Makeshift welding table

[IslandTractor]

It sounds to me if them thar "Swamp Yankees" and us "Hillbilly's" would get along pretty good.:thumbsup: I am thinking we are one and the same. Long lost cousins as it were.

James K0UA

The critical question is"Do Hillbilly's drink Narraganset beer?". Civilized folks from Boston frown on it as third rate but it is the life blood of a true Swamp Yankee who would be laughed out of a bar for ordering a Sam Adams or microbrew.

 

[k0ua]

The critical question is"Do Hillbilly's drink Narraganset beer?". Civilized folks from Boston frown on it as third rate but it is the life blood of a true Swamp Yankee who would be laughed out of a bar for ordering a Sam Adams or microbrew.

Well I drink water mostly, and then unsweetened Iced tea as a second, and "I don't always drink beer, but when I do".... I like Sam Adams

James K0UA

 

[Baby Grand]

It sounds to me if them thar "Swamp Yankees" and us "Hillbilly's" would get along pretty good.:thumbsup: I am thinking we are one and the same. Long lost cousins as it were.

James K0UA

Yes, I think you're right about that!

The critical question is"Do Hillbilly's drink Narraganset beer?". Civilized folks from Boston frown on it as third rate but it is the life blood of a true Swamp Yankee who would be laughed out of a bar for ordering a Sam Adams or microbrew.

My dad was from Taunton (he pronounced it "Tantin"). And I do remember him buying Narraganset when our German neighbors kept insisting he drink their Rhiengold. Money was tight, all around, back then ...

I like the handle Swampy or Swamp Yankee, and it fits me in many ways. I'd love to hear some of that regional music the Wikipedia article mentions. Maybe I'll go see what's cookin' at the Swamp Yankee Days Festival in Ashaway, Rhode Island, if they have one this Summer.

 

[robs660]

Old ironing board. Didn't have anything to use. There was a yard sale up the street. Picked it up for 1.00. Used it for 3 days of bracket fab for a house we were building. Did a good job!

 

[deereman75]

I guess my salvaged industrial shelf doesnt count, I actually made it into my table.

 

[IslandTractor]

Old ironing board. Didn't have anything to use. There was a yard sale up the street. Picked it up for 1.00. Used it for 3 days of bracket fab for a house we were building. Did a good job!

I'll try to remember this. Good one. Nice height and easy to move and store.

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

OK, here is a challenge: What have you used as a makeshift welding table in the field?

I had to weld up some simple hanger fixtures and found this to be a handy arrangement for stick welding with 1/16" 6013 on some 16 gauge curtain rod hangers.

We don't have Rednecks up here in the Northeast, we have Swamp Yankees so this is a Swamp Yankee set up. Ground was hooked to the thin strip of 14 gauge that lays across the grill. I thought about just using the grill but figured I'd get better ground with the non greasy hot rolled sheet. Worked fine.

I've used a front end loader bucket, crawler tracks, the bed of a gooseneck trailer, a pieces of railroad iron laid onthe ground and, yes the 55 gallon barrel works as well.

 

[IslandTractor]

I've used a front end loader bucket, crawler tracks, the bed of a gooseneck trailer, a pieces of railroad iron laid onthe ground and, yes the 55 gallon barrel works as well.

When you use a loader bucket, is it attached to the loader and if so is there a risk to vehicle electric switches, solenoids etc?

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

Not if the work clamp is attached to the bucket.

 

[IslandTractor]

Not if the work clamp is attached to the bucket.

So you don't disconnect batteries or worry about electronics on vehicles so long as the ground is properly attached to the vehicle near the welding? I have never had any personal experience but always thought one needed to isolate vehicle electrics by disconnecting the battery. I guess as electricity follows the shortest path of least resistance if the ground is on the bucket then it would not be a problem.

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

Not much to worry about on older diesel crawler loaders, especially with rubber mounts on the engine. There's only a simple electrical system.

 

[IslandTractor]

Not much to worry about on older diesel crawler loaders, especially with rubber mounts on the engine. There's only a simple electrical system.

I was thinking more generally about welding on vehicles. Would it be safe to use the same principle on a modern car with computers etc.

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

It's done everyday. I am not saying it is recommended. But when a battery is disconnected it usually will suffice, as long as the work clamp is kept close. Welding with High Frequency with a TIG welder is another story though.

 

[IslandTractor]

It's done everyday. I am not saying it is recommended. But when a battery is disconnected it usually will suffice, as long as the work clamp is kept close. Welding with High Frequency with a TIG welder is another story though.

Thanks for the clarification

 

[Taylortractornut]

I have used buckets and beds and other things. I have used a grill befor it works great with an old stripped out grill. Back when I was 21 I got broken up in a car wreck. I was out of commission 10 weeks. I had the Miller thunder bolt out in the shop and I had a 110V wire welder and the torch. I couldnt get out to the shop with a broken leg so I got dad to go out to the junk yard and get me an old gas grill that had cast grates. We had an old dryer outlet on the porch and I set up shop on the back porch.

The grill made a nice slag catch and also kept the porch paint from damage. THe grill stand made a nice carrier for the 110 welder and tank. I had a plte that fit over the grate to make a welding table.

I ve never had any damage done to a machine from welding on it but I did kill . an old wester auto battery charger one time. I hade it attached to a backhoe I was putting a thumb on and charging the battery on the hoe. I had moved my ground and I think that caused it.


I have a burning table kit here some where that was made for a 55 gallon drum. You delid it and set this in. It was an angle iron ring that the bottom leg dropped inside the barrel. I was getting some that didnt fit that snug that came from a ventilation duct company. Tey worked good just make the slats for them. some how I think i let them get away.