Welding Tips and Tricks

Today I started building a shooting bench on my trusty Northern Tool Klutch table. The bench will be about 4 feet square, and I'm using 2" square tubing. Trying to get a project this big together on a small table made me think about my hopes of upgrading to a bigger table. On the one hand seeing that I could do it gave me confidence to build my own table, since it would be of similar size. On the other, the aggravation of working around my small table made me want to get started on a bigger one.

If I buy a table, I'll probably go for a 1/4" top, because anything thicker will go $2100 or more. If I build a table, I can go heavier, so I'm thinking about 3/8". Here's the thing: I would have to put something like 300 16mm holes in it.

Has anyone here ever built a table with that much drilling work in it? I figure the holes alone will take at least 10 hours. Also, I'm not sure how to drill them. It's not like I can put a 3' by 4' slab on the drill press. Is a magnetic drill the only way? Buying a new drill would cost so much, I might as well buy a factory-made table.

Or, looking at it another way, if I spent for the drill, I would get a table AND a drill for about the price of a factory table.

Of course, then I would have a magnetic drill I didn't need.

Mag drills can be rented if you have tool rental companies near you. An annular cutter is about $30.

Maybe that's the way to go. I don't know how fast an annular cutter goes through steel. I wonder how many days I would need it for.

I'm also not sure how to get the table flat. I guess if I lived in the Rust Belt, where industry is everywhere, I could walk next door and have it ground. I have no idea whether there is anyone within 100 miles who could do that, nor do I know what it would cost.

I was thinking maybe I could make a top from 8" strips of 3/8" plate. If I did that, I could surface and drill it on my mill.

I just found out a company called Langmuir is selling modular, fully assembled tables to compete with Weldtables.com. This complicates things. Langmuir's Arcflat table are a lot cheaper than Fab Blocks, you don't have to assemble them, and they have 3/8" tops.

Not as cheap as shopmade, though.

Chips O'Toole wrote:I just found out a company called Langmuir is selling modular, fully assembled tables to compete with Weldtables.com. This complicates things. Langmuir's Arcflat table are a lot cheaper than Fab Blocks, you don't have to assemble them, and they have 3/8" tops.

Not as cheap as shopmade, though.

Yea I saw those and they look nice.

Your slab idea can also be done as well. It all just depends how much flatness and accuracy you want.

Langmuir's tables are cast iron. I wonder if that's a good idea. Hard to fix if damaged.

I know the Fireball Tool guy sells cast iron and talks it up. Says BB's don't stick.

Keep in mind if you have a milling machine, which I'm assuming from your post above you do have, if you drill a couple holes to get started and then use those to attach with clamps into the t-slots, using standoffs of course so you don't drill into your Mill table, you could simply Bolt the thing down and you can drill a width twice the throat of your mill on the Y. Actually a little bit more than double. And X is unlimited. Simply locate off some existing holes and Away you go. Do one section at a time then shift the sheet to a new location.

BugHunter wrote:Keep in mind if you have a milling machine, which I'm assuming from your post above you do have, if you drill a couple holes to get started and then use those to attach with clamps into the t-slots, using standoffs of course so you don't drill into your Mill table, you could simply Bolt the thing down and you can drill a width twice the throat of your mill on the Y. Actually a little bit more than double. And X is unlimited. Simply locate off some existing holes and Away you go. Do one section at a time then shift the sheet to a new location.

That's a pretty good idea. I can see myself doing that with some slabs. I got a mini-mill so I wouldn't be able to do a large table.

Most all tables are made out of slabs anyway. As long as you've got enough y to handle a few rows of holes, X is Unlimited.

12" on the Y and 12" throat depth. Only limited by my limited machining skills.

Chips O'Toole wrote: If I buy a table, I'll probably go for a 1/4" top, because anything thicker will go $2100 or more. If I build a table, I can go heavier, so I'm thinking about 3/8". Here's the thing: I would have to put something like 300 16mm holes in it.

I bought a 48x72x0.75 slab Blanchard ground for $600. With a Mag Drill, an annular cutter, put 5/8" holes on 2" spacing. Total cost of top and cutters, <$700. Sure, it took 2.5 days to drill 800+ holes. But now I have a dead flat, solid fab and welding table.

cj737 wrote:I bought a 48x72x0.75 slab Blanchard ground for $600. With a Mag Drill, an annular cutter, put 5/8" holes on 2" spacing. Total cost of top and cutters, <$700. Sure, it took 2.5 days to drill 800+ holes. But now I have a dead flat, solid fab and welding table.

