Custom Welding Stand Assembly Details

My drama, I have a small garage space but need a large welding table to build a custom gate for my neighbor. So, my solution, build small, mini welding tables which are bolted to the floor and have an independent leveling system to bring them all co-planer. Then, I will have the effect of a large welding table but can unbolt and store when not in use.

Start Machining

Start by machining some 1.25inch thick steel plates on the CNC. This MAXED out both CNC axes. I was barely able to machine all four sides.

I would say they turned out very well.

Next, on the lathe, I machined out some giant concrete anchors from a 2.25in dia bar stock I acquired from craigslist. (yeah I know..) Made some grooves along its length to help grab hold of the concrete to prevent pullout.

Stress Test Steel Anchors

With the questionable, unknown material strength of craigslist bar-stock, I don’t want to embed them into the garage floor then have a failure in the material. So, I need to perform a destructive test. With some scrap bar-stock left over, I cut the same threads (5/8-11) into the center for testing.

I mounted the test sample in the vice, added some all thread and a hole-through hydraulic cylinder. As the pressure builds up in the cylinder, it will pull on the threads of the test sample until they fail.

I also recorded the hydraulic pressure and overall length as the test progressed.

At about 5,250 PSI of hydraulic pressure, the low alloy steel rod failed.

The hydraulic cylinder used was an Enerpac H-1211, having an internal surface area of 2.76in^2. This results in the threaded rod failing at 14,500lbs (Yeah, I think this will work...)

I removed the broken threaded rod from the test sample, and hurray, no thread damage. The threads also operated smoothly. These are excellent results. It means I can torque the all-thread without worrying of damaging the anchors.

Concrete Embedment

Next, I used a concrete core drill to make some holes in the floor.

Made a total of six. I only needed four, but what the hell, have two extra.

Added some concrete and a little bit of vibration +29 days to fully cure and we are ready.

Weld up Adjustable Feet

I welded up some feet for supporting the welding plates. The feet have jacking screws to adjust both final height and ensure everything is level/co-planer.

Final Assembly

I mounted everything up, tweaked each top until they all were co-planer, which took a bit longer than I expected.

Project complete. Now I just need to weld up a giant gate.

Now, Just add weld…

If you would like to see the project utilizing this, follow the link