Welding Tips and Tricks

Been slowly accumulating bargain price parts for a positioner that I’ve always wanted but don’t really need. 4” 3-jaw chuck and rotary table from India. Motor and speed control from chinesium, local pulleys and machining. Time has come to put it all together in a box the can be vertical or horizontal. Haven’t thought about a plan yet.
Any suggestions would be helpful please.

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What are your speeds in RPMs? Are the pulleys diameters designed to maintain a slower speed? In other words Is it ready to be assembled as shown? Are you going to put a tru-hole in the spindle of the chuck for purging? Are you going to put the ground on the spindle and then isolate the speed on control?

The speed control turns down to stop, gears and pulleys gives max 6rpm. I was going mount the motor on an pe chopping board scrounged from home to isolate it. The speed control is panel mount plastic housing so that’s good too. Purge would be nice but the base is not really suitable I don’t think. I’ll take some pics when I’m at the shop next.


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I've used rotators for years, sometimes the part needs to be purged but whatever rotator I was using didn't have the thru the spindle hole to accommodate a purge, I have always been able to purge anyway. I wouldn't worry about that

Looking forward to your build

Some decent ideas here for a rotary station.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ny5Xxwwpkxs

Most people gravitate to a 3 jaw chuck, but I find personally that a 4 jaw is more versatile. Helps when you need to weld plates to tubing, or square bases to round things and you don't want to hold the tube and work upside down or horizontally. But use what you've got, it is still a benefit over not having a rotary.

OK. Been playing with this over the Christmas break when I could slip away.
I thought to make it out of aluminiumn sheet I had, but upon inspection it was too thin for the job. All the metal merchants were closed for the holidays and all that I had left in stock was somee 1/4" 6mm rusty plate that was outside for a long time.
Oh well, no kill like overkill so I got on with it. It's not blowing away in the wind and built like a brick thunderbox.

Have a question for electric gurus out there please. See the pics of the electricals, and remembering that here in oz, we have 240V 50Hz single phase power (240V active plus neutral plus earth).

1. On the speed controller, I'm guessing the blue bridge wire to terminals CCW-COM can be used for a remote start switch. Is this correct?

2. It seems to me that this controller will only turn the motor in one direction. Can you see a way to fit a reversing switch?
And here's a sneek peek I have progressed further than this. More to come.

Looking good! What's it look like inside the motor housing? It looks rather large, or maybe your chuck is smaller than I think?

Looking good so far, sorry I can't help with the wiring...

Hey Dips,
The chuck is only 4" and is fixed in position due to the pulley system. The box therefore needs to be fairly square for stability when rolling the box from the 2g to the 1g position. The 1/4" plate mass helps with this too against heavy cantilevering.
More pics soon.

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Coldman wrote:The 1/4" plate mass helps with this too against heavy cantilevering.
More pics soon.

Some tabs welded on at either end would make it rather simply to clamp the unit into many different positions, angles, or onto surfaces. Making it a bit more “versatile” instead of relying on the mass alone. I get it, you used what you had, but don’t let that limit you on your thinking of how it might be of aid in your work.

What is the RPM of your motor? Mine is 10 and still don't use much of the rpm control before its going too fast, if I could use more of the speel control then I'd have more resolution (can't think of another analogy) on the speed adjustment

I have thought to put some clamp tabs on, probably will cause I think they will be useful as you say.

My setup gives 0-6rpm should be ideal for welding.

Was some effort to square the box up. I really need to upgrade my bench, only has a 1/4" top on it and I've been beating the snot out of it for many years resulting in it being about as straight as a politician lying in bed. Just can't take the step of buying a proper fixture table.

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Coldman wrote: it being about as straight as a politician lying in bed.

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Never heard that one! I love it! You need Cj's ground welding table!

Yep, cheaper and easier to make one yourself.
48”x72”x0.75”. Top cost me about $300 Blanchard ground. I did the drilling with a 5/8” annular cutter in my Mag Drill.

Thanks cj, I've noticed a couple guys doing that already and always thought I must do the same one day. A great idea to get it surface ground, a local machine shop also does "chemical blackening" not sure exactly what that is but may be worth investigating.

By the way I sorted the electrical issue after suitable application of beer the other night. Simple solution of a two position switch if you don't let the Chinese writing confuse you and realise a square box on the diagram is actually a capacitor. All fell into place after that.
Good ol Tooheys Lager.

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Do you remember where you got your rotary table and chuck? Im in the same boat as you.... I don't really need one but want to build one.
Thanks
Tom

FuelieNova wrote:Do you remember where you got your rotary table and chuck? Im in the same boat as you.... I don't really need one but want to build one.
Thanks
Tom

Well, he is in Oz you know.

You can find the chuck on amazon or ebay, and ebay for sure has the rotary tables. I found a motor with speed controller from a used machinery outlet, look around, I spent some time searching for what I wanted

FuelieNova wrote:Do you remember where you got your rotary table and chuck? Im in the same boat as you.... I don't really need one but want to build one.
Thanks
Tom

Aside from buying the motors, you can often find great deals on chucks at a local Salvage Equioment/Machinery broker. Google for one in your area. If you have access to a lathe, turn a disc of ally down to the diameter you need, then drill and tap the chuck mounting holes, and spindle. That way you can run a purge line in the future if you want one. Plus, the ally table will be lighter than steel on the motor

Hi Tom,
I did get it off fleabay. It came from India, plenty to choose from you just have to wade through the rip offs till you find the cheepies.

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Getting closer with mine, still trying to scrounge some suitable sheet metal to tig up a belt guard.
Going to a staino sheet shop this arvo for another job, maybe I'll get lucky with a drop.

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I got lucky and did score a staino drop. Odd thickness, measures 1.45mm - that would make it about 17 gauge, that's just weird.
Anyway a little more progress. A bit here a bit there...

Sweet! Show us more!

Patience guys I'm doing this a bit here and a little there on the way home from work, scrounging parts as l go.
The pic shows flat bars to be the framing for the side covers. The short staino tubes and nuts will be the legs on bottom and back with brass bolts for adjustable feet and good earth grounding if the clamp is on the table instead of on the positioner. Had to buy the bamboo brass bolts off fleabay for the best deal, took three weeks to come in.
I hope the pic turns out it's the first time I've used the new pocophone this way.
Got holes to drill and tap after the pic items are welded in and belt guard completed. Then all that's left are side covers, painting and assembly.

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Jagged a few hours in my shop this arvo.
Side cover frames in, drilled and tapped.
Adjustable feet welded in on bottom and back.
Cable gland hole drilled 17mm.
All box fab work done and ready for paint.
All that's left is cut and drill side covers, weld up belt guard and assembly.


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Haven't welded up the guard yet cause I haven't decided how to purge the back of the weld.

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