Most guys who don't have a commercial shop would have difficulty handling a slab that size. By my WAG calculations, that's about a 740# slab... Before the holes are drilled of course.

My table top is 4' x 4' x 2-1/2" thick. I don't know what it weighs, but I've bumped into it before and it didn't move.

Chips O'Toole wrote:Maybe that's the way to go. I don't know how fast an annular cutter goes through steel. I wonder how many days I would need it for.

The way I always rented equipment like that - is pickup on Friday afternoon for a one day rental & since the rental company isn't open Saturday afternoon, return on Monday morning. Anything with a hour meter on it (tractor, skid steer, etc.) as long as you don't put more than 8 hours on it your good. A drill - how would they know you used it on Sunday or Monday morning before noon?

BugHunter wrote: Most guys who don't have a commercial shop would have difficulty handling a slab that size. By my WAG calculations, that's about a 740# slab... Before the holes are drilled of course.

I don't have a commercial shop either. Picked the slab up on a pallet in the bed of the truck. Brought it to the shop, slid it out onto a ready-to-go base. Manhandled it into position. Tack welded, drilled, welded out, done.

If the Egyptians could build pyramids with sandstone, flax rope and wood, imagine what modern, willing folks can do.

I've got 4 ruptured disks in my back and already had surgery on it once, so "manhandling" big chunks of steel are long in the rearview mirror for me.

ps. The Egyptians also had unlimited replacement hands, feet, arms and legs.

BugHunter wrote:I've got 4 ruptured disks in my back and already had surgery on it once, so "manhandling" big chunks of steel are long in the rearview mirror for me.

ps. The Egyptians also had unlimited replacement hands, feet, arms and legs.

Apparently you miss the point: you don't have to manhandle if you are smart and use leverage and some ingenuity.

Today I had to get really creative to position the shooting bench on my small table. Arcflat tables are looking very good.

Where would a person go to get a ground slab for a shopmade table? I have no interest in 750-pound tables, but I could see buying 3' by 4' by 1/2" if the price was okay.

BugHunter wrote:

cj737 wrote:I bought a 48x72x0.75 slab Blanchard ground for $600. With a Mag Drill, an annular cutter, put 5/8" holes on 2" spacing. Total cost of top and cutters, <$700. Sure, it took 2.5 days to drill 800+ holes. But now I have a dead flat, solid fab and welding table.

Most guys who don't have a commercial shop would have difficulty handling a slab that size. By my WAG calculations, that's about a 740# slab... Before the holes are drilled of course.

My table top is 4' x 4' x 2-1/2" thick. I don't know what it weighs, but I've bumped into it before and it didn't move. [emoji38]

2.5"??? That thing probably has its own gravity. Drop a grinding wheel itll go into orbit around it

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JayWal wrote:2.5"??? That thing probably has its own gravity. Drop a grinding wheel it'll go into orbit around it

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That's funny

JayWal wrote:2.5"??? That thing probably has its own gravity. Drop a grinding wheel itll go into orbit around it

I have a nice 36 in aluminum CT scanner table on top of it as a rotisserie. Then on top of that I have a sheet of quarter inch plate steel which I can rotate with an integral ground for the welder such that the bearings never carry current. It's a nice setup. For what I do which is welding the corners of aluminum frames, it's ideal. Probably not so much for the work some of the guys do when they Fab things up and require the holes and the squaring fixturing capability of a regular Welding Table. It works for me. The actual table top is a repurposed die set. I don't know what press it went in but it was a press a hell of a lot bigger than I have at my shop.

BillEDee has been to the shop a few times and welded on that table and I'm sure he could attest to its fondness for its current location. It isn't one you heave on and slide around. LOL

Today, for the first time, I had to take a project off the table and stand and sit inside it to weld.

I have really enjoyed my Klutch table, but it would be great to have something that will hold bigger projects.

I have pieces of steel and aluminum stock sitting around that I will clamp to the table for times when I need a larger surface. It doesn't cost a whole lot to have a few pieces of angle or Square stock sitting around for that sort of thing.