Great video nice project only thing I’d recommend is using a cutoff wheel and not a metal cutting blade when cutting questionable steel a cutoff wheel is what 2$ last I looked that blade was worth more than your money saving project so wouldn’t recommend risking more than all your going to save just to get out of digging out the chop saw you undoubtably still own tucked away in the back of the shop It’s bad risk management
You get the "Maker Humanitarian" award. I swear nobody kicks it down to the masses like you do! Hoping to weld up my 4x6 UMT in the next couple weeks. New shop wiring in full swing now. THANK YOU for all you keep doing for all of us!!! Best, @HoneyOnWales
you guys are making me a better aircraft mechanic, welder and fabricator, i just stumbled upon you today. im ordering a table now. too many people are way too expensive for a cheap cnc tab and slot weld table. and your shit is affordable not cheap.
If I had a nickel for as many times I have heard a caliper refereed to as a “micrometer”. Not gonna lie i made 2 of them already though. Damn great idea.
Hi, I have only just come across your channel after it was pointed out to me on a plasma FB page in the UK. I have been looking for plans to make my own fab table and you seem to have everything that was in my mind. Once I have finished my workshop I will be ordering the DXF file and hopefully find someone local to cut it out for me. I loved your video showing your staff and how you started out, really liked the idea on pre heating your powder coat oven with a torpedo heater, brilliant. What is Hobo Freight, what would you call these clamps in the UK, and the shoulder bolts, would they be 16mm or 5/8 that would fit the best if I used your DXF file. Hoping to get a cnc plasma myself when funds allow, a library of files would be great so it could start to pay for itself. Keep the videos coming, I think your channel and business attitude is great.
Those clamps (as of July 2023) at Harbor Freight have the Berger brand (one of many HF house brands) label. I noticed they are heat treated to add stiffness. I wonder if that’s why they take more time to cut ? More importantly if you were going to arc/stick weld these does anybody know the best rod/electrode for heat treated? I’m guessing you’d want a heat treated shoulder bolt as well. Might change up the TIG rod or MIG wire choice as well. If you’re splitting hairs anyway. Love this hack, just need one of those tables!
Pro tip, pre heat the snot out of forged or cast material before welding then control the cooling with a weld blanket. It'll stop those things from snapping off which I can pretty much guarantee is going to happen. Other than that, dope idea thanks for the video.
I copied Buildpro. 5/8 diameter on 2” center to center. Unless you have employees, use 5/8 thick aluminum, no weld spatter sticks to it, and therefore you don’t end up grinding the flatness out of it as the years go by. Mine is as flat as the day I made it 15 years ago. If you have employees you may not want to use aluminum. They will beat the hell out of it because it’s not theirs. You do not need to buy the fancy bolts to weld to the ends. Just buy some 5/8 cold rolled 1018 rod that is a sliding fit through your holes (may have to buy a hand expansion reamer to enlarge the holes. Depends on runout of your drill) and cut it off at 90 degrees (faced on a lathe would be better) and weld that end to the SQUARELY CUT clamp end. The clamps even work if they end up not being perpendicular to the table, but they look like a kid made them if they are not. Make a small sample first. The table material needs to be thick enough for the 5/8 rod end to bind sideways in the hole when the clamp screw puts pressure on the workpiece. Too thin and it will just lift itself out of the hole. I used 5/8” thick. THE REAL IMPORTANT PART is the 2 inch center to center distance on the hole layout. The more accurate you do this the closer weldments will be to square, because (this guy doesn’t show them) but you can make/ buy all sorts of stops that also fit the table. Look at the Buildpro website. Hope this helps.
