On Sun, 1 Jan 2012, Scott wrote:
> 1) The column has a few 'stringers' supporting the top, but over time the top
> has sagged ever-so-slightly on the long axis. Maybe a half inch on either
> end. Really probably not enough to worry about...but where's the fun in
> that? I'm thinking:
The ends have sagged, or the middle? Usually the ends are supported
better than the middle. If the ends have sagged, you'll want to heat the
top side. The surface you heat will shrink when it cools, so you want to
heat the longer side.
> A) flip it over on the concrete slab floor, heat it with the torch, let it
> sit for a month or two and see if it improves. Repeat if it seems to be
> working.
Be careful with that much heat on concrete. Concrete has moisture in
it, and will explode when heated sufficiently. This is why we build
half-ton welding tables instead of working on the floor ;)
> 2) The table I learned to weld on was an old robotics table, about 1.5 inch
> thick steel, drilled and tapped every few inches for the clamps we used to
> hold stuff on the mill table. I'd like to drill and tap the top on mine in a
> similar fashion, but I've only got a half inch of thickness to work with.
> Any reason I shouldn't weld nuts under the table after drilling and tapping
> (I'm thinking mostly corrosion issues, but what do I care if the nut corrodes
> more to the table?)
I don't see any reason why this would be necessary, but as long as you
get the threads in the top lined up with the threads of the nut, no
problems should result. I'm just going to drill and tap my 4x8 1/2"
table. Welding underneath it is no damn fun at all, so I'm not looking
for excuses to do it.
> 3) The same table had a lug on a leg that we kept the lead attached to
> permanently. It was very nice to set the workpiece on the table and be able
> to have at it. My new table seems to be all-steel and I'd think I could do
> something similar, but should I trust the 'connectivity' of the whole table?
> Should I weld a lug to the underside of the tabletop and run a cable down to
> the base?
Why not just run the cable from the underside of the top all the way to
the welder, and cut out the middle man?
> Seriously, this thing is better than any of the stuff I got for Christmas.
> It has to weigh 700-800 lbs at least. I'm not sure I could have bought the
> top for what I paid for the whole thing. It's awesome. :-)
Your top is 408 pounds, fwiw.
--
David Hillman
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