The making of a table

[racingtadpole]

Started playing with my new HF spot welder today. I've never used on before, and have a few questions.

Are the tips supposed to glow like cherries?

Is the main body supposed to get quite hot?

Is there a optimum trigger time chart for different gauges?

How often do you clean the tips?

Like I said, I've never used on before.

I did manage to get the intermediate supports installed.

I hope they hold!

Can't speak for HF ones in particular but in general yes the tips may glow, you are using them to apply enough electricity to heat metal to melting point.
The body may get hot over a period of time if you are doing a lot of spots.
You need to apply a firm pressure on the electrodes when you close them.

 

[RivennHewn]

Forgot a pic of my rivet setup:

 

[RivennHewn]

Had the day off today, so I got some time in the shop!

With the riveting of the middle members done, it was time to get a coat of primer on the frame.

Hit the minor voids around the rivets with spot glazing putty.

 

[RivennHewn]

With the riveting of the frame done, I turned to finishing the legs.

They had a hundred years worth of grease, oil, metal shavings, grime and gunk under a coat of paint.

I took the needle scaler to what I couldn't get with the wire wheel.

 

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Then I cleaned them with foamy engine cleaner to degrease them.

Next, I'll wipe them all down with acetone prior to a final coat of Penetrol.

 

[RivennHewn]

Sneak peak of the next project:

 

[1/2 Cup]

Sneak peak of the next project:

Don't do that to us,

 

[RivennHewn]

After wasting yesterday on the couch with a towel over my eyes due to a metal shaving in the eye (yes, I was wearing glasses) I actually made some progress today.

I prepped the rivets, and got a coat of primer and paint on the frame.

I then cut the 1" AC plywood and edged it with a small molding.

Prepped and painted the sub top.

I've had a piece of 1/4" steel rusting in my backyard for a couple years, and thought it would make a perfect top.

Pulled out the Milwaukee metal cutting saw, and it cut the 1/4" steel like it was 1/4" plywood. It leaves a very nice cut that only needs a file on the edge for finish.

I love this saw. It has increased my metal working capabilities more that any other tool I own. Quick, easy cuts.

 

[RivennHewn]

Check another one off the list. It is sitting in it's final resting place.

I was going to put a much larger top on it, and sell it as a table.

I decided I couldn't part with it, and it's going to be a stand instead of a table.

Now, I just need to figure out how to get a 500 lb. hunk of cast iron on top of it.

 

[RivennHewn]

I busted the table down and took it to an old parking garage to shoot some more pics before I stack my 48" brake on it. At that point, it will be close to 1000 lbs. and won't be going anywhere.

Lighting wasn't optimal today, but a few pics came out OK. Overall, I'm disappointed with my camera, and my phone camera.

 

[Builder302]

Nice work, I was going to comment a brake would look perfect on top of it.

 

[Brad54]

I'm intrigued by the building you're shooting those pics in! Is that where you live, or a shop you rent?

-Brad

 

[RivennHewn]

Some pics are in my shop, but the cool space is actually a parking garage downtown Seattle.

One of those spaces you'd never know was there unless you worked for the parking company.

It was built around 1926.

I'd love to set up shop there, but parking lots are money makers downtown.

 

[RivennHewn]

Too nice today not to work out in the yard.

Decided to put a top on a garage sale find. $10 for a tool base. Fairly heavy duty, definitely not HF type ****.

Needed to clear out some quarter sawn oak flooring left overs out of the shop. Been taking up space for too long.

Hard to tell from these pics, but this stuff has some crazy grain to it.

Once finished, it's gonna pop!

 

[DenisG]

I have given up on the spot welder for now. Very frustrated with it.

The welds were easily taken apart by hand.

On to rivets!

Drug out the clecos and Zypher countersink and the Usatco 3X and hammered it together.

Question for the body work guys: What is the the latest and greatest for filling small voids.

I have a few very small areas around the rivet heads that need to be filled.

I used to use spot glazing putty for such things, but that was years ago.

I have the 230V version of this spot welder. The capacity on both is listed at 1/8" (combined metal thickness). If you were using 14 gauge (0.0781'), then you exceeded the maximum capacity. I usually spot weld thinner gauge (about 0.030") and have good welds for that.

 

[RivennHewn]

Every once in awhile you just need to make something out of scrap.

The off-cuts from the baseboards made an interesting diversion, I mean box.

I have no idea what I'll use it for.

After cutting up the table pieces, I used the bizquick joyna and prepped all the joints for glue up. Just like Nahm from This Old House.

In trying to make your items unique, I've learned to never use stock material sizes.

All I had was 3/4" material for this project, but didn't want a skinny edge treatment.
I mitered the border pieces so that now I have a 1-1/4" wide edge. An extra step, but should make the top look a bit more substantial.

 

[CoopVA]

Awesome work! Thanks for sharing!

