Ferd/289 Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 I am thinking of adding a welding station, i.e. steel table to be used for welding, to my garage area. I heard that a 3x5 foot, 1/2 inch thick steel table top would work, along with steel legs. Any advice on construction, ie legs type of steel etc. Ferd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaime240z Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 The size sounds good but 1/2" plate for a top sounds too thick IMO. You could probablt get away with 1/4 or maybe even 1/8 with a brace. If you have 1/2 laying around by all means use it, but if you plan on buying a new plate get some price quotes. Prices jump up pretty fast with the thicker stuff, at least that was my experience when I built a cart. On mine I used 1/8 plate with 1.25 angle for the legs. It's pretty sturdy. I also have a 2x3 ft cart with casters that I can lu around pretty much anywhere. If you're making a staionary bench with 1/4 or thicker plate you can also use pipe for legs. I would also recommend checking out any scrap yards for materials. Prices are high for new stuff, especially for a bench that will probably see some abUSE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z-TARD Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 I would think that 1/4" or 3/8" steel plate would work just as well as 1/2" unless you are working on some seriously heavy parts. Using the 1/2" plate would make it a very sturdy platform for mounting a vise to though. 2" square tubing with 1/8" wall thickness would work pretty well for the legs. Some more square tubing cross bars somewhere along the length of the legs would make it very stout. For what it's worth, the one I use at work is 6X6 foot, made of 3" thick waffle cut steel plate. It weighs almost 6000 pounds, I know this because it makes the rear wheels on a 6K forklift bounce off the ground when lifting it. It's a nice table to have, but it's serious overkill. Hope this helps. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHO-Z Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 This is what I have, one of the old heavy office desks with the round corners. I installed a piece of plywood across the bottom to set my mig welder on. It is on wheels and has a piece of ¼†steel on the top. For what they sell for at used office places you can’t buy the steel for the base. Also the doors are great to have. Mine is also on wheels to move around the garage as needed. These things are built heavy enough to put an engine on if needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 Depends on what you want to do. If you go to this site http://metalshapers.org/101/index.shtml and poke around abit, I think there is one article that says 1/2 inch is a minimum thickness for a metal working table top. But they do some pretty intricate metal shaping, so for them a thicker table is probably a necessity. Here is one with 1/2 inch http://metalshapers.org/101/draczuk/shoptip10.shtml I made a killer work bench out of 2 and 2 1/2 inch pipe I got from a scrap metal yard. They had a pile of it as tall as a house that use to be fire sprinkler pipe in a building. Got it for 25 cent a pound and it makes a STRONG bench. For the top I just have plywood for now. When I weld I put down a sheet of cement board and maybe cover that with a piece of sheet metal for a ground plane. Eventually I will pick up some plate steel, but the wood top is nice for dual use work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad-ManQ45 Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 When I built my rotisserie, I used 3/4ths inch MDF for a 4X8 foot table that I could collapse by myself and lean against the wall. I have one of the magnetized grounding clamps that worked fine for me. Space was a big issue. Now I have a table that is belly button high to use anytime I need one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240Z2NV Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 I have countertops about two thirds of the perimeter of a three car garage. On one of the tops that I 'dedicated' to automotive/metal related work, I used 1 1/8" plywood and had a sheet metal shop cover it with 16 guage sheet metal. It has to be less expensive than solid 1/2" metal, it is very sturdy (easily holds several hundred pounds), and cleans up easily. If you needed more strength, you could make a stronger cabinet BASE. I just used Home Depot Mill's Pride stuff. The important thing that I was offering for consideration was the THICK plywood covered with sheet metal alternative. You didn't say the extent of the welding work that you plan on doing. If it is merely hobbyist level, I think that 1/2" steel is overkill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferd/289 Posted October 1, 2005 Author Share Posted October 1, 2005 My use would be for basiclly light welding of sheet metal, car skins, small parts made of steel and aluminum, tubing etc. Ferd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240Z2NV Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 Then the most economical and still effective set-up would be THICK wood covered with sheet metal. For legs, as mentioned by someone previously, you could use threaded pipe (3/4" or 1" ?), with threaded 'feet' on ground and at top under tabletop. For added reinforcement, gusset as needed and maybe weld some perimeter 'skirting' about 5" off floor all the way around the table legs (make into a shelf?). I would suggest doing the same 'skirting' just under the tabletop around the top perimeter of the legs, as well. My .02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTenneZ Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 If you plan to doing any cutting on this table you may want to consider a portion of it that consist of about 1" angle iron with the edge pointing up like "/ / / /" so that slag can fall through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted October 3, 2005 Share Posted October 3, 2005 A work table is different from a welding table. A work table needs to take a beating, a welding table needs to take heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Here comes trouble Posted October 4, 2005 Share Posted October 4, 2005 24X36 freeway gutter grate composed of 5/8 inch X 2 inch flat stock, 4 substantial pieces of 3X5 angle iron legs mounted on shopping cart swivel wheels. removable vice and temporary storage platform made from expanded metal and angle iron to stabilize bottom of cart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferd/289 Posted October 5, 2005 Author Share Posted October 5, 2005 I like it!, got a picture? I would like to see the removable vise, legs etc. Ferd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam280Z Posted October 5, 2005 Share Posted October 5, 2005 http://www.uniqueprojects.com/projects/weldingtable/weldingtable.htm I used these plans and scaled the table down to ~4ft X 2ft. I used 1in square tubing 1/16 thick and 1/4 in think steel plate. Took about on afternoon to assemble (did all cutting first then welded). This thing is stout. I have a vise mounted to it and can really apply torque when needed. The bottom 'shelf' is handy to stand on when you need some leverage. I added a handle on the opposite end from the bottom 'shelf' and wheels that are just off of the ground where the 'shelf' sticks out. This allows the table to be moved by lifting the table to a steep angle to put the wheels on the ground. BTW 1/4in plate is plenty unless you are making a huge table with no support underneath. Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted October 6, 2005 Share Posted October 6, 2005 24X36 freeway gutter grate composed of 5/8 inch X 2 inch flat stock, 4 substantial pieces of 3X5 angle iron legs mounted on shopping cart swivel wheels. removable vice and temporary storage platform made from expanded metal and angle iron to stabilize bottom of cart. Think anyone ever noticed the missing sewer grate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam280Z Posted October 6, 2005 Share Posted October 6, 2005 I've put some pics of my table in my photo album. http://album.hybridz.org/showphoto.php?photo=4445&cat=500&page=1 http://album.hybridz.org/showphoto.php?photo=4444&cat=500&page=1 It is painted with silver POR15 that was left over from another project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferd/289 Posted October 6, 2005 Author Share Posted October 6, 2005 For some reason I am not 'authorized' see the pics. Do you know what I need to do?? Ferd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferd/289 Posted October 6, 2005 Author Share Posted October 6, 2005 nevermind--I can see the Pics' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferd/289 Posted October 9, 2005 Author Share Posted October 9, 2005 Thanks for the information gents Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.