Welding benches

[rwork]

Great looking bench, Josh! What are the dimensions? I've about decided to buy a Millermatic 211. I've got an old Lincoln AC 225, but I'm not much with a rod. Hopefully I can get the hang of mig!
Randy

 

[joshuabardwell]

Great looking bench, Josh! What are the dimensions? I've about decided to buy a Millermatic 211. I've got an old Lincoln AC 225, but I'm not much with a rod. Hopefully I can get the hang of mig!
Randy

The top is 2'x3'. It will be 36" tall with casters on.

 

[rwork]

Good choice of color, as well. I really like that safety yellow.

 

[daugen]

Very nice and I like the color too.
Question on all the AC receptacles built in you all have shown so far.
What power rating? 20amps? More? I'm assuming for grinders and not for welders.
Hard to imagine running more than one tool at a time.

 

[joshuabardwell]

Good choice of color, as well. I really like that safety yellow.

Technically, it is school bus yellow. I was amused when I read the name.

Question on all the AC receptacles built in you all have shown so far. What power rating? 20amps? More? I'm assuming for grinders and not for welders. Hard to imagine running more than one tool at a time.

The real limit in my case is the cord. The receptacles are 15 amps. If memory serves, the cord is 14 gauge and rated for 13 amps at 50 feet, but it's only a 25 foot cord. It's definitely not for a 110v welder, no. Grinder, fan, light... that sort of thing. My welder is 220v, so it plugs in directly.

 

[mjncad]

Dang fine bench Joshua.

 

[ericher69]

Here are some pics of my table, which I just (mostly) finished today. I still need to put casters on and clean the top, but you get the idea. Here are some ideas I incorporated into the table: Stinger holder on the front left side (I'm left handed) made from an old U-bolt that I cut off. Hooks for looping the cord for the electrical outlets--also made from an old U-bolt, cut in half. Four built-in electrical outlets. I found some "tamper-resistant" ones at the store that have a gate in front of the hot and neutral holes. I thought this might be a good idea for keeping dust and dirt out of the receptacle. I also went with a GFI, just in case.

The piece of 1" square stock on the left-hand side is for clamps.

Looks good Joshua;

Is the top 1/2 inch plate flat? May just be the picture but looks as though the overhang end curls up?

 

[joshuabardwell]

Is the top 1/2 inch plate flat? May just be the picture but looks as though the overhang end curls up?

Sadly, it is not flat. It has a slight cup. I had been hoping that by buying 1/2" thick material, that it would be reasonably flat, but no such luck. Since I don't have a torch, I don't really think that I have a way of straightening it either. So I welded it on with four, about 1" long welds, at the corners, and if the time comes that I decide to straighten it, it will be relatively easy to remove, but for now, I'm just going to leave it as-is and suck it up.

I considered for a moment running beads along the back side, but I decided not to for two reasons: first, I think that heat might be too localized for the gradual curve that the piece has, and second, it would leave a bunch of weld metal on the back side that I would have to grind off. I think a rosebud tip on an O/A or Oxy-Propane torch would be the right tool, and I don't have one. Maybe if I was more motivated, I could transport the top to a machine shop and get them to straighten it for me.

 

[IslandTractor]

Sadly, it is not flat. It has a slight cup. I had been hoping that by buying 1/2" thick material, that it would be reasonably flat, but no such luck. Since I don't have a torch, I don't really think that I have a way of straightening it either. So I welded it on with four, about 1" long welds, at the corners, and if the time comes that I decide to straighten it, it will be relatively easy to remove, but for now, I'm just going to leave it as-is and suck it up.

I considered for a moment running beads along the back side, but I decided not to for two reasons: first, I think that heat might be too localized for the gradual curve that the piece has, and second, it would leave a bunch of weld metal on the back side that I would have to grind off. I think a rosebud tip on an O/A or Oxy-Propane torch would be the right tool, and I don't have one. Maybe if I was more motivated, I could transport the top to a machine shop and get them to straighten it for me.

I haven't done it but I thought the way to get tops straight was to use wedges from below.

 

[joshuabardwell]

With 1/2" plate, I would be worried about crushing the tubing that makes up the frame. No?

 

[IslandTractor]

With 1/2" plate, I would be worried about crushing the tubing that makes up the frame. No?

Yes, the frame would need to be proportionately strong enough. However, you are not trying to put a crease in the 1/2", just nudging it a bit. I cannot point you to a link but I am pretty sure I've seen examples. Maybe post a question on a dedicated welding forum.

 

[joshuabardwell]

Yes, the frame would need to be proportionately strong enough. However, you are not trying to put a crease in the 1/2", just nudging it a bit. I cannot point you to a link but I am pretty sure I've seen examples. Maybe post a question on a dedicated welding forum.

