Welding Hacks Straight From the Farm Shop

Resourceful farmers love to share their tips, tricks, and innovations, and there’s no better showcase of that innovation than these ideas submitted to All Around the Farm in Successful Farming magazine. These farmer-submitted ideas include creating a clamp for your worktable, a makeshift vice when you need an extra hand during welding, and a way to prevent accidental burns. 

Welding Table Clamp

In 50 years of fabrication, this is probably the handiest tool I’ve made for my shop, and it gets used daily. I took a 1x1x2-inch steel block and drilled a hole for a 1/2-inch bolt to slide through. On each end of this block, I welded a 3/4-inch piece of cold roll about 3/4 inch long. I cut two pieces of 1x2x⅛-inch angle iron, one about 6 inches long and the other about 12 inches long, into triangles, as seen in the illustration below. Next, I placed two 3/4-inch washers over the cold roll pins and welded them to the angle iron, as illustrated. This allows the arms to pivot, based on the size of the item being pressed. You can weld a handle to the end of the bolt or use a ratchet. The clamp attaches to your table differently, depending on whether you have a solid metal worktable or a grated top; the illustration shows a grated top. For a solid metal table, just drill and tap holes into the table to accommodate the 1/2-inch bolt. – Ray Menke, Fort Madison, Iowa

Extra Hand While Welding

Have you ever needed an extra set of hands while welding or when tackling an odd job? To solve the problem, I created a makeshift vice by welding two 1×1-inch angle irons (8 to 10 inches long) to a 6-inch C-clamp. It is lightweight, portable, and extremely handy. – Jim Bechtold, Rock City, Illinois

MIG Welder Burn Prevention

The area between the welding tip and the handle on my MIG welder gets rather hot and can cause accidental burns. My solution was to wrap a piece of ⅝-inch water hose around that area, cut to the length needed. Not only does this prevent burns, but offers better stability while welding by allowing you to hold the neck with your second hand. – Joe Walter, Menno, South Dakota

Useful Metal Rings

I have found that the quickest way to make weldable metal rings is to take a garage door spring (or any spring), and cut it right down the middle with a thin cutoff wheel designed for the job. This makes perfect circles for any use. If the rings need to be perfectly flat, I use heat and a vise. -Nate Menke, West Point, Iowa

Share Your Ideas

Enter idea(s), with a daytime phone number, email address, and complete mailing address using this link ENTER IDEA ONLINE CLICK HERE or mail to: Successful Farming Magazine, All Around The Farm, 1716 Locust Street/LS257, Des Moines, IA 50309-3023.

Submissions should be precise. Include a sketch or photograph when needed. If your idea is used in print, we pay $400 for the Idea of the Month, $200 for ideas that appear with drawings, and $100 for unillustrated ideas. All material submitted becomes the property of Meredith Operations Corporation. If your idea is used, you give Meredith Operations Corporation the right to use it in any manner.