Welding Table

fitzo said:
is TIG any easier on the eyes and the ability to see the work?
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For me, I'd say it is. But that might be because I'm used to the flux flashing most likely because of moisture from living in the PNW.
I'm a new TIG user, so no expert. One of the nice things about this method of welding is that you can tack up damascus billets without adding any filler metal.
MTBob said:
TIG seems much like rubbing your stomach and patting your head at the same time
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This, and what's different for me, is that I'm used to "pulling" the puddle with my old stick welder, now I'm having to learn to 'push' it.
 
MTBob said:
FWIW, for me TIG has been significantly more difficult to learn than MIG. However, it seems most profession welders prefer TIG over MIG for a host of reasons. TIG seems much like rubbing your stomach and patting your head at the same time, there's a lot going on, all of which are important. TIG really shines on non-ferrous metal and delicate parts.
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Gliden07 said:
TIG I think is the hardest to do. You have 3 things to do at the same time. Foot pedal or thumb to strike and regulate the arc, filler rod to feed into the arc speed of movement, and that's after you decipher the set up on the machine. The hardest thing I found when I tried to TIG Aluminum was dipping the Tungsten into the puddle and having to regrind it again!
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I believe every word you have both said about TIG being the most difficult. TIG has always seemed like a wild high-tech torch. I love that holding the rod. I think I can get used to the pedal because I am used to a foot pedal to regulate the engraving jackhammer. Seeing is another thing altogether, and my worry.

A MIG I can at least glue everything together, hack or not. It's definitely my best bet. Haven't ever tried aluminum. (My buddy Sam out in Yakima told me don't bother because it's crazy hard. He's done the welding on a lot of big league scoreboards. Wish to heck I could remember my old friend's last name. CRS. Anyone recognize the man, help me out please.) (PS I remembered, I think. LOL. Sam Fogler, I believe. Anyone know him? Good guy.)

Mostly, it's something I don't know, and I was on the verge of trying to learn it before my shutdown. At this point in life all I'm doing is having some fun again and want to keep learning. I can see if the local community vo-tech will let a non-professional in to their normally filled classes.

I really appreciate the opinions and guidance. I consider every bit of it. And then go ahead and do what I want anyway. :) At least, that's what Mom always told me. It's on the bucket list, so hopefully some day. One day at a time.

Thanks! Best to all.
 
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Well I got my table assembled today. Got to say I’m very impressed at the quality for the money. It’s not going to be something that you can do super heavy welding on or a lifelong tool but I feel I got my money’s worth.
 
Daniel Macina said:
Well I got my table assembled today. Got to say I’m very impressed at the quality for the money. It’s not going to be something that you can do super heavy welding on or a lifelong tool but I feel I got my money’s worth.
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Having had a 2x2' piece of 1/8" plate with stub legs I'd toss on a workMate, that table looks pretty good to me.

Apologies for taking the thread OT with my question.
 
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In my opinion coming from young eyes tig is a bit easier to see (not much) but is much harder to learn and isn’t the most versatile in my opinion. Very handy to have for some things though. I’m lucky enough to have a nice auto darkening hood. Best money I ever spent for welding.
 
Daniel Macina said:
Well I got my table assembled today. Got to say I’m very impressed at the quality for the money. It’s not going to be something that you can do super heavy welding on or a lifelong tool but I feel I got my money’s worth.
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Yup I was super happy with my purchase for the money! I'm building a small forge press in the next few months as money allows this table is gonna be huge to help fab it!
 
Gliden07 said:
'm building a small forge press in the next few months
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Just a note - MIG welding can produce a good looking but deceptively weak weld joint. When you're making stuff that has high levels of stress, ie forge press, or trailer hitches, be sure you know about the Heat Affected Zone (HAZ). That's the term used to describe the amount of penetration below the weld bead that produces, in addition to the weld bead, a strong connection between parts. If in doubt, run your voltage and wire speed at the high end of your welding machine's recommended chart setting - and then crank it up more.
And, be really careful with vertical down welds. Vertical down welding will likely look good and result in a really weak joint. Study how to do a vertical UP weld (harder to do) and, in those vertical weld locations, use Vertical Up welding to get proper penetration - OR orient your weld assembly to avoid having to do a Vertical down weld. Never make a vertical down weld on anything that has high stresses.
Also, you can improve penetration by prep'ing the joint by grinding a "V" at the weld bead location. This allows the bead to penetrate further into the base metal.
 
