Entertainment Stand

[Dan Crabtree]

Heres some picture of an entertainment stand one of my friends and I built. We used some bolts he got from work. He climbs radio towers and got some old bolts that were about 3" long. We came up with a design he cut out the pieces and I stick welded them together. We put together a wooden base and had glass cut. He gave it to his younger brother as a gift. Let me know what ya think.

[keykeeper]

Right nice work you did there, Dan. How is the glass supported for the top? And is it tempered glass? It seems the glass is raised a little. If I recall, you have to be careful how the glass is supported, otherwise may shatter under too much weight if the pressure is not distributed evenly. I only ask, as my uncle owned a pretty thriving glass business for 35 years (now the cousins have it), and I used to hang out as a kid and watch them work making plate glass tabletops, windows, etc. If a piece flexes too much out of the plane of the glass, cracks or shattering would occur.

[Dan Crabtree]

The top pane of glass is supported on each of the 4 corners and then again in the cross in the center. The 2 bottom panes are supported on each corner as well.

[keykeeper]

Good deal then. I couldn't tell from the pics where the supports were located. That piece should last for many years. Good job, Dan.

[Dan Crabtree]

Im painting a table right now... well Im typing right now but the paint is drying. It will either be posted in the sculpture/art or blacksmithing section in the next few days to come its a MUCH more forged piece. It has scroll work and a a forged design for the table top and forged and twisted 1" sq bar for the legs. Im going to call to have glass cut on monday so keep an eye out.

[Dan Crabtree]

Figured since this is the welding section I might as well throw in some welding info about the table I mentioned in my previous post.

*note i am not talking about the entertainment stand in the picture*

I had to attach a 1" sq bar (that is the legs) to the 5/8" sq bar (that is the table top).

Well being as I see myself as a blacksmith first welder second I forged the last 6 inches of the 1" bar down to a 2" x 5/8".

Then I beveled the top of the 2x5/8 bars to make V

Then Tig welded the beveled legs onto the table top with about 5 passes per bevel. This is what is called a single V groove weld right? I welded a section beveled to a V to a flat piece so is that the correct term for the weld? I got strait A's in welding class and blueprint reading about a year ago but my memory is terrible I think I might go break out my books in a minute.

I use TIG on alot of my work for a couple reasons the entertainment stand was stick welded purely to save money as it was a project for fun more than a product for sale. I like to use tig on my work because

1. Very sturdy
2. Clean and No sparks or spatter
3. Less toxic than most other methods and my shop doesn't have great ventilation. Someone please correct me If im wrong.
4. Leaves a nice looking weld I usually don't grind down my welds with tig because they don't look bad, a lot of times they are hardly noticeable once finished.
5. Tig is just super fun

Also Iv'e been considering getting a welding job for a steady check since I haven't been getting a ton of orders lately for blacksmithing. What are the chances of finding a Job where I can just sit there and TIG weld all day around St. Louis.... Does this job exist? lol

[moya034]

What are the chances of finding a Job where I can just sit there and TIG weld all day around St. Louis.... Does this job exist? lol

I don't know what your area is like specifically. But there's a few questions to ask yourself.

Do you have any profesional welding experience?

And, more importantly, can you pass a weld test with TIG?

The type of weld test you get will depend on what the company does. They may have you weld different materials in different configurations in different positions. Your test coupons may or may not be subjected to bend testing, etc. Can you do aluminum and stainless steel? Most shops that use TIG all day are working on these materials.

Another question is, are you comfortable with doing other welding processes besides TIG? Depending on what the shop you work at does, they may or may not expect you to be skilled with different processes. Some places you'll be doing a little bit of everything, other places you'll be welding the same thing day in and day out all day long.

Structural isn't done with TIG, so you're looking at repair, certain types of pipe welding, ornamental/art, but you are most likely looking at manufacturing.

You can start by looking at places that manufacture items/parts for the following industries:
Automotive
Aerospace
Food/Dairy
Stage/Theatrical
Medical

You may also consider consulting your state's department of labor for ideas.

Good luck.

[Dan Crabtree]

Moya thanks for the advice on places to look. I went to college for welding and got my certification. I can tig weld aluminium and stainless (I believe im better with aluminum than stainless) in all positions and make a fine looking bead once I get the machine set up how I like.

Aside from college I weld for my brother on race cars which involves alot of AL welding and a good bit of MIG. I can also stick weld but would rather not because its dirty hot work and I still want to be able to come home and put my heart into what I really enjoy and thats my own work.

The program at swic our local community college was very in depth and I'm confident that I could pass most weld test the only thing that may throw me off is very thin stainless I could use more practice on that.

[moya034]

If I were you, I'd also consider going back to the school and asking your instructor for ideas on where to work. Welding instructors tend to know many people and most of the businesses in their area.

[andy ebbers]

well, if you was in Wisconsin, there are a lot of jobs for people who can TIG weld stainless steel---dairy&other food-grade applications. In my opinion, get really good at TIG welding, it is much cleaner and and more mellow than other arc-welding jobs, for example high-voltage flux-core MIG welding on outdoor woodburning water stoves, or production welding on heavy structural steel. Just my two pennies worth, but if I still had my health and my youth, I would specialize in TIG welding. a.j.