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This is part 2 of a welding project where we are making a 3 legged shop stool with adjustable height seat.
In last week’s video, I didn’t quite get to finish the seat… so here goes.
As I mentioned, I am using mostly materials that are just laying around the shop. So I had a round piece of 16 ga sheet that was plasma cut from another welding project. Also, I had several pieces of .040″ (1mm) thick stainless pieces that were rolled and close enough for what I am making.
So the first thing is to grind the dross from the plasma cut round piece. (Plasma cut surfaces don’t weld very good, and for tig welding, it’s no fun to weld over plasma dross.)
After a bit of massaging, the rolled pieces of stainless fit closely enough to go ahead and tack them to the round piece.
TIP for tack welding thin sheet metal…
I set amperage to nearly twice what I would weld the joint for quick burst tack welds. Then, using either a foot pedal or a torch switch, I hold the tip of the tungsten really close and give a quick bump of amperage and make a small tack that usually does not penetrate thru and does not warp. As far as warpage goes, this way of tack welding has worked very well for me. Some metals like Aluminum can crack using small quick fusion tacks like this, but for stainless or other steels, it works really well.
Once the joint has plenty of tack welds, welding using minimal heat while still being able to travel fairly quickly helps to prevent melt thru and distortion… and this is where pulsing can help.
I tried 2 pps for the outside corner joint with background set to 33 and pulse time set to 33% also. It worked pretty well.
How about that home made tool made from an old screwdriver? Have you ever tried to put a thin sheet metal patch on a duct, or other rolled shape? If you have, then you know it’s hard to get a good fit with no gaps. Gaps are a problem when you are trying to limit distortion, and have a nice neat and small weld.
This home-made hold down tool with the copper or copper alloy on the tip serves as a mini chill bar and lets you hold down a lap or outside corner joint tight while you get a tack weld right next to it. It’s handy, takes about 10 minutes to make, and it works.
High Speed Pulse Tig
I don’t always pulse. But when I do, I like to pulse at either around 1 or 2 pps or I jump all the way up to 30 or higher. Pulse rates 10pps are especially annoying to me.
You might be thinking the 33 pps is so high it’s just the same as no pulse at all… and you would be wrong.
Pulsing at 33 pulses per second makes a difference in much the same way adding the roto hammer function works for drilling concrete. It’s not the only way to do it, but it does make quite a difference.
Once I welded up the seat, I added a nut to the underside along with some scrap pieces of round stock and I tacked it all up using silicon bronze filler rod.
I don’t really think all those braces were needed since welding the lip really stiffened the seat up; but with all that bracing, I am pretty sure it will hold up for years.
How about that Stool Softener joke? Was that lame or what?
I did wind up cutting up a shop floor pad that I got at a yard sale for a dollar. Two pieces seems to be soft enough for my Butt. I don’t sit still for very long.
( As always, feel free to visit us at our sister site, WeldingTipsAndTricks.com. )
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December 8, 2012 at 3:56 PM
I tried the JFL.org site mate for the deal on the books.
They were cheap like you said but the postage was outrageous.
It came nearly to $200.00 for me to get the books.
Being a pensioner made it far to expensive mate.
December 8, 2012 at 3:49 PM
I love your thinking mind I’ve been looking for a stool that could be ajusted up and that much and you make it soooo ease thank’s
December 6, 2012 at 7:30 PM
P.S. …….Funny you should mention the Lincoln books . I did the same and bought the series….cost me a mittfull to get them sent to Canada but worth it. There are alot of hunters here in this area and the trailer builds will be helpfull once I get a bit more skill behind me, so yeah, Dave, I think you’d find some usefull projects there. Alot of stuff for farm use but also just rural living folks too. There’s a pretty cool looking adjustable picnic table in one book and a BBQ trailer in another and iron furniture etc. I think for the price there are some good ideas. The drafting table , I thought, might be tweaked to accomodate an artist’s easel somehow…..maybe. Anyway, cheers guys Does anyone have a good plan for a hunter’s tree stand? Maybe it should be aluminum? Y’know, I just gotta try out my spool gun with this new mig machine, haaaa
December 6, 2012 at 6:51 PM
Hey Jody, I really want to say a big ‘thanks’ to you for your help and tips. It’s been so long since I welded anything you may as well call me a newbie now but I went out and bought a mig welder recently ( transformer ) to try and get back in the game. Right now I’m doin’ the $9/hr. Bubba style welding but should be up to maybe $10 or even $11 by Christmas! heee….. I bought a set of your videos awhile back and would recommend others to buy them. Also, thanks for your weekly lessons and always enjoy the humour, haa… Say, now that you have the stool, maybe you’ll get an old piano in the shop and give us a tune? Okay, cheers for now Bud and have a Happy Christmas to you and the family. Will be checking in soon for a ‘Tig Finger’ or two soon ( burned a hole through to my knuckles the other day…..I’m blaming it on age, aaaaaggghhhh) Keep up the good stuff and talk again in the New Year.
December 6, 2012 at 6:35 PM
Jody best of the Christmas season to you, could you give us some tip on aluminium cleaners and some tips on tig electrode sizing
December 6, 2012 at 4:07 PM
Hi Jody,
Love the vid of you making the stool mate.
Like Robert said mate , can you take some time to show us how you make your tools ex: hold down tool .
Also the books from JFLF.org,
What is your view on them mate.
December 6, 2012 at 3:28 PM
Thanks for the hint about the handmade tool
could you make a video showing how you make some of your tools
Thanks