MTBob said:
Just a note - MIG welding can produce a good looking but deceptively weak weld joint. When you're making stuff that has high levels of stress, ie forge press, or trailer hitches, be sure you know about the Heat Affected Zone (HAZ). That's the term used to describe the amount of penetration below the weld bead that produces, in addition to the weld bead, a strong connection between parts. If in doubt, run your voltage and wire speed at the high end of your welding machine's recommended chart setting - and then crank it up more.
And, be really careful with vertical down welds. Vertical down welding will likely look good and result in a really weak joint. Study how to do a vertical UP weld (harder to do) and, in those vertical weld locations, use Vertical Up welding to get proper penetration - OR orient your weld assembly to avoid having to do a Vertical down weld. Never make a vertical down weld on anything that has high stresses.
Also, you can improve penetration by prep'ing the joint by grinding a "V" at the weld bead location. This allows the bead to penetrate further into the base metal.
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No MIG on the press!! Good Old Fashioned stick welding! 250A buzz box!! Also gonna grind into the plate. Question though since I will be welding 2x2x1/4" Angle Iron onto 1" plate what size rod and number should I use?
 
Gliden07 said:
No MIG on the press!! Good Old Fashioned stick welding! 250A buzz box!! Also gonna grind into the plate. Question though since I will be welding 2x2x1/4" Angle Iron onto 1" plate what size rod and number should I use?
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There you go - right on target, use stick welding for better penetration on heavy plate. I'd recommend 6010 or 6011 for deep penetration root passes, then shift to 7018 for filler. With a 250 amp welder you could use 1/8" or 5/32" rod... or there abouts. Then just favor the 1" piece with your rod and stitch onto the 1/4" tieing both together. Make sure the heat goes to the heavy component and bridges to the light component. And, of course, wherever possible grind V's to aid penetration. Also, with that amount of heat, be aware of the welders nightmare - distortion. Tack everything solid before running any heavy hot beads, and then check the dimensions over and over.
I've got a heavy duty Miller 251 MIG transformer style welder that I can crank up smok'in hot. It'll barely handle 1" thick material, and only with multiple passes. But smaller inverter MIG welders (suitcase size machines) will struggle to get a hot enough weld on thick material. The duty cycle on smaller machines is a big issue when welding heavy material.
 
Lots of good info here and those were great links posted to the mig videos. I feel pretty confident using my mig, no so much stick but....
if I were building a hydraulic press for forging personally I think I would just tack things together and have someone that welds as a profession
weld up the frame for piece of mind.
I have a guy where I work that's pipeline certified and I've personally seen xrays of his welds 30 min. after they were done on jobsites and THOSE are the kind of welds I'd want on something pressing thousands of pounds feet from my face.
 
MTBob said:
Just a note - MIG welding can produce a good looking but deceptively weak weld joint. When you're making stuff that has high levels of stress, ie forge press, or trailer hitches, be sure you know about the Heat Affected Zone (HAZ). That's the term used to describe the amount of penetration below the weld bead that produces, in addition to the weld bead, a strong connection between parts. If in doubt, run your voltage and wire speed at the high end of your welding machine's recommended chart setting - and then crank it up more.
And, be really careful with vertical down welds. Vertical down welding will likely look good and result in a really weak joint. Study how to do a vertical UP weld (harder to do) and, in those vertical weld locations, use Vertical Up welding to get proper penetration - OR orient your weld assembly to avoid having to do a Vertical down weld. Never make a vertical down weld on anything that has high stresses.
Also, you can improve penetration by prep'ing the joint by grinding a "V" at the weld bead location. This allows the bead to penetrate further into the base metal.
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Not trying to cause a stir but you’re kinda wrong on the HAZ zone of a weld. The HAZ doesn’t have much to do with penetration of a weld. All it is is the area around your weld that has been affected by the heat input of your weld. Some WPS’s call out a specific size for the HAZ. A large heat affected zone can cause a failure in the base materials. Also if you’re using a MIG welder that’s at least 220v, it’s perfectly fine to weld a hydraulic press or anything similar. A 70s wire has the same tensile strength as a 7018 welding rod. Just don’t try it with a harbor freight cheapo welder, that’s asking for trouble.
 
