race.

Don't get discouraged if your MIG/TIG welds don't look as nice as some of those posted. . .make sure they are solid and have good penetration. If you have to weld a sample and cut it across the weld to check pen, go for it! Even if you're welding a wrought iron fence, someone might be lean on it and fall. Not everyone needs to know AWS D1.1, and we all started somewhere.

I'm rambling a bit as usual but my point is that, as fabricators, we all have something to learn. Always strive to be better as welders and fabricators and your skills will improve. I see a lot of aspiring welders/fabicators out there get discouraged, and the world could always use more great fabricators.

I use a JMR hole-saw notcher and compared to the other brands and styles that I have tried, I love it. If you're a purely hobby guy then the $600 can be a little tough to choke down but there are other brands that are a little more affordable and will do a decent job.

I use the JMR at work, and it is a very nice piece! I needed something at home, and just couldn't afford the JMR notcher. I ended up with a JD2 Notchmaster. Not as nice as the JMR, but at $250 it works very well for the hobbyist and is much better than the "joint jigger" style notchers.

 

[steel 35]

Tube Coping Program

Thanks for that! it takes too long to draw them out, I will play with it.

 

[Deltarat]

ZTFAB, that is the best fit and weld on a roll cage that I have ever seen. Damn nice work. I wish I could do that when I get around to my cage.

 

[srupp]

I use a HF machine I had a lot of splatter also so a friend said switch wire
my splatter decreased also try holding the torch closer I do better with OA
but I want to do mig

 

[ZTFab]

Thanks for that! it takes too long to draw them out, I will play with it.

No problem!

ZTFAB, that is the best fit and weld on a roll cage that I have ever seen. Damn nice work. I wish I could do that when I get around to my cage.

Thanks Deltarat. If you have any questions when you get around to doing yours...feel free to PM me if you want.

 

[ibedayank]

nope nope not gonna post pics after ztfab...nope not gonna do it .....
makes my stuff look like a backyard hobbiest/hack with a fluxcore only cheapie welder...


oh wait that is me....

 

[omr]

nope nope not gonna post pics after ztfab...nope not gonna do it .....
makes my stuff look like a backyard hobbiest/hack with a fluxcore only cheapie welder...


oh wait that is me....

on this topic he is kind of a thread ender huh ? lol

 

[ZTFab]

nope nope not gonna post pics after ztfab...nope not gonna do it .....
makes my stuff look like a backyard hobbiest/hack with a fluxcore only cheapie welder...


oh wait that is me....

on this topic he is kind of a thread ender huh ? lol

That's a bummer....I really don't want to discourage anyone from posting their work.

 

[neonnblack]

Nah i dont think he is a thread killer. infact i have been working ona project im about to post up, jsut a welding table made from scrap metal from my stores shelving units.

 

[omr]

That's a bummer....I really don't want to discourage anyone from posting their work.

i wasnt being serious, just saying youre a hard act to follow when it comes to welding projects

 

[neonnblack]

Now, the point of this thread was mainly for begginers to learn more about welding and fab. with help from people like zt and that guy with the barn and has all the old pictures of cool stuff he has done (i forgot your name : O). NO ONE should be discouraged from posting in this thread no matter how feeble your welding skill is. It is all about learning.

So to maybe boost up peoples willingness to show their beginer projects, i will start with my own.

Welding table: 3'x3'x3', made out of roughly 2x4 steel tubing with tab holes all over it, leveling feet, and soon to have wheels on it also. Table top will be a thick 3/4 or 1 piece of plywood, i dont want to really put money into this and im not buying a steel top so shhh to you that will say bad wood top. Will have a carrier in the bottom to stuff the welder on one side, with shelved on the other. On with the pics.

Pieces all cut to length with my HF grinder.

Old HF grinder, 5 or so years old i think, is finally biting the dust after much of this project, barely stays on anymore but it got the job done for me.

One side welded.

Both sides welded.

All of it welded together into the basic table shape.

This is as far as i have gotten in two weekends of tinkering for a few hours.
All in all its been good so far, table is square and legs are true. The only discrepancy is in the corner opposite of where im standing is about 1/8 inch too wide, but im ok with that considering it was ALL cut, welded and built in my delux shop:

Its dirty, unpleasant to work in sometimes, but damn do i love it.

Hopefully in the next few weeks ill have the time to add the welder "Cradle" and shelves down below. thanks.