Welding Resources and Tips

How to Weld a Bathroom Side Table with Shelves

A bathroom side table is easy to make with a variety of welding processes and with many different materials that you have around your shop. There are plenty of table plans online and many different options of side tables. What follows below is a bathroom table welding project. Since every bathroom calls for a different-sized table, the plans below will offer some options that will help you customize the table to your own needs. The most important thing is to make sure your table has enough support to handle whatever you place on it.

Image Source: Miller Idea Gallery

Special Considerations for a Bathroom Table

The main differences between a side table for a bathroom and an end table or coffee table in your living room will include:

• Table size: Bathrooms can be quite cramped, and therefore it’s especially helpful to weld your own table so that it fits into a tight corner or closet in order to maximize your storage.
• Storage shelves for the bathroom table: storage is critical for a bathroom, and any table surface should have a shelf or two below the top. If you have storage shelves on your bathroom table, you’ll have all of the support you need to make your table sturdy.
• Water damage considerations for a bathroom table: Wood is not the best option for a bathroom table, and therefore welding your own table is a great way to go.

An advantage of welding a metal table for the bathroom is that you can paint it with a rust-proof finish that resists water and won’t warp over time. In addition, if you work with angle iron, you can create a base for the top of the table and the shelves that makes it possible to use materials such as tiles for your shelves and table top.

Image Source: Hobart Welders Forum

For a bathroom project like this, expanded metal will be both simple and cost effective, though it’s nice to know you could use tile if you prefer.

Materials for Your Table Welding Project

It’s common for most welders to use 1/2” square tubing for table legs and 1/2” angle iron for the frame of table top and shelves. Washers and felt are attached to the feet of the table. You can use anything you like for the table top and shelves, but expanded metal is both sturdy and water-resistant.

If your table is particularly long, then you’ll need to add some supports to the middle of the shelves and to the legs. You can do this with flat iron pieces that either cross along the back side of the shelves in between the legs or that connect the legs to the shelves with short pieces that are a few inches long in the corners.

Assembling Your Table Welding Project

You’ll need basic tools such as a chop saw, angle grinder, and clamps. Clamps will be especially important as you assemble your table pieces and try to make them square and level. It will be important to work on a level surface and to use enough clamps to keep your metal in place.

After cutting your angle iron, square tubing legs, and expanded metal, use your grinder to smooth off the edges of the metal. Then, lay the angle iron for the table top with the top part down on the ground. These instructions are for a table like the one pictured at the top of the post where the expanded metal is welded to the bottom of the angle iron.

Line up the metal and use your clamps to hold it all together so that you can tack weld the metal together. By tacking the metal together you can make sure everything is level and square before you finish off your welds.

When the metal table top frame is welded together, you can then weld the expanded metal into place on the bottom side of the angle iron. If you use angle iron for the legs as well, you can weld the legs on before you weld the table top into place (see the video below).

After this, you’ll weld the table legs into place. When you’re done with the table legs, you can then add the shelves using more angle iron, starting with the cross pieces and then adding on the shelving surface.

In order to finish your table, you can paint the metal and add washers to the legs in order to help the table stand level. Choose a rust resistant paint in order to finish your table. If you used expanded metal, then spray paint will be the best choice.

A Step by Step Table Welding Project Video

You can learn quite a bit about how to join the legs and table frame together by watching a basic table-building video like this:

 

Though this table is a bit more simple than the project described above, you’ll find some great ideas about how to assemble a metal table. Take particular note of the cross pieces this welder uses for his table. If you have shelves for your bathroom table, then you’ll have plenty of support. However, if you just weld a simple table with no shelves, consider adding supports to the legs like the ones he creates in this video.

Learn more about welding projects at Baker’s Gas and Welding.

 

Weekly Roundup – News in the Welding World

Spring is here and with it come many opportunities to start those welding projects you may have been putting off all winter.  It is also a great time to catch up on all the welding news you may have missed. Check out the industry news, welding schools/programs, and welding students sections of this edition of the roundup.

