1. Home
  2. ⚒ Blacksmithing - wrought iron and steel discussions
  3. Saw horses for assembly stands

Saw horses for assembly stands

Some years ago I needed a good way to support steel bars that were to be welded, collared, etc.. to make gates and railings. Things needed to be really flat for several reasons, which, I'm sure are obvious to most of you. I used some saw horses that I have had in my shop for years, but it was hard to keep them from moving since the floor was not perfectly flat. Also, as I moved around the area with my helmet on, I'd occassionally kick a leg and knock the whole thing out of alignment. To get things perfectly level, I had to constantly be shimming the components, by as little as 25 thou here and there to make up for all the variables. I chose to make some adjustable 3-Legged saw horses which solved the uneven floor problem and eliminated the need for shims. By uneven, I mean uneven by only a sixteenth of an inch or so in 4 feet. My mentor Bob Walsh, from Pepin Wisconsin also showed me how to make and use "winding sticks" to make certain that both beams of the saw horses were parallel (in the same plane).

Here's where you can learn more about it:

formatting link
Pete Stanaitis

---------------------------

Reply to
spaco
Loading thread data ...

Very cool, thanks for posting. I just got rid of my 5'x5' welding table, won't have room in the new place. I intend to get a piece of drain grate for a smaller table, but your saw horses will work a treat for larger stuff.

I've used that winding stick technique forever, but not with the different colors. I like that one, too. Thanks.

Pete Keillor

Reply to
Pete Keillor

Thanks for your reply. I just saw that drain grate idea someplace recently and it sounds good, too. I will be on the lookout for one, also. For those who may not know what we are talking about, the idea is to use an old street-curb drain cover as an acorn table. IIRC, they are about 1 1/2 by 2 feet in size and pretty thick. They have either holes or slots in them so you can clamp parts to it to weld them. Google "acorn table" to see what a "real one" looks like.

Pete Stanaitis

-----------------------------

Pete Keillor wrote:

Reply to
spaco

A guy on rec.crafts.metalworking asked for more construction details. Here's my reply to him:

Sorry, Paul. Although I hadn't meant this to be an actual construction article, I knew in the back of my mind that I could have done better. So I have added the detail that I think you will need.

Go to the same place: >>

formatting link
> Yes, very interesting and useful. >

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reply to
spaco

I would suggest "cat walk" grating instead of the drain grate. Here is an example:

formatting link
weld a heavy angle iron on each end to bolt on a small vise, provide a flat spot for clamping small parts, etc.

Reply to
DanG

While it would provide more places to clamp, it's not particularly rigid or flat, although it might be fine in a small size. You generally have to use clips to get it to lay right in a structure. Also, spatter is going to stick unless you get galvanized or coated, and I don't like that idea around high temperatures.

The grate would be much more rigid and potentially flat (not sure on that, but it could be ground flat and stay that way), spatter won't stick, and it would be heavy enough to be fairly stable in the small size I'll have room for, like 2'x3' or so.

Pete Keillor

Reply to
Pete Keillor

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.