Welding positioner suggestions

[abbeyQ]

The time has come to add a small table top welding positioner to the shop. Anybody have any suggestion on what to get? Seems these guys can range in price quite a bit. I need to it to weld tools together, so weight capacity is pretty minimal. It would be nice if it rotated vertical and horizontal as well. Last time I ran one of these it was when I was running a sub-arc back in Okie land, that one was a little bigger (like 20 tons) than I need now.

[RCP FAB]

I don't know anything about positioners from first hand experience, but have a look at Jody's page/videos on a few of them.

Semi Automated Welding using a Welding Positoner turntable

[edoz]

Allfab and Pandjiris are the two brands I have used, IIRC. Can't say a whole lot about them though, they're one of those things that you don't pay any attention to until they stop working.

[Mike Mcdermid]

The time has come to add a small table top welding positioner to the shop. Anybody have any suggestion on what to get? Seems these guys can range in price quite a bit. I need to it to weld tools together, so weight capacity is pretty minimal. It would be nice if it rotated vertical and horizontal as well. Last time I ran one of these it was when I was running a sub-arc back in Okie land, that one was a little bigger (like 20 tons) than I need now.

What bore would you need through the middle? Just an idea as Ive often wondered if you could take a rotary table with a stepper motor and a pot and just bore the middle out to about 1.5" then add a chuck might work out cheaper but i think the bearings are too small a diameter on the cheaper tables to get the bore through

WP's are spendy here in the UK...

[abbeyQ]

I've thought about using a rotary table as well. But I really just need to cut a check for this and be done with it.

[Mark Kelly]

You'd need to add a pretty solid contact ring for the travelling ground: sending welding current through a bearing is a good way to convert it from a mechanism to a structure.

[ORjon]

I used a Roto-star for some electron microscope parts I was welding, great control. The only problem I had was staying awake for the minute it took to weld a fitting.

[Rody]

I'll second the Roto star positioner...the #1 model is available with a 1.5" through hole, goes vertical or horizontal, and has a nice variable range from something like 1-16 rpm.

Not inexpensive though.

Trick Tools is a distributer, plunk down 2200 bucks and have a piece that will likely last your lifetime.

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