News In The Welding World

The demand for experienced welders is increasing, but there aren’t enough welders available to fill all the positions.

http://columbustelegram.com/news/local/demand-high-for-welders-supply-lags/article_b61bfca6-3162-11e1-a028-001871e3ce6c.html 

 

Special News

A special woman who has taken her welding skills and created a successful career, while also helping others learn.

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/dec/26/local/la-me-trade-tech-20111226

 

Welding Industry

Houston Gases acquires Cumberland Welding Supply Co.

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/dec/30/holston-gases-acquires-cumberland-welding-supply/

 

Welding Schools/Programs

A new program to help the jobless acquire new skills

http://www.mpbn.net/Home/tabid/36/ctl/ViewItem/mid/3478/ItemId/19522/Default.aspx

Helpful seminars to help everyone prepare for the exams

http://www.aws.org/education/seminar.html

The Tulsa Welding School offers professional welding programs

http://www.weldingschool.com/

 

Welding Students

If you live in the Illinois area here is a great welding program

http://www.illinoisweldingschool.com/

Are you having a hard time choosing a welding school?  If so here is some information on how to choose the school that is right for you.

http://www.wisegeek.com/how-do-i-choose-the-best-welding-school.htm

Northland Welding students compete and place in Behind the Mask Welding Competition

http://www.northlandcollege.edu/now/news/view.php?news_id=1401

Welding students use their skills to improve Wright Stage

http://www.columbustech.edu/2012/04/17/welding_students_stage_april2012/

Welding students provide shade for little league players

http://www.greatplains.edu/2012/04/26/welding-students-provide-shade-at-miracle-league/

 

Welding Gone Wrong

A Wiscasset business is destroyed after welding accident causes fire

http://bangordailynews.com/2012/02/27/news/midcoast/welding-accident-leads-to-fire-that-destroys-wiscasset-business/

A welding accident causes fire at Blackman Township pole barn

http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2011/12/welding_accident_causes_fire_a.html

 

Reasons to Choose a Hypertherm Powermax 45

In the month of May, Baker’s Gas and Welding is featuring Hypertherm plasma cutters and offering a free consumable kit with select purchases. When you ask welders, fabricators, and other metal workers which plasma cutter is the best, they’ll often mention Hypertherm as one of the industry leaders. While Hypertherm provides a wide range of light to heavy duty machines for a variety of applications, we’re going to talk about the Hypertherm Powermax 45 today because it provides a lot of power and versatility for home welders and small shops who need a reliable plasma cutter that can handle any job you throw at it. 

The Hypertherm Powermax 45 Maxes Out Consumable Life

The consumable kit that comes free with Baker’s May 2012 Hypertherm promotion is far more valuable than a kit from any off-name brands. One of the features in a Hypertherm plasma cutter that receives the most praise is the cutting edge torch technology that prolongs consumable life. Reviewers frequently mention that a Hypertherm plasma cutter can be used all day without needing to replace a consumable. That kind of longevity is the exception and not the rule for other plasma cutters!

If you take the value of the free consumable kit and then multiply that by the longevity of those consumables over time with Hypertherm, Baker’s promotion provides a tremendous value both with this promotion and with the ongoing expenses over time for a plasma cutter.

Take the Hypertherm Powermax 45 Anywhere

Though the Powermax 45 packs a lot of power, that power is quite light and easy to take with you with a weight of only 38 lbs.  The connecting cables and case are designed to take a lot of impact and tension if they’re stepped on or knocked over, making this unit ideal for a variety of work sites and mobile projects.

The HyperTherm Powermax 45 Makes Cutting Simple

Some users estimate that the Powermax 45 cuts about 20% faster than other cutting units, while others rave about the value of the drag tip that saves you from worrying about standoff. From saving time on switching consumables to providing a faster cutting speed at 20 ipm on 1/2” metal, the Powermax 45 is ideal for handheld cutting projects. The conical flow of the torch is also a key design element that concentrates the heat, improves cutting speed, and minimizes the amount of dross by keeping the kerf as small as possible.

Cut Thick Metal with a Powermax 45

All estimates of cutting thickness are based on maintaining a steady cutting speed, and therefore have even rumored that the Powermax 45 can cut up to 2 inch thick material if the operator keeps a steady hand and travels slow enough. While production workers won’t want to do that on a regular basis, home users will be pleased to learn that a Powermax 45 can handle a wide variety of thicknesses, even if they need to cut metal beyond the half inch to one inch range that is far more typical for this machine.

