Sunday, March 28, 2010

Welding Table Complete!

I just put the (as far as I can tell) finishing touches on my welding table today.



Yesterday, I added two handles, to make it easier to move around.  Here is the best weld from them:

Still a lot of room to improve.  But I feel pretty good about it as the handle is a much thinner metal than the leg that it is welded onto.


I then tilted the table 90 degrees, and welded the bottom part of the handles.  So, this is a vertical weld, where gravity really comes into play.  After botching the first handle by going bottom to top, I tried this one going from top to bottom.  A welding manual said that it's easier but that there isn't as much penetration.  Since the other handle got eaten up by the weld, i figured I should just keep all the settings the same & it would work out OK.


Here's the results:
Not too bad.  I started & stopped several times to 'freeze' the weld puddle to avoid too much heat like the previous error.

Today, I cut a sheet of aluminum (with a 150+ tooth circular saw blade that said "do not use on metal"... maybe I should have read the fine print before buying it)  and fit it into the bottom.  Now I've got a nice shelf for all my welding stuff.  And yes, I do remove the cardboard boxes before welding. I also I move the whole table outside a bit before starting.  Thus the handles & the casters on the other side.  Also note the fire extinguisher on the left.

The next project is going to be to make supports for the fire resistant cloth that I bought as a welding screen, to keep the arc's view out of neighbors' eyes.   It should also work well as a wind breaker, and help me make better welds with my MIG.