Grapple DIY

k0ua · Nov 4, 2016

Jeepnford said:
Looks great. BTW, what are the sawhorse looking steel tables you're building the grapple on? I'd like to look in to getting some of those.

Harbor freight welding table.. I have one.. Worth the money. I think I paid $49 for it.

Adjustable Steel Welding Table

downsizingnow48 · Nov 5, 2016

Yes those are the HF tables. I paid $59. Hard to beat.

John_Mc · Nov 12, 2016

Northern Tool sells a similar welding table. It costs almost double, but it's a bit sturdier than the HF model.

NT Nomad Welding table

Or for another $10, you can get it bundled with a couple of magnet clamps:
NT Welding Table w/clamps

downsizingnow48 · Nov 12, 2016

I have a Strong Hand Nomad table too. I bought it at my local welding supply store, before I found out about the HF tables. So I have been able to compare the two versions in detail. And use them side by side. The Nomad is height-adjustable. Otherwise they are exactly the same product.

John_Mc · Nov 13, 2016

downsizingnow48 said:
I have a Strong Hand Nomad table too. I bought it at my local welding supply store, before I found out about the HF tables. So I have been able to compare the two versions in detail. And use them side by side. The Nomad is height-adjustable. Otherwise they are exactly the same product.

Interesting. The one I saw that the owner told me he "thought was from Harbor Freight" (he didn't remember for sure) had lighter-duty fasteners and the folding mechanism seems less solid. EIther he's remembering wrong, or maybe HF has upgraded a bit.

k0ua · Nov 13, 2016

Having never seen one of the Nomad tables, all I know is I am very pleased with my Harbor Freight one, and I think it is well worth the money.

downsizingnow48 · Nov 13, 2016

John_Mc said:
Interesting. The one I saw that the owner told me he "thought was from Harbor Freight" (he didn't remember for sure) had lighter-duty fasteners and the folding mechanism seems less solid. EIther he's remembering wrong, or maybe HF has upgraded a bit.

It could well be that there have been changes in either version, or both versions, over time.

ovrszd · Nov 13, 2016

In today's world it is more common to see name brand products being outsourced to lesser known manufacturers. So you'll see two products identical with different brand names. I don't mind that when it involves "middle of the road" name brands. But when I see it involving a supposedly "top of the line" name brand it angers me. If I buy a top of the line product and pay more money I expect it to be superior quality when compared to all others. That's a fantasy these days. Pretty sad.

downsizingnow48 · Nov 22, 2016

I haven't given up on this, I had to do upgrades to kitchen, laundry room, bathroom, and study for family visits in December.

Another thing slowing me down was the plasma cutter. This grapple is the first time I have really used it. It works fine but blows nasty black grit everywhere. I spend about the same time cleaning as I do working, which is demoralizing.

After thinking about various options I finally got a old side draft welding table (26x38) from a scrap yard. Rather than make a fixed grate I cut some 1" tube to length. They can be moved where needed to support the work and not get cut. If one does get cut it is easy to replace. I added a couple pieces of 1x2 tube for clamping.

I tried it out today, it is easy to use and does a decent job of containing the mess. I need to make a couple of side fences though. I made the frame big enough to add an exhaust fan but am not sure that will be needed.

Anyway with the house rehab done and a workable solution to the black grit mess, I can get back to the grapple.