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Weld and assemble welding table kit (1200x800 mm)
A small package arrived at my house already at Christmas, but I only got around to unpacking it now.
The part on the pallet weighs 100 kg and is made of 100% steel - I wonder what it is?
This is a welding table kit with the dimensions 800 x 1200 x 150 mm and a material thickness of 6 mm (hole grid 50 x 50 mm / hole diameter 16 mm). All parts are laser cut and what I still have to do myself is the welding of the single parts.
But before I weld, I will disassemble everything and lightly machine the parts.
Machining will be easier if I do it before welding.
First, all sharp edges are lightly broken with the file.
By cutting it out with the laser it has metal dust on the steel which then rusts and it looks like this. The condition is not bad and I'm sure it is because I left the package for a longer period of time.
I use sanding pads and some weld release spray to remove flash rust from all the parts so that everything shines again.
The whole thing looks much better like this.
Now I can put all parts together again. I used cable ties to hold the side parts in place.
In addition, I use 3 tension straps, not expensive versions, because they will probably get damaged in the heat, which is what finally happened to 2 of them.
To clamp the cross ribs to the top plate, I still made clamps from flat sections and threaded rods.
I fix these clamps at the places where I just set the welding points. I work from the center outwards and make sure that I don't put too much heat into the steel plate and that it doesn't warp.
To have a better view in the labyrinth of the table, I use my small LED lamps for the first time.
I mounted the LED lamps with an adapter to a gooseneck with magnetic base. The adapter is only provisionally made - I will do another post on these lamps later.
It is important that the surface on which the table lies is flat.
I check this with my magnetic protractor and can put something under my wooden beams when the floor is not completely flat.
I also use screw clamps on the side walls to hold the parts in place without play.
Regularly I put the table on its side and checked if the working surface is absolutely straight in longitudinal and transversal direction as well as diagonally - until now everything is in the green area.
All welding points are set and the table surface is straight.
Now the 4 plates at each corner follow, on which the table legs will be mounted later.
Done, the welding table is now welded.
Now the table legs follow, where I first have to weld the welding nuts at the end plates on the upper and lower side. Welding nuts have a small shoulder and are therefore perfectly centered in the hole.
All nuts are welded.
Now I can weld the plates together with the square profile.
After cleaning and painting the legs, I can mount them.
Now I have to come up with something, because alone I can't turn the 100 kg once I have mounted all 4 legs. Therefore I mounted only 2 pieces, put the table on the edge and then lowered it onto a pallet.
Then I can raise the table on the opposite side and slide wooden profiles underneath. The assembly of the remaining 2 legs is then easy.
Finally I can fix the table on the pallet with straps and move it to its final place.
The next problem is mounting the casters, but after all, the table is already high enough on the pallet. I just have to put a weight on the diagonally opposite side, which is a bit heavier than a castor plus screw - e.g. a piece of railroad track ;-) then pull the table a bit to the side so that one leg hangs free and then I can attach the roller without a problem.
I do the same with the rest of the table legs.
Now the welding table is finished and I am satisfied with the result.
One more note regarding welding table kits. There are various suppliers of such welding tables, but they differ in construction, or how the parts are laser cut. The picture shows the corner of my welding table and to the right of the picture are 3 small pictures of competitor products. These have nose molds which are meant to be welded from the outside, if you don't weld them they just interfere. In addition, these tables usually have openings for lugs in the top plate too. Either you weld the lugs and then have to smooth the weld with an angle grinder, which in my opinion ruins the nice surface , or you leave it and then have holes in the table where the dirt collects.
My opinion is that welding on the inside is enough and for that reason I chose a welding table kit from German Welding Tools (GWT) of Germany. The kit, which measures 800 x 1200 x 150 mm, just fits on a Euro pallet and is pre-assembled, meaning the parts fit. The top plate also has no unnecessary openings for lugs (just the 16 mm holes). The welding table has various markings lasered such as grids, angles and radii, which other products do not have and I really have nothing to criticize about this welding table :-)
Below you can see a few more detail photos, especially of the lasered markings on the surface.
Copyright © 2001-2024 Markus Maurer - all rights reserved
Creation Date: 14.04.2023
