Welding table that pivots like a drafting table

[Adam McLaughlin]

Hi Everyone

Building my edition of the ultimate welding table over here in Santa Rosa
I am setting up mine to be made with the removable flat bar strips for clamping in the middle of the work.

Thinking about mounting the top deck on a 2" pillow block bearing setup, and securing the front edge of the table frame to the lower deck with a piece of 1-1/2" acme thread, with a large wheel for adjustment to set up the angle for comfortable TIG work on all pieces.

Anyone else tried this? I think that if it is done right, it could be stable and pretty slick at the same time.

What are your thoughts? Lets hear them.

Adam

 

[racingtadpole]

The idea is nothing short of pure genius if you ask me.
Just to throw an idea out there, rather than a huge thread to adjust it (keeping in mind I have no idea of the dimensions you are looking at for the top) could you not get a bit trick and use a linear actuator to move the top for you?

Personally I might be tempted to use a slotted arm on the side to lock the position of the table....
Regardless, thanks you've got me thinking outside the square now..
OH and...

 

[king nero]

great idea. I also wouldn't use a piece of all-thread, as that would take too long for extreme adjustments.
a slotted bar and a pin would be just great, I'd say.

make it sturdy enough, as the table top should weigh quite some.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Be careful of weld grounding through bearings. It can weld the balls in place. If you are having to buy bearings, I would use a simple pin pivot arrangement.

 

[A_Pmech]

Be careful of weld grounding through bearings. It can weld the balls in place. If you are having to buy bearings, I would use a simple pin pivot arrangement.

Agreed - If he has the capability to machine.

In either case I'd isolate the bearing with plastic spacers and use a copper ground strap to tie the table and base together.

 

[Adam McLaughlin]

Hummmmm
Well, OK. That is some good encouragement! Game on!

OK. More pics to follow.....
I will continue to collect pieces and then shoot some snapshots for posting.

Let me think about how I can make an axle for this out of 2" cold roll without buying bearings.... HUmmmmmm

Adam

 

[sr71]

I like the convenience / ergonomic benefits. On the other side...hot stuff falling on me would ****.

 

[Adam McLaughlin]

I do mostly TIG work..... Not a WHOLE lot of hot puddles coming at the welder.

Hummmm

Starting to doodle!

Adam

 

[A_Pmech]

Let me think about how I can make an axle for this out of 2" cold roll without buying bearings.... HUmmmmmm

Adam

Do you have any machining equipment? If so, make two ears from 1" flat and bore them for .010" or so diametral clearance. 2" round stock sounds WAY oversized though. 1.25 would be more than sufficient for a welding table.

I like the convenience / ergonomic benefits. On the other side...hot stuff falling on me would ****.

That's easily solved with a table lip an inch or so tall. Sparks will roll down the table and stop at the lip.

 

[ishiboo]

Not a full table but an interesting design of a positioner using, what else, a bowling ball and two disc brakes. Pretty clever!

 

[bsg]

Hello Adam,

I built one similar to your idea.

Couple thoughts, connect the ground cable to the underside of the table, no issues with grounding thru the bearings.

Keep the table top clear of your pivot mechanism, so you can hang things off table for odd shapes.

I would make the table pivot in the middle instead at the front, if designed properly it would be able to rotate 360 degree's.

I put the pillow blocks under the table.

The table top I used was 2" thick aluminum, tapped with a grid of holes with 1/2 13 threaded inserts on 4" centers for standard Bridgeport hold downs.

I also incorporated a balance weight so I could rotate the table with little effort, I could add weight as needed to compensate for different weight fixtures.

The only drawback was when I would weld all day long the table top would expand and make the pivot setup I had get a little tight.

I used this table for a couple of years before I left the job, never had a problem with the bearings.

Good luck on your build and post pictures as you go.

Kevin

 

[truckinduc]

I'm building a rotating and tilting fixture table in another thread if you want to see my design.