Franko's Welding Table

[Firestopper]

Glad it worked for you Franko.
Paco

 

[Franko]

Thanks, brav, Greg.

I clamped up the top of the stand and tacked it in preparation to weld it. I also tacked a couple pieces of tube for test welds.

My first welding job on my new table top!

I think I may TIG the stand for no particular reason except that I have a TIG welder and like to use it and need the practice.

I still haven't drilled the holes in the legs for the casters and adjusting pins.

 

[bpratl]

looks Great Franko. I know absolutely nothing about welding, but wish I did as it is a great skill to have.

Brooks, it is never too late to learn how to weld as it is a necessary compliment to machining. When I was 17 and a hot rod buff, I purchased gas welding equipment and could not weld worth beans until I took a 6 month course at a local trade school. That was 50 plus years ago and a lot more equipment. Between my metal working hobby and a automobile repair business, I probably weld something 2 to 4 times a week.

 

[kvt]

Franko, looks great.

 

[brav65]

Brooks, it is never too late to learn how to weld as it is a necessary compliment to machining. When I was 17 and a hot rod buff, I purchased gas welding equipment and could not weld worth beans until I took a 6 month course at a local trade school. That was 50 plus years ago and a lot more equipment. Between my metal working hobby and a automobile repair business, I probably weld something 2 to 4 times a week.

You are 100% correct. I am a 4th generation woodworker. I have built everything you can think of out of wood. I had my first business at eight years old carving wooden spoons, letter openers and salad sets. I sold them at craft shows, and did quite well with it. I have had a 30 year carrier in home construction as well.

Last year I decided to get in to metalworking and purchased a mill and lathe. I have spent the last nine months figuring out how the machines work and what they are capable of. I learn something new every time I am in the shop. Welding is a skill set I plan to acquire as my skill set increases in metalworking.

P.S. Sorry for the hijack Franko.

 

[Franko]

brav, I think welding can be as simple or complicated as you want it to be. Most occasional welders just need to be aware of what they don't know. It isn't that difficult to learn to stick things together good enough for most home projects. Fix a lawnmower handle, swing set or make a work bench. But, without the knowledge of metallurgy and just plain experience, it is best not to be welding suspension parts or things that if they break, someone can get hurt. A weld can look very strong and good, but have internal flaws that will cause it to break under stresses most of us are unaware of.

When doing the plug welds, my test part using my MIG revealed serious weakness and shortcomings in the weld when I tried to break it. The weld cracked when I put enough force to bend the steel and I discovered it hadn't fully fused on the holes. Would it have broken or caused me any problems? No. It was plenty strong for the purpose required for that application.

I am lucky to have Chuck share his knowledge and experience with me. With his guidance I made some good strong welds that exceeded the requirements of my project, and I'm a slightly better welder for the experience. But, there are probably dozens of different arc welding rod, and I don't think I would ever have been able to figure out on my own which particular rod was right for my project. And, that's the trick to it. Most occasional welders use one or two types of rod or wire and produce welds that look ok, but may fall short of specifications required for the purpose.

That said, for someone who likes building with metal, I highly recommend getting a decent home shop welder and having some fun with it. It's very fulfilling to fuse metal together. It is the ultimate glue joint. Just be aware of your ignorance and that you have no business welding up a motorcycle or airplane frame with it.

 

[brav65]

brav, I think welding can be as simple or complicated as you want it to be. Most occasional welders just need to be aware of what they don't know. It isn't that difficult to learn to stick things together good enough for most home projects. Fix a lawnmower handle, swing set or make a work bench. But, without the knowledge of metallurgy and just plain experience, it is best not to be welding suspension parts or things that if they break, someone can get hurt. A weld can look very strong and good, but have internal flaws that will cause it to break under stresses most of us are unaware of.

When doing the plug welds, my test part using my MIG revealed serious weakness and shortcomings in the weld when I tried to break it. The weld cracked when I put enough force to bend the steel and I discovered it hadn't fully fused on the holes. Would it have broken or caused me any problems? No. It was plenty strong for the purpose required for that application.

I am lucky to have Chuck share his knowledge and experience with me. With his guidance I made some good strong welds that exceeded the requirements of my project, and I'm a slightly better welder for the experience. But, there are probably dozens of different arc welding rod, and I don't think I would ever have been able to figure out on my own which particular rod was right for my project. And, that's the trick to it. Most occasional welders use one or two types of rod or wire and produce welds that look ok, but may fall short of specifications required for the purpose.

That said, for someone who likes building with metal, I highly recommend getting a decent home shop welder and having some fun with it. It's very fulfilling to fuse metal together. It is the ultimate glue joint. Just be aware of your ignorance and that you have no business welding up a motorcycle or airplane frame with it.

Thanks Franko excellent advice!

 

[Franko]

Well, brav, I'm not a welding expert. In fact, I'm not much of an expert about anything. Seems like I used to think I was, but I'm getting more ignorant with age. I think the main trick to being smart enough is to be aware of what you don't know.

Knowledge can be graphed as a circle. Everything inside the circle is what you think you know and everything on and outside the circumference is what you don't know. The more you know, the bigger the circle gets and the larger the circumference of what you don't know gets.

Only baby steps on the welding table the last couple days. I'm kinda smothered with graphic art work on the computer so the stand has to take a back seat to paying work.

I found some 5" steel wheels at Northern Tools and got a couple. After I got them home, I had second thoughts and while perusing a Grizzly catalog in my thinking office, I found a couple of 5" polyurethane tread wheels I like better.



I found some heavy duty 1/2"-13 t-nuts on ebay for the adjusting feet for the other two legs. They should be strong enough. They are for leveling billiard tables. I haven't seen any 1/2" thread adjusting feet that aren't stupendously expensive, so I'll just use 1/2" carriage bolts for feet until I do.

I also drilled the height adjusting and axle holes for the legs. 3/8' Spring lock clevis pins to hold them. I decided two heights would suffice, 30" and 36".

 

[brav65]

Franko I agree completely, the circle analogy is perfect! I have always thought of it this way, the process of getting smarter as you get older is not a function of what you know, but rather the understanding of how little you know as measured against the whole of human knowledge. That's why as an old guy I can listen to younger guys be "experts", but wrong, and not have to say a word.

 

[Franko]

I was able to squeeze off a couple hours this evening to make the caps to weld on the ends of the table legs with adjusting feet. I drilled and beveled the hole for the 1/2" t-nuts so they'll fit in flush. It's amazing how long every little thing takes. I had to mill down a couple sections of 1.5" x 3/16" flat bar to 1.25" square.