Robert Patterson A person takes a gamble when you try and respond to a question on RUclips because most of the time you spend the time to help and you never even get a response. Thank you. And since you did I’ll give you some more info on my table. When I built mine Buildpro offered an aluminum table, but has since discontinued it for reasons unknown (most likely the price) My table is built of 6 inch wide bar stock placed against one another. Buildpro called this their Max table at the time. I wrote a program that included drilling and reaming each tool hole as well as drilling and counterboring each mounting hole. I then welded a mounting framework of structural steel tubing (1x2)and welded drilled and tapped (1/2-13 ) one inch square x 3 1/2” long mounting “bars” on the tube steel frame to align with the drilled and counterbored bolt holes in the aluminum plates. As you can imagine all of this welding on one side of the frame caused it to warp so it was back to the mill to mill the bar tops flat with each other. What I ended up with was a copy of a multi thousand dollar Buildpro table. The reason I went to all this trouble is that it allows me to unbolt some plates and move them out of alignment with the others so that I can have a fixture table that has a dogleg in it when needed and a plate can be replaced in the event of damage. You do not need to go this in-depth if you just want a simple square or rectangular table with no adjustability. You can just use a large single piece. If you use steel you can spray the area you intend to weld in with Pam cooking spray to help ward off spatter. Menards now even sells a small fixture table under their Masterforce store brand, but I did not stop to look at details, and I do not know if they ship if you do not live close by a store. If you make something once again remember, the more accurate you make the hole spacing the more accurate all the welded framework you for ever more make on it will be. And number 2, make sure the top is thick enough that the clamps under pressure bind in the holes and don’t just self eject, and the top itself is less likely to warp. Another option is to find a cast iron gang drill table or large milling machine table with t slots in it and make your fixturing hardware to suit that. Surplus stores and etc. might have these or possibly junk yards (if they will let you look around any more). Weld spatter will not stick to cast iron either. What ever you end up with will be way better than a bunch of c clamps and f clamps floating around in space. Good luck
I have seen the pin clamps and wondered what stopped them from coming up. I guess it's sideways pressure. It's a great idea. I won't use amazon though. Amazon only makes the rich richer.
I made kind of the same but it cost me about 2€ for a 150mm clamp... ok it is not as strong as yours but it works for most of my jobs... I still need to find a 300mm strong clamp for less than 50€... And I will search for those shoulder bolts... my M16 bolts bite inside the holes of the table ... And oh... be carefull with all the "stronger" and "better" etc... you may have to pay some royalties to 2 singing robots 😉
Cheap solution! Buy 5/8" or 16mm solid rod from steel supplier and these clamps: www.aliexpress.com/item/4000055210893.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.7e8f64c3O6lT87&algo_pvid=4dc90f87-e48f-45bd-8e1e-87c181735a45&algo_expid=4dc90f87-e48f-45bd-8e1e-87c181735a45-0&btsid=c5387e45-2189-4d1b-a8bc-e1760f5ec138&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_7,searchweb201603_53
@@AlessioSangalli I use those too! Sometimes I want a little more oomph for heavier material. Also, these clamps have longer reach, which is their main advantage...gotta have options!
Those clamps from Harbor freight may be larger. but they are definitely not better. The alloy used in the body is inferior, but the screws are much worse and dont last near as long. I've been building jig tables and welding tables for 25 years and tried them all. Next time grind a bevel on that screw and do it like a real welder- not a half ass.
Type in “welding table clamp”. The one I mentioned has been removed. I had it in my cart and showed this item no longer available. It was a 6”. The next available start off at $29.99 and they are 8” . Still not too bad.
@@thisdj83 I just went and saw the same. Not a bad price. Wish I could find that little clip that slips on the end and fastens with a set screw to convert any clamp to insertable.
@@littleslawncareandfirewood No problem. Bought some recently myself. There’s a seller on there that accepts reasonable offers. And remember, they can be a little longer for the right price, you will cut the threads and whatever you don’t think you need off the bottom anyways 😊👌 Glad to help
@@littleslawncareandfirewood perfect! I think I bought inch and a half. I have to build my table first, but I planned to cut them down anyways. Got a steal of a deal
I really don't get why I can buy 4$ standard clamps but I need to give out 25+ for a stupid fixture clamp which is arguably even easier to produce.. I assume it is because of demand and offer but I cannot believe that by now no company decided to release some low cost D16 fixture clamps...
Not to be a smart ass here, but my 28mm fixture clamps, vertical, horizontal and 45⁰ all cost $18 Australian each. Which is $11 USD...I can't buy shitty clamps for that price, let alone take the time to cut and shut them 🤣 Nice little idea though if you can't bulk order them from China.
