$4 DIY Welding Table Clamps 

Brandon Lund was the first guy I saw do this. His channel is pretty great. I subbed to yours. Any man honest enough to post footage of him toughing the hot metal twice deserves my subscription. I think we have all done it.

If welding and fabbing doesn't pan out for you try stand up comedy!! had a good couple laughs.. Thanks for sharing

Love it! Send me a new hole. The delivery, perfect.

Nice, I've been making clamps like this for a while now. I do a couple of things differently, I just cut off the bottom of the clamp rather than driving the pin out. I also leave the threads on the bolt so that I can use them on my wooden fixturing tops as well.

That wasn’t stupid..... that was GREAT! Your sense of humor always makes my day. Thanks for sharing.

"That was stupid" god i laughed so hard! Love your humor and your videos! Keep it up!

I never imagined those cheap Harbor Freight clamps would hold up to all that beating. Two of mine broke when using moderate clamping pressure. I introduced the other two to a trash can. If I go through all that work to DIY, I'm starting with a better quality clamp.

That was almost Wile E. Coyote funny. I expected you to pull out a mysterious box labeled "Acme", wrap the clamp with "TNT", tiptoe around a corner and push the plunger, only to have the entire shop destroyed while the clamp remains defiantly unscathed. :)

I went ahead with these for my Certiflat fixture table. Exact same way. Turned out just fine, but discovered two ways to improve them. #1) when welding the camp leg to the groove on the bolt head if you tilt them back slightly, the clamp will be 90 deg vertical when tightened down on the table. The 5/8" bolt shank isn't tight in the 16mm hole. The tilt helps a bit. #2) Knowing the Certiflat tables have 16MM holes (slightly bigger than 5/8") and measuring the shoulder of a normal 5/8 bolt you will find they are smaller than 5/8". So the cut off 5/8 bolt shoulders are a sloppy in the hole. Better if they fit tighter. Therein lies the rub! To by true 5/8" or 16MM shoulder bolts I find they are expensive. Significantly so. Solution is to buy 16MM round stock and cut off the pieces you need. 16mm or 5/8 round stock also not cheap, but not bad. Fit the holes perfectly. Only reason for this I did the 1/4" top, do a lot of fixturing and I don't want to cause any damage to my 16mm holes. I have noted some already and hope to stop it. Generally, as you know, even the slightly sloppy cut off 5/8" bolts work pretty well.

Especially liked the burnt fingers x 2. I can relate.

Those clamps are what have kept me from buying a welding table top. I've never seen the clamps in person but knowing they can be made so easily is embarrassing to find out. Great tutorial and I will definitely be making some!

Great Job! I've been using the HF bar clamps on my welding table and woodworking bench... but always separated both ends, slipped them in from the bottom and reconnected through the hole. This is so much easier... super smart! thanks Joe

Thanks for this! I followed your video to create my own clamps. I couldn’t pound the rivets out so I used a drill press.

Not that it makes that much difference but I just watched another clip where the Fab person used 5/8 shoulder bolts.. the explanation was that regular bolts and all-thread are sometimes slightly undersized in Diameter to make them easier to thread.. where shoulder bolt are a tighter fit. Either way seems to work fine and the shoulder-bolts are a little more expensive but... there it is. I almost fell out when you grabbed the hot piece on the floor and then did it AGAIN with the clamp piece hot end!😆 That made ME feel SO much better .. as I grabbed the business-end of my 'Plastic welder' that i had clamped in a vise that I thought had cooled ! Two weeks of spraying LIDOCAINE on the quarter-sized burn right where the first finger joint is... reminded me to wear gloves or leave the damn thing in the vice till the next day! Thanks for being Human

A man after my own heart! I like to save money but even better I like to make things that are adaptions of something common that can do an expensive job. I have come to know and love your welding table, you could do a series on it, Wesley's Welding Table!

"That's still hot"........."So is that!" LOL Did they send you a new hole yet? Thanks for the video....and the laughs!

Holes are cheaper at Harbor Freight than you could possibly make locally. You can usually find them somewhere along the welding isle. Look for the seemingly empty spaces on the wall.