Here’s a spec sheet and chart of thicknesses that the Powermax 45 can handle based on Hypertherm’s laboratory tests: Powermax 45 specs.

Easily Service a Hypertherm Powermax 45

The longevity of a plasma cutter is a critical aspect of investing in a new machine, and Hypertherm designs machines that minimize dust intake and are easily serviced (see the pictures included in this comment thread). Hypertherm manufactures their machines in New Hampshire, so it’s easy to find a support technician to handle any problems that come up, but since their machines are designed to be user-friendly and to minimize maintenance issues, that’s a support system you may not even need to use.

One of Hypertherm’s sales engineers adds, “These units have a CNC interface that includes plasma start input, arc transferred output as well as arc voltage outputs for torch height control systems. The torch has a new technology quick disconnect that allows you to switch (from hand torch to machine torch) in seconds without tools.” In other words, Hypertherm has managed to simplify the use of the Powermax 45 while making it more durable and light.

Better yet, since the Powermax is designed to last for the long haul, Hypertherm produces replacement parts for their older machines, ensuring that you can keep using it until it’s time to buy a new machine.

 

Is the Hypertherm Powermax 45 for you? Check out this list of possible applications, and you’ll see that it’s a very versatile plasma cutter that packs a lot of power in a very efficient, light, and durable machine. Manufacturers who regularly cut metal that is thicker than 1/2” may want to invest in a larger unit, but for most home, farm, and small shop projects, the Hypertherm Powermax 45 is an ideal machine that has been proven capable of handling a wide range of projects.

Learn more about the Hypertherm Powermax 45 at Baker’s Gas and Welding today.

 

Tips for a Successful Mobile Welding Business

Welders are in demand from both commercial and residential clients. A mobile welding business requires little more than welding equipment, a van or truck, and insurance. Bonus points if you're certified through an accredited school. Apply for your welder's license and take the exam. (View certification articles.) Contact your state license board to ensure you have the necessary documentation. If you do quality work and have strong word-of-mouth recommendations, your business can be both rewarding and lucrative.

Necessities

Before you quit your day job, it is recommended that you have several months' worth of cash. It may be several months before you earn a profit, depending on how much equipment you already possess. You'll need welding equipment, tools, and safety supplies. This may include: a tig welder, mig welder, gas cylinders, stick welders, plasma cutters, fume extractor, welding helmets, respirator helmets, protective clothing, welding blankets, welding goggles, welding clamps, turntables, ground clamps, cable connectors, power tools, abrasives, and hoists. Liability insurance is essential. Industrial customers will ask to see a copy of your insurance certificate. Your insurance should cover the value of any property that you work on. A truck (and maybe a trailer) needs to be set up for efficient work. A laptop computer and wireless internet service that can travel with you are nonnegotiable.

Present a Professional Image

When you have a mobile welding business, you are your business. You'll want to design (or have someone else design) a logo. Choose your company colors. Vehicle signage is important. It should coordinate with your business cards and website (and any other printed or online marketing materials). Your business card should offer more than one way to contact you. Your website may be simple, but you DO need one. Prepare a resume or portfolio, complete with references that potential clients may call. Answer your phone every time it rings.

Growing your Business

Of course providing your clientele with high quality work is one of the best ways to ensure you stay in business. Starting a referral program and cross promoting with related contractors is helpful. Earn, ask for, and reward referrals and testimonials. Refer other local professionals (that provide quality work) to your clients.

Remember, what doesn't get measured, won't improve. You must have a business plan with clear goals. Budget your expenses and expected income. Meet with an accountant who will show you what records you need to keep. Decide if you will be full-service or specialize in something. Consider expanding your home base. How far are you willing to travel? Can you offer emergency service? Evening, weekend, and next day service demands a premium.

Join a local trade group and a local general-purpose group, like a chamber of commerce. Network with gas and water main installation teams or air conditioning engineers; they are always looking for welders to subcontract to.

