Wheel Cair Accessible Welding Table

[Boomer343]

First post here and I'm asking for some help. Have a friend who is confined to a wheel chair due to a motorcycle accident. He has his workshop set up and he has continued to work on his vintage bikes and even to fab up a couple of Bitsa bikes.

One of his needs is a better welding bench that will allow him to jig up small assemblies and move things into position to weld. He is well aware of the dangers involved and wears leathers. This is for a small 120 volt MIG and Oxy/ Acc work. I'd like to find a way to control the splatter especially when the table is tilted.

My thought is to use the base off a large drafting table that has electric raise and tilt functions. I can isolate the top to avoid arcing across electic motor brushes and windings.

Any thoughts or suggestions are welcomed. I have the fab skills and equipment or access to equipment to do a high quality job.

I'll post up a couple of my work benches at a later date.

Thanks for your time

Dennis

 

[taumac]

Think its great your trying to help out. It sounds like only thing I can think of is some lip maybe a couple of inches so that spatter doesnt run down table on on to him.

 

[Milton Shaw]

One thing he needs to be very careful of is that with numb legs he cannot feel slag or fires on his legs. He needs to be sure to wear complete protection for his body where he cannot feel pain. If he has circulation problems too any injury would be extremely hard to heal.

 

[5lima30]

Perhaps a small welding blanket used as a "lap" blanket for protection. Height of the table w/o encumerances underneath will be critical. Thats great that you are helping him out!

 

[Kenwc]

I'm in a wheelchair and while I don't weld....I do pretty much everything else.

Each of the posts above are not only good suggestions but I would think minimum requirements to weld while sitting.

Keeping the welding lead/hose supported might be another as I know from experience it will drag over the edge of and get caught on everything around him which could be problematic. The power raise and tilt table sounds great also.

Reach, range of motion and upper body strength need to be considered with everything you fabricate for him. Consider if he has desk length wheelchair arm wrests or full length which mean more reach.

An electric hoist near the table would be cool as well. Preferably one that could slide from outside the table to over the table on sort of a small gantry beam..


Hope you'll keep us posted on the outcome of the setup.

 

[jack stand]

I would be concerned about the stregnth and stability of a drafting table set up. If he'll need a tilting table, how about a nice 1/2" reinforced plate that was between 2 uprights with a good stable "tee" at the floor, that had a swivel type assy. for rotation. I'm thinking of the body rotator type set up just smaller. I like the lip idea for sparks!
(I just read what I got here and it sounds like a metal drafting table!) You sound like a good friend.

 

[BD1]

Can he tig weld ??? might be a thought. Would be safer than having flying sparks.

 

[BD1]

WOW ! check this out , special wheelchair for welding.

http://www.kfyrtv.com/News_Stories.asp?news=33950

 

[A_Pmech]

WOW ! check this out , special wheelchair for welding.

http://www.kfyrtv.com/News_Stories.asp?news=33950

Looks like a hell of a good solution!

 

[Boomer343]

Saw that lifting chair....budget for that isn't going to happen. The self powered ones are quite large which is why they made that one air operated.

If I can't find a drafting table base I was thinking about doing a three legged bench with a rectangular table top.

To weld he would pull in between two legs. A lifting device could come from the top of the farthest away leg and the top could pivot on hinges on the tops of the two other legs. That would give tilt. The two top hinged legs could have center sections that would raise or lower. Somewhat limited range but probably enough.

The other advantage to the three legs is he could approach the table from all sides to do set ups. A turntable could also be included.

Hmmm

I know how I would build a bench for myself but this is a challenge to put my experiences aside and figure out how I would do something with his limitations.
I'll play this one forward as others have done for me....besides he likes the same single malt that I do....

Keep those suggestions coming....