Welding table question

[rktolds]

I've searched a little here and on the web and thought I'd ask some questions. I have a Lincoln 135 Mig with CO2/Argon mix. I need a table to fit a fender onto occasionally. So will my welder be able to handle 4x4 tubing and a decent top?
Have you guys build a table with this small of a MIG? Thanks for any help.

 

[garboui]

It will do 8x8 square what really matters is the thickness. A few months back I did a table that was 2.5x2.5x0.188 tube. I have a sp235-plus Link. To get reasonable welds I was maxed out running the slowest wire speed possible with .035 wire. All joints were fully beveled(this was the most important detail). I will not say that the welds are perfect; could have used more heat. But they are definitely strong enough for a table.

Also the 135 will hit its thermal cut off pretty fast winning this hot.

Some examples from this build.

 

[mckeever]

The chart on the inside of the welder door has settings for the thicknesses of metal Lincoln thinks you want to weld. If you want to weld something thicker, you'll have to make multiple passes.

 

[BD1]

Here's sites that may help.

http://weldingweb.com/forum.php

http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?20883-110-volt-migs

http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/communities/mboard/forumdisplay.php?3-Welding-Discussions

 

[slow50]

you can get a little more heat if you run flux core. just make sure you bevel like garboui said.

 

[rktolds]

Thanks for the links over to weldingweb. That will be some good reading. It looks like I need to step up and get a bigger MIG eventually or find a table that's already made.

 

[sberry]

The stress on the welds on a well designed table are minimal.

 

[ishiboo]

The stress on the welds on a well designed table are minimal.

+1.

You could build it with 1/4 tube and only get a 1/8" weldment around the tubes and be 10000% fine. I would build it with that welder. No need for 1/4 tube either

(My first welder was a Handler 140, so similarly sized/quality machine.)

 

[bad_idea]

To hell with that! You need a bigger welding machine and need to make the table out of at least 1/2" thick material. Kidding.

Should be fine.

 

[sberry]

The pics above look good, I spose you can run the wire slow enough with 035? I don't recall the charts. I built about 200 benches for a plant, my helper had it down to about 10 minutes welding on each one. Connection points on each joint. We used 1/4 top, 1/8 2x2 tube for legs and angle for the stiffener and upgraded one thickness when we got to 5 footers. I am going to find a pic of one.

We put a boog every foot on outside and between on the inside, stood a leg section we made in a jig up, squared it and with a couple little tacks could weld it out, enough so it was a sure bet the bead got hot. All upside down and the only grinding was to smooth edges with a sander and round corners. Had plate feet with a small hole burned thru with a plasma, war inside so it took a 3/8 bolt if they wanted to fasten to floor.

Anyway about 2 tacks and 4 clamps did it all and total weld was 3 or 4 ft. We could have doctored the welding a bit more for speed but it was minor compared to the design and material selection.

I gang cut parts at the steel yard, stacked 10 at a time in the saw, pickup load at a time.

 

[sberry]

If one uses a light top it needs extra steel, not as much as one thinks. Mine are found field built pieces cobbled together, what makes them the best is location location location and size and shape to some extent. Some day I will find a plate, I just never did and missed a couple. I would like a #/4 or inch no wider than 42 and not longer than 72, take a little. If I need extra have aux stands for that rare event but at that thickness need no top bracing, 4 posts, 4 angle braces to shelf couple angle clamp hangers.

No holes unless I drilled one if needed or made a couple for bending chores if it came up, if a tube for tools sounded like a good idea clamp a piece to it where I wanted and reach under, weld it on. A recept fed from a circuit in floor on each side with a slag bucket on one end.

I could sturdy this up a little but it works. I have a vise on another one slightly smaller but with enough room to set a tool or drill. The flat one was too small and simply had steel welded to it as needed, it word well enough we never fixed it. I would knock the hammer hooks off and make them closer so it held more, make clamp rack full length right off the bat, add another small rack to the drivers side etc, real minor. I like expanded metal shelf.

 

[pieceofwork]

I've searched a little here and on the web and thought I'd ask some questions. I have a Lincoln 135 Mig with CO2/Argon mix. I need a table to fit a fender onto occasionally. So will my welder be able to handle 4x4 tubing and a decent top?
Have you guys build a table with this small of a MIG? Thanks for any help.

I'm not a welding expert (far from it), but I have a Lincoln SP135 w/ gas and re-configured an old workbench into a welding table with no problem.

Look on you welder on the inside cover, but from memory the 135 machine will weld up to 5/16" without gas using flux core wire (.035 maybe?). Plenty good enough for a welding table. Good prep will help a ton.

 

[sberry]

I have seen a lot of benches, worked from a lot and built quite a few. I like a bottom shelf high enough I can sweep under of get something out if it goes under, high enough I don't need to lean to pick up a marker, narrow enough to reach most of the way across, long enough to have a 4 ft piece on it easy but short enough it doesn't slow up walking around.

Not all places have space to be ideal. Sticking out past cabinets helps so you can stand in front and at angle at corner. If I had space constraints might consider the tube for vise so it could be removed, more so removed than added. My favorite is island bench and some real simple worked real well and some heavy expensive not so well.

Would rather have a thin top than some scheme a guy cant clamp to and to tell the truth 1/4 or so isn't bad and keeps clamp adjustments similar to the thickness of materials being worked on, we use a few c clamps but an 11R where its practical.
Building a bench is such a one off event for most that they don't get second, third or 10th chances to do the what if's

Where I have seen big benches work is in big fab shops with multiple users coming and going and in a couple sign plants where the projects did cover the bench and needed the layout length and most of the work could be done from one side.

Something a guy could weld to if he really had to or put a hole in is good as well as clean with a common sander. A bench is an item its great if it looks cool but I don't care for it finished so well a guy is scared to take a torch to make a new hanger on it, weld a bracket to the thing. A lot of little things don't work exactly like we figure and it doesn't help if we are scared to change them a little, some changes are hard and a lot of "features" don't get utilized like they were envisioned.