Other Tips for Mobile Welders

Consider keeping a small refrigerator in your vehicle to save on beverages and meals. A large water jug is crucial. Join preferred member card clubs at local building supply stores.

By all means, please share your mobile welding tips, tricks, and success stories below.

Image Source: www.moyerswelding.com

The Miller Multimatic 200 - When You Only Need One Welding Machine

Every hobby welder and professional looking for a new welding machine faces a series of trade-offs in features when picking one machine or another. Some machines provide a lot of power, but they aren’t portable. Other machines are limited to only one or two welding processes or there’s too much or too little power. Miller Electric has provided a solution to these constant customer dilemmas by providing a new all-in-one, multiprocess welding machine: the Miller Multimatic 200.

What Do Most Customers Look for in a New Welding Machine?

Every customer has different needs, depending on whether the new welding machine will be used at home for hobby projects or at a fabrication shop. The Multimatic 200 is especially designed for the home or small business user who has a wide variety of projects that may call for different settings or processes in a wide variety of locations.

There are plugs for both 230V and 120V power as well as MIG, DC TIG, and stick welding options at a wide variety of power settings. In addition, the Multimatic 200 weighs in at a portable 29 pounds and comes in an impact resistant case that allows you to take it anywhere.

The Multimatic 200 can MIG weld up to 3/8” on 230V or on 120V in a single pass.  It operates at 150A in TIG mode on both input voltages, and up to 150A in STICK mode on 230V.  

The Advantages of Having More Options in a New Welding Machine

While a fabrication shop may prefer to pick up machines that specialize in a particular process and offer more options, the Multimatic 200 is ideal for home and hobby welders, not to mention a repair shop that typically has a welding machine on site for a variety of repairs. With the Multimatic 200 it’s possible to weld a wider variety of materials with the best process available.  While it can MIG weld aluminum with the optional Spoolmate 100, keep in mind that the TIG option is DC only so it is not capable of TIG welding aluminum.  

That means you no longer need to waste time trying to MIG weld a thin sheet of mild steel when a TIG welder provides better heat control for the job. If you need to weld a truck in the driveway or in your garage, you can hook up your MIG gun and get to work in a matter of minutes. Then again, a rusty fence in the field can be repaired in no time by switching to the stick welder.

More processes means more versatility to weld more materials in less time with fewer mistakes. You only need to spend a few minutes in an online welding forum to read all of the stories about welders who used their machines for the wrong process and messed up an expensive part or work piece.

What Sets the Miller Multimatic 200 Apart from Other Welding Machines?

When looking for a new welding machine, the best way to find the perfect machine is to compare the specifications for each machine, and the specs for the Multimatic 200 show that it’s Miller’s most versatile welding machine to date. There may be plenty of welding machines that can also offer flux core, spool guns, or a 30% duty cycle, but the Multimatic 200 combines portability with every major welding process — offering a unique advantage.

Auto-Set Elite - A Versatile Solution

"Auto-Set Elite is our solution to quick and easy setup. It saves that user time no matter if they are familiar with setting up a welding machine or not. Auto-Set Elite gives all the benefits of one-touch adjustment but now expanded to all three processes on multiple materials with multiple shielding gas options. It truly is the most versatile solution in quick and easy machine setup. Auto-Set Elite also allows the user to “fine tune” parameters using the two adjustment knobs under the screen. As we do with other Auto-Set machines, we still allow manual mode setup for the user who wants to set their machine conventionally."

Arc Performance and the Inverter

"Our field test sites have been raving about the arc performance, claiming it is even better than the Millermatic Passport. The Multimatic 200 is a proven Miller topology that makes use of an inverter power source. This provides the user a crisp and consistent arc with incredible stability. The inverter also provides precise and predictable starts each and every time."

- Ben Romenesko, Product Manager, Integrated MIG Systems, Miller Electric

At Baker’s Gas and Welding, we often describe a welder as a life-long investment that should be able to tackle any project you throw at it. In the new Multimatic 200, welders will find a versatile and durable machine designed to last for the long haul.

Learn more about the Miller Multimatic 200 at Baker’s Gas and Welding.

Check out 20+ Multimatic 200 unboxing pictures at the Bakers Gas Facebook Page