Making A Welding Table

[roundrocktom]

Simple way to make it stable, but move it when needed.

Nice design, not a clue who built it or details. Just a random web photo, but liked the design and details.

[EdK]

(04-19-2014, 08:59 AM)roundrocktom Wrote: Simple way to make it stable, but move it when needed.

Nice design, not a clue who built it or details. Just a random web photo, but liked the design and details.

Yup, seen that already.

http://www.metalworkingfun.com/showthrea...0#pid26730

It sure is a nicely designed welding table.

Ed

[Highpower]

(04-17-2014, 05:52 PM)EdK Wrote: I ordered it this afternoon and then I realized I probably could have found a 20% off coupon and got it even cheaper. At $6.99 for shipping, it would cost me more in gas money to drive to one of the stores so I ordered it online. Hopefully they have some in stock at the warehouse.

Ed

Ed, do you have a review for us on that table yet?

[EdK]

(04-25-2014, 03:58 AM)Highpower Wrote:

(04-17-2014, 05:52 PM)EdK Wrote: I ordered it this afternoon and then I realized I probably could have found a 20% off coupon and got it even cheaper. At $6.99 for shipping, it would cost me more in gas money to drive to one of the stores so I ordered it online. Hopefully they have some in stock at the warehouse.

Ed

Ed, do you have a review for us on that table yet?

Not yet Willie. I got it Wednesday but haven't had a chance to open the box yet. I'll get to it this weekend though. I'll take a few pictures and post them.

Ed

[EdK]

I started assembling the portable welding table and so far I'm impressed with the quality of the materials. The steel used is fairly stout, much stouter than I was expecting. I've run into one snafu so far. There are two nuts welded to the frame and one is not flat to the surface so I can't tighten the bolt that threads into it. I'm going to try running a tap through it and see if that helps. Otherwise I'll have to cut off the offending nut and weld a new one on. I'll post pictures tomorrow.

Ed

[Highpower]

I ordered one a couple of days after you did Ed. I was surprised when it showed up today. I also ran into the same problem you did and more. I just took an extra long 8mm bolt from my bolt bucket and threaded it through the nut from the nut side. Smacked the bolt with a hammer to bend the nut position it until it lined up with the outer hole and went through.

The other problem was one of the outer holes was punched off center and the bolt wanted to go through the tube at about a 25° angle. I ended up just slotting the hole so it would go straight through into the nut. The instructions included with mine were missing information. I finally figured out the large flat washers (not listed) go between the table top and the brackets, and the smaller washers go below the brackets.

I'm going to follow arvids advice and pick up some quality fender washers at the hardware store tomorrow to use on the fence rails though. While it's not quite the same quality as my Strong Hand table, it's well worth it at 1/3 of the price!

[arvidj]

Both of mine went together without the use of a hammer, but the instructions were so poor that the first one was put together twice. The first time to try to figure out where all the pieces went and the second time to actually put it together correctly.

As Willie discovered the large washers that were loose in the bag are designed to go around the countersink indentations in the table top. They actually support the bracket when it is tightened against the table top. If they were not there the countersink indentations would be crushed flat and the flat head screws would not longer be flush with the table top.

I replaced all of the washers that came "on the bolts" with much thicker ones from the hardware store. I also added additional ones as I like to have a washer under the bolt head and the nut, but that is just a personal preference.

Another 'washer replacement' was to find some 6mm fender washers at the hardware store to use under the flag bolts that allow the side's to be adjusted. There were washers in the bag ... the small ones that were loose in the bag ... for that purpose but I wanted ones that were thicker and had a larger outside diameter than the ones supplied.

And finally, I am assuming we all had two short bolts left over. I've yet to figure out where they go.

As a side note I also bought a couple of these ... 12" Heavy Duty F-Style Welding Clamp ... while I was in the store. Certainly not Bessy quality but for $10.50 after a 25% coupon they seem to be a good value.

Arvid

[EdK]

I don't think they've heard of lock washers over in China yet. Not one in the bag of questionable hardware. I need to go to Menards this morning anyway so I'll pick up some better washers and fender and lock washers.

Thanks for the link to those clamps Arvid. It looks like those would be perfect to use with this portable welding table.

Ed

[Highpower]

(04-26-2014, 08:42 AM)EdK Wrote: I don't think they've heard of lock washers over in China yet.

Ed

I've gotten a few of them out of China before. But I just call them cross-threaded nuts here.

Arvid -- Yup, two extra bolts and a few extra paper thin washers thrown in.

[arvidj]

(04-26-2014, 08:42 AM)EdK Wrote: I don't think they've heard of lock washers over in China yet. Not one in the bag of questionable hardware. I need to go to Menards this morning anyway so I'll pick up some better washers and fender and lock washers.

Both of mine came with nylon lock nuts on all of the screws. I assumed they used them to go with the bolts that were pivot points as tightening up a bolt with a regular lock not may have prevented the pivot points from ... well ... pivoting. And the nylon lock nuts are probably adequate for all of the non-pivoting points.

Note that if you can not find reasonably sized 6mm fender washers at Menards ... I didn't look there but could not find them at Home Depot or the old Ace Hardware store ... they all had much to large an external diameter to suit me ... let me know and I'll mail you some. Note that the offer goes extends to anyone else on MetalWorkingFun who needs them as the newly opened extension to Ace Hardware here in Prior Lake had them in their Hillman cabinets.

(04-26-2014, 08:42 AM)EdK Wrote: Thanks for the link to those clamps Arvid. It looks like those would be perfect to use with this portable welding table.

Ed

The only issue I see with the clamps is that I will need to make a spacer for the flat end to allow it to clear the folds and edges of the table. Something that I can slip on and it not fall off when I push the clamp thru the holes in the table. Of course I could use the clamps with the threaded end on the bottom of the table but that seems like a PITA to use. I'd say it was a design oversight but the Bessy's are the same way. They probably assumed the clamp would be used on a table that was a solid piece of metal and not one with folded edges and slots.

Arvid