Good idea, I’d recommend grinding off the coating on both the clamp and the bolt prior to welding.
you don't like those zinc fumes? :D
@@77Avadon77got milk? 😁
Great video nice project only thing I’d recommend is using a cutoff wheel and not a metal cutting blade when cutting questionable steel a cutoff wheel is what 2$ last I looked that blade was worth more than your money saving project so wouldn’t recommend risking more than all your going to save just to get out of digging out the chop saw you undoubtably still own tucked away in the back of the shop
It’s bad risk management
You get the "Maker Humanitarian" award. I swear nobody kicks it down to the masses like you do! Hoping to weld up my 4x6 UMT in the next couple weeks. New shop wiring in full swing now. THANK YOU for all you keep doing for all of us!!! Best, @HoneyOnWales
Make the means of production my friend! Tag me on IG when you build ur table I'll repost it 👍
you guys are making me a better aircraft mechanic, welder and fabricator, i just stumbled upon you today. im ordering a table now. too many people are way too expensive for a cheap cnc tab and slot weld table. and your shit is affordable not cheap.
Wow man, thank you so much for seeing the difference! I'm always trying to make stuff that I wish I had when I was starting out. Buy once, cry once!
Definitely making some of the those side clamps! That's exactly what I need, thank ypu for the idea!
Made a couple myself. They're great. Good tip!
Nice job on Some Assembly Required.
So you're that guy that's been putting sharp whiskers on the super expensive fab table. I've been cursing out night shift this whole time.
Awesome tip! I like the side mount idea and now have another weekend project 😎 Thanks!
you can add 2 bolts or rods 90° on each clamp so you can use each clamp for both top and side
That's a cool idea!
If I had a nickel for as many times I have heard a caliper refereed to as a “micrometer”. Not gonna lie i made 2 of them already though. Damn great idea.
just did an update on a 5 year old video with a Fireball copy to enhance the F clamps reach....enjoyed
Just subbed to your channel, thanks for sharing!
Hi, I have only just come across your channel after it was pointed out to me on a plasma FB page in the UK. I have been looking for plans to make my own fab table and you seem to have everything that was in my mind. Once I have finished my workshop I will be ordering the DXF file and hopefully find someone local to cut it out for me. I loved your video showing your staff and how you started out, really liked the idea on pre heating your powder coat oven with a torpedo heater, brilliant. What is Hobo Freight, what would you call these clamps in the UK, and the shoulder bolts, would they be 16mm or 5/8 that would fit the best if I used your DXF file. Hoping to get a cnc plasma myself when funds allow, a library of files would be great so it could start to pay for itself. Keep the videos coming, I think your channel and business attitude is great.
Great idea .where did you get you table top and how thick is it.
Dude your bad ass.
What cnc plasma did you start out with?
Cool ass idea! I'll be making a couple sets
the Piece you cut off . you could weld a 6 0r 8 inch rould bar stock on th thhem & have a drop clamp for your table
Those clamps (as of July 2023) at Harbor Freight have the Berger brand (one of many HF house brands) label. I noticed they are heat treated to add stiffness. I wonder if that’s why they take more time to cut ? More importantly if you were going to arc/stick weld these does anybody know the best rod/electrode for heat treated? I’m guessing you’d want a heat treated shoulder bolt as well. Might change up the TIG rod or MIG wire choice as well. If you’re splitting hairs anyway. Love this hack, just need one of those tables!
I've never had one of mine fail. Never worried about the metallurgy in this situation.
How de apart are the hole on that working table
4’’?
late to the game but buy a length of 5/8 drillrod and cut it into 2" lengths instead of shoulder bolts
sure beats buying as ton. Can never have enough clamps!
Seriously! I try to buy a few every month that way it's not a big thing all at once.
@@MakerTable it's just my standard gift from family. They have no idea what to buy me that isn't super expensive, but clamps are always good
@@42Fab OOOH brilliant, I'm adding it to my Xmas list this year too!
You had to of lost a bet on that mustache... 😂
Pro tip, pre heat the snot out of forged or cast material before welding then control the cooling with a weld blanket. It'll stop those things from snapping off which I can pretty much guarantee is going to happen. Other than that, dope idea thanks for the video.