I'll do some research. I'm skeptical, though. At the end of the day, whichever is weakest--the tube or the plate--is going to bend first, and my money is on the tube. But I've been wrong before! :confused3:

 

[IslandTractor]

I'll do some research. I'm skeptical, though. At the end of the day, whichever is weakest--the tube or the plate--is going to bend first, and my money is on the tube. But I've been wrong before! :confused3:

Check this thread out: 4' x3' x 3/8" steel plate from supplier came with 1/4" bow - WeldingWeb™ - Welding forum for pros and enthusiasts Interesting discussion with a few pointers and ideas for straightening it out.

 

[joshuabardwell]

Check this thread out: 4' x3' x 3/8" steel plate from supplier came with 1/4" bow - WeldingWeb™ - Welding forum for pros and enthusiasts Interesting discussion with a few pointers and ideas for straightening it out.

Thanks very much. Now I'm going to have to cut that thing off, straighten it, and re-weld it, after I finished up all the paint!

 

[daugen]

welder table from Northern Tool + Equipment

the spec on this shows a max thickness of 2 mills. Like a garbage bag...
Doesn't suggest to me much strength. Anyone here who hasn't built one of their own beautiful creations
ever bought this Northern tools model? Interested in how wobbly it is. thanks;

Actually I think the StrongArm portable product makes the most sense for me to start, then either get one of these or
build my own. The latter has me intrigued after salivating over the benches here. Something about heavy duty and I built it is particularly
satisfying.

 

[IslandTractor]

I confused you with the Strongarm. It is StrongHand. I have one. Perfectly nice for the money and will be useful as a portable even after you build your own monster table.

 

[daugen]

I confused you with the Strongarm. It is StrongHand. I have one. Perfectly nice for the money and will be useful as a portable even after you build your own monster table.

that's funny, I remembered the wrong name from your prior correction...sign of age.
StrongHand. repeat three times. thanks

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

welder table from Northern Tool + Equipment

the spec on this shows a max thickness of 2 mills. Like a garbage bag...
Doesn't suggest to me much strength. Anyone here who hasn't built one of their own beautiful creations
ever bought this Northern tools model? Interested in how wobbly it is. thanks;




Actually I think the StrongArm portable product makes the most sense for me to start, then either get one of these or
build my own. The latter has me intrigued after salivating over the benches here. Something about heavy duty and I built it is particularly
satisfying.

Bought one just like it for demo purposes for a Jackson. It was in a salvage shop and had a bend in it. I can take some pics of it. It's not as bad as it seems on paper, but at the same time, it isn't spectacular. It's not really flimsy though once everything is all together. The only weak point is the expanded metal...which is easy enough to replace with something heavier. The strong hand tables, even for a small one if it is the one I am thinking about are very expensive...think thousands....not hundreds.

Btw. Checked on your pedal. Seems someone forgot to pack it in the box in the rush of the big shipment arriving and 200 units going out a day. Looks like our shipping department is being pushed to the max with the new model units, but It's on the way now.

 

[Scooby074]

welder table from Northern Tool + Equipment

the spec on this shows a max thickness of 2 mills. Like a garbage bag...
Doesn't suggest to me much strength. Anyone here who hasn't built one of their own beautiful creations
ever bought this Northern tools model? Interested in how wobbly it is. thanks;

Actually I think the StrongArm portable product makes the most sense for me to start, then either get one of these or
build my own. The latter has me intrigued after salivating over the benches here. Something about heavy duty and I built it is particularly
satisfying.

I have a couple Strong hand tools. I have one of their china clones of a Bessey clamp and a set of their copies of a Vise Grip 18r locking clamp. Im not that impressed. The bessey clone, while half the price of a real Bessey, is only 1/4 as good. It just doesnt clamp as tight, and flexes at the curved section when really clamped. The locking pliers, arent as bad as the Bessey clone is, id say 9/10ths the original VG 18's. Now that VG has gone to china, its Grip on locking pliers for me now, I wont buy another from Stronghand when I can get Grip Ons for the same cost. GRIP-ON TOOLS: THE LARGEST RANGE OF LOCKING TOOLS WORLDWIDE Grip-on is also the OEM for Snap-on's locking pliers if they arent available in local stores. Snap-on Tools

Now, I dont have a Stronghand work bench, but based on my experiences with their other products, Id either build my own or look elsewhere, particularly for the light duty work bench. The larger fab tables appear to be heavier duty however, but they are not cheap and they even import the German made Siegmund tables now, if you want to take out a loan before buying .

 

[daugen]

The Strong Hand tables I saw come in two types, the relatively inexpensive 2-300 hundred dollar one, then a modular "system" that loaded up
ran a couple grand. I'd rather copy their good ideas and build my own heavier one, but for portability, the Miller ArcStation portables and the Strong Hand seem the consumer's choice. All of a sudden those HD sawhorses and a sheet of heavy steel make sense in the meantime.

It's my birthday today and to "celebrate" I'm headed to harbor freight with a pile of coupons with my wife no less. If I give her a coupon, she's in heaven. Needless to say, if you can't find a gidgey gadgey to come home with from HF, you aren't looking very hard.
Will look at their portable welding carts, need to put the new welder on something and I can see that having a couple of storage drawers will be helpful. I think the most expensive welding cart they have is fifty or sixty bucks so my expectations aren't high.