Welding table

[CFRacing]

I've been building a welding table the past few days. tell me what you guys think. had all the metal in the shop so didn't really cost me nothin to build. I also bought a little measly band saw at Tractor Supply for 99 bucks. i figured for 99 bucks i'd give it a try and figured it would be a p.o.s. but it has actually been awesome so far. has cut anything i've thrown at it. but it came with a flimsy, short stand so i built it flush onto my table.

tell me what ya'll think.

[CFRacing]

also some of the welds might look funny becasue i tried using a 50 cent rust-something-or-another silver/crome spray paint on it then it looked like crap so i got the sanding wheel out and got it all back off but just didnt get it on the welds

[FormerTankSarge]

Table

I like the utility of it, I kinda wish I'd made mine like yours for O/A work, but I did mine before I got my own O/A set.

[PJHH175]

Saw Question

I really like the way you built the saw into your table. What do you guys think of the $99 bandsaw vs an abrasive cutoff saw? I'm just getting started and want to buy something, just not sure what would be most versatile.

Thanks,
Pat

[Hotfoot]

That's a neat little bandsaw...Is Kawasaki made in China, too, or are they still Japanese?

[rbertalotto]

That is really neat and I love the bandsaw as part of the table

To answer the "bandsaw / Cutoff saw" debate.......Cut off saw = sparks, noise and lots of dust, Bandsaw = clean cuts, no dust, low noise............Bandsaw all the way!

[Spook2]

That's a neat little bandsaw...Is Kawasaki made in China, too, or are they still Japanese?

At $99 you be pretty sure that sucker isn't made in Japan. Labor there isn't near as cheap as it used to be. Japan is pretty much like the rest of us these days in that if they want it made cheap they go to China like everybody else.

[PJHH175]

Band Saw Model Number

What is the model number for your Kawasaki Band Saw? I have not found any small Kawasaki's like that.
Thanks,
Pat

[John Stuckey]

Pat:
Roy is correct about sparks, dirt and noise but he left out the part about getting stuff cut in 10-15 seconds. I mostly cut 1" or less square steel tubing and smaller flat stock stuff. I advise getting an abrasive cutoff saw and figuring out how to do your cutting outside for smaller stuff. I like my horizontal bandsaw for things like small tanks, railroad rail, etc. I would get a abrasive saw before getting a cold-cut saw because you can't use the cold-cut saw or some materials like rebar and bedrails, etc. My 2 cents...

I really like the way you built the saw into your table. What do you guys think of the $99 bandsaw vs an abrasive cutoff saw? I'm just getting started and want to buy something, just not sure what would be most versatile.

Thanks,
Pat

[PJHH175]

Cut off Saw

John,

I'm not sure what to do. I see you can spend an endless amount of money and I'm trying to spread things out a little. Under a separate thread I mentioned a used Kalamazoo 7 x 10 bandsaw for $300. The size is much bigger than I thought I would actually need, but I think the price is right.

I am building smaller projects now. Folding welding table, welding cart, shelve brackets, smoker roller frame. It is mostly 1" square or angle sometimes venturing into the 2". I think to start I may just go with the $79 HF cutoff saw to have one, then get a bandsaw as my skills progress.

To all of you experienced welders, this is probably a no brainer thread, but to a beginner on a budget, it seems like a big decision.
Thanks all,
pat

[bajajoaquin]

I'm also a noob, trying not to break the bank.

I've got both a HF abrasive saw and an HF band saw. I bought the cut-off saw when I didn't want to spend the money on a saw. It worked just fine for my first project (making a folding welding table from the Miller website).

Soon after, I saw the HF saw on Craig's List near by. After a bit of negotiation, I drove away with it for $60. The crappy blade didn't cut all that straight, but it did cut, and I got a lot of things done with it before it broke, and I bought a new bimetal blade.

So my advice is to look on your local Craig's List. Something will show up in the next few weeks, I'd guess.

[Brad54]

I like the saw mounted to the welding table. I've got a saw like that too, and will be building a welding table pretty soon. You just saved me some space in the shop. Plus, you solved the problem of supporting the work on the back side of the saw.

For the two guys who mentioned buying band and chop saws: I've got both. I bought the chop saw first, because I was cutting a lot of rebar to spike together landscape timbers in the yard. I also used it to cut tubing and C-channel for some shop projects.

I got the bandsaw used at my swap meet.

I use both of them about equally--different tool for different jobs.

Lots of quick, repeating, simple cuts goes on the chop saw (wheeled outside on an old gas grille chassis). Something that needs a bit of precision, flat stock, etc. goes on the band saw. I'm particularly fond of letting it cut while I go work on something else.

-Brad