How far are the holes from each other on your table
What brand are you gloves
Could use 5/8" TG&P from a metal supplier. TG& P is turn ground and polished rod will measure .625
A little slack is needed. Too tight becomes an issue.
It has to be able to kick a bit to the side, that’s how it works.
excellent video, thanks for posting
Great idea, thanks. 😃😃😃
I'm making my own Fab table what is your hole size and space apart from each other for your table.
I copied Buildpro. 5/8 diameter on 2” center to center. Unless you have employees, use 5/8 thick aluminum, no weld spatter sticks to it, and therefore you don’t end up grinding the flatness out of it as the years go by. Mine is as flat as the day I made it 15 years ago. If you have employees you may not want to use aluminum. They will beat the hell out of it because it’s not theirs. You do not need to buy the fancy bolts to weld to the ends. Just buy some 5/8 cold rolled 1018 rod that is a sliding fit through your holes (may have to buy a hand expansion reamer to enlarge the holes. Depends on runout of your drill) and cut it off at 90 degrees (faced on a lathe would be better) and weld that end to the SQUARELY CUT clamp end. The clamps even work if they end up not being perpendicular to the table, but they look like a kid made them if they are not. Make a small sample first. The table material needs to be thick enough for the 5/8 rod end to bind sideways in the hole when the clamp screw puts pressure on the workpiece. Too thin and it will just lift itself out of the hole. I used 5/8” thick. THE REAL IMPORTANT PART is the 2 inch center to center distance on the hole layout. The more accurate you do this the closer weldments will be to square, because (this guy doesn’t show them) but you can make/ buy all sorts of stops that also fit the table. Look at the Buildpro website. Hope this helps.
Thank you for all the info. Yes it does help and I will take your advice with building my table. Thanks again
Robert Patterson A person takes a gamble when you try and respond to a question on RUclips because most of the time you spend the time to help and you never even get a response. Thank you.
And since you did I’ll give you some more info on my table. When I built mine Buildpro offered an aluminum table, but has since discontinued it for reasons unknown (most likely the price) My table is built of 6 inch wide bar stock placed against one another. Buildpro called this their Max table at the time. I wrote a program that included drilling and reaming each tool hole as well as drilling and counterboring each mounting hole. I then welded a mounting framework of structural steel tubing (1x2)and welded drilled and tapped (1/2-13 ) one inch square x 3 1/2” long mounting “bars” on the tube steel frame to align with the drilled and counterbored bolt holes in the aluminum plates. As you can imagine all of this welding on one side of the frame caused it to warp so it was back to the mill to mill the bar tops flat with each other. What I ended up with was a copy of a multi thousand dollar Buildpro table. The reason I went to all this trouble is that it allows me to unbolt some plates and move them out of alignment with the others so that I can have a fixture table that has a dogleg in it when needed and a plate can be replaced in the event of damage.
You do not need to go this in-depth if you just want a simple square or rectangular table with no adjustability. You can just use a large single piece. If you use steel you can spray the area you intend to weld in with Pam cooking spray to help ward off spatter. Menards now even sells a small fixture table under their Masterforce store brand, but I did not stop to look at details, and I do not know if they ship if you do not live close by a store.
If you make something once again remember, the more accurate you make the hole spacing the more accurate all the welded framework you for ever more make on it will be. And number 2, make sure the top is thick enough that the clamps under pressure bind in the holes and don’t just self eject, and the top itself is less likely to warp. Another option is to find a cast iron gang drill table or large milling machine table with t slots in it and make your fixturing hardware to suit that. Surplus stores and etc. might have these or possibly junk yards (if they will let you look around any more). Weld spatter will not stick to cast iron either. What ever you end up with will be way better than a bunch of c clamps and f clamps floating around in space. Good luck
That sounds good. Thank you
I did this to home made table about a year ago but I just cut mine off an put them in a lathe an turned them to match my table which is 9/16”
I have seen the pin clamps and wondered what stopped them from coming up.
I guess it's sideways pressure.
It's a great idea. I won't use amazon though.
Amazon only makes the rich richer.
