frame table/stand tricks?

Does anyone have a frame table or stand "sure fire" trick for making one?
I'm going to use the two engine stands trick to prep my frame, but need to make some kind of stand system for setup and layout. I have seen some guys use the old screw style jack stands, but I haven't seen one of those in years.....

My garage floor is a geometry nightmare, I had a math professor wanting to do research on it's compound angles

Right now I have a rock crawler build sitting on jack stands using wood door shims to level it. The problem is, the stands keep shifting a little bit and that always messes the angles and leveling up. It doesn't make as much diferance on something I'm building to use off road, but my car needs to be dead on.....

Thanks

I have several ways to build a frame, including a big steel welding table. but my newest frame jig project is a 18 inch I beam, on a trailer axle. I did this so I can keep a frame or body on the trailer and move it in and out of the shop to work on it when I can.

Arms will come out from the center, and be braced at an angle to the lower portion of the beam.

Dan and I were just talking about this. Our jig is one Dan built years ago and it has served us well, we have built quite a few frames on it and they have turned out straight and true. But he wants to do one like Bonehead had, a big chuck of I beam with some arms extending off of it to support frame parts while you are welding them. He thinks this will be a more simple, more accurate way to do things.

The main problem is that a 12 foot piece of I beam that size weighs a ton (so does our existing jig) and you need a way to store it when not in use. I like Bonehead's wheel idea.

Here is the one we now have.

Don

Frame rotator

I'll try and send some pics later of my rotator I built outta 2 engine stands

Thinking out loud here.....
A smaller I beam with 2" tubing welded vertically every couple feet and arms that slide into the 2" would allow you to change the support locations depending on what you need. Stick it on a little axle like they use for log splitters. But, in my case, I would have to use large bolts welded to the corners and all thread with pads on the end to level it.
The mobility is key for me, since I would have to keep it stored off location.

Thanks guys. Good ideas....

I am also interested in the hobbiest sized Tables or Jigs.I dont have any room to store a large sized unit either.

Dan welded up a small welding table with something like 3/8 flat steel top on it and it is the handiest thing. We all fight over it when we are at the shop because you can do so much on it. We have even done 8 foot lengths of steel on it by clamping it down. I know Bonehead has like 3 tables, and I bet he will say the same thing about how handy they are.

Don

A scrap metal guy I know got three 4x8 1 inch steel plates im thinking of picking one up but cant figure out how to move it. My old garage has a dirt floor.

My Small fab table is 40 X20 ish by 1 1/2 , it weighs in at 450 just for the top. I used a cherry picker to get it to place. My big fab table is 4 ft X 6ft by 1 1/2. it weighs over 1800 pounds and was too much for my skid steer. Used the neighbors John Deer tractor. My super big table is 16 feet by 5 feet, by 1 inch, and has wheels on one end, so I can move it with the skid steer. All are great for thier own purpose! I couldn't get by with out them.

I just use 4 screw jacks. The kind old travel trailers use work fine and can be found cheap, or make your own, then it won't matter how bad the floor is. Then you can level everything both ways, pull diagonal measurements to keep in square, use a magnetic torpedo level on each side to make sure the rails are true perpendicular. This method does required constant checking as you tack in the cross members because welds will pull as they cool. Weld in small amounts and wait for cooldown in between. I usually tack weld a couple pices of angle or square tubing across once I have it all squared up to hold everything in place.
I have used this method all my life and it is not complicated and doesn't require a lot of room to store when not in use.

Heres my tables

I like yours....
I can't seem to find any of the old screw jacks though. Any ideas? The new campers use scissor jacks. Which I guess would be a get me by, but they are unstable.

oldmule;If you'll check at RV stores you can find those screw jacks of all different sizes. I got 4 used ones for 10 bucks.

I just remembered we have an RV salvage here that I have a few bucks credit at. The other "upper scale" RV place I got my 5ver from doesn't stock them....

Thanks for the idea.

Anything that I can clamp my ground clamp to!!

11 GA X 2 " X 4" bolted together.