Nickboyle said:
Not trying to cause a stir but you’re kinda wrong on the HAZ zone of a weld. The HAZ doesn’t have much to do with penetration of a weld. All it is is the area around your weld that has been affected by the heat input of your weld. Some WPS’s call out a specific size for the HAZ. A large heat affected zone can cause a failure in the base materials. Also if you’re using a MIG welder that’s at least 220v, it’s perfectly fine to weld a hydraulic press or anything similar. A 70s wire has the same tensile strength as a 7018 welding rod. Just don’t try it with a harbor freight cheapo welder, that’s asking for trouble.
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Thanks for the clarification, you are right. I was much too liberal in my use of the term HAZ. It is, as you said, the area around the weld that has had its metallurgy affected by the welding process. I would agree that a 220v welder will likely produce a sound weld, within the recommended welding capacity of the specific machine. However, many people are apparently buying less expensive, but more convenient, 110v inverter style welders. It's those lighter duty machines that can lead to difficulties with strong weld joints on thick material
Thanks for the comment!
 
fitzo said:
Please pardon me for an OT question, but is TIG any easier to see the work than MIG is? I gave away my 115V Millermatic MIG when I thought I'd never do shop work again. Now, even if I do stock removal, a welder is just a really attractive tool to have for the very reasons MTBob mentioned. I had a heck of a time MIG welding because the sparks was too bright at anything other than an auto-dark level I couldn't see anything.

So, my question: is TIG any easier on the eyes and the ability to see the work? Maybe I need to stick to the gas torch? the one thing that may be affecting this is I have cataracts. Not enough for surgery, but there.

Any opinions very appreciated.
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Yes, on the average. TIG produces a very stable arc. I'd say you can see detail 3X better. That's not a scientific number, just how I'd describe it.
 
tkroenlein said:
Yes, on the average. TIG produces a very stable arc. I'd say you can see detail 3X better. That's not a scientific number, just how I'd describe it.
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@ tkroenlein Thank you, sir! When I buy a welder again it will likely do what I know a little, MIG, and TIG, which I have wanted to learn forever. There's 220V in the garage now, so I have a lot more options than that Millermatic 115V.

Thanks, again, to all who provided me advice and guidance about choosing a method.

Edited to add: hmmm, I am wrong, apparently, and MIG and TIG are altogether separate units. The MIG will add rod and pulsed MIG, but not TIG. Shoot. Still want a TIG. :) Down the road, Lord willing.
 
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fitzo said:
@ tkroenlein Thank you, sir! When I buy a welder again it will likely do what I know a little, MIG, and TIG, which I have wanted to learn forever. There's 220V in the garage now, so I have a lot more options than that Millermatic 115V.

Thanks, again, to all who provided me advice and guidance about choosing a method.

Edited to add: hmmm, I am wrong, apparently, and MIG and TIG are altogether separate units. The MIG will add rod and pulsed MIG, but not TIG. Shoot. Still want a TIG. :) Down the road, Lord willing.
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You can definitely buy machines that do both. There should be some reasonably priced units out there.
 
tkroenlein said:
You can definitely buy machines that do both. There should be some reasonably priced units out there.
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I found a Miller 210 at their site. It offered a spooler/MIG option. Base on that was over $3k so I’ll be looking a lot before I ever leap.
Thanks!
 
fitzo said:
I found a Miller 210 at their site. It offered a spooler/MIG option. Base on that was over $3k so I’ll be looking a lot before I ever leap.
Thanks!
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Check out Everlast welders. They have some good multiprocess welders at very reasonable prices.
 
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