I made kind of the same but it cost me about 2€ for a 150mm clamp... ok it is not as strong as yours but it works for most of my jobs...
I still need to find a 300mm strong clamp for less than 50€...
And I will search for those shoulder bolts... my M16 bolts bite inside the holes of the table ...
And oh... be carefull with all the "stronger" and "better" etc... you may have to pay some royalties to 2 singing robots 😉
Hey man, whatever gets it done! Bolts will totally work but the shoulder bolts are just a little bit tighter and provide more material for strength.
Cheap solution! Buy 5/8" or 16mm solid rod from steel supplier and these clamps:
www.aliexpress.com/item/4000055210893.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.7e8f64c3O6lT87&algo_pvid=4dc90f87-e48f-45bd-8e1e-87c181735a45&algo_expid=4dc90f87-e48f-45bd-8e1e-87c181735a45-0&btsid=c5387e45-2189-4d1b-a8bc-e1760f5ec138&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_7,searchweb201603_53
@@drewt3210 why not the Harbor Freight 3.99 dollars clamps? It's unlikely one would need more clamping force than they can provide anyway
@@AlessioSangalli I use those too! Sometimes I want a little more oomph for heavier material. Also, these clamps have longer reach, which is their main advantage...gotta have options!
@@drewt3210 yeah!
calls a caliper a micrometer, welder confirmed.
In inches ! Thank You !
Did you just plasma cut the table yourself?
Subbed.
Yep, good idea..
Those clamps from Harbor freight may be larger. but they are definitely not better. The alloy used in the body is inferior, but the screws are much worse and dont last near as long. I've been building jig tables and welding tables for 25 years and tried them all. Next time grind a bevel on that screw and do it like a real welder- not a half ass.
And a little pre- and post-heat wouldn't hurt anything, either.
What about the stronghand ones they sell at the Home Depot website starting at $20.00 and you don’t need to waste time.
I just checked their website and can't find them for $20 with the 5/8" stud on them. Can you post a link?
Type in “welding table clamp”. The one I mentioned has been removed. I had it in my cart and showed this item no longer available. It was a 6”. The next available start off at $29.99 and they are 8” . Still not too bad.
@@thisdj83 I just went and saw the same. Not a bad price. Wish I could find that little clip that slips on the end and fastens with a set screw to convert any clamp to insertable.
Great video man
Where you get those bolts from?
eBay has them
@@ZYLIM777 thanks man
@@littleslawncareandfirewood
No problem. Bought some recently myself. There’s a seller on there that accepts reasonable offers.
And remember, they can be a little longer for the right price, you will cut the threads and whatever you don’t think you need off the bottom anyways 😊👌
Glad to help
@@ZYLIM777 ya man I got 1 1/4 long they work pretty good in my certaflat table.
@@littleslawncareandfirewood perfect! I think I bought inch and a half. I have to build my table first, but I planned to cut them down anyways. Got a steal of a deal
okay that mustache has got to go for realz
Ha ha ha! Never 😆
That stache is hilarious!
I really don't get why I can buy 4$ standard clamps but I need to give out 25+ for a stupid fixture clamp which is arguably even easier to produce.. I assume it is because of demand and offer but I cannot believe that by now no company decided to release some low cost D16 fixture clamps...
Thanks
Does your local "Hobo Freight" approve? 😂
I think they're good as long as I don't try to return the welded clamp! Happy making bro!
Adolf Tashkent shops at hobo freight
Good video but give the company credit and call them by their correct name they Have many good products without costing an arm and a leg
Not to be a smart ass here, but my 28mm fixture clamps, vertical, horizontal and 45⁰ all cost $18 Australian each. Which is $11 USD...I can't buy shitty clamps for that price, let alone take the time to cut and shut them 🤣 Nice little idea though if you can't bulk order them from China.
You bastard I got a flash
Excelente!!! Like+insc.
Hobo freight haaaa
Charlie chaplin lol
I gave a mild smile the first time you said Hobo Frieght but then it got old quick. It doesn’t even make sense why you call it Hobo Freight.
These clamps are hardened steel. Good luck about destroying your blade.
Марио )))