Project Spotlight
Jimmy DiResta demonstrates how to build a functional three-tier side table that keeps tools within reach and helps maintain an organized workspace during fabrication projects.
SAFETY FIRST
Before you start any project involving welding, make sure you have the right Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), which includes, at least, an ANSI-approved welding helmet, safety glasses, appropriate welding gloves for the process you’re using, and a flame-resistant shirt, jacket, or sleeves to protect from UV rays and burns. You should also keep a fire extinguisher close at hand. Use adequate ventilation when welding. Use an approved respirator if exposure to welding fume cannot be controlled, or if welding outside and natural air movement is not sufficient to keep welding fume out of your breathing zone.
A Side Table For Storing Tools During The Build
Most projects require at least a few tools, and often many. But once things get under way, as useful as the tools may be, they can get in the way of the work itself. It helps to have some handy space nearby – other than the floor – to put them down and grab them again when you need them. I built this three-tiered side table specifically for my leather shop, but it can be useful in your shop too, no matter what you’re working on.
Step 1:
Use the fixture table to mark the 45-degree cuts on the lengths of iron angle to make three table levels – two for the lower shelves and one for the top. Use the cut-off wheel on the handheld grinder to cut the angles.
Step 2:
Fit up all the cut and angled pieces and tack them together at each corner, but avoid doing a complete weld. Grind each corner as needed, then cut away one side of angle iron at each corner to enable the uprights – or table legs – to sit flush inside each corner.
Step 3:
Cut four strips of angle iron to the same length to serve as the legs of the table. Position the legs at each of the four corners and tack weld them into place. To keep the entire structure square, only do the full welds after the tack welds at all corners have been completed. If the pieces are fixtured properly, the structure should be square after welding. Weld the additional frame pieces on either side of the structure to separate the space into four quadrants.
Step 4:
Use the plasma cutter to cut the gussets from the 10-gauge sheet steel according to your design of choice (I opted for a vintage look). Cut one piece for every corner and every intersection of horizontal or vertical framework. Run each corner piece through the bender to create a 90-degree angle. Clamp and weld each gusset into place at each corner and every junction in the frame.
Step 5:
Drill a pair of quarter-inch holes into the ends of each gusset. Insert a rivet into each hole and secure it on the back end with a tack weld.
Step 6:
Cut the flat steel to make the front and side panels of the back splash. Then cut a curved edge to the two side panels and grind curved edges to a clean finish. Weld the panels together, using the fixture table to ensure 90-degree welds. Weld the finished back splash assembly to the top of the table frame.
Step 7:
Weld the wheel posts to the bottoms of the table legs. (If the table is intended for stationary use, the wheels are optional.)
Step 8:
Cut the wood panels to fit the lower table surfaces, then cut the butcher block to fit the top. Coat the butcher block with gloss – preferably two coats on both sides to prevent bowing or other distortion in the contour of the wood. Insert the wood panels into place on each tier of the table.
Materials
60 ft. 1.5-in. x 1.5-in. x 1.25-in. thick angle iron
10 ft. 1/8-in. x 5-in. flat steel (back splash)
5 sq. ft. 10-gauge sheet steel (gussets)
145 .25-in. rivets
3 wood slabs, 60-in. x 22-in.
Welding/Cutting Equipment and Tools
Lincoln Electric MP215
6-inch grinder cut-off wheel
Plasma cutter