 

[RivennHewn]

Routed a rabbit around each board for a joint detail.

Bisquited, glued, and clamped.

Will let it cure up for a bit, and then attach the end pieces.

 

[RivennHewn]

Blast from the past: Here's pics of a table I put together a few years ago.

It has become my main workbench. The top is made from timbers I salvaged from an 1880's building in downtown Seattle. They are 3" thick, and 18" wide Douglass Fir.

The leg corbels came out of a basement machine shop from another 1900's building on Capitol Hill in Seattle. They are cast iron, and weigh 145 lbs. each.

The double rattail washers were made by me.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Now that's one beautifully executed table, just awesome
Question? What did you use ( the black line ) to seal between the edge timber and the top? It looks neat.

Cheers

 

[RivennHewn]

Now that's one beautifully executed table, just awesome
Question? What did you use ( the black line ) to seal between the edge timber and the top? It looks neat.

Cheers

Basically, it's the same stuff used on old wooden boats.

 

[RivennHewn]

I belt sanded everything flat, then masked off all the joints. If you were wondering why I routed all the edges, this will start to explain .

The grooves created with the router are filled with polysulfide rubber. Like the lines on the bow of the boat above.

This takes a good 3-4 days to cure, then it is sanded flush. It turns grey when sanded, but goes back to black when a finish coat is applied.

 

[RivennHewn]

Here's what it looks like de-masked.

Still a little tacky. Will have to wait to sand it all flush.

 

[1/2 Cup]

That looks sweet, is there any particular brand of the rubber you use?

 

[RivennHewn]

Life Caulk: http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...&subdeptNum=50257&classNum=50260#.UufxqRatsT8

I buy it at marine supply stores.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Life Caulk: http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...&subdeptNum=50257&classNum=50260#.UufxqRatsT8

I buy it at marine supply stores.

thanks very much, I am thinking of using it on an Australian Red Gum table top, a work in progress at the moment.

 

[RivennHewn]

thanks very much, I am thinking of using it on an Australian Red Gum table top, a work in progress at the moment.

Be sure to post up a pic!

 

[1/2 Cup]

Be sure to post up a pic!

There are some pics of the work in progress at the Shed Downunder

 

[RivennHewn]

Here's another one I just finished yesterday.

It's a Zinc topped Bistro table. Great for drinking coffee on the deck in the morning.

I formed the zinc on a plywood base, and soldered the corners. I then gave it a random pattern patina, because plain old zinc gets kinda boring after awhile.

The base is just a restaurant supply type that you can pick up anywhere.

It was free on CL.

 

[RivennHewn]

I just realized that I missed posting a pic of the round table with the mating base.

Motivation eludes me today, so I spent it with my dog, some fire, and some tequila.

 

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Knotty 3-Hole box.

Wife hates the title.

 

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These are not tables:

Strut arm light w/ dimples. Hard thing to get a good pic of. Not sure where it will end up in the shop, or Etsy. The canister rotates, so you can aim the light.

The arm lights are going on Etsy, as the are too long for my short ceilings, even though they are flexible and you can aim them any direction.

The vintage welding hood is a drawing my daughter did for me. Sure better than I could of done.

 

[RivennHewn]

The rubber finally dried enough to sand it out, so I got it all flat and smooth and got a 1st coat of OSMO.

http://www.osmona.com/interior/Original_polyx.shtml


Got the metal stand washed up and the top installed.

Not sure where this one will end up living. It may have to be a CL deal.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Compliments on a job well done.
What timber did you use?

 

[RivennHewn]

The stand top was made from quarter sawn oak, left over from a flooring job.

 

[RivennHewn]

Interest moved from tables to doors this week.

I'm working on a 7' door with 3 portals. It was a total POS, but I'll give it a second life.

The handle is some old vintage cast iron with some construction hardware.

The back plate is 3/16" rusted steel that is 24" X 6".

I have a matching steel kick plate, and a few other ideas........

 

[RivennHewn]

little things that make me happy: Sharpening a dull bit, and getting results like this. Nice consistent 3-4" curly Q's.

Little things that piss me off: Breaking the point off my favorite punch, right where I wanted a hole. Took me sharpening the drill bit 3 more times to clear the broken point out of the hole.

 

[RivennHewn]

Between rain showers, I managed to finish welding up another door pull.

This one is smaller than the 1st one, but I like that it has the vertical and horizontal section for your hand to grab.

The last pic is a bunch of parts & pieces that need to find a project.

 

[1953mercury]

I just realized that I missed posting a pic of the round table with the mating base.

Motivation eludes me today, so I spent it with my dog, some fire, and some tequila.

Great minds think alike. Mike

 

[RivennHewn]

In keeping with my industrial door theme, I made a pin-bolt lock.

The parts came from the Landis Shoe Stitcher that is the base for my zinc round table.

Simple, but very secure.