Awesome idea! I have those exact HF clamps and they are far better than most at that price range. One IMPORTANT tip. Don't weld plated bolts (were they zinc?). The fumes are a severe carcinogen. McMaster carr and others have plain bolts.

I'm so glad you made this video...when watching your welding table build video I saved a screen shot of the clamp as you were using it thinking I just have to make some of those. Brilliant.

Wow, gr8 way making clamps 4 welding table. Went 2 Harbor Freight & picked up 6 F clamps. Thx 4 sharing on Utube.

had a really similar idea and already got the HF clamps. Thanks for warning me they don't just fall apart when the rivet is removed. Got some of their locking pliers for the same type of project

I'm so glad you posted this video! After watching your video about the retractable casters, I was really wanting to see how you made those. Great job. Keep up the good work.

I"m not sure I'd even bother cutting the threads off those bolts.....Nice idea!

I am a hobby wood worker and we have benches with holes in them for bench dog, I like you clamp idea that will work well for Wood working too! Thanks

Easiest way to remove the end of the clamp is to tighten down the clamp on its self as tight as you can. (It will bind) then take a big dead blow hammer and smack the back side of the clamp end. Of course you have the grinder out to remove that rivit, just cut that end off. Hope this helps. Great videos!

I noticed your die grinder bench vise combination now has a support under the die grinder. I saw in your casters video that the die grinder seem to be creeping toward the ground as you used it in that bench vise. You need to make a die grinder Mount that fits in those dog holes.

I love that you do the same kind of "Ow that's hot" crap I do. You're a human!?

thats funny, im surprised the welding tool companies arent out of business. We make most of our own tools and jigs!! Awesome work!

Thanks for the video. Solid idea on how to make these on a budget!

You can never have too many clamps I say. I really like those clamps you made and they would really come in handy when I weld with my powertig welder.

I have CNC slots in my table and used the Berger f clamps from harbor freight, they work amazing and are heavy duty as well.

Wow A year Latter now I am into welding and fabrication, and your clamps idea works again.

Really appreciated the last bit of hole humor!

Great video! Agree the cost of F clamps is astronomical. I also like the fact that you do not talk to much, although you are very funny!

"send me a new hole"...haha that was actually pretty funny

I'd like to see a video about you installing the "new hole" they send you! Really liked this vid.

1:31 "The poor man's milling machine" haha, love it!

Great video ! I hear that a shoulder bolt is closer to the size of our table holes for a snug fit. Good for table dogs as well. I also welded a threaded stud on to a piece of angle iron and mount my grinder on that stud using the threaded handle hole on the grinder. Use 2 nuts so you can lock it at proper angle. Then clamp it in a vice or on your welding table with clamps. The silver lining on making stuff is we don't have to make the money in order to get things. We spend our time. That saves us on taxes. If you buy 400.00 dollars worth of clamps you had to make around 550.00 before taxes depending on your income bracket. So by saving 400.00 you actually saved even more than that. Spare time can be a valuable asset.

Another simple and great idea. I'm going to make a few of those.

im making these this weekend....nice job

This is a good, inexpensive solution. I have a bunch strong hand buildpro clamps and in some ways these are better. They also offer the added benefit of being sacrificial if necessary. I bought a 10' piece 5/8" inch steel for $10 instead of bolts. Cheaper and faster

I made clamps for my certi-flat table, however, I quickly realized that cast jaw wasn't coming off without a MAJOR fight..... into the horizontal bandsaw it went! It was WAY easier just to cut them off than it was to fight with them lol.... I used 5/8" steel round instead of bolts though. Took a few tries to get the right length figured out. I'm gonna grab some thick uncoated steel 5/8" ID washers to weld on as well.

"Maybe they can send me a new hole" LOL, that was awesome. Thanks for leaving the "oops" in the video, it makes for much more realistic videos,

I could make thise at work during lunch break

But I love these welding table videos! haha. You have brilliant ideas.

How could anyone thumb down this video, the welding clamp idea is brilliant!

I want more welding table videos. I tried sending you a hole, but the whole thing didn't work.

End of the year (Black Friday) Home Depot sells 6 packs of the Bessey clamps, basically same design as these, but Bessey quality. I picked up two packs at $15.99 each. I made these same style clamps, but used the black oxide, socket cap versions so that I could recess the clamp beam into the allen keyholes. The HF clamps are pretty much garbage. I'm not hating on HF. I own plenty of their tools.

