So the press chassis is welded so no dimensions will be changed now 
I have to say flipping this 370kg (740lbs) chunk of steel multiple times while it was held in C clamps was fun... This is so I can make all critical welds in horizontal position. The dual shield welding wire I have is actually fine in all positions, but I don't quite fully trust my vertical welds for such a safety critical item as a 50 ton press. So I did them all horizontal.
So I got to do this: This is it just partially assembled. Real fun started when it got it's full weight.
Here is one of the stacked welds that hold the top parts. Each of those welds is supposed have ultimate strength of 180 tons and there are 4 of them and 4 minor ones that hold the top to the legs. Those hardened rods I use to set the table height will let go a lot sooner than the welds I believe.
One of the advantages of using this dual shield mig wire with co2 gas is no need to do any material prep (other than brushing off loose rust). Surface rust as well as mill scale are perfectly fine to weld over. There is no porosity and great penetration.
Here is how the whole thing looks now. BTW, I previously mentioned the legs are 4in by 1in. They are actually 30mm thick. So a bit under
an inch and a quarter.
Also the holes in the legs are 32mm (1.25 in) while the bars are 30mm. This gives a clearance of 1mm or 40 thou which made this configuration possible in the first place.
I'm pleased to say I can lower the table and raise it and put the bars in at every stage. I was worried hitting those dimensions with the amount of welding and potential warpage will be impossible , but it worked out in the end. Making initial welds piece by piece symmetrically paid off.
Now I have to install all hydraulic stuff and a table winch. Hopefully it will not take that long.
I have to say flipping this 370kg (740lbs) chunk of steel multiple times while it was held in C clamps was fun... This is so I can make all critical welds in horizontal position. The dual shield welding wire I have is actually fine in all positions, but I don't quite fully trust my vertical welds for such a safety critical item as a 50 ton press. So I did them all horizontal.
So I got to do this: This is it just partially assembled. Real fun started when it got it's full weight.
Here is one of the stacked welds that hold the top parts. Each of those welds is supposed have ultimate strength of 180 tons and there are 4 of them and 4 minor ones that hold the top to the legs. Those hardened rods I use to set the table height will let go a lot sooner than the welds I believe.
One of the advantages of using this dual shield mig wire with co2 gas is no need to do any material prep (other than brushing off loose rust). Surface rust as well as mill scale are perfectly fine to weld over. There is no porosity and great penetration.
Here is how the whole thing looks now. BTW, I previously mentioned the legs are 4in by 1in. They are actually 30mm thick. So a bit under
an inch and a quarter.
Also the holes in the legs are 32mm (1.25 in) while the bars are 30mm. This gives a clearance of 1mm or 40 thou which made this configuration possible in the first place.
I'm pleased to say I can lower the table and raise it and put the bars in at every stage. I was worried hitting those dimensions with the amount of welding and potential warpage will be impossible , but it worked out in the end. Making initial welds piece by piece symmetrically paid off.
Now I have to install all hydraulic stuff and a table winch. Hopefully it will not take that long.
