Throughout the welding process, it helps to have another person around to spot out-of-place welds and help secure parts to your welding table. Just make sure you all have the proper apparel (heavy gloves, welding jacket and mask, etc.) before you start. We also recommend starting with one weld per join, then coming back to weld the rest once the entire structure is standing. It's way easier to break one weld than many if you make a mistake!

Let's take a moment and use our hand grinder to make sure we have a clean surface to weld on. On each of the steel pieces, grind off the black metal coating off all sides of the first 1-2" of each end.

Now we can start off easy by welding the sides parallel to the head and foot of the bed. Take two 22.25" and two 38.75" sections of steel and arrange them flat on your work table in a rectangular shape, such that the end faces of the 22.25" lengths are flush against the sides of the 38.75" sections. You should be able to see all the way through the 38.75" sections, but both sides of the 22.25" sections should be closed off.

Use your MIG or TIG welder with the appropriate weld settings (we used MIG at 18V and 220 feed speed) to weld each of the joints together on the top face.

Put this part aside, then make the second short side using the rest of the 22.25" and 38.75" stock.

Now that you have the two sides, clamp both vertically with one of their 22.25" sections flat on the work surface. Position two of the 82" lengths so they complete a rectangle on the work surface; the 82" tube holes should be covered and flush against the side of the vertical support piece. Weld these into place, then lay the frame on its back (with an 82" piece and two 38.75" pieces flat on the table) and secure the final 82" piece roughly 7" from the opposite side of the 82" piece on the table. You'll want to grind away the black metal at this joint before you weld it.

Now go around and finish off your welds. Make sure to leave the top and bottom faces of the frame unwelded, as a weld bead in these places might unbalance the table.

Take your power drill and 3/16" bit and drill two holes - 2" away from each end - on each of the top horizontal segments, with an additional hole at the midpoint of the top horizontal 82" lengths. These will be used to fasten the wood to the top of the steel frame. We also drilled a few holes towards the top of the legs to make it easier to mount things like power strips to the sides.

Give your drill holes a quick once-over with the hand grinder to remove all the rough edges and burrs, then move on to the next step.