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Homemade Harrow

We had this 90′ maple tree removed from our backyard. I was sad to see the tree go, but a good part of the trunk was rotten and spongy. After the stump was ground and the mess cleaned up, I wanted to fill the hole with some top soil and plant some grass. Moving around 7 yards of dirt was going to be a chore, so I made my version of a harrow that I could pull behind my lawn mower.

I used my PrimeWeld TIG 225 in stick welding mode mostly because I wanted to practice SMAW and also because I didn’t want to spend a lot of time cleaning the metal.

I think it came out great, especially since this was all from scrap metal I had lying around the shop. It did exactly what I needed it to do and made the job a lot easier. I made this YouTube video of the build and part of how I was able to use it.

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Bathroom Cabinet Project – Part 1

3D drawing of bathroom cabinet

One of the projects I have been wanting to build for a couple years now is a new wall cabinet for our downstairs half bath. This room is very small, barely enough to fit a toilet and an extra small sink. There’s no storage at all. I thought about just buying a cabinet to go over the toilet, but I wanted to make something. Something from steel and old wood. I designed it in SketchUp.

I had the steel lying around for a while, I bought it before the workshop even existed. I put the Harbor Freight bandsaw to use cutting each of the pieces of angle and square tube.

For a cheap saw, I have it dialed in to cut very straight and accurate. I needed quite a few small pieces, needed to do a little bit of grinding to get the lengths just right.

I still need practice with the TIG welder, so I decided to use this project. Tacked everything together before finish welding with the TIG 225X.

Having the welding table and my homemade clamps made this a lot easier. I also used a set of Hobart corner clamps to get me started.

One of these days I will have to invest in some Fireball Tools squares, but they are very expensive. I might try designing a set and cutting them out on the water jet at CWRU.

I need to go get the rustic wood for the cabinet, and make the doors yet, and the figure out what I want to do for a patina. But with the Coronavirus lock down, I can’t really go anywhere.

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Welding a 2″ Cube

I wanted to get a little TIG practice in with the Primeweld TIG 225X. I had some 2″ mild steel flat bar left over from a different project, so I decided to cut it up into roughly 2″ lengths and weld it together to make a cube.

My welds still need a lot of work, but every bit of practice counts. I should have taken my time on this, but, TBH, I was just happy to be welding.

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Finished the welding table

After work today, I went ahead and assembled the leg kit for the welding table from weldtables.com. I didn’t take many pictures of the process. Started by tacking it from underneath with the MIG welder.

I could have finish welded it with the MIG, but I really need the TIG practice. In hindsight, I should have just stuck with the MIG. I ended up having to weld a good part of it out of position, and even blew through some of the thinner leg steel in the process. Managed to fix those mistakes and just kept trying and taking it slow.

The welds are a bit ugly, but it’s together and is almost exactly the height I expected it to be. Once I replace the work table top with a piece of 3/4″ plywood (it’s currently 1/2″) it’ll match the height.

Next step will be to make some minor improvements. I want to skin the bottom shelf with expanded metal or sheet metal. It’s the perfect height for the TIG foot pedal when I am seated on the shop stool. Plus, I would like to make something to hang my angle grinders from off on one side, and a place to hang clamps on the other.

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Welding table legs

The kit for the welding table legs from weldtables.com came in yesterday. I started by welding in the nuts for the casters.

The kit comes with inserts that fit into the bottom of the square tube that makes up the legs as well as some nuts. Taking this as an opportunity to practice my TIG welding a little bit more. I tacked them up first before finish welding them.

Set the Primeweld TIG 225x on pulse to get that nice stack of dimes look.

I really do prefer TIG welding over MIG for some stuff. It’s rather therapeutic.

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Welding table clamps

Welding 5/8" rod for welding clamp

Continuing the Weekend Welding theme, I decided to make some hold down clamps for the new welding table from weldtables.com. I could buy a bunch of these for $45 a piece from Bessey, but that was just a non starter. I have seen many DIY versions of the same thing, so I decided to make my own.

