Welding Tips and Tricks

I just ground down my metal table top (took 2 hours and sucked bigtime), so the scale wouldn't interfere with the ground if I wanted to ground directly to the table.

The table top with the scale was perfectly flat and now is not, due to not keeping the grinding wheel even the entire time. Meaning it was machined flat before with the scale and now it's not. Doesn't bother me too bad, but I was wondering if I should polish it down to smoother than just 60 grit or leave it be. Again, doesn't really bother me but I think I probably would have left it alone if I had thought about it more before I started.

I guess it was a trade off for me, but now thinking on how I might get it back to how flat it was before. I do have a diamond wet polisher that I could use, wonder if that would at least help make it super smooth again.

Not sure if any of this really matters but i know from woodworking I like working with a perfectly flat surface.

What do you think?

you're in for a long hard road trying to get it perfectly flat again. 80-grit sandpaper on something you know is flat will get you there. you would've been better off with that from the start, though.

Do you know anyone with a Blanchard grinder? That would get it back to flat.

Hey there,

Its a bit late now but you probably could have left it the scale on, the main thing is that the job is clamped to the table so you have a good connection. You only the arc marks when the job is rocking and rolling all round the table. All though I could never get a good ground off the cast Iron tables we used to have.

A good way to remove the scale with out the metal is with a really coarse sanding disc on your angle grinder. Lay it on as flat of angle as possible and you can just watch the scale come off.
But as we said... ...to late now. A good way to flatten out the table is with a cutting wheel on the grinder. Again lay it down as flat as possible and grind all in the same direction. Once you have done the whole surface give it a real light hit with the sanding disc but going at 90degrees to the grinding. Then you will be able to find high or low spots by eye or with a straight edge. Another option is a cup wheel on a 9" grinder. They will smooth any thing out.

http://www.nortonindustrial.com/Snaggin ... emini.aspx

Check this link.
I hope this helps
Mick