You are a hero for sharing this - start wearing a cape!

My table has slots like the miller tables and I modified some f clamps to work. So far so good and I got 12in of clamping height which is nice for bigger projects

Im build a new welding table picked up some 6-1"x2'x3' plate for $350 With holes now my back is out So ill have to wait until after Thanksgiving

Awesome. Very creative and definitely useful. Keep up the great craftsmanship and hard work my friend. Keep making. God bless.

There is a Lord, and his name is Wesley Treat. Cheers man

Nice! Thanks for the tip. I'm going to make some for myself.

I have a crap load of those Harbor Freight clamps, I like that idea, thanks for sharing.

I liked the video a lot informative clear and concise and good video placement well done

Great video. Thank you. Will build ones myself as well. They are way too expensive to buy but probably because it is a captured market.

Nice, good little hack.

This guy is funny playing with fire and hot metal. A new subscriber for 2018 lol.

Love how you left in the burning we all do it and its funny 🤣

Love my Certiflat. This is an absolutely needed project for me. I’ve been meaning to do this. Thanks for the info.

Great idea

i will definitely be trying this after I make a trip to harbor freight. great video!

I've always heard that holes were on backorder. That's why we make out own! :-D

You're funny. Excellent video and process. I like how you take HF tools and make them better. Thanks for sharing...

You just saved me a sh*t ton of money! Thanks for a welding student!

Great video and information, and thanks for the laffs too!

"That was stupid," and yet I laughed. Keep up the wonderful videos. I don't have a welding table, but if I did, I would totally make these kind of clamps. #futureproject

You fucking rule dude. Nice work. Can relate to the instant “why did I do that” of picking up something I literally just heated up, haha.

Made my day

great idea

Enjoyed the video, the execution of the task and the joke at the end. Well done - a dose of humour makes for enjoyable watching - I didn't even skip ahead :-)

I made some of these clamps and they work very nicely. Thanks!

From one fabricator to another, good job. I subscribed right away after you touched hot metal ( twice) . All kidding aside. 2 THUMBS UP 👍👍. I look forward to more videos. Stay Safe...

Good idea thanks

Nice I never thought of doing that. Thanks

aha. You just earned a new subscriber. This video has given me the proof of concept Ive been looking for online for the last 3 hours. Ill be making my own table in the coming weeks and doing exactly this. cheers mate!

ha! i made the same exact ones from harbor freight as well for my certified flat table too the work great i got too frustrated with the pin so i just cut it off on the end jaw

Very ingenius and I need to make some with my everlast welder when I get a chance.

I love your idea. I really need to make myself some clamps. I've been doing more welding with my everlast and the lack of decent clamps makes set up way too long a process.

Great video, may make my own set down the road. I will however for sure use the angle grinder in the vice to cut a slot! A simple but effective idea :)

Good job

Nice job Wesley. I am making several now that are similar.

You are awesome!!! Keep it up.

I love a video that shows all the screw ups too!!!

Brilliant!

awesome idea! thanks for sharing

This was great!

Subbed. How can you not after this video.

Do you know what hot metal looks like? ... exactly like cold metal.

Great video and you are hilarious

Outstanding! Thank you.

Actually like your videos with welding content. More would be appreciated.

I have been looking on line for a bag of holes so I can just place one of them where I need a hole so I don't have to drill a hole their.

VERY nice i burn myself all the time LOL, going to make some right now .

"Have your send me a new hole" hahaha awesome!

I wonder if this style clamp will work with bench dogs for woodworking. hmmmm. Anyways, this is the third video of yours that I've watched in a row. I'm glad I found your channel because it was an instant subscribe!

You just prove my thoughts!

Wesley - these vids are great. Not only do I like your style, but your ideas are brilliant. I too can afford a $50 welding table clamp, but its just not a "value" The HF fabrication is awesome and I will be making 4 this week! Have a certiflat pro table on order and these vids are the reason I am a new subscriber to your channel. Common sense with a nice twist and good ideas. Its what makes the world go around.

I did the same thing but used allthread and nuts cause it was cheaper than the bolts.