I put the new band saw to use and cut some 5/8″ metal rod into a few 1 1/4″ pieces. I had a few clamps from Harbor Freight that I have had for years. You can find this for between $3 and $5 a piece depending on if they are on sale or not. I cut the end of the clamp off and then ground the rod the other end slides on to a slight angle.

From there, I welded on the small piece of steel rod.

Did this a couple more times, and vioala! I see no point in spending $150 on clamps when I can make them for $5.00 total.

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New welding table (almost)

Welding table top

I have been wanting a welding table from Certiflat for YEARS. I can’t remember just where I first saw them. I finally had the space and the budget to get one this year.

It comes in pieces. A flat top, laser drilled with 5/8″ holes every 2″. There are also slots cut into the top where the tabs on the support ribs fit into.

You start the build upside down, clamping the ribs to the top piece. You have to clamp it down completely to ensure the top comes out flat.

I used u-bolts to clamp down the center pieces.

I used the MIG to tack weld the center parts of the ribs together and to the table top. and then added more clamps to the outsides of the ribs.

A lot of clamps. You can never have too many. I used a flashlight to make sure there was no space between the ribs and the top, shining it on the side opposite to where I was standing, making sure I saw no slivers of light come under neath the rid.

Once it was completely tacked together, I turned it over and used the TIG welder to complete the welds of the tabs and slots.

My TIG welding still needs practice, but that’s part of what this table is for. I’m debating on if I will finish welding the ribs below. I don’t think it really needs it.

The legs I ordered with this table haven’t been shipped yet. Once those are in, I’ll be able to complete this project.

UPDATE: Leg kit arrived.

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Height does matter

I built this temporary work bench on top of a 6’ folding table. I plan on starting from scratch at some point and adding drawers and other storage. Perhaps some integral tools as well.

This morning I raised the surface to be 40” off the ground. What a difference! I was actually surprised by how much better it felt to lean on it and use it. Plus, my shop stool fits underneath it.

Why the modification? Well, I plan to purchase a small 2’x4’ welding table from Weldtables and the kit comes with legs that put it at a 40” height. I wanted everything to be at the same level so I can use anything as a support or out feed table.

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GTAW

I had the opportunity to attend a course at Lincoln Electric’s Welding Technology & Training Center on GTAW, or TIG welding. I recently purchased a TIG welder, and although I had a good idea of how to use it, you get so much more from hands on instruction from someone qualified to teach.

One of the many rows of student booths.

The facility itself is impressive enough. The classrooms were very clean, integrated technology well and were stocked with snacks, water and soda. Our instructors, Lance and Karl really knew their stuff. Not only did we learn a lot about GTAW (Gas Tungsten Arc Welding), but they taught us a lot about the metallurgy involved.

I also picked up some new books on welding that I will be able to refer to from time t time as reference material. “Metals and How to Weld Them” was written in the 50s and 60s and is still very relevant today.

I’m looking forward to getting some scrap steel and aluminum and practicing more and more.

  • 3003 Aluminum / 4043 Filler
  • Stainless Steel / 308 Filler
  • A36 Steel / Silicon Bronze
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New TIG Machine

I’ve been wanting a TIG/Stick welding machine for some time. Not because I need one, but because I want to learn how to TIG weld. I looked at a number of options, trying to stay budget friendly. I ended up getting this TIG 225X machine from Primeweld.

It’s been getting pretty good reviews, especially from some welders that are fairly critical of inexpensive chinese imports.

What sold me on it was not just the price at $775, but that it does pulse as well as AC welding – which means I can weld aluminum!

It came with a CK Worldwide torch and an upgraded foot pedal. I picked up a bottle of argon from a local welding suppliers, as well as some filler rod and stick electrodes from Harbor Freight.

It’ll take a while to learn how to do all of this with some degree of acceptability, but it’s going to be a lot of fun!

Found an old welding cart on Facebook for $20. Cleaned it up and painted it. Perfect fit!

Makes my Hobart 175 